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My French (Yes I can do it!)

  Tags: French
 Language Learning Forum : Language Learning Log Post Reply
Kisani
Diglot
Newbie
Hungary
Joined 6163 days ago

28 posts - 28 votes
1 sounds
Speaks: Hungarian*, EnglishB2
Studies: German, French

 
 Message 1 of 8
23 July 2009 at 12:42pm | IP Logged 
Hello all,
I've created this topic to represent my developement in French and mostly to contol my study, because I tend to drop out though I know it's not good.

I learn french totally on my own now, formerly my mother used to help me, and my boyfriend a little, but now, I'm alone, and I mind this fact only sometimes.

My level now

I usually say it's about a basic level.
My writing is quite ok, though I have faults and I'm not always sure about the right tenses or conjugation. My speaking is really not too good, I can speak slowly...need time to think, I often correct myself, and more often find myself wondering how it is said in French what I want to say.
My listening is quite good thanks to the podcasts I listen to- not too regularly any more, but still it looks like it helped.
The best is I think my reading, since I can understand intermediate, or even higher level texts, it takes some time, but I get the meaning mostly.

What I would like

By the end of the year I would like to achieve a stable intermediate level in about all skills. I hope it is not a plan too brave to work!:)
Further on, I’d like to be able to speak French perfectly, so well that it would be almost as if a native spoke it. I know, that finally to this, I should spend some time in the country, which I don’t mind actually, but as far as I can do it, i’d like to proceed at home.
For this goal of mine, I'm ready to practise every day, 1 or 2 hours, when needed, more.

The tools I'm about to use:

-My Allons-y book for (pre-)intermediate students (hungarian->french)
--My French book for intermediate and advanced learners of french (hungarian->french)
-Assimil basic course (english->french)
--La grammaire des premiers temps (french)
-Podcasts
--Audio books
-French websites
--Chat in french
-French magazines (I have a few Paris Match magazines, but later I’d subscribe to some magazine, in which there are articles that particularly interest me)
--French materials online (including TV emissions and activities for learners)

And perhaps some other technics. If you have any further useful ideas, I’m begging you to tell me.

I’d like to be very consequent and represent my daily improvement with a chart, just for myself. Then, about weekly, I’d write in this journal about my experiences over the last week.

I’d like my learning to be not too complicated, and so I use a few ideas from prof Arguelles, whom I heard only a few days ago, but his site was clearly very useful for me,
So I finally have the following kinds of categories for my study all in all:


-Language Construction (grammar rules and usage…)

-Vocabulary Construction (reading with/without dictionary, composing sentences with the unknown words, vocab lists…)

-Express myself: 1) Writing (compositions and a blog every single or every second day, simple expressions and sentences)
                           2) Speaking (monologues, some of them recorded to work on my accent, further on speaking in skype after I gained some more self-confidence…)

-Listening:
   1) Passive listening
(just listening, no second listen, no repeating the words I heared)
2) Active listening (listening more times, repeating, "shadowing"…)

+ Chat conversation (icq, msn and others)
+Forum (active or passive usage of French forums)

++ I’d like to find something that I can read only in French.
Learning English it helped me a lot to read for example the 6th, 7th Harry Potter book, because it was only in English then, there was no translation, and I was super curious so it was a great motivation! I’d like if I found some French book that I’d be interested in, modern, but still not too full with expressions from slang, so if any of you has and recommendations, please tell me!

Well, I think, for now that’s it.
It would be good if any of you commented, especially if you have any advice or something about this.
I’m very curious about other methods, because I’m still not sure if these ones together will work.

So, start today (2009.07.23.), let’s see where I get with some time!;)

1 person has voted this message useful



KiwiKiwi
Tetraglot
Groupie
Belgium
Joined 5694 days ago

50 posts - 50 votes
Speaks: Dutch*, English, German, French
Studies: Italian, Russian

 
 Message 3 of 8
23 July 2009 at 10:30pm | IP Logged 

I don't have any advice yet, as i myself have to refresh my french.
But good luck too you :)
1 person has voted this message useful



Kisani
Diglot
Newbie
Hungary
Joined 6163 days ago

28 posts - 28 votes
1 sounds
Speaks: Hungarian*, EnglishB2
Studies: German, French

 
 Message 4 of 8
24 July 2009 at 1:03pm | IP Logged 
KiwiKiwi wrote:

I don't have any advice yet, as i myself have to refresh my french.
But good luck too you :)


Oh thank you!:)
1 person has voted this message useful



DaraghM
Diglot
Senior Member
Ireland
Joined 6149 days ago

1947 posts - 2923 votes 
Speaks: English*, Spanish
Studies: French, Russian, Hungarian

 
 Message 5 of 8
24 July 2009 at 3:14pm | IP Logged 
Best of luck with the French. I'll be looking at your log with interest.
1 person has voted this message useful



Patriciaa
Diglot
Groupie
Canada
Joined 5683 days ago

59 posts - 73 votes 
Speaks: French*, English
Studies: Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese

 
 Message 6 of 8
24 July 2009 at 10:15pm | IP Logged 
Good luck for learning french!

I can't think of specific texts that I could send you especially because I don't really know what your tastes are but

You can still read stuff like news (http://www.cyberpresse.ca/[La Presse], http://www.voir.ca/ [Le Voir],
http://www.ledevoir.com/ [Le Devoir]).

Speaking of books, Amélie Nothomb is rather popular (she writes strange novels usually related to Japan), Marc
Levy writes good novels too, especially novels for women (I only read Et si c'était vrai but I know his other books
are also popular). You may also like reading Boris Vian… Anyway, it's hard to tell, I don't know what you like ^^


Moreover, if you would like some help, I would be glad to help you.

Edited by Patriciaa on 24 July 2009 at 10:17pm

1 person has voted this message useful



Kisani
Diglot
Newbie
Hungary
Joined 6163 days ago

28 posts - 28 votes
1 sounds
Speaks: Hungarian*, EnglishB2
Studies: German, French

 
 Message 7 of 8
06 August 2009 at 11:01am | IP Logged 
So seems it's time to write about first experiences.

I progress well in my coursebook Allons-y, now I'm at the topic about hobbies and freetime activities.

I don't choose stricktly the method everyday with which I'd like to learn that day, it's always up to my mood. Sometimes I watch a film ( I loved Etre et avoir very much!), and I listen to french music in french radio and on youtube as well.

I read a magazine yesterday, a Paris Match that I bought a few months ago, but it's an issue from 2001 or so, anyway the content of one article about France Gall and Michel Berger was very interesting to me.

I'm still trying to find friends from France to chat with, and who would be happy to help me at times. For the big part of the work, I found already a very nice grandpa, who is learning Hungarian, and despite the age difference we understand each other well. We communicate though emails.

I also found a nice girl yesterday, but she doesn't use any chatting program, so it will be only sending e-mails I guess.

I'd like to have someone talkative and friendly to add to my msn or skype.
------------------------------------------------------------ ------
The songs that I listened to and loved this week:

-Francis Cabrel: Je t'aimais, je t'aime et je t'aimerai
-Francis Cabrel: Petite Marie
-Francis Cabrel: Il faudra leur dire
-Coeur de pirate: Comme des enfants
-Le roi soleil: Je fais de toi mon essentiel
-Richard Cocciante: Le coup de soleil

- ------------------------------------------------------------ ------
Films that I watched in the last 1-2 weeks

-Etre et avoir
-La belle et la bete (disney)
- ------------------------------------------------------------ ------

Anyone has any tips for me?:)
Or by accident someone French who would be interested in talking to me in msn or skype? (eah..for now, only written, then later on..maybe real talk through microphone...)



1 person has voted this message useful



Patriciaa
Diglot
Groupie
Canada
Joined 5683 days ago

59 posts - 73 votes 
Speaks: French*, English
Studies: Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese

 
 Message 8 of 8
06 August 2009 at 6:14pm | IP Logged 
May I suggest you some other songs?

I think you should like «Oublie pas» by Karkwa (if you can't find it, I can send it to you). I really like the band
«Malajube» too, maybe you can give it a try.

One of the major french-canadian singer is Jean Leloup (well, actually he's algerian), I strongly recommand you to
listen to him. I think you will enjoy «I lost my baby» (only the chorus is in English, the rest is in french). You can
hear it there : http://www.lastfm.fr/music/Jean+Leloup/_/I+Lost+My+Baby (at the right)


1 person has voted this message useful



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