How should I try to learn French?

Question

I learned great Spanish grammar from high school courses, but I'd like to study abroad in Paris and want to learn French. Those HS courses never taught me to speak Spanish very well (but man, can I write an esay ;D). Do those cds and computer programs really work, or would they be a waste of money?

Answer 1

take a course they really help!

If you pay the computer program stuff they don't teach you full sentences! Only things like "Cat" "Dog" "Go to Washroom"

I am pretty sure you want more than that!

Answer 2

The best I have come across is the Rosetta Stone programs.  My wife was able to learn spanish very quickly and is now very good at speaking, writing, and understanding it.  The program is a little pricey, but its worth it.

Answer 3

I think CDs are a good help to supplement a course, but not very helpful by themselves. You do need somone you can ask things you don't understand, someone you can ask to "say that again but much more slowly".

The best method is, of course, immersion - learning the language where people speak it, doing your shopping and movie-going and partying in their language. If you can afford to, take a summer course in France (that'll also help you check out whether you like it there). But if that's too expensive, how about French Canada? Or, the very basic solution: Find a native speaker and agree to meet once a week. (Watch out for the 'I'm French my grandma came from there'-type, they probably don't know their croissant from their petit pain)

Good luck learning - it's a beautiful language and worth the effort.

Answer 4

no. take class with a teacher, in a french university. When I started to learn italian, they had a program specially for debutants including grammar, translation, speaking, listening. It was very intense but it worked on those who follewed the program (not me...)

Answer 5

Better than nothing.  I agree HS teaching foreign language stinks in US.

There are exchange students programs. Ask your school about it.

Answer 6

Take a summer course at your community college or take a fall course. If you learned spanish, french will be easy.

If not, I would think that tapes/cd's would be the way to go.