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Ah, French – the fashion, the fromage! If you already speak a Romance language such as Spanish or Italian, French should be more or less a snap to learn; and if you speak English, you will recognize many similarities between the two languages because of the Latin roots of each.
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Work hard on your accent. Strive to purge yourself of your native accent when speaking French. Listen carefully to native speakers, and imitate them as best as you can. Parisian French is the mainstream accent, and thus the best and most versatile choice.
Master your us and rs. Practice correctly pronouncing the French us and rs right from the beginning of your study of the language, as well as other difficult sounds that you come across. This will help prevent poor pronunciation habits, as well as aid in comprehension, as you learn to recognize the difference in vowel sounds, for example, between the words vous and vu.
Pay attention to gender. As all nouns have a certain gender in French, memorize the gender along with the word right from the start. This will save difficulty later on. For instance, memorize la voiture (“car”) and not simply voiture.
Don’t despair over orthography. French has a very irregular and difficult spelling system, but don’t give up hope. Even the French sometimes have troubles writing flawlessly.
Get an up-to-date dictionary. This is a must for any language that you may be studying.
Look up Alliance Française. This organization has branches all over the world, and it offers French language courses as well as French cultural events. You can find the branch closest to you at www.alliancefr.org.
Speak with the French. Speak French whenever you can, and as much as possible with the French themselves. Ask around for native speakers near you, or make friends on a visit to France.
Check out online resources. You can watch French TV at www.TV5.org, radio at www.radiofrance.fr, and read the news at www.lemonde.fr.
Immerse yourself in all things French. Explore French culture, and visit France if you can. Read up on France’s history and its customs. Check out French film and music and literature. Cook up French cuisine and visit French museums. Culture is inseparably linked with language; learning about one will help to understand the other.
Bonne chance!
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