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Trying to improve rusty french

  • 07-10-2014 12:37pm
    #1
    peteb2
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,813 ✭✭✭


    I'm in my late 30's and studied French in school. So I remember the basics. However my wife lived there until she was 12 and has family there. So she is fluent to the age of 12. But her written side would be weak.

    We have a toddler and I am looking to get her to speak french to him to he can be bi-lingual. however I would need to improve my own french. We go to her family every year and whilst I can understand most conversations I never speak as I feel my own understanding is too weak.

    So I want to try and figure the best way to improve my own french. I signed up to Babbel for a while. But I really would prefer the old fashioned way of just learning verbs off like you did in school.

    any suggestions?

    thanks


Comments

  • #2
    peckerhead
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,383 ✭✭✭peckerhead


    Can't post a link, but the BBC Languages website is well worth a visit. Also, About.com is pretty good for "old school" grammar (but nothing much on the oral side).

    Alliance Française used to run parent & child classes on Saturday mornings, if you're in Dublin?


  • #3
    niallcon4re
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 64 ✭✭niallcon4re


    you should probably research raising your child bilingual. The people I know who do it have each parent speaking a particular language i.e. you would only speak English to the child and your partner would speak only French .

    I don't think you need to learn French to raise your child bilingual (assuming your partners French is still good enough)


  • #4
    IvyTheTerrible
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,949 ✭✭✭✭IvyTheTerrible


    I'm Irish living in France and my partner is French. I ONLY speak English to my son, and my partner only speaks French. Apparently this a recommended method.


  • #5
    locteau
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 504 ✭✭✭locteau


    My personal story as a french who learned English when I moved in Ireland :

    - Started to watch a lot of subtitle tv shows
    - Then watch the same TV shows in plain English and lot of Cinema movies
    - Get tourist / history books with two languages and try to understand it in French and help with the english section. Read it over and over until you get all of it and can swap books / brochures over and over
    - Buy children french books they use at schools, if you have kids do it with them (great fun) and you learn at the same time (it also help you to understand how hard it is for them to learn stuff at school :-)
    - Meet people who speak the language, student groups (some are old student groups)

    Then it's a lot about practicing and make a lot of mistakes until you comfortable. Obviously if you want to learn french I would suppose you aim to go in a french speaking country, which is the best to practice and get better.


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