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MarcArgent

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Posts posted by MarcArgent

  1. Don't lose hope. We've all been there. I myself have experienced being anxious too, especially in front of native speakers. If someone has been rude to you, remember that there are also a lot of people willing to help and hear you out. Try to search for these people and when you have, try to nurture your relationships with them. Having someone to hear you and understand you is one thing; Having a FRIEND to hear you out, help you get better and constructively criticize your skill is better. Just don't stop and eventually you'll get better. Moreover, your anxiety will be lessened until it ceases completely.

  2. You should MEMORIZE or at least have an idea of what the word implies to know what language register to use. That is exactly what makes it hard. Sometimes, I had no idea what the word means until I used the dictionary, only to be surprised it is just a more "refined" word or a "vulgar" one.

    I think both French and English are hard this way. But in French, adding or subtracting even a mere accent or letter changes it completely; e.g. Apercevoir(to glimpse) - S'apercevoir(to realize).

    Elision and liaison is easy in "theory" but when you hear native speakers speak fast; you'll almost never notice and you'll think you're hearing a different phrase or sentence overall.

    But all of these can be overcome: We all need constant, correct practice. Good luck to all of us!

  3. Hello fellow French language learner! Pronunciation is indeed one of the hardest but the most rewarding aspect in learning the language. We need to sound French to be fluent. My advise for you is to never stop listening and imitating what you hear. Or maybe there is a problem with your articulators such as the lips , teeth and tongue. Imitate the position and placement of their articulators. If you have dental problems, might as well have someone fix them. You cannot correctly pronounce certain words if you have problems with your articulators.

  4. First and foremost, you have to be fluent in French standard tone - the usual French we learn. After that you need to listen how people who speak in another accent or dialect. Pay attention on how they pronounce the words, their intonation and the sound overall and then try to imitate them. If you are fluent in standard French, you wouldn't have much difficulty because you already know the words or at least have an idea which word was pronounced.

  5. The French language is a very beautiful language - very polite and very classy. Having to listen and read the language is like looking and appreciating an excellent work of art. However, like works of art, some are very hard to decipher and very hard to understand. The French language is no exception to this. Here are some of the reasons why I think French can be hard to understand.

    1. French has a lot of ways of saying things.

    I think most of us are no stranger to the many new French words we get to encounter every time we read an article or a book, only to find out that we know and understand its synonym. It's because the french has so many language registers. If I'm not mistaken, the French has 6 registers: 1) Soutenu (Refined); 2) Formelle (Formal); 3) Courant (Normal); 4) Familier (Informal); 5) Populaire (Familiar); and 6) Argotique/Vulgaire (Slang/Vulgar). This sometimes makes reading French so hard because of so many complex words.

    2. The French pronounciation is complex.

    The French liaison and elision takes time to fully master - there are so many exemptions to the rule. Usually the rule is applicable; sometimes it is not. Another is the silent and aspirated /h/. You absolutely have no way to determine if it is silent or aspirated EXCEPT to just MEMORIZE it.

    3. Written French is sometimes different from Spoken French.

    This causes an issue especially when reading French literature. There are certain rules and system that only applies to written French; likewise, to spoken French.

    An example is:

    Spoken: Est-ce qu'il y a des gens?

    Written: Y-a-t-il des gens?

    Sometimes these are subtle differences but can cause confusion.

    Don't get me wrong: I love French so much. It is very rewarding to learn the language. It is just very challenging because you have to memorize a lot of rules and systems.

    Vive la France!

  6. Spelling and pronounciation are one of the most important thing we need to take note when studying French. A little mistake on these two can sometimes be disastrous and embarrassing. Accents are important part of the French language. Failing to put an accent on a word will change its meaning. For example is "a," wihout accent, it refers to the past participle form of the verb avoir in the third person singular. Putting a grave accent on it changes the meaning to the preposition "to."

  7. Start learnig what we call 'Survival French.' Study the basic expressions you need to be able to find your way through a French-speaking community. Try to put yourself to different scenarios such as introducing yourself, asking for directions, asking and providing different kinds of information. Then learn to sound like French. They would be able to appreciate it. Listen to French music and watch films. Try to find someone to talk with you and tell him to give you feedback. Immerse yourself to the language and culture. Goodluck!

  8. Yes, you can use "est-ce que" for both formal and informal settings. However, it is limited to "close-ended" questions. It is always followed or accompanied by a declarative sentence. For "open" questions, you need to add interrogative words such as quel, que, quand, comment, etc.

    "Est-ce que" is also almost exclusive to spoken form. In written form,  we usually drop it from the sentence and use "inversion" instead.

    Example:

    Oral: Que'est-ce qu'il fait?

    Written: Que fait-il?

  9. Hello everyone!

    I am fortunate to find out and be a member of these website. I am always and will always be passionate about language. My passion is to listen to other people and to communicate with them. That is why I love language so much. It's awesome that I became a member of linguaholic, because I'm able to do what I really love to do.

    I am hoping to make acquaintances and share/learn new things from you.

    Merci beaucoup!/Salamat!/Thank you! linguaholic

  10. I remember one of my teachers saying that the classroom provides only 10% of the necessary elements to acquire and master a language. The 90% is in the learner himself. Having said that, he told us that If we really want to master a language, we should IMMERSE ourselves with it; you have to LIVE the language. Embedding the language to your daily activities such as daily normal conversation, telephone conversation, watching films, reading books and articles - all of these add up and in some time you'll be able to acquire the language.

  11. I have made a lot of friends speaking the language I'm learning, the French language. I think that language is indeed a bridge that closes the gap between people. I've made friends and acquaintances, but a CLOSE one, I haven't had yet, but I wish I could! I think I could learn faster if a have such a friend. However, I think that language may be a bridge, but it is not the totality in having someone as a close friend. Your qualities as a whole, and whether you have similarities and same interests are all taken into account. Language is a tool, you can make friends with it; likewise, you can also make enemies.

  12. I study my lessons mostly at home where I can be alone and quiet, but at the same time comfortable and be able to do what I want; e.g. eating, or taking a power nap. I don't study that long too, maybe 40 minutes is my longest time. If I study too long, my mind wanders off to different things already. That 40 minutes of study already includes grammar and vocabulary. For reading and listening, I prefer to do it leisurely, like watching a film or reading articles about something that really interests me; my mind tends to absorb more things that way.

  13. WordReference is highly recommended. Is is a great all around dictionary for many different languages. Don't be mistaken; this is NOT ONLY a dictionary, but also has many other uses! It has the "Conjugator" feature which allows you to conjugate any verb to any tense or mood. You can also learn a lot of expressions and slang words from here.

    Also take note that WordReference now has an app. Download it for free and you can use it anywhere using your tablet as long as you have internet connection. Such an awesome feature!

  14. The internet has revolutionized language learning; almost all language could now be learned through different websites. As for a high-profile and influential language like French, searching in Google gives you almost endless choices.

    As for me, I mainly use three websites to brush-up on my French: a) french.about.com - for lessons about almost everything about French; B) wordreference - a very good lexicon, to help you in using proper choice of words; and c) memrise.com - to help me improve my vocabulary.

    Hope this helps! It might work for you too!

  15. My favorite will always be the quote I learned from a textbook and explained by our teacher - "C'est en forgeant qu'on devient forgeron." (It's in forging we become forger). It is a very inspiring quote, whenever I think of it, I feel like I can achieve a lot of things. I think it is similar to the popular English quote -"Practice makes perfect."

  16. In our French institution here in Manila, they conduct free film-viewing every Wednesday night. I have watched some titles of different genres, such as drama, comedy, action and suspense thrillers. French films are of very good quality; there is complexity and appeal at the same time because you can relate to them

    My favorite so far is 'Intouchables.' It is very funny, but heart-warming at the same time. My favorite suspense is 'Martyrs' because it is so disturbing.

  17. I would love to read French comics. Could you please help me choose which are good for starter/intermediate readers?

    And if it is not much, can you give me an idea where to get them? Thank you so much!

    Lastly, I've heard about Asterix, is it beginner friendly?

  18. Bonjour fellow language learner!

    I know its hard to master all the verbs, but the only way to do so is to MEMORIZE them. It doesn't need to be a burden or a pain; all you need to do is to motivate yourself and challenge yourself. Don't start big right away, you might get overwhelmed and discouraged. Starting with 2 to 3 words a day can do wonders. In a month's time you could remember around 60 new verbs! Try to use those verbs whenever you can to store them to your long-term memory. To really remember the words, you have to be alongside them for a lot of time. That is LIVING THE LANGUAGE.

    Good luck and hope this helps!

  19. The teacher is one important ingredient in language learning. He isn't just someone who imparts information, or who shares theoretical knowledge, but a teacher is, and should be a great motivator and leader. I cannot recall how many times I have encountered students who intially, are so interested in learning the language, only to be discouraged when the harder aspects of language learning start creeping up. An excellent teacher knows just that, and develops methods and ways to keep his students energized, motivated and always in topnotch learning mood.

    In short, a language teacher's job is not easy, but it is a noble task that could change people's lives. I salute teachers, who through thick and thin, are able to mold effective foreign language speakers, who also may be teachers themselves someday. There is a great difference between being able to just SPEAK and being able to TEACH a language.

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