The other day, I learnt that I passed the DELF B2 French exam. This is a world recognised qualification which proves that you have an intermediate level in French, signalling that you’re comfortable understanding a large amount of the language and that you can communicate comfortably.
It was crazy to receive this news because, 15 months before I took the exam, I had a very basic understanding of the language and had only a few classic words like ‘bonjour’ and ‘au revoir’ in my French repertoire.
Growing up, I always thought that learning a foreign language would always be out of my reach. It was something reserved for very intelligent people, or those who had parents from different countries so were brought up on the language from birth. When COVID-19 hit in February 2020, and with all of the free time from staying inside, I decided to give learning French a crack. ‘What’s the worse that could happen?', I thought.
I remember the distinct feeling of overwhelm as I started on the journey. It felt like I was about to climb a tall mountain with no idea of the route to take, nor what equipment to bring. What was the problem that led to me feeling overwhelmed? I didn’t have a clear process to follow.
Over the next year and 3 months, I experimented with different methods for learning French. Some worked a treat and others weren’t worth the time of day. After a while, I realised that I was creating my own step-by-step process for learning the language. Finally, when I felt like I had progressed enough, I decided to test my skills by taking the DELF B2 exam which I subsequently passed.
Looking back, I remember how daunting it appeared to me trying to learn a foreign language without a clear process. So, to help others who might be in a similar situation of wanting to learn a language but not knowing where to start, I’m going to share my step-by-step process in this video.
The process that I lay out is by no means perfect and it can certainly be tweaked and refined to suit your individual learning style. It is just what worked for me, and I would follow this exact process if I were to learn another language like Spanish or Italian.
Links related to the methods and content covered:
Method 1: Learn French with Paul Noble for Beginners - amzn.to/3mpl4Sq
Method 2: Duolingo - www.duolingo.com/
Method 3: French music - open.spotify.com/playlist/3bS... (my French playlist)
Method 4: Podcasts - innerfrench.com/
Method 5: Grammar books - amzn.to/3zbbmXc
Method 6: italki - www.italki.com/i/ref/FCcBaD?h...
Method 7: French news - www.france24.com/fr/ (France 24), www.lemonde.fr/ (Le Monde)
Method 8: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in French - amzn.to/383h8ON
Method 9: HelloTalk - www.hellotalk.com/
Equipment used:
Camera (Canon 70D) - amzn.to/3k6esoV
Second Camera (Go Pro Hero 8) - amzn.to/3uN3NV8
Third Camera (iPhone 7) - amzn.to/3lNxbGw
Mic: Rodesmartlav+ - amzn.to/3dyq42v
Joby 3K Tripod - amzn.to/3jNk72N SAMTIAN 58 inch
Tripod - amzn.to/3b6QLZD
Credits
Mount Everest video - David Snow, • Everest Start to Summi...
Walking through Paris - Prowalk tours, • Paris Evening Walk and...
Stock footage from Pexels - www.pexels.com/
Music from Epidemic Sounds - epidemicsound.com/referral/5qaq9
Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction
2:10 Method 1
3:10 Method 2
4:26 Method 3
5:14 Method 4
6:01 Method 5
7:29 Method 6
9:05 Method 7
10:21 Method 8
11:29 Method 9
12:47 Conclusion
#france #french #learnfrench #language #languagelearning #learnlanguage #frenchin15months #français #lafrance #englishtofrench #bilingual #italki #hellotalk #harrypotter #duolingo #paulnoble #podcasts #news #music
Some of the links above are affiliate links. This means that the channel may receive a small commission for any purchases made after you click on one of these links. This is at no extra cost to you, and it will be a way to support the channel. Thank you :)