"A woman was created for a man, not a man for a woman" - such a postulate ...
Many have a blue dream called - I want to learn French... Many people dream, but they are afraid, as they are overcome by many questions and doubts.
In this article, we will analyze questions such as:
- is it easy to learn French online,
- what is the best way to learn French from scratch,
- how to quickly master conversational French online for beginners and many others.
Why you need to learn French
- Someone wants to own it in order to speak while traveling in France, to be able to understand the French.
- Someone loves its very sound - so melodic and beautiful, and wants to understand the meaning of songs and poems, quoting them for friends.
- Someone considers him romantic and would like to be able to whisper words of love in French to their loved one in their ear.
- Someone dreams of starting new life in a French-speaking state and for this you need to pass an interview at the embassy.
- Some have French business partners, and for business communication you just need to be able to communicate fluently in French.
There can be many reasons for learning French for beginners, they are all varied and beautiful.
But many questions immediately arise - how to learn French from scratch yourself, where to start, and what to do, how to approach this, what are the most common mistakes during training, etc.
Below in the article we will try to answer most of these questions.
Is it difficult to learn French - options available
There can be no definite answer to the question whether it is difficult to learn French on your own. After all, all people are different and each person has his own potential, his own motivation, everyone has a different willpower.
It is easy for someone to sit down for daily activities, someone needs a check and a constant reminder, it is difficult for someone to collect themselves and force themselves to learn French, doing several exercises every day and memorizing dozens of new words and phrases.
For those who do decide to learn French, we offer some of the most common learning options.
OPTION 1: Self-study guides, phrasebooks, textbooks and other book materials
If you have tremendous willpower and motivation, then you can learn French from scratch on your own at home. To do this, it is enough to buy various modern textbooks, methodological kits, phrasebooks, dictionaries, and more in the store.
We have selected for you the most effective and good textbooks that will help YOU in this good endeavor.
TOP 3 textbooks for learning Franaçais:
1.I.N Popova, Zh.N. Kazakov and G.M. Kovalchuk “French language. Manuel de Français ".
2. Potushanskaya LL, Kolesnikova NI, Kotova GM "Initial course of the French language".
3. Textbook by Gaston Mauger "French Course".
MINUSES: However, most often it happens that a person sits down at the table, opens these very books, glances over the first pages of the textbook and ... closes it, because he understands that it is unrealistic to figure it out on his own without the help of a knowledgeable specialist.
After a while, he again approaches the books, opens them again, reads thoughtfully and tries to memorize new sounds and words, writes down some rules and does the first exercises…. But then different thoughts begin to arise -
And again the textbook is closed and already put away. A couple of days later, when the question arises again of how to learn French at home, the person decides to seek professional help.
OPTION 2: Language schools and groups
When there is a need for an experienced teacher, teacher, tutor, many start looking for where, in what courses they teach French for beginners in the city, or look through ads where an experienced teacher offers their services.
Of course, learning French is easier and more understandable under the guidance of a specialist teacher who will set pronunciation, teach the rules of reading and writing, explain grammar and check the correct understanding of new material. But studying the Franaçais in groups also has its pitfalls.
MINUSES:
1. Average quality of education.
You must understand that in each group in language schools about 10-12 students.
One person needs to explain once new material, and he has already figured out and understood everything, and the other is incomprehensible even from the third time. Or it is enough for one person to read the rule to memorize it, while another needs to schematically explain the same rule, or hear its interpretation from the teacher.
In the classroom, the teacher always focuses on the average student, and the scope of the academic hour does not allow you to linger any longer on this or that moment. The quality of teaching often suffers from this.
2. Travel time.
Any language group takes time to get to a certain time in a certain place. After work, at rush hour, drive through traffic jams to another part of the city, in order to learn French with others for an hour or two, and then get back home through traffic jams again.
In total, together with the round trip, one such lesson takes three to four times more time than planned. Is it worth learning French in such language groups if it is so expensive?
OPTION 3:Personal teacher-specialist
The wisest and correct option, learning French is about finding an individual teacher. Then you don't have to worry about the fact that some aspects of the training will remain misunderstood, or undereducated.
Personal study is always more effective than group study.
MINUSES: The travel time to the teacher and back, taking into account traffic jams and the cost of travel, will not go anywhere, which again increases both the cost of one lesson and the time spent on it.
OPTION 4: Try in Learn French from scratch online.
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You and I live in an amazing time, when everything around is developing at a rapid pace, you need to be in time everywhere, and saving time is very acute in front of each of us.
The same is in training: we want to get the result quickly, efficiently, inexpensively and in the shortest possible period of time. Now there is no problem to learn French online via the Internet, at home.
Is it difficult to learn French online, what methods of learning online exist, and how to learn French online more effectively, we will tell you below.
Learn French online - effective ways
Today there are quite a few resources on the network offering to learn French online for beginners from scratch for free or for little money. Let's consider the most popular ones.
1. BBC French
A great portal for learning many foreign languages... There are tons of grammar exercises, a weekly newsletter with new lessons, a complete self-paced Franaçais video course from scratch, dictionaries, reference books, and even access to French TV and radio. Each lesson is provided with detailed comments and audio files so that you can memorize pronunciation correctly.
Attention! Site on English language, so it is suitable for those who have a good command of it.
2. Le-Francais.ru
The site is a self-teaching French language, which contains not only all kinds of textbooks, dictionaries, self-study guides, phrasebooks, but also online lessons on various topics that help you learn French online. Each online lesson is packed with theory, audio, exercises and many other useful things. You yourself can choose what moment you need to disassemble, work out and fix. The resource will find several useful things for each problem.
3. Podcastfrancaisfacile.com
Great podcast site on Franaçais. You can learn French online by listening to one audio lesson every day, which is additionally equipped with an interlinear translation. There are different levels - from scratch to cultivating. You can choose different areas of study - speaking, grammar, reading, phonetics, and so on. They also have a full-fledged website and a mobile version, which becomes very convenient on the road.
4. Bonjourdefrance.com
A free site for those who decide to learn French online. Here you will find a large number of texts, exercises for them, games, songs, dictionaries and other things that will help you quickly get basic knowledge.
5. Frenchpod101.com
A very popular YouTube channel for online French learners. This resource is built as a radio conversation between a French speaker and his English-speaking friend. They are discussing various topics, followed by exercises, games and quizzes to memorize new phrases.
There is also a website of the same name, where you can find a bunch of additional information, exercises, games, online lessons and much more, however, you have to pay a subscription.
Is it easy to learn French from scratch online using free online resources?
Let's answer this way - nothing is impossible.
But independent study is always fraught with certain difficulties, because there is no one to assess your training. Therefore, there is always a risk that you will do something wrong.
Learning French online from scratch is best done with expert guidance. And when you have a basic base, an initial level, then you can already switch to independent online training.
Learn French online for beginners at our school.
In ours, we learn French from scratch together with personal teachers. 
That is, you can learn French right at home, via the Internet, in person with your personal teacher, online tutor.
We have noticed that being at home, the student is more relaxed and better attuned to deep immersion in the process. Then the training itself takes place naturally, in a friendly conversation mode, the material is better absorbed, words and phrases are better remembered.
Agree, this method is the most comfortable and takes into account all the features of both the student himself and his lifestyle.
It is enough to have a computer and the Internet connected to it. In doing so, you can -
- vary the start time of the lesson,
- duration of training,
- the frequency of these activities,
- you can even adjust the program if you have specific deadlines or goals.
And all this without leaving your home, at a convenient time for you.
At our school, we are very attentive to the quality of teaching. Our online tutors constantly undergo training and improve their level, they also constantly master the latest teaching methods.
Another nice moment - the opportunity to take a free trial demo lesson.
In this demo lesson you -
- meet your teacher,
- ask him all your questions,
- and go through a demo lesson to understand what kind of technique the specialist has, how he explains the material, what exercises he gives, how he answers your questions.
And after that, you can decide whether it is convenient for you to learn French online, whether this teaching method is right for you or not. If everything suits you, then you can continue to pay for the classes of this online tutor and start classes.
You can right now by leaving a request.
At our school we learn French from scratch, for beginners. There are courses for advanced students, separate courses for tourists, for children and for schoolchildren.
Learn French for children and schoolchildren online
IN modern schools increasingly begin to study French as the main foreign language. And therefore, many parents face a number of questions -
Yes, learning French is difficult, especially for children. It is more difficult than English in grammar and pronunciation. But all these difficulties pale before his beauty. And after Franaçais, learning any other language of the Romano-Germanic group will not be difficult for your child.
Often in schools, the quality of teaching a foreign language leaves much to be desired. When there are 25-30 students per teacher in a class, he physically cannot control how this or that student has learned the material.
The teacher is simply unable to clearly explain the new rule to each student. Therefore, more often than not, you have to look for a private teacher-tutor who, in an accessible and playful way, will help the child learn both the school compulsory curriculum and delve into the intricacies of the subject being studied.
A modern parent, keeping up with the times, will offer his child to learn French remotely with an online tutor who teaches French to children online.
And this will be an excellent way to save time, because not many parents have the opportunity to take their child to a specialist, and those teachers who come themselves ask for an additional fee.
Having considered all the pros and cons possible options helping children learn Franaçais, you will find that learning French online at home for children is the most acceptable way.
For parents this training option also has advantages, because in this case they will be able to control the learning process -
- see and hear how their child behaves in the lesson,
- what does he do during the lesson,
- what is the methodology of his teacher,
- what is the relationship between the child and the teacher,
- what difficulties and difficulties arise.
Thus, the parent can help his child in time and facilitate the learning process for him. 
Learning French for tourists online
Usually for those who are traveling or about to go on a trip to France, the question arises about the knowledge of the Franaçais.
After all, everyone knows the fact that the French do not like English. Indeed, they often pretend that they do not understand English and prefer to answer only in French. Many tourists try to prepare for the trip and master at least the most common phrases in French.
There are specially designed programs focused on the French language for tourists, where the main points of phonetics, pronunciation, grammar are explained, as well as the basic colloquial phrases necessary for any traveler in France are practiced.
Note that French for travelers is a truncated and most basic course, very much overlapping with the main program for those who decided to learn French from scratch.
The vocabulary will be the most basic, it will only be enough to:
- check into the hotel,
- fill out a form with personal data,
- ask for directions and not get lost in the city,
- be able to order your own food in a restaurant
- and call for help if necessary.
Tourists sometimes have enough of this knowledge to feel calm and relaxed while traveling in France.
You can find out right now if it is difficult to learn French online.
Much more complex than many other languages. Learning French perfectly takes years of hard work and a lot of time and effort, but modern world and with the current rhythm of life, unfortunately, we do not have so much time. In this connection, we will pay attention only to cases in grammar that require more careful attention and are necessary when learning a language. In the process of learning a language, motivation in the modern world is also very important, polyglots know several languages and that's it, because they really like it, and they want to know and study them. If you have the same position in relation to the French language, then success is guaranteed, and if not, then you can forget about the desire to learn French as, in general, any other language in the world and not one teacher will be able to teach a foreign language. in the absence of desire from the student.
Motivation as an incentive to learn a language
Motivation is an important factor influencing the quality and speed of language acquisition.
Let's compare two situations, imagine a case in which two young men decide to learn French. In the first young man French is needed for a trip to France in the summer to visit a young girl, but they met on the Internet, and, unfortunately, they speak different languages, which leads to the need to learn the language. In the second case, the young person must pass an exam at the university. The motivation in these situations is completely different, it is obvious that in the first case the young man will learn the language, devoting several hours a day to learning the language with great zeal. When the second young person spends less time learning the language and will not get much pleasure from the learning process. The most important thing is to motivate yourself well. After all, when we are told, “If you finish a quarter well, we’ll buy you a new laptop,” oddly enough, but our grades for a quarter surprisingly become, higher and a quarter we finish, almost excellent.
The verb is the basis of any foreign language
As you know, in any language the verb is the basis. Accordingly, in French, the verb is also important at the beginning of the path of mastering the language. When learning French, be sure to have a couple of books on French grammar in stock. Without this it is impossible to practically understand all the basics of the language yourself. In French, there are four basic verbs that are mentioned more often than others: to live, to have, to do, to be. First you need to learn how these verbs are conjugated and bring the conjugation to automatism. Further, to strengthen your knowledge, you can make sentences in different times and conjugations with these verbs.
Don't expect the study to be easy or quick. They should be given Special attention, the variety of forms can terrify you. Unlike English grammar
Thanks to my French teacher at the university: despite the fact that I did not use this language for a long time, my knowledge and skills were preserved. For example, I can read any texts flawlessly and I am perfectly familiar with grammar. But: there was little conversation practice at the university. I plan to close this gap soon and bring my French back to life.
I want to start with my personal selection of sites for beginners. This list contains resources to help you get started in learning French.
FrenchPod101
My favorite English-language resource with a powerful database of dialogues, podcasts, printouts and tasks for them. If you know and understand at least a little English, you will at least be able to download podcasts to your laptop or phone and listen to them on public transport. The assignments are divided into levels from zero to advanced.
When registering, you can buy a whole set of materials for beginners for $ 1 to try the training. Then it is convenient to get premium access to the service for several months with teacher feedback to ensure regular and high-quality practice.
A detailed overview of the Language Pod service.
Polyglot
I have repeatedly turned to the courses of Dmitry Petrov in order to remember and practice basic knowledge and skills in Italian and French. This year I plan to connect his lessons to learn new languages. In my opinion, it is best activities to get a first impression of the language, understand basic vocabulary, grammar, language system and start speaking.
Busuu
I am currently practicing French with the Busuu online lessons service to fill the gaps in my knowledge and prepare myself for full-fledged advanced classes next month.
Tasks are divided by training levels, it is very convenient to go through small block everyday. Vocabulary and grammar is given from simple to complex, there is voice acting, new information is immediately fixed in practice. I like that theory and practice are presented in small pieces, so that everything is remembered properly.
Lingust
It is very important to understand the correct French pronunciation from the very beginning. On this resource you will find a collection of lessons with a detailed explanation of the sounds of the French language, you can listen to audio files and test yourself repeating after a native speaker.
Irgol
I have known this site for a very long time and have turned to it many times for background information... The resource is led by a French teacher, so there is a lot of quality material here. In addition to the required information on French vocabulary and grammar, the author publishes comprehensive articles on the culture and traditions of France, offers lists of resources and tests.
Forvo
While you are just mastering the basics of French phonetics, the Forvo website will help you out. Here you can check yourself at any time in the correct pronunciation.
Extra
Cool TV series in French. Of course, if you just started learning the language yesterday, it's too early for you to watch it. But in the process of mastering basic level it is worth connecting him to classes. You need to learn to understand what you already know, to hear simple dialogues and phrases. This is a good alternative to regular TV shows, which are difficult for you to watch.
BBC Learning French
Another English-language, but cool site. (See how useful it is to know English after all?) If you have any knowledge of English, go around the site - there are many cool video lessons, tests, riddles, articles. there is good materials with basic phrases and voice acting. On this resource, I took a course for continuing Ma France a couple of times.
Les verbes
French verbs are a different story. If you understand the logic, then it will not be difficult for you to automatically conjugate them in different times, persons and numbers. Not only individually, but also during a conversation. Until then, keep the hint!
Hello pal
Convenient mobile app to communicate with native speakers by correspondence, in conversation and through voice messages. Connect to chat anytime! Why do I recommend this program to beginners? Because inside there are hints and phrase templates that make communication easier at the initial stage.
A detailed overview of the Hello Pal service.
Multitran
I often encourage you to use monolingual dictionaries. And I recommend starting to use them as early as possible. Read more about this and. But for beginners, a proven dictionary with Russian translation is a must.
Study French
Lots of cool information on all aspects of learning French. There are sections on grammar, vocabulary, ready-made topics, tests, dialogues. If you wish, you can even find yourself a tutor, courses or a conversation club.
Italki
Not a single resource review is complete without this site.)) But it's not just that. I am really very happy with this service. When you go there for a specific purpose, you get results.
A beginner can set himself the task of mastering communication in French on basic topics, list a specific list and find a teacher who can help with this. Italki is the best tool for this. I am now looking for a teacher - a native speaker, as I need to improve my conversational level.
Detailed overview of the Italki service.
Explore these sites, they will be enough to start learning French from scratch or remember what you learned in the past.
Where are you now in learning French? If you have any good resources in mind, what would you recommend?
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At all times, it was generally accepted that the more languages a person knows, the more chances he has for a promising future. Learning French as a foreign language is (by different reasons) one of the main aspirations of many people. For some, learning French is a necessity associated with life circumstances, for others it is a hobby, for others it is just a dream come true. But everyone is equally faced with the question of financial investments in this matter. Certified courses are not a cheap pleasure, but about private lessons that only a few can afford and needless to say. Therefore, let's talk about self-study of the French language: methods, methods and means.
Faced with the need or with your own will to start learning French from scratch, it is enough to have the proper level of motivation. For the rest, the availability of huge amount teaching material: relevant didactic literature, reference books, dictionary sources, self-instruction manuals, etc. All this can be found both in libraries, bookstores, and on the Internet. In addition, there are also video and audio courses, teaching foreign languages through the skype system, etc. The most important thing - the right approach to planning and organizing classes and a clear allocation of time.
In order to learn French from scratch, the first stage (40-50 lessons) is usually devoted to the rules of reading and pronunciation. These are basic skills that are extremely important as their development affects the ability to read French texts and comprehend French speech by ear.
The next 50-60 lessons, focused on adults or adapted for children, are accompanied by a number of exercises, audio material and familiarity with the texts and tasks for them. At this stage, the mastering of the basic lexical and grammatical material takes place, including the corresponding texts to consolidate the already existing (learned) skills.
It should also be noted that each lesson should be on average 3 hours long.
As a result of these two stages (of course, with perseverance and patience), you will be able to conduct and maintain a conversation on basic, common topics, read French and understand general meaning read. You will be able to understand basic and medium difficulty... You will also be able to perceive elementary audio texts by ear and know the basic communication norms.
Help for beginners
"Can you learn French on your own?" It is difficult to give an unambiguous answer to this question. After all, people are different: each person has a certain potential, each has its own degree of motivation, and few can boast of willpower. Someone easily sits down for daily activities, while others find it difficult to get together and force themselves to learn a foreign language, doing dozens of exercises every day and learning new words and phrases.
To help those who nevertheless dared to learn French on their own and firmly stand in their position, we can advise the most common and available ways studies that save not only money but also time.
The first option: the use of book manuals (self-study guides, phrasebooks, textbooks, etc.), among which the most popular and suitable are:
- textbook “French language. Manuel de Français ”, authors - IN Popova, Zh.N. Kazakov and G.M. Kovalchuk;
- textbook "Initial course of the French language", Potushanskaya LL, Kolesnikova NI, Kotova GM
- textbook "Course of the French language", by Gaston Mauger.
The disadvantage of this method of learning is that a person opens books, flips over, looking over the first pages, and ... closes. Because he understands that it is almost impossible to deal with the material on his own without the help or at least consultation of a knowledgeable specialist.
More diligent students discover tutorials, try to read, memorizing new sounds and memorizing new words, independently write down some rules in a notebook and even begin to do the first exercises .... But gradually they also have doubts: "Am I correctly pronouncing this or that sound?" "Is this intonation supposed to be in this phrase?" "Am I reading this word correctly?" and many other questions that arise during the study.
As a result, some abandon this business, while others call on professionals for help, enrolling in French courses or hiring tutors.
The second option is to try to learn French from scratch using online learning methods.
Today, the network contains many resources with a specific thematic focus. They can also help you try to learn French from scratch, for free or for a small fee.
The BBC portal, which includes a French section dedicated to learning French, is a great help for beginners. The section contains a large number of grammar exercises, dictionaries, reference books, a weekly newsletter with new lessons, a video course for those who study on their own, and even open access to radio and French TV. Each lesson is supplemented with detailed comments and audio files necessary for correct pronunciation.
However, there is one drawback: the site is in English, so it is advisable for users to be fluent in English.
Self-study of foreign languages is always fraught with some difficulties, even with strong motivation and exemplary diligence. The difficulty lies in the fact that there is no one to give an objective assessment of your training. Therefore, there is a risk of erroneous knowledge and skills in one aspect or another. It is better to start learning French, like any other language, under the guidance of a qualified specialist. When the main base is laid, the initial level is reached, then you can try to go to self-study.
Instructions for self-study of the language
First of all, special attention should be paid to phonetics. In French, pronunciation is key. Read different texts aloud every day, even if you don't know their translation. Train your vocal apparatus to use French by repeating French words as often as possible. The speed of mastering French speech depends on the frequency of training.
To be able to speak French, you also need to understand what they are talking about. Find an opportunity to regularly watch movies and TV shows in French. Better if they are accompanied by subtitles on native language... Pay close attention to the intonation and manner of pronunciation, try to reproduce some of the lines you hear. Record all your efforts on a dictaphone so that after listening, you can compare them with the original.
Learn new words every day, memorize speech turns and stable expressions. Beginners can use a dictionary, phrasebook, this will help in mastering the lexical material. When learning grammar, try to immediately form sentences in French without translation into Russian. Start with phrases, simple sentences and gradually try to form complex, long sentences yourself. It is recommended that you learn about ten words daily.
Using a dictionary, try to translate yourself simple texts, read three to four pages every day. Try not to skip or postpone training for minor reasons, listen and try to translate the lyrics of French artists. Work two to three hours a day and build on your skills so you can learn French faster.
You can check how much your goal has been achieved, and how much you managed to increase your level by moving it from the "0" mark to intermediate or even advanced (B), using the appropriate testing. Testing can be done easily on the Internet. Similar checks are also carried out in full-time and part-time French courses.
And at the end, one more tip: remember that any language, if it is not used in practice, is considered dead, therefore, having mastered the first basics, try to communicate in writing or orally with native French speakers, whether it be correspondence on the Internet or oral conversations in real life.
