Learning French in the traditional way, through classes or structured lessons, can often become drab and repetitive. It might be at times like this you feel like you need a break or you need something to make learning French a bit more fun. Here are a few ideas which may help you to get through these tough times and see learning a language in a new light.
Practice your writing and comprehension skills by joining a chat room.
There are virtually chat rooms for any topic you can imagine. If you are interested in any type of French chat then simply type in French chat rooms and you will find plenty. Otherwise, if you are interested in a specific hobby then add that to the original search. You will find that if you have an interest in a field it will be easier to pick up meanings and words in another language because you already understand most of the context and many words will be the same in English and French anyhow. You may have to excuse your French to begin with but most people are quite understanding if you have something to contribute.
Practice you reading, comprehension and grammar skills by reading comic strips.
Comic strips (Bande Dessinee or BD's in French) are a fun way to learn a bit of French. Comic strips are really popular in France and there are a variety of genres to choose from. They feature humorous titles through to murder mysteries and science fiction. The artwork in some of the titles are quite brilliant. The all time classics have to be Tintin and Asterix comic strips that feature action and comedy in equal measures. Although they are aimed at kids there is still some fun moments in them that everybody can enjoy.
Comic strips can really help with understanding verbs and pronouns because the words are often in a dialog form. This means the characters will say "I am doing something" or "you are doing something" or "we ..." or "they ..." etc. In this way you can often understand the verb they mean just by looking at the pictures and you can also see how the verb is being conjugated. A picture reference is a good way of learning words too.
Understand numbers, measures and diverse vocabulary by cooking in French.
If you like cooking (and even if you don't) a great way to learn a bit of French is to cook in French. French cuisine is celebrated throughout the world and many classic recipes have their origins in France.
Learn how to make a "tarte au citron" by following the French recipe. You can find french recipes by searching the internet or buying a French recipe book. If you are not confident that your French is good enough for a full French recipe simply buy an English book about French food to start with. There will be enough words in French to get you started. When measures and weights are given think of how you might say it in French.
Practice reading, writing, comprehension and pronunciation by playing games.
Again your trusty friend the Internet can help you find all sorts of games to play. Most will be simple like hangman, crosswords or battleships but they can still help you to learn vocab and perfect your writing skills. Some games are more complex. Games can help you learn and be fun at the same time. In most cases the aim of the game is to make you forget you are learning.
Everybody needs a break from formal learning from time to time. The best way to do this is to take the learning out of the classroom and into something you like or enjoy. In this way the learning will flow naturally and not become a chore.
Many French language self study courses feature games as part of the learning process. The games can be used to complement the teaching process or as a break from the lessons if you feel like your head is about to explode. Rocket French is a course that features three games to help the educational process along. To find out more about Rocket French and how the games are used read my review of Rocket French language course and find out how it compares to another popular French language course in comparison of Rocket French to Michel Thomas . Adrian Whittle writes about learning French at http://rocketfrenchreview.com
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