Learning French
Since we're planning to spend quite a bit of time in Quebec in the future, we're working on learning French.
I wrote a bit about this last summer, here in a reflection about Traveling and "living abroad."
We studied in earnest last summer and fall, first through online FrenchPod 101, which is an excellent site, but a bit dull (as it was for their Spanish version, which we've also used). Thorough, yes, fun, not so much.
I'd used Coffee Break Spanish in the past, and quickly enjoyed Coffee Break French, too; it's full of great conversational and useful French and interesting, too. If you sign up for the modest online access, you have transcripts and auxiliary materials to study, as well as video versions in additional to the free audio podcasts.
Several weeks ago, we signed ourselves up for French tutoring with a lovely retired professor of French and Spanish. Yikes, I thought, the pressure was on. And don't I already have enough going on with teaching classes, doing presentations, etc., I thought? But you don't learn a language without daily practice, and having our tutor work with us until we decamp to Quebec, well, it's turned out to be a good thing.
We're using a conversational approach (even if she's still having us learn verb tenses), that she suggested, developed by another online language expert, Benny Lewis. Another multi-lingual sort, Benny encourages speaking from the beginning, and offers a similar approach to Mark's (from Coffee Break). They're wonderfully complementary.
What he does is offer online resources that correlate with his book, which costs about $20. Cheap!
But what our tutor is doing (at a bit more cost) is effectively working with us on our pronunciation in real time, encouraging real-life conversation, and providing incentive to keep at it every day.
Wouldn't it be fun to be able to read a recipe for classic Quebec sugar pie (or the maple syrup version) in French, after all?
I see them in our local grocery stores in Quebec and we shared a delicious one from a nearby bakery with our neighbors last winter. I thought I'd made a post about that delicious pie, but couldn't find it just now. I must have just written to our neighbors about it.
I wrote a bit about this last summer, here in a reflection about Traveling and "living abroad."
We studied in earnest last summer and fall, first through online FrenchPod 101, which is an excellent site, but a bit dull (as it was for their Spanish version, which we've also used). Thorough, yes, fun, not so much.
I'd used Coffee Break Spanish in the past, and quickly enjoyed Coffee Break French, too; it's full of great conversational and useful French and interesting, too. If you sign up for the modest online access, you have transcripts and auxiliary materials to study, as well as video versions in additional to the free audio podcasts.
Several weeks ago, we signed ourselves up for French tutoring with a lovely retired professor of French and Spanish. Yikes, I thought, the pressure was on. And don't I already have enough going on with teaching classes, doing presentations, etc., I thought? But you don't learn a language without daily practice, and having our tutor work with us until we decamp to Quebec, well, it's turned out to be a good thing.
We're using a conversational approach (even if she's still having us learn verb tenses), that she suggested, developed by another online language expert, Benny Lewis. Another multi-lingual sort, Benny encourages speaking from the beginning, and offers a similar approach to Mark's (from Coffee Break). They're wonderfully complementary.
What he does is offer online resources that correlate with his book, which costs about $20. Cheap!
But what our tutor is doing (at a bit more cost) is effectively working with us on our pronunciation in real time, encouraging real-life conversation, and providing incentive to keep at it every day.
Wouldn't it be fun to be able to read a recipe for classic Quebec sugar pie (or the maple syrup version) in French, after all?
I see them in our local grocery stores in Quebec and we shared a delicious one from a nearby bakery with our neighbors last winter. I thought I'd made a post about that delicious pie, but couldn't find it just now. I must have just written to our neighbors about it.
Hi Lisa! I hope I meet you at the Fling. Thank you for this post! My son is in Quebec right now (we are from Oregon), and has visited his Quebec native girlfriend there many times. Since all her family are French speaking, he is very motivated to learn. I am going to forward him this post. In your reommendations above, which are in the Quebec dialect? I assume your tutor is, of course, but I was wondering about the other resources.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks!
Hi, Alyse- I'll definitely see you at the Fling! As far as Quebecois French goes, interestingly, written French in Quebec is just the same as written French in France. It's idiomatic phrases, word usage, speed, and pronunciation that make it different, apparently. Our teacher says we'll be perfectly understandable as foreign speakers of French, as we build our rudimentary conversational skills. Our tutor took beginning college students to Quebec City for many years, so she's familiar with some of the differences, but mainly, we simply need to learn basic French and "standard" pronunciation to be understood, apparently. Understanding the Quebecois speaking French rapidly in a strong accent is something else, but some of the folks I spoke to in Quebec just said it took practice. And my impression is that there also is a more standard Quebecois French, based on listening to the radio and TV programs. There are ancillary Quebec French web materials, too.
DeleteThank you for the language resources. All the prep you are doing will enrich your summer Quebec experience I am sure!
ReplyDeleteWe already feel like we've learned a lot! And with immersion (of sorts) should be able to improve quite a bit this summer! Did you say you'd studied French or wanted to?
DeleteI so envy those bright people that can learn second languages. I had Spanish for five years in school, two years in college, and then when taking classes for my CLAD. I can understand some that others say much to their surprise. I can conjugate a verb but you would have to tell me the verb meaning. I can read in Spanish and make it sound very good. I can't however tell you anything I read. (Maybe some verbs lol) I accept that this as well as playing an instrument are not in my wheelhouse. I am so impressed with your many techniques to learn French. I'd venture to guess that your tutor is one of the best methods because of the immediate reinforcement and authentic conversations. Please just don't write your blog exclusively in French because I would be totalmente fuera de suerte.
DeleteBonne chance, Lisa! Looking forward to catching up in Denver.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to seeing you at the Fling! Learning French is really keeping us on our toes...
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