You’re motivated to learn French, and you want to take the most effective path to achieve mastery! Rosetta Stone’s experts can show you how to learn French like a pro. While there are vast resources for learners, we’ve put together this list of tips to fast-track your path to proficiency. What’s more, these tips not only help you learn French fast, but any other language in your future. In time, you may become a true polyglot.
Table of Contents
1. Begin communicating right away with the basics
Don’t shy away from conversations, even as a brand new learner of French. Even a simple foundation in basic concepts will launch you into real-world opportunities to use your new language.
Some easy places to start with great results:
- Learning how to count and use French numbers will help you discuss prices, confirm transactions, check the date and time, or exchange phone numbers.
- Knowing various ways to say hello in French can open opportunities for socialization with native speakers.
- Showing polite manners, such as how to say thank you in French, will show that you are eager to learn and improve your French.
2. Build your vocabulary
Words are the building blocks for your thoughts and ideas. If you speak English or another romance language like Spanish, you already have a huge head start because of the sheer number of French cognates. These are words like une table (a table) or un problème (a problem) that are spelled similarly in English and mean the same thing.
| French | English |
| l’ambulance | the ambulance |
| les fruits | fruits |
| l’hôpital | the hospital |
| le monument | the monument |
| la musique | music |
| l’objet | the object |
| le supermarché | the supermarket |
Aside from cognates, it’s a great idea to start learning words on different everyday topics. Start with commonly used French words for people, places, and things you’ll find in your immediate environment, including household objects, food, the community, and transportation.
| French | English |
| l’argent | the money |
| la banque | the bank |
| le fromage | the cheese |
| la maison | the house |
| la personne | the person |
| la salle de bains | the bathroom |
| la voiture | the car |
Next, add adjectives for descriptive flair and common French verbs to form sentences. The more concepts you can express using French words you learn, the easier it will be to communicate your thoughts and needs.
| French | English |
| acheter | to buy |
| beau/belle | beautiful |
| cher/chère | expensive |
| froid/froide | cold |
| marcher | to walk |
| parler | to speak |
| travailler | to work |
3. Learn pronunciation and spelling by immersion
Like English, French spelling and pronunciation are a major focus of learning the language, as the letters change pronunciation depending on combinations within the word. In addition, French includes several different accent marks, silent letters, and liaisons (connecting sounds) when words are put together in sentences.
To get started, you can learn the French alphabet and how letters and their sounds are pronounced, which will help you in both reading and vocabulary acquisition. Even by just learning how the letters are pronounced, you can spell out your name or ask someone to spell an address.
For example, you’ll see that the French “c” is pronounced differently depending on the spelling of the word. In front of an “a” “o” “u” or a consonant, it will sound like a hard “k” sound.
- café (kah-fay) = coffee
- avec (ah-vec) = with
- sucre (soo-kreuh) = sugar
In front of “e” “i” and “y” it is pronounced like “s.”
- centre (sehn-truh) = center
- citron (see-trohn) = lemon
- cyclisme (see-kleez-meh) = cycling
When it comes to “ch” you’ll hear the “shh” sound.
- chocolat (shoh-coh-lah) = chocolate
- chaud (shoh) = hot
And a cédille accent (ç) changes the sound of the “c” to an “s” sound.
- français (frahn-say) = French
- ça va ? (sah-vah) = How’s it going?
Learning all of the possible letter combinations is easier when you see and hear how these sounds are used and spelled within authentic contexts like les réseau-sociaux (social media sites), les extraits-vidéos (short video clips), sous-titres (subtitles) on movies and tv shows, and even les publicités (advertisements) that often have great visual support for the words you see and hear.
Build a strong foundation of spelling, pronunciation, and vocabulary through engaging contexts like Rosetta Stone’s Stories, part of our all-in-one app. When you encounter new vocabulary in a sentence, especially as a part of a narration, your brain tends to retain it more easily.
4. Find a language partner to speak with
It’s often said that the quickest way to learn a language is to fall in love with someone who speaks it. While that certainly can be effective motivation, you can benefit from any person who plays the role of a “language parent.” They’ll have an active interest to help you, answer your questions, speak at a comprehensible level, and correct you where needed, just like a parent would teach their young child their first language.
Perhaps you have someone who can fill this role:
- un ami/une amie = a friend
- un/une collègue = a colleague
- un coéquipier/une coéquipière = a teammate
- un/une colocataire = a roommate
- un voisin/une voisine = a neighbor
Alternatively, you could find a “language exchange partner.” Like-minded learners can be found through the internet or local meet up groups, cultural events, or language learning institutes like l’Alliance Française. If you can connect with someone who is motivated to learn your language—and you theirs—spending 20-30 minutes conversing in each language is a great way to help each other and get specific help. (It’s best if each person has a basic foundation first.)
Other ways to learn include studying with tutors or attending classes. Rosetta Stone offers both, with our small group live lessons and expert tutors available to help you with your specific needs. They’re native speakers and are familiar with the types of challenges that learners face when starting or accelerating their learning curve.
5. Learn patterns within French grammar
If words are the building blocks of language, grammar structures are the blueprints. You can learn French grammar rules in two ways:
- A deductive approach shows you a rule and several examples before you apply it to your own sentence
- An inductive approach shows you many examples and asks you to extrapolate the rule or pattern
Either way, studying grammar rules and structures can build awareness that helps you notice patterns and exceptions when you see them in authentic contexts. You’ll be better understood if you follow the French patterns rather than translating word-for-word from English.
Learning rules and structures can be a helpful shortcut for mastering word order, verb conjugation, adjective agreement, and negation, among many other things.
Notice French word order
Word order is often different between two languages. Here are examples of possession in French:
- le frère de ma mère. = my mother’s brother
- l’adresse de mon voisin. = my neighbor’s address
- l’ordinateur de Teddy. = Teddy’s computer
From these examples, you can see that in French we don’t use the apostrophe “s” to show possession, rather the owned object followed by de (of) followed by the owner.
Pay attention to verb conjugations
To indicate verb tense and use correct subject-verb agreement, you also need to notice patterns of French verb conjugation. There are specific patterns for regular verbs such as parler (to speak), and also rules for verbs that seem to defy all patterns, such as avoir (to have). The patterns change depending if you’re speaking in the past, present, or future, and according to the perspective of the speaker.
- J’ai un chien. = I have a dog.
- Tu as un chien. = You have a dog.
- Nous avions un chien, mais maintenant nous en avons deux. = We had one dog, but now we have two.
- Quand je serai plus grand, j’aurai six chiens. = When I am older, I will have six dogs.
- C’est absurde qu’elle ait douze chiens ! = It’s absurd that she has twelve dogs!
Adjective agreement and other French gender rules
Unlike English, French gender rules affect many structures in the French language. This is why we will describe different people and objects with different forms of an adjective, depending on the gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural) of the noun.
- Le costume est vert.= The suit is green.
- La cravate est verte. = The necktie is green.
- Les gants sont verts. = The gloves are green.
- Les chaussettes sont vertes. = The socks are green.
Gender and number rules affect many parts of speech in French including articles, demonstratives, possessives and sometimes past participles.
Negation
In English we usually use something like “don’t” or “not” to negate a thought. Negating sentences in French involves the words ne…pas and similar negative structures. Notice where these words are placed in many different types of sentences. Interestingly, French not only allows for but requires double negatives!
- Vous ne travaillez pas le dimanche ? = You don’t work on Sunday?
- Elle n’est pas là.= She isn’t here.
- Je ne veux rien. = I don’t want anything. (I don’t want nothing).
- Il ne voit personne. = He doesn’t see anyone. (He doesn’t see no one.)
These are just some of the grammar rules that will help you be understood in French.
6. Connect with the culture
Languages are connected with the people who speak them. Cultural connections are great ways to learn vocabulary and build communication skills. Traveling is an amazing opportunity to put your French into practice. Go explore everything that France is known for, including its food, monuments, fashion, and architecture.
In many cities across the globe, French speakers and lovers of French culture participate in holiday celebrations such as La Chandeleur and other can’t-miss French festivals. Or there may be traveling performances in French in a city near you.
Thanks to the internet, there’s no shortage of information you can find about other cultures. If you’re interested in history, read about how the French Revolution influenced democracies all around the world. Cook a meal or turn on a broadcast to watch the Bastille Day parade from the comfort of your living room.
7. Enjoy your favorite hobbies in French
The easiest part about learning French happens when you do it through your own passions. It doesn’t matter what you’re excited about, learning French opens up a whole new world within which to enjoy your personal interests, hobbies, and talents.
If you love music, download playlists of songs from your favorite genre or expand to traditional music from francophone West Africa. Read and sing the lyrics while you listen to improve your pronunciation and reading skills.
If you love sports, find a radio station or broadcast from a country where French is the dominant language. Fans of le football (soccer, for those in the US) will love the enthusiasm of the announcers for Paris Saint-Germain or the Senegalese national team. Hockey fans can learn a lot from French-speaking Canada. Attend a game to cheer with fellow fans.
Readers can enjoy works written at a comprehensible level including children’s books, short stories, poetry, and blog posts from French-speaking cultures. Read a French best-seller or classic to increase your comprehension.
Crafty? Scientifically minded? An aspiring culinary artist? Find and follow instructions for your latest experiment in French. Throw a party to share the experience with friends.
If your favorite hobbies include laying down to relax, this list of French TV and movies on Netflix can be a jumping off point for discovering your favorite new series or actor. Streaming services may offer authentic French content in its original language, or you can watch familiar shows and movies by changing the audio and subtitles to French. The audio and subtitles often don’t match, but even this can be an exercise in comparing and contrasting the variety of French translations.
8. Pay attention to non-verbal communication in French
Body language, gestures, tone, facial expressions, and filler sounds are all part of language expression that aren’t words—many of which are unique to different cultures. Similar to a shrug, the French bof indicates disagreement or indifference. If you raise your shoulders, hold out your palms, and raise your eyebrows, you’re communicating that you’re not interested.
A way to show a general dislike or negative emotion is called la moue (a pout or sulky expression). It’s a puckered lip with squinted eyes. Do it when you’re annoyed.
Similar to English, if you rub your thumb against your fingertips, French speakers will understand that you’re referring to “money.”
And if you want to show you don’t believe someone, no words are necessary. Pull down the bottom corner lid of one of your eyes with a fingertip. You could also say Mon oeil ! (my eye) for additional emphasis.
9. Persevere with the right mindset
Whether you’re wondering how to learn French fast for academic, travel, familial, or business purposes, the best way is to get started and just do it! Take advantage of how Rosetta Stone works with your brain’s natural ability to acquire language and work on it with patience and dedication.
A popular French proverb says:
- Petit à petit, l’oiseau fait son nid. = Little by little the bird makes its nest.
Even if French seems hard to learn at first, your brain is constantly making connections. That’s why Rosetta Stone’s Dynamic Immersion method sets you up to learn vocabulary in meaningful contexts. Sometimes you need to encounter a word multiple times before you will recall it with ease, and that’s exactly how you’ll learn with Rosetta Stone.
Don’t worry about perfection—make mistakes. French philosopher and writer Voltaire famously said:
- Le mieux est l’ennemi du bien. = The best is the enemy of the good.
So, keep making progress (and mistakes) and you’ll be on the path to proficiency. You don’t need to be perfect or understand every word to learn how to speak French with confidence. Don’t worry so much about how long it takes to learn French but rather how well you do it from the start.
Key takeaways for how to learn French
- Start right away with the basic building blocks of vocabulary and simple conversations
- Connect with native speakers who are willing to help you
- Grammar study can be a shortcut to speaking and writing correctly
- Stay curious and seek to understand the culture
- Your hobbies and interests can keep you motivated to learn French
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