How hard did you find French?

Question

I've been a little put off by people telling me the pronounciation is irregular and bizzare. But the grammar isn't that hard right? unlike German. I used to hate dealing with the cases in German.. die, das, der, dem, den, ein, einer, einem, einen, you get the point!

Answer 1

well actually im haitian and we learned how to pronounce/alphabet and numbers since like kindergatesn and 1st grade. but i never learned the langugage and understand fluentley until like 5 mohnths ago. i had to study by myself and make mydelf understand.  

Answer 2

Hello,

Yes, those noun cases which I had to study in Latin, all five declensions really are quite the task. I have not taken German but a few German teachers I know tell me that most English people get flying off well full of pee and vinegar when starting German but as soon as those noun declensions come up, the quite a few students come to a grinding halt and drift away. Sadly though, you can't escape this with the Eastern European languages like Russian, Hungarian Polish etc as they too are inflected with noun declensions.

As for French, the grammar is much like Spanish and I did well in Spanish because of French. Thanks be to God, the noun declensions in these two languages were dropped about 500 years ago which makes it easier for you and me. French, however is not nearly as phonetic as Spanish but with lots of practise, it eventually comes.

More time can be spent on pronunciation therefore since the grammar is simpler than German.

Enjoy!

Michael Kelly

Answer 3

I've never found French hard. It is a fun language and the pronunciation is complex, but not beyond your capabilities. Many people who don't enjoy German find French (and the other romance languages) a pleasant relief. Don't be put off by other people -- make it your business to prove that they're wrong!

Bon courage!