How hard would it be for a english speaking 36 yr old to learn to speak and read french?

Question

Where would you begin? What courses would you take? and how long would it take?

Answer 1

You can certainly do it. How easy or difficult it is and how long it will take will depend on your own ability in language, and what kind of instruction you find. The written part is likely to be easier. Getting an ear for the language and learning to think in it instead of mentally translating every time you speak can be the hard part. You might look for an evening course in French, spoken or written, to establish a basic vocabulary and learn some grammar. If you're in Canada, most high schools or rec centres will have something. Next step is to find a course or group where you speak French only. These are invaluable for getting you comfortable speaking in the language. Many people feel like they're 'acting' when they speak a foreign language and such a group will get you over that and let it feel natural. After that, go for a course at the next level for written language. Meantime, listen to all the French you can, on the radio or TV or get tapes and movies. Read all you can get even if it's only the back of the cereal box.

Answer 2

It can be done, but it is much tougher as an adult than as a child.  I would suggest the Rosetta Stone software.  It is excellent.  It uses native speakers and lets you learn at your own pace.  Another option when you have a few skills is to immerse yourself in French somewhere - or enrol in a French immersion summer program where you attend classes totally in French and live with a French family.  In a few months you will learn a lot of conversational French if you dedicate yourself to it.

Answer 3

I know that it is hard to learn a 2nd language what you are not a child, but you will probably learn!!

Answer 4

It's doable. I refuse to say if it's hard or easy, since it really depends on your natural ability, time, effort, and instruction.

I personally would avoid all home study books, tapes, media, print, etc. and just sign up for a class at the local college or university. This is the best sure fire way to learn. Usually you can find beginner's french instruction. Take the university route if you plan to be moving to Quebec, for instance. To become fully competent, it may take up to a year or more. Again, it depends on the above factors I gave.

If you are just heading out to France for 2 weeks, sign up for a conversational french class. They can have you fluent enough (in the basics) in often a couple of months or even much less.

Call your local educational facilities and go from there. Luckily, french is usually readily available. You can also look around for private tutors.

Good luck!

Answer 5

Learning another language is often quite difficult as an adult, but if you're really motivated you will be able to do it. My advice is to join a basic grammar class and most importantly a basic conversation class to get you started. Once you have had a few lessons at whichever college or school you might attend, put up an advert for conversation exchange. The idea is to find a French-speaking person who wants to speak English. Meetings are informal and can start at all levels. Hopefully you'll find someone you really click with and then it will be fun as well as helpful. Reading and listening to French is also important. Join a DVD club and go through the French titles available, watching them with subtitles is fine. Also I find that reading a book that I know and love in English in translation can be really useful, especially for picking up vocab and ways of expressing yourself.

Best of luck!

Answer 6

I dont know about 36 year old but when i was in grade 6 i went into a Late immersion programme and the rest of my schooling would be in french. It only took me a year to be techinically fluent (be able to read and understand and talk) but im still perfecting it (im in grade 10 now), but that was speaking it almost everyday for, 4 years now. But i expect that if you work hard, get a good teacher work on it everyday you can be basicaly fluent in under a year too. Especially if you visited/lived in a french speaking area like Quebec or something.

And i definetly find that the writing part was the hardest (to one of the previous posters). Understanding is the first thing that comes. Except fro french movies they are for some reason very hard to understand (way more so than when in person and ive talken to many french people in french, so i don not find that they are a good way to learn and TAPES ARE HORRIBLE!!)