How to Learn French Fast: 10 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow 6/3/18, 12)29 AM

How to Learn French Fast Reader

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Four Parts: Beginner's French Immersing Yourself in French Learning Useful Phrases Printable Phrase Guides

French is considered one of the most beautiful languages in the world. By learning French, you will have the ability to
communicate with over 220 million extra people. Learning a language can be difficult, however. But with this article, you will be
conversing in French in no time! This article will give you a quick overview of the French language and how to learn it.

Part
1 Beginner's French

1 Know your learning style. Are you a visual, auditory or kinesthetic learner? This means do you learn best
through looking at the words yourself, through hearing them spoken to you, or through listening and seeing
and associating actions or feelings with them.[1]
If you've learned languages before, go back over how you learned them and see what worked for you
and what didn't.
In most classroom settings you will do a lot of writing, but less speaking. Speaking the language and
immersing yourself in it is extremely important and a way to become more efficient at the language more
quickly.

2 Memorize 30 words and phrases each day. In 90 days, you'll have learned about 80% of the language.
The most common words make up the greatest percent of interactions, so start by memorizing the most
common words.
Make sure that you keep practicing the words you've used previously, so you don't forget them as you
memorize new words.
The top ten most common French words are: être (to be, being), avoir (to have), je (I), de (of, from, by,
than, in, with), ne (not), pas (not; step, pace), le (the; him, it (referring to a masculine singular noun)), la
(the; her, it (referring to a feminine singular noun)), tu (you), vous (you, yourself).[2]
Label everything in your house with the French word and make sure you say the words out loud
whenever you read them.
Make yourself flash cards and use them when you're on the bus, during commercials while you're
watching t.v. or whenever you have a bit of downtime.

3 Learn the structure of the language. Learn how the verbs work with nouns and with each other. Things
that you learn in the beginning of French make more sense as you become more proficient in the
language. Look at things like how the pronunciation works.
Grammar is incredibly important to learning a language. To speak it properly, you'll need to understand
how verbs work, how present, past, and future tenses work, and how genders work with nouns. We say
things forward in English e.x. The bathroom, whereas the french (and the rest of the world) say things
backward, taking longer to say it e.x. the room of bath.
Learn pronunciation. This is especially important with French, where to English speakers, the written
words look nothing like the spoken language. For instance, French has vowels like "eau" which is
pronounced "o" or "oi" which is pronounced "wa."[3] You will need to know how these pronunciations

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work.

Part
2 Immersing Yourself in French

1 Read and write in French. To familiarize yourself with the language, you'll need to read and write in it.
This will help you use the words you've been memorizing and keep them in your head.
Children's books are a great place to start when learning to read any language. Since they help children
learn their native language they are a great way for someone learning the language can get a handle on
reading it.
Another idea is to find your favorite books in French. This will help keep your interest and will help you
decipher the text since you already know the plot. It's good to start simple, since a too-challenging book
at the start of your learning will only frustrate you.[4]
Keep a French journal. Even if you only write a few sentences in it every day, it will help show you how
much you've improved and will give you a chance to practice the language.

2 Listen to things in French. Put on some French music, or your favorite movie dubbed in French. Seek out
French cinema, and French television shows and radio stations. Practice imitating what you're hearing.
Many polyglots (folks who know more than one language) swear by the "shadowing" technique for
learning a language quickly. Go outside and put your headphones on. While you play the language, walk
briskly. As you're walking repeat out loud and clearly what you're hearing. Repeat, march, repeat. This
will help you connect movement with the language and to retrain your focus so that you aren't obsessing
about memorization.[5]
Listening to natural French speakers will help you get a handle on how quickly French is spoken and
how the intonation works. The more you listen, the better you will get.
In the beginning, while you're watching a movie, have the French subtitles on so you can better follow
along with the dialogue and can start to see how the words you've been reading act when spoken.

3 Speak in French. This is one of the most important components to learning French. You have to speak the
language, even if you feel embarrassed by how little you know. Everyone starts off not speaking well, but
with practice you'll improve.
Find a penpal, or skype buddy who speaks French as their native language. There are lots of programs
over the internet or through colleges and local language schools that can set people up with people who
speak French.
Don't be upset by critique of your pronunciation. Instead, thank the critic and work on improving
Talk out loud to yourself in French. Narrate what you're doing. If you're doing the dishes, or driving a car,
talk about that. Pay attention to your intonation and pronunciation.

4 Practice frequently. Without practicing what you learn, you're not going to get very far. Even learning a
language quickly takes a certain amount of commitment and time. As long as you work hard and practice
what you're learning, there's no reason for you not to learn French well!
Think in French. Set aside time during the day to practice thinking in French.Go to the grocery store and
think about the items in the store and the conversations you have with people. Practice reworking those
interactions into French.[6]
Turn your Facebook (or other social media) settings to French. You still know where everything is, but it
makes you have to practice what you're learning in a practical manner.
Don't give up! Sometimes it can seem like you're never going to get it, but you will. As long as you

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practice and vary your learning methods, there's no reason for you to not learn French.

Part
3 Learning Useful Phrases

1 Learn greetings and goodbyes. These are useful phrases and words to start with, since most people
begin their interaction, and end their interaction in similar ways. The "zh" in the following pronunciation
guides sounds like "j" and "sh" mixed together.
"Bonjour" which means "Hello" is pronounced "bohn-zhoor."
"Je m'appelle..." means "My name is..." and is pronounced "zhuh mah-pehl."
"Au revoir" means "goodbye" and is pronounced "oh-reh-vwar."

2 Learn how to ask for help. This is important particularly if you need the other speaker to speak more
slowly or to repeat themselves. Make sure to look up the individual words while you're practicing, as the
English translation and the French meaning can be different.
"Parlez lentement" means "Please speak slowly" and is pronounced "par-lay lehn-ta-mohn."
"Je ne comprends pas" means "I don't understand" and is pronounced "zhuh nuh kohn-prahn pah."

3 Remember to thank the people who help you. Say "merci" or "merci beaucoup" which mean "thank you"
or "thank you very much."

Community Q&A

What is the difference between un and une?

wikiHow "Un" is masculine singular, and used for "male" words. "Une" is feminine singular, and used for "female" words.
Contributor
Listening to french is a nightmare! My reading and writing is okay, but I can't understand a thing
when it is spoken. What do I do?
wikiHow When in doubt, check out how babies learn things, they do it best. I'm afraid you'll have to dive right into the
Contributor
nightmare if you want to train your ear. If you can't hear people talking directly or you prefer to take steps, it can be
done with movies/series/games in French, with french subs. Reading while listening helps a lot. After this, try
some french YouTube videos.
How do I learn proper pronunciation?
wikiHow Listen to the way French people speak French (in person, on a TV show, in movies, in online videos) and practice
Contributor
imitating them.
How can I speak French quickly when I don't know the language?
wikiHow You can't - you'll have to learn the language first. After you do, you'll probably speak slowly for a long time until
Contributor
you get more comfortable with the language, intonation, pronunciation, etc. Then you can begin speaking quickly.
How can I understand which is feminine and which is masculine?
wikiHow Feminine words end with "e". Masculine words usually end with consonants.
Contributor
Do masculine words end with an "E" as well?
Jessica Phan Sometimes they do, but not commonly. For example, the word "homme" means man, and the word brother means
"frere." Those end with an "E" and they are masculine.
How can I remember all the rules for adjectives?
wikiHow You can't just simply learn all the rules at once. Try writing down a rule and practice it until you are comfortable
Contributor
enough with it, then start with the others.
I've been on language learning websites and they always do not distinguish the difference between verbs.
They don't distinguish between mangeons, manges, mange. How can I tell which to use?
wikiHow Look at the context around the verbs. Usually, it is who is doing the action that determines the conjugation. Is it I?
Contributor

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You? They? We? Each one requires a different conjugation.

How come some words in French have an "e" at the end and some words don't?
wikiHow In French, most masculine words end with a consonant, while feminine words end with the letter "e".
Contributor
Is there a way to remember tenses easily?
wikiHow List each tense on a sticky note and put them somewhere you will see them often, such as your bedroom mirror or
Contributor
near where you eat meals. Each time you pass the area, read the notes. Soon you will have them memorized.

Quick Summary

To learn French fast, memorize 30 words and phrases a day by labeling things in your house with the French
word. Continue to immerse yourself by reading French children’s books, as they're an easy entry into French
sentence structure. Also, try listening to French radio stations and repeating as many phrases as you can. To
practice your writing skills, keep a French journal, even if you only write a few sentences a day.

Tips

Some people are naturally good language learners and some aren't. Don't use this as an excuse.
Once you have quite a wide vocabulary, you can start translating things you see every day in your native language.
You might listen to a song and as you are doing this, start thinking about the words and tenses you would need to
translate this into French. The same can be said for road signs, menus or even conversations. Although this might
sound tedious, sometimes you'll think of a word in your native language and realize you don't know the French
equivalent. This is a good way to keep your skills up and to make sure you don't forget things.
Always try to talk to yourself in french and laugh at your mistakes (it helps).

Warnings

Use your French or you will lose it.

If you get a word wrong, pardon yourself and try again calmly.

Sources and Citations

1. http://expatriateconnection.com/learning-a-new-language-8-tips-that-really-work/
2. http://french.languagedaily.com/wordsandphrases/most-common-words
3. http://www.omniglot.com/writing/french.htm
4. http://www.oxfordlearning.com/2013/03/08/10-tips-for-improving-french-skills-at-home/
5. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/the-secret-to-learning-languages-1.1229806
6. http://www.omniglot.com/language/articles/learningfrench.htm

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