When it comes to melodic and romantic language, the first thing that comes to your mind is probably French. LC Work has collected the most effective ways how to learn French on your own.
If you want to speak fluently in each state of Canada, this guide article is definitely for you.
Undoubtedly, English has become an international language, which can be spoken all over the world. However, French is not just a beautiful language, it has a great history, which has made a huge impact on other languages, including English. Tons of words in any language are taken from French. So let’s find out more facts about this gorgeous language before discovering the tips on learning French.
French is the official national language in 32 states and governments. It’s also the 5th world language, according to the France Diplomacy’s research. In the period between 2014 and 2018, the number of native French speakers increase by 9.6%.
Since French has a huge history of colonialism and worldwide impact, the majority of the people in Africa are considered to be native speakers. Talking more specifically, there are 59% of individuals speak French all over African countries. Moreover, the number of African-fluent French speakers also grows constantly, therefore, from 2014 to 2016, this number grew by 17%. Summing up, French is also:
WorldData.info posted statistical research that demonstrates which percentage of people speak French in various countries.
Country |
Region |
Official Language |
Distribution |
Total |
France |
Western Europe |
Yes |
93.6% |
63 414 000 |
Canada |
North America |
Yes |
22.0% |
8 414 000 |
Haiti |
Caribbean |
Yes |
42.0% |
4 808 000 |
Belgium |
Western Europe |
Yes |
41.1% |
4 765 000 |
Democratic Republic of the Congo |
Central Africa |
Yes |
4.3% |
4 123 000 |
United States of America |
North America |
No |
0.7% |
2 323 000 |
Switzerland |
Western Europe |
Yes |
21.3% |
1 854 000 |
Mali |
Western Africa |
Yes |
6.4% |
1 402 000 |
In total, over 97.6 million people around the world speak French as their mother language. And this article will help you become one of these fluent speakers. So how to learn French from scratch on your own?
Basically, the whole process of learning this language can be put into ten steps. So here are the ten tips on can take while improving your language skills.
It’s impossible to learn any language without these two important steps – listening and reading. Nowadays, it’s more than just easy to watch any movies in French, even if their original audio is not.
At first, it will seem to your so difficult and unclear, but as times go, your brain will adapt to the sound, way of speaking, tone of voice, etc. Focus on listening and grammar. Talking about the best streaming platforms, where you can watch movies, the list includes Netlfix, Disney Plus, etc.
Another way to listen to French-language content is through podcasts and blogs on YouTube. So here are the best channels that would definitely alleviate the process of learning French from scratch.
Written exercise is probably one of the most effective ways to practice your language skills. It is easy to train your writing when you have a teacher because you don’t have to check yourself. But how to do it properly when you learn French on your own?
It’s important to mention that it’s useless to do writing exercises if you don’t have a way to check yourself to make sure you do everything right. One of the best things for self-learning is definitely a textbook. Here are the best French textbook for newbies:
However, textbooks are not the one and only way to practice your writing skills. You can also write essays about everything that happens to you. It would be probably more fun when you don’t have to follow the rules and restrictions.
And last but not least way of improving your writing skills is to rewrite the news, articles, and reports online. Be patient and keep improving your skills.
Photographic memory is so underrated in the modern studying process. Flashcards may help you to remember all the difficult words and improve your vocabulary. You can buy a pack of French flashcards suitable to your level, but you also can make them on your own, by choosing the words you need to focus on.
Here are a few tips to practice with the flashcards:
The music market of France is full of various artists and musicians with their own styles and genres. So listening to your favorite songs and writing the lyrics may be a significant practice in your learning process. You will improve both skills like listening and writing but in the most fun way.
At the very beginning, it may seem difficult for you, but as time goes on, your brain will adapt to the language. As you get better, you can translate the written French lyrics into your native language.
Vocabulary is a very important factor in mastering any language. You can have perfect grammar, and complete complex sentences, but still not know what words to put into these sentences. The more your vocabulary, the more interesting you are the interlocutor.
Returning to grammar, which is the foundation of the language, it is worth noting that your speech will be much more interesting if you know these rules.
And language is living through the times, which means that eventually, some of the aspects can change. To stay tuned to the updates and modern style of speaking, you need to be in the flow of news in French-speaking countries.
Through the newsletters, you can also find more about the formal form of the language, which includes official statements and a complex dictionary.
If news and articles help you adapt to formal speech, then social media is the key to regular spoken language. you can hear it on the streets of Paris among people who communicate with each other not according to the textbook. It is important that the brain gets used to ordinary conversations, and not just to a strictly correct format.
Don't be afraid to add fun to your learning process. The less stress - the better, sometimes learning a language without the hassle is even more effective.
You can play your favorite video games with French voice acting. Board games are also great. Do not limit your fanaticism and try to introduce French into your everyday life.
Friends are your comfort zone where you don't have to worry about mistakes or bad pronunciation. Practice your skills with friends to learn how to communicate informally about common topics that interest you.
If you don’t have any friends who speak French, there are tons of ways how to find some:
French literature has always been famous for its wealth of great writers and authors. You must have known about such popular authors as Victor Hugo and Honoré de Balzac. Probably this is the most perfect time to start reading your favorite books in the origin language.
Learning a language on your own from scratch is always a difficult process, but the main thing is to start. All these steps will bring you closer to your dream of becoming a French native speaker.