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Still at the beginning | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Language Learning Log |  | |
| Prosechild Newbie United States Joined 6680 days ago 10 posts - 10 votes Speaks: English* Studies: French | Message 1 of 17 25 January 2007 at 8:35pm | IP Logged | ||
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I'm at the beginning of my French study... even though I've been at it for a few months. My first attempt was to read through Harry Potter à l'école des sorciers along with the English version, and memorize new words via flashcards. I found that even though I could temporarily memorize words that way, I didn't know any grammar and I couldn't remember the words for an extended period of time. So I got Schaum's Outline of French grammar and learned the basic forms, but I still felt like I was getting nowhere.
I started watching French in Action, but felt I was neglecting the reading aspect of learning. So then I picked up Barron's Mastering French. While it has a reading component, I feel like I'm not really reading or learning anything, just working on pronounciation. I also downloaded some French songs from the internet, found the lyrics and translated them, but the disparity between written and spoken French make it hard to make any progress. At this point I feel so frustrated. The biggest problem I have, along with all these books and such that are now collecting dust, is that I'm an auditory learner. Reading flashcards really doesn't help me, I'll remember the words for a day or two but after that I can't recall them. And with flashcards, I recall the individual words but it takes me a while to recall the meaning if I read it in a sentence. I thought about memorizing sentences, but that just seemed like the wrong way to go about things. I feel like I'm approaching self-study all wrong. I haven't really found any resources for auditory learning that will help me learn how to read French, not just pronounce it. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| luke Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 7148 days ago 3133 posts - 4351 votes  Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: Esperanto, French | Message 2 of 17 25 January 2007 at 8:47pm | IP Logged | ||
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I think I'm in love. Everything you are going through is perfectly normal. The secret is to stick with something for long enough to find what suits you and you find effective. You can do it. Edited by luke on 25 January 2007 at 9:26pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Prosechild Newbie United States Joined 6680 days ago 10 posts - 10 votes Speaks: English* Studies: French | Message 3 of 17 25 January 2007 at 8:57pm | IP Logged | ||
thanks... that really does make me feel better! I was starting to feel a bit overwhelmed. I was browsing around and saw where someone said they're doing a few different things at once: reading, listening, practicing speaking... so I'm thinking I'll just pick those functions from all the stuff I have, and after a month or so evaluate where I am. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Prosechild Newbie United States Joined 6680 days ago 10 posts - 10 votes Speaks: English* Studies: French | Message 4 of 17 28 January 2007 at 4:52pm | IP Logged | ||
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For now, I'm going to watch one episode of French In Action and listen to 30 minutes of Barron's Mastering French per day. I'll do whatever exercises fall within that day's listening for the Barron's. I still feel like I'm missing an aspect of my study; with Barron's, I work on speaking, listening comprehension and grammar. With the FIA, its mostly listening and vocabulary, but I find I remember it much easier than anything else I've done.
I think I feel inclined to add vocab through reading Harry Potter à l'école des sorciers, but I think this is out of impatience more than anything else. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| kazuo_sf Newbie United States Joined 6578 days ago 10 posts - 10 votes Studies: Japanese | Message 5 of 17 02 February 2007 at 5:54pm | IP Logged | ||
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Everyone goes through this the first time around. I did it while studying japanese. I tried every program out there and nothing seemed to work for me. My best advice is try to make your learning experience a fun one. Dont over exert yourself. Take small steps and reward yourself, and in no time you will reach your goals.
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| Linguamor Decaglot Senior Member United States Joined 6561 days ago 469 posts - 599 votes Speaks: English*, German, Italian, Spanish, Swedish, Danish, French, Norwegian, Portuguese, Dutch | Message 6 of 17 03 February 2007 at 6:16am | IP Logged | ||
When you do decide to read Harry Potter à l'école des sorciers, I'd suggest just reading for understanding, without trying to memorize words. At first you'll be looking up many words in a dictionary, and many of the same words several times before you remember them, but these are the most frequent words and because you see them again and again, and in context, you'll learn them. By the time you finish the book, you will have read and understood thousands of words, and those words that are most frequent you will have learned best, and many more will be partially learned, which will make them easier to learn when you encounter them again. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Katie Diglot Senior Member Australia Joined 6661 days ago 495 posts - 599 votes Speaks: English*, Hungarian Studies: French, German | Message 7 of 17 05 February 2007 at 3:27pm | IP Logged | ||
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I know exactly how you feel (impatient) over thinking you should be learning more and more.
All I can say is, eventually you realise that you aren't meant to be able to fully function in a new language within a couple of months. Take it easy, and enjoy the experience! 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Prosechild Newbie United States Joined 6680 days ago 10 posts - 10 votes Speaks: English* Studies: French | Message 8 of 17 28 February 2007 at 12:07pm | IP Logged | ||
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because of school and work obligations, I haven't found time to study French. I should do some substantive work next week, since that's Spring break. I'll post my progress after that.
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