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Does anyone have any advice on learning a second language, and by learn I don't mean just a brief understanding of it, I mean actually being able to go up to a native speaker of the language and having a conversation. I already know basic French,from taking it in school, but i want to know if anyone has any tips for learning it quickly and developing a proper accent to proper speak it.

asked Apr 23 '12 at 15:52

pjob797's gravatar image

pjob797
2.6k384982


A good and quick way is to by watching TV in French. Since you can actually hear the conversation going. and if you need to is to put close caption on if it is available on the tv in question. Or by watching movies that you have on DVD or blue-ray. They may have French already on there for the voices of the characters in the movies. Those are the two easiest ways. I do speak French over here as well since I live in Quebec and speak both languages. Enough to have a conversation with other people who speak the Quebecois French and not the France French.

answered Apr 23 '12 at 16:58

Compucore's gravatar image

Compucore
2.4k111925

English is my second language. I have been studying English in school since I was 6 (now I am 17). The thing is that almost all of the public schools in my country don't really have an effective way of teaching it. So most of the students, including me, after finished high school, they are not really good at English, and what I mean by that is they don't know how to actually "use" it in their daily lives. So after about 10 years of learning English in the school system, I was not a good English speaker/user at all.

If you want to have a strong use of the second language, my suggestion is that you learn from the native speakers. That is very important of learning second language. Talk to them, interact with them.

From my experiences, I was an exchange student in USA for one school year. That was the time period when my English was really getting good. I lived among the native speakers, talk in English, listen in English, read/write in English. Technically, do everything in English. My host family like to say that "You know you have become fluent in English when you start to 'dream' in English." And that's what I did; dream in English. I even 'think' in English nowadays.

But I do more than just during the time in USA. After I came back to my country, I talk to people in my language, which is Thai. But to keep my English skill at the same level, I watch movies in English WITHOUT subtitle. Listen to music that is in English. Read news/books in English. And if I want to know, or Google anything, I do it in English. Simply speaking, everything that happened in my computer, phone is all in English. And another thing, I watch a lot of YouTube videos, and 99% of it is in English. So that way, my English skills are skill good.

To conclude, just do everything in the second language if you can. And the best way is to "live" among the native speakers.

Hope I help! :)

answered Apr 29 '12 at 16:28

Zack%20VA's gravatar image

Zack VA
16123

edited Apr 29 '12 at 16:33

The only real way to learn it (and learn it fast) is by going to France/Canada...

I really can't offer any other advise since I don't speak two fluent languages.

answered Apr 23 '12 at 16:07

catchatyou's gravatar image

catchatyou
20.7k89166383

1

Only Quebec canada speaks french!

(Apr 23 '12 at 18:45) ryebread761 ryebread761's gravatar image

And you are correct!

(Apr 23 '12 at 19:57) catchatyou catchatyou's gravatar image

Possibilities:

  • go live in France for 2-3 months (exchange program?)
  • Get a French-speaking girlfriend/boyfriend

In one word: interaction

answered Apr 24 '12 at 07:14

LukeSBE's gravatar image

LukeSBE
241338

Yup, except my one word would be 'immersion'!

(Apr 24 '12 at 09:40) Cornelia Cornflake Cornelia%20Cornflake's gravatar image

There is that and if you have dvd or blue ray disc there should be a French translation for the movies in there some where where you can actually hear french conversation. I know over here in Quebec for blu-ray and dvd it is a must to have the French language translation it it for those who do not speak English or any other languages.

(Apr 24 '12 at 13:03) Compucore Compucore's gravatar image

Ironically the second tip is part of the reason I want to learn more in-depth lol

(Apr 24 '12 at 14:44) pjob797 pjob797's gravatar image

The phrase language teachers use is "comprehensible input." It's the key to learning speaking/listening fluency in a second language and you need lots of it.

Basically that means reading and listening to lots of French that's easy enough for you to understand. If it's too difficult and you don't understand it, then you aren't learning.

Don't study grammar. Don't worry about speaking and writing (output) until later. They will come naturally after you've had lots and lots of comprehensible input.

People love to trash Rosetta Stone but it really is the best software available.

answered Apr 29 '12 at 06:34

EnglishTeacherFred's gravatar image

EnglishTeacherFred
1

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Asked: Apr 23 '12 at 15:52

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Last updated: Apr 29 '12 at 16:33