Tips for learning French

French is one of those languages that has appeared in everyone's life at some point but not many decide to learn to speak it. In an increasingly connected world, the more languages you speak, the better. Speaking French is useful, beautiful and not as difficult as you may think. You can learn French in a matter of months if you put your mind to it. 

Start French lessons

There are many companies that look for people who speak French and, even if the job does not require French, learning another language is an attractive trait to employers as it sets you apart from the rest.

Another benefit of learning French is if you travel to France or any other French-speaking country, you will be able to communicate in French and pick up on things that non-French speaking visitors may miss out on. The same goes for watching a film in French or reading a book. If you want to learn French, here are some guidelines to help you do it the right way:

Private tuition for French

French lessons are something that many people are reluctant to do, as they are often thought to take up a lot of time and money. But this is not the case, nowadays there are many more options available that allow you to learn French with only one or two hours a week of classes.

Tuition centres

This is the most traditional and popular way to learn a language. It is also the most time-consuming and expensive way, on the other hand it ensures that you reach a certain level of French in a certain amount of time. If you are thinking of taking an official exam or reaching one of the official levels, the best option is a tuition centre. 

French tutors

For people who have different objectives, a private French tutor is the best option. Private French lessons can be for any purpose, whether you want to pass an exam or just learn a new language.

Many people are interested in learning French in order to travel or to work in a country where it is spoken, others simply want to learn French for business purposes. For this, the best option is a tutor as they will be able to tailor the French lessons to your specific goals.

Also, they are much easier to fit into your schedule, so if you are short of time, a good option is finding online French tutors. Finding tutors is very easy and can be done on the internet.

Online French tuition

Online French lessons are the best solution if you need a flexible schedule. You can have all the advantages of a face-to-face class without leaving home or having to commute thanks to platforms such as Classgap. If you are a company and you want your employees to learn French for work purposes, you also have the possibility of hiring a tutor to give in-company French classes.

Apps to learn French

French language learning apps are very popular and many of them are good quality. But replying too heavily on an app can be a mistake, as whilst they are a good complement to French lessons, alone they often lack the ability to teach key grammar and speaking skills. 

Apps like Duolingo allow learners to achieve good results in a short time, but you will struggle to express yourself without having the grammatical foundation that can only be provided in French lessons.

French is a language that has a complex verb conjugation and you must learn to use it correctly if you want to speak the language well. If we are too hasty, we can pick up habits that are difficult to get rid of.

Travelling to learn French

Travelling is a good way to learn any language but not everyone can afford it. It is the biggest investment of time and money, but the most effective. A good method used by many language learners is to take one trip a year to the place where the language they are studying is spoken. For example, if you have set yourself the goal of speaking French this year, you could spend your holidays in France, Belgium or Canada.

If you have ever thought of travelling to the Caribbean or want to see paradisiacal beaches, instead of considering the typical French-speaking places, why not take a look at Martinique or Guadeloupe?

If you don't have that kind of money but you have the time, you can always pack your suitcase and go and work in a French-speaking country for a long period of time. Common placements include a British council year or other English-teaching opportunities. 

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There are many reasons to learn French. For a start, it is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world, and before English, it was the most international language. Not so long ago it was very...

French films 

If you can't go to France, bring France to you. The quickest and cheapest way to do this is to watch French films. And it couldn't be easier, there is a lot of audiovisual material in French that you can get on the internet. Here are some French films to watch:

• Asterix and Obelix (Saga from 1992 to 2012)
• The Choirboys (Christophe Barratier, 2004)
• Untouchable (Olivier Nakache and Éric Toledano, 2012)
• Amelie (Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 2001)
• The Idiots' Supper (Francis Veber, 1991)

Watching films in French is one of the best ways to practise if you want to learn while having fun. In addition, you will not only learn a language, but you will also get to listen to different accents and how vocabulary is used in context.

It may be a bit complicated to understand if you watch a film in French, but don't forget that you can use subtitles, watch a kid’s film or watch a film that you have watched many times before.

Here are some ways to watch a French film according to your level:

• In French with English subtitles: For beginners, in fact you don't need to know French. This is just to get used to hearing the language and little by little you will learn some words or expressions that will be repeated.
• In French with French subtitles: For those who already have some knowledge of the language. This is full immersion in French, but with the support of reading what you hear. Reading is often easier than listening for students as you are not dependent on accents or pronunciations to understand what they are saying.
• In French without subtitles: For experts, depending on your level, you can watch a kids or adult film. This way you will learn much more than just vocabulary and expressions. Watching films like this is good for pronunciation and for learning how to use French.

If for whatever reason this is not an option that appeals to you, you can always listen to French music to learn French, such as pop songs popular in France or Canada, these usually have a simple vocabulary and are perfect for immersing yourself in the language.

The best way to learn French is to practise

The fundamental thing for any language learning is that you enjoy doing it and the only way to do that is to practise it. So whatever you want to learn French for, don't forget to practise regularly.

Try to meet with people who speak French, you can take part in a language exchange or find a native French tutor as this is the best way to practise and learn French. Finally, keep immersing yourself in the language and you will achieve amazing results. Good luck!