How to improve French?

pa limerick

Hey, I got a D1 in my mock but need to bring it up to a high C or a B I've been getting C's and B's the whole time and just dropped to a D1 in the mocks, I just want to know ways to improve every aspect of French for the leaving cert. thanks !

pleindespoir

I do OL because I just recently came to Ireland but I wish I still tried HL because I really like languages. As for me, I listen to French music. There are alot of French genres that might suit you. I think it's worth trying. I also use the app called "HiNative" (Apple App) where you can talk to native people and have them correct your phrases. It is also available on a website called lang-8.com. Also, I read "Le Petit Prince" whenever I am bored and translate as much as I can then look on the ones I didn't get then repeat all over again.

The House Of Wolves

• Parlez, parlez, parlez! Talking is so important to getting a feel for the language.
• Keep a notebook and jot down every single new word you come across. Look over it at the end of the day, then again about 3 days later, then again about a week after that. It should be in your head by then.
• Learn your verb conjunctuations properly! It's very easy to add a 's' to the future tense, making it into the conditional tense, or to use "avoir" instead of "etre" for a irregular verb in the past participle. What I did was write them all out in a way that suits me best on multiple pages of paper, then hung them up in my room so I would see it every day.
• Try memrise.com for a course on certain vocab. You can learn very specific things there.
• Make sure to know your journal intime phrases by heart - but be careful that they are real phrases - there are some really dodgy ones in my French textbook that no one would ever say! The journal intime comes up every year, so it's a good option if you don't like the B part of the question.
• Get your accent down! Use '7 jour sur la planet' - find a video that is A2/B1 level and listen to it. Read the transcript aloud and try and copy how everything is pronounced in the video.

Hope this helps!

etherealfairy

- Fundamentals. Study your grammar! Know it by heart so that it comes to you naturally.

- Oral- Prep possible answers to the questions and keep them in a folder. Accent is very important- have fun with it! I know it might seem a but cringey but think of when you hear people with very heavy accents speaking English- that's how you would sound to a native French speaker had you not tried your best with the accent. SPEAK THEM OUT LOUD TO YOURSELF. Get a family member to ask you the questions in random order.

- Listening- Personally, I adore the French language so I have kind of picked it up by myself. I would recommend simply watching French movies (Nos Jours Heureux, Les Petits Mouchoirs, Le Petit Nicholas, Coco Avant Chanel). You can also find TV programmes in French on Youtube.. there is a series called 'Extra French' which is specifically aimed at learners. By regularly listening to these you will gain a higher standard of French and your comprehension will improve. By comparison, the Leaving Cert will 'sound' easier.

- Reading- Read anything in French. Novels, articles, magazines.. Your library should have a French section and there are many websites that contain well-written French articles. This is the best way to widen your vocabulary and improve your comprehension of grammar and syntax. Do all of the past LC papers, too. Again, these should seem easier than the texts you have been reading. I find that it's such a help.

- Writing- talk to yourself in French, try to think in French, tweet in French, do the past exam questions. Learn some vocabulary and phrases. However, this section rewards a high standard of French, not extensive knowledge of topical issues. For my mock last month I had learned some phrases for subjects such as racism and sport off by heart, but I mainly wrote my own answers and got full marks for doing so. My point: get your fluency up as much as possible, DO NOT WORRY ABOUT LEARNING ANSWERS OFF BY HEART. The paper is too unpredictable to do so. Try and use the conditional, imperfect and subjunctive in your answers- but only if you are comfortable. If you are wary of a grammatical point, leave the sentence out completely and replace it with something you are sure of.

Bonne chance!