A solid base resource for French (Learning Techniques, Methods & Strategies) Language Learning Forum

A solid base resource for French
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Language Learning Forum : Learning Techniques, Methods & Strategies

Riayn
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Message 1 of 8

06 January 2013 at 6:38pm | IP Logged

I'm going to start learning French in February after I have sat the Zertifikat Deutsch (B1) exam and have more time on my hands to begin studying a new language.

I'm looking for a solid base resource to use and am having a hard time deciding between Assimil and Teach Yourself, so I thought I would ask the experts (this forum) for their opinion on the French language editions of that these two offer.

I will also be using other various sources to supplement my French learning, but really want a solid course that will give me a good grounding in the pronunciation and grammar used.

Also, is there a site for French like Deutsche-Welle? I love what this site offers those of us learning German and would love to find a French language equivalent.
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sillygoose1
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Message 2 of 8

06 January 2013 at 9:21pm | IP Logged

Assimil
French in Action
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Michel1020
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Belgium
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Message 3 of 8

07 January 2013 at 12:29am | IP Logged

Try RFI

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RedBeard
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Message 4 of 8

07 January 2013 at 5:10am | IP Logged

As you look around here you will find that Assimil comes highly recommended. Especially for French, as they are a French company. There are Foreign Service Institute materials that are free and include lots of audio. You'll also find many people recommend the French In Action series. It is/was a university course so you'll need to find the textbook on your own, but the videos are online free at
http://www.learner.org/resources/series83.html

My advice: 1) Check your library. You may find (for free) a course that suits you. B) If you are an absolute BEGINNER, you may want to start with Pimsleur for a 2-3 week intro. You'll get a solid intro to pronunciation and an OK intro to vocabulary and sentence building.

:wq!
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Riayn
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Message 5 of 8

11 January 2013 at 6:16pm | IP Logged

Thanks for your suggestions. It seems that Assimil is the clear favourite.
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songlines
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Message 6 of 8

12 January 2013 at 5:41am | IP Logged

Riayn wrote:

I'm looking for a solid base resource to use and am having a hard time deciding between Assimil and Teach
Yourself, so I thought I would ask the experts (this forum) for their opinion on the French language editions of
that these two offer.

I will also be using other various sources to supplement my French learning, but really want a solid course that
will give me a good grounding in the pronunciation and grammar used.

Re. grammar:
Assimil tends to bury the grammar within each batch of six lessons, with footnotes for each lesson, and every
seventh lesson being one that "reviews the most important points covered in the previous week" - that is, one in
which they explicitly outline the grammar points used in the previous week's dialogues.

I do like Assimil, but am currently finding this aspect a tad frustrating as I start Italian. (It wasn't a
problem with French, as I'd been previously taught the grammar in school.) I'm toying with the idea of jumping
ahead to glance at each seventh lesson ahead of time (so I have the grammatical framework when I'm doing the
dialogues), or also using a supplementary, grammar-oriented book in conjunction with Assimil.

If I went the latter route, I'd buy "Living Italian", published by Hodder / Hachette UK; the French counterpart is
Living French: a grammar based course, by T.W. Knight et al.

But that may not be an issue for you (and likewise for many other happy Assimil users, both on this forum and
otherwise). It's not a major obstacle for me - as indeed my subsequent purchase of a few other Assimil courses
would show, but you may want to be aware of it. Despite my quibbling about this, I think Assimil probably gives
you more for your language-learning dollar than any other paid programme.

There's also a (very long) thread entitled
What is your favourite language program? if you'd like a
range of opinions on a significant number of the more prominent ones. (Use "printable view" to see it all on one
long page for easier scrolling and browsing.)

And, of course, you can also do a search on Htlal. The "search" button isn't terribly prominent - it's in the black
banner at the top of the page. But clicking on it will allow you search by "tag", and if you click on the tag for
"Assimil" (or whatever), the next screen also has a tab for the "best posts".

Edited by songlines on 12 January 2013 at 5:59am
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Jeffers
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Message 7 of 8

13 January 2013 at 12:25am | IP Logged

I agree with Songlines that a grammar supplement alongside Assimil would be useful. However, I tried Living French, and I just didn't like it. It was originally written in the 60s or so, and the situations are around a very traditional family who sit in armchairs reading books; while the menfolk go to work, the women go shopping with their friends. I only got as far as the second chapter, to be honest. I keep thinking I'll pick it up again, but it is so dry. Perhaps once I've finished Assimil I'll use it to fill in the gaps.

Others have suggested Hugo's X in 3 Months as a good way to get a quick overview of grammar. Personally, I have been doing some reading in Talk French Grammar to get an overview of grammar.

Edited by Jeffers on 13 January 2013 at 12:27am
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Riayn
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Germany
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Studies: German, French

Message 8 of 8

13 January 2013 at 10:49am | IP Logged

Thanks for your suggestions. Using Assimil for German, I know it really isn't strong in teaching the grammar which is why I am not going to use it as my sole resource.
I've taken a look at Talk French Grammar and it seems a useful resource and fairly reasonable priced, so I may grab a copy of that to help with the grammar.

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