♫ You can also listen to an extended version of this blog post here ♫
I know that making New Year’s resolutions is not always popular but I am quite a goal-oriented person so I do like to set myself targets and I always make a resolution. This year, I’m continuing last year’s resolution – to read at least one book a month (just for pleasure not for work – and at least 3 of the books have to be in French). I know this doesn’t sound like a particularly big or difficult challenge but I love reading and before making my resolution, I was only managing to read 3 pages a night before falling asleep (often with glasses on and book on head!).
To achieve my goal, there were two main things that I had to do; create time and choose carefully. If you’ve set a goal to work more on your French at home then I think these are both really good starting points.
Create Time
For my book-a-month challenge the first thing I had to do was create time. Like many people, time is one thing that I haven’t got a lot of so if I want to start something new, it usually has to replace something that I am currently doing. It often can feel that nothing is replaceable but actually, the quickest and easiest way for me to free up some time was to stop looking at my phone at bedtime (which was a very healthy move too!).
If you have decided that you want to spend more time working on your French then you need to create time to do this. Planning when you will learn, will help you to create a routine which in turn, will really help ensure that you do it! This does not have to be hours and hours – little and often is a perfect approach. So, if you can only find 10 - 20 minutes once a day, every other day or just once a week, this is so positive and you will reap the benefits.
Choose Carefully
When I set my target to read a book a month, I knew that I had to choose books that would quickly hook me in, that were easy to read (bigger font please!) and that I couldn’t wait to read. Learning a language is so exciting as there are so many different aspects to focus on and so many different ways to learn, so choose carefully what you would like to work on at home and how you would like to learn. For example, you may like using a learning app to review vocabulary whilst you enjoy your morning coffee or you may prefer listening to French podcasts whilst you are in the car.
If you prefer working in a more structured way, then try to be quite specific about what you would like to work as this will really help you to focus your energies, maximise the time you have and ensure that your learning doesn’t become overwhelming. Improving general conversation is a very popular aim but there is a lot to unpack! If this is your goal, think about how you could break this down into more manageable chunks for the level that you are working at. I have included some ideas that may you help you to do this.
The most important thing is that your learning shouldn’t be a chore – it may not be easy but it should be an enjoyable challenge and something that you look forward to doing.
And finally, accept any setbacks and don’t beat yourself up about them. If you don’t do any French for a couple of weeks then, don’t abandon your goal. Just pick up where you left off when you can. We’re all just trying to do our best and I’d like to finish with a quote from Don Miguel Ruiz’s book The Four Agreements:
Always do your best: Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgement, self-abuse and regret.
I really hope that this has been helpful.
With my best wishes and thanks,
Sarah xx
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La conversation générale
To approach working on general conversation at home, you could start by looking at all of the different aspects that a general conversation may involve. Here are some ideas (but they are not exhaustive!):
You could start by choosing one of the themes – perhaps one you feel less comfortable with or one you know you will use the most – and focus initially on this. It may also help to think about who you may be chatting to; a friend, a neighbour, someone new, someone in passing. This will help you decide what you may like to say around the theme that you have chosen.
For example, you may choose to practise speaking to someone new about where they live. Think about all of the questions that you could ask them and then also think about all of the questions that they may ask you and prep some answers!
Or if you have a second home in France that you visit a few times a year, you may choose to practise speaking about an aspect of the news with your French neighbour. Think about how you could approach the subject to spark the conversation. Practise expressing your views and asking them about theirs. You could also practise expressions of agreement and disagreement too.
Or you may decide to practise asking someone that you know reasonably well about one of their hobbies. Again, think about questions that you could ask and perhaps be asked! Here is an example:
Whatever you choose, you may want to try to do it orally initially or you may prefer to write things down first. Either way, writing things down is a great way to consolidate your learning – and you can refer back to your notes at a later stage. Also, don’t forget the benefits of speaking out loud. If you do write things down, take time to then read what you have written out loud.
And don’t feel that this needs to be a huge task to complete all at once! You could choose one theme and decide that you will just aim to put together 2 questions / answers three times a week until you are happy with that theme and would like to move on to something different. Small steps!
Bon courage!