FAQs About Learning French

In American education systems, French still maintains its place as one of the most popular and available languages to learn, second only to Spanish. This is for good reason. With over 300 million speakers worldwide, French is spoken in places from Europe all the way to Polynesia. French shares many words with English, so learning French as a second language only makes sense.

Q: How long does it take to master French?

A: "Mastering" a language is a relative term, but the amount of time it takes to become "fluent" varies from person to person. Although natural ability helps, anyone willing to put the time and effort into a language can grasp basic communication within months and reach conversational level French within a year.

Q: What is the best way to learn?

A: Most public school French classes do little to permanently instill the language. More often than not, students learn only enough to fill out worksheets and carry on canned conversations without real understanding. Using alternate methods to supplement these basic instruction techniques greatly improves the odds of success. Rosetta Stone remains the most popular software for language use. By taking advantage of Rosetta Stone's colorful graphics and total-immersion strategies, students learn vocabulary at a fast pace. The effective method, however, is the Pimsleur language system. Pimsleur is based almost entirely on audio mp3s and CDs. Thirty-minute daily sessions with these audio lessons force students to intensely study, repeat and reinforce the language.

Q: Should you attempt to speak French to a native speaker even though you are not yet fluent?

A: By all means. Those speaking French (or any foreign language) are usually impressed with the attempts to communicate, even if they are not the clearest. Often times they can offer tips and corrections to help improve language learning. Speaking to a native may invite corrections, but it also reinforces the fact that you really are learning something.