How long do you think it would take to learn french?

Question

I took french for 4 years in high school, but didn't pay much attention to it. I spent 10 days on a high school tour in france, and really wished i had paid more attention in class. Now i want to go back. I'm 30 now and vow that i will make it back to france before i'm 40, but i want to be well prepared and learn the language all over again. How long do you think it could take the average person to learn? And do you recommend a program or a tutor?

Answer 1

i myself have taken 3 years and feel like i know the basics of it. if you speak it often with others and speak nothing but french you will learn new words. Im surei t will come back to you.

Answer 2

Well, that's a tough one, because it depends upon what natural skills you bring to the task.  I have taught French for many years, and I find that some have no difficulty at all, while others will never get it right.  I'd say, rent French movies with subtitles, get some simple books to read and translate, and try a good language book in a soft-bound form, and it  might take as little as a year or two to get it into good form.  Writing to a pen-pal who will correct you is also good.  Finally, some methods on tape or CD's are pretty effective.  No matter what preparation you make, however, there is nothing like being in the country and being forced to communicate to put you on the fast track.  Bonne chance.

Answer 3

You can write to me in french from time to time, I will tell you if you make mistakes.

To learn well, I think the best is to spend a couple of months in France.

But it's right, you can already watch french movies or french TV.

Tell me if you hear a french expression, I'll try to explain you.

Answer 4

Hiring a private tutor will help, especially if you have one-on-one lessons. However, a good private tutor may be a little pricey. So you gotta think about that too. If money is an issue, you might want to consider getting an online tutor instead. Try some online tutoring services like:

1) http://www.tuitionplaza.com/tutoring/  - tutoring by retired teachers and volunteers (free)

2) http://www.tutor.com  - tutoring by professional tutors (not free)

3) ... and many more (use search engine!).

Think outside the box and you'll have more options.

Answer 5

While there may be some things that will seem familiar and will come back I'm guessing since you never learned it well the first time it will be like learning it from the beginning when you try now .  IMHO the hardest part for you will simply be to stay motivated and make learning something as complicated as a new language.  Everyone learns differently but I think you need to immerse yourself as much as possible in the language.  Engage all your senses.  Read, write, listen and speak.  From reading about your plans I think perfection is not your goal so much as being able to enjoy the country without being held back by a language barrier.  In this sense you will want to understand basic language but also have the ability to converse and listen so you can engage in conversation with locals but perfection or even complete fluency is not necessarily the goal.

When I lived in France I spoke French as much as possible and surrounded myself with French even if English was possible.  I wasn't studying the language but my brain heard the way it was used so much that I learned at a rate much faster then when I was studying in school for one hour a day 5 days a week.  The point: if you want to learn the  language in a short period time (I would say even a couple years qualifies compared to the time a normal human has) then surround yourself with the language!  I think a tutor is a great idea because you need an objective opinion to see what your bad habits are or where you make mistakes consistently.  Beyond that listen to the news, movies, music (sometimes just listening and grasping what you can, other times listening over and over and breaking it down until you understand everything), read and reread books and magazines (start w/ kids books), do workbooks and try and find people to talk with online or in real life.  If you can find an immersion program I highly recommend that (some schools or places offer 1 week - 1 month immersion programs if you can get time off).  Also think about conversations you want to have and make sure you focus on the vocabulary for those activities (avid knitter wanting to ask someone knitting in a park about their project? art enthusiast wanting to talk to people in a cafe about your favorite artist? amateur chef wanting to discuss french cuisine with people who have been raised eating it? etc.)

I think the amount of time it will take you learn could take a few months or a few years depending on the amount of effort you put into such a task as well as your natural ability to learn languages (not just spoken but also programming).  Keep your brain in shape by learning new things and challenging yourself intellectually.  

You're taking on a giant task but break it up into baby steps and create milestones for yourself and it won't be quite so daunting.

news: http://jt.france2.fr

radio: http://www.nrj.fr (pronounced energy! hehe)

awesome dictionary: www.wordreference.com/fr/en/translation....

Answer 6

Hi, I'm French and if you want we can speak in french ...

Answer 7

Je suis francaise si tu veux tu m'écris en francais et je te corrige les fautes ! je parle un peu anglais !

I am French if you want you write to me in French and I correct you the faults! I speak a little English!