Sunday, March 27, 2011

French 101

I decided to study French this year. I studied in high school for three years and have always wanted to be fluent. I have found on many of my travels not only in Europe, but in the Middle East and Africa, that French can be very valuable in communicating with those who may have little or no experience with English. I love the way French sounds and I love French films. It's a priority.

When I decided to become fluent in Spanish, I moved to Mexico and lived there for 6 months. It would be nice if I could do the same thing this time and spend 6 months in Quebec or France, but I don't think that is very realistic. As an alternative, I have decided to study French every day this year.

I am using 3 different systems: Pimsleur, Barron's, and Rosetta Stone. I alternate between them and sometimes use one for several days in a row. Some days I will spend 10 minutes studying and other days I will spend an hour or more. One crucial difference this time has been a commitment to studying every day.

I am not sure if I will be fluent by the end of the year, but I am much more likely than if I did nothing. Doing something always makes the chance of success much greater.

2 comments:

Oran said...

Making a decision to study French every day is is quite a challenge.
You are amazing Jeff. Good luck.

J'espère que vous devenez totalement couramment le français et peut enseigner "Silver Training" en français l'année prochaine!

BUT - I hope by the end of the year you will share a photo of some wonderful
French Haute cuisine rather than the above... :-)

Unknown said...

Thank you for your encouragement Oran! I agree, I will have to find some nice French food to post, mais j'aime aussi pommes frites!