How to Speak French

Speaking French: Before You Begin
http://www.laits.utexas.edu/fi/index.html
Learn French with the University of Texas at Austin

1. First look at why you're learning French and how much time you have. If it's for a vacation in France, a few key phrases you study for ten minutes a day may suffice. Even knowing just a few words will help you communicate, and understand what others are saying to you.
2. To speak, read, or write on a higher level, lessons with audio and written elements are necessary. And to get the best return on these lessons, studying regularly is important.
3. No matter what your level of French is, take advantage of any chance you get to practice, however the occasion arises. Speaking (and understanding what is said to you) may be hard at first, but it will get easier with every word. So don't worry about making mistakes. Take the plunge and start speaking French!


* Many sites have basic French phrases, but the best have audio files so you can hear the words and practice saying them yourself. Don't worry

BBC French Phrases

1. Visit the BBC's page of essential phrases.
2. Listen to the phrases being spoken as you read along.
3. Download the MP3s to listen to whenever you can.
* Check out a BBC MP3 here.
4. Practice saying the phrases yourself.
5. Record yourself so you hear how you sound.
6. Print pages out to take with you!

Fodor's French Phrases

1. Go to Fodor's page of basic phrases.
2. Make sure French is selected, then choose the type of phrases you want to learn. Your choices include:
* Useful expressions | Shopping | Accommodations | General information | and many more!
3. Click on the French word or phrase (in blue) to hear it being pronounced.
4. Practice saying each term after you hear it.
5. Print the page(s) of phrases most relevant to your trip and take it with you!

Introductory French Lessons

French Steps Lesson 1.

• These simple dialogues are a great way to progress beyond beginning phrases. You'll start to be able to write in French, as well as speak it.

1. Go to BBC's French Steps, a great introductory six unit course.
2. Listen to the online dialogues.
3. Watch the dialogue once with the text in English.
4. Watch again with the text in French.
5. Test your comprehension with the exercise Guess the Words
6. If you've understood the vocabulary, go to Build Sentences.
7. Complete your half of a dialogue, both speaking and writing, at Speak and Write.

Intermediate French Lessons

• Verb tenses, more complex dialogues, perfecting pronunciation: these intermediate lessons will help you become a much more polished French speaker.

University of Texas at Austin First Year French Lessons

University of Texas at Austin's welcome page for francais interactif.

1. The University of Texas at Austin has its first year French class online.
2. There are fourteen lessons (thirteen chapters and an introduction).
3. For each lesson, watch the online introductory video.
4. Go to the lesson videos: you can either download the course to iTunes or click on each video separately to watch it online.
5. Review the vocabulary list (liste de vocabulaire) for each lesson.
6. Listen to the vocabulary being read aloud for correct pronunciation.
7. Review the phonetique (phonetic) section for pronunciation tips.
8. Read the grammaire (grammar) lessons, to see what the focus is in each lesson.
9. If you have time, watch the videos again- see what vocabulary words you can recognize and remember.
10. Return to the grammaire section, and choose the link testez-vous (test yourself).

BBC's The French Experience Lessons

1. The BBC also offers an intermediate course for people studying French, the French Experience.
2. Watch or listen to a dialogue in French.
3. Read the transcript of the dialogue.
4. Study the key language and phrases from the exercise.

Advanced French Lessons

• Advanced lessons put everything you've learned together. You'll see just how well you can really speak French!

TV5Monde Lessons

• TV5Monde, a French television station, has exercises entirely in French.

1. Choose from among the seven categories they offer.
2. Choose a section under "exercices en ligne" (online exercises).
3. There are three levels to choose from: elementaire (beginner); intermediare (intermediate); and avance (advanced)
4. Choose a level and select the topic.
5. To watch the video, press "voir la sequence".
6. After watching the video, take a comprehension quiz to see how much you've understood.

BBC Better at Listening

• These lessons are all about listening comprehension. It's time to take your French out of the classroom and see how well you can understand these native speakers.

1. Go to the BBC's Better@Listening French page.
2. Press "Start" to begin the lessons.
3. Press the speaker to listen to a dialogue.
4. If you're ready, try to answer the questions provided.
5. If you can't, listen to the dialogue again (you've got three chances).
6. If you didn't get everything right when you answered the questions, use the "Improve Your Score" option. Some pieces of information are provided now so you can concentrate on hearing the key words.

Fun French Lessons

• Sometimes the best lessons are the coolest ones. Learning a little slang can sometimes be more useful than the most advanced of lessons.

BBC Cool French Lessons

1. Once you've mastered some basic phrases, learning argot (French slang), can be a lot of fun.
2. Check out the BBC's cool French page.
3. Listen to the cool French phrases (check out a BBC MP3 here).
4. Print out a transcript of the expressions.
5. Practice saying the cool phrases yourself.
6. Tape yourself to hear how French you sound!

Universite du Quebec Argot (Slang) Lessons

1. The Universite du Quebec also has five argot dialogue lessons you can listen to with Real Player.

1. Choose a lesson, then listen to the argot in French at slow speed.
2. Listen again with the dialogue at fast speed.
3. Listen once more to the argot at a "natural" pace.
4. Read the translation and review the vocabulary.
5. Practice using the vocabulary with the online exercises.
6. Review "A Closer Look" to read more about slang.
7. Test yourself with the practice exercises.
8. And see what you understand by taking dictation, at both slow and fast speeds.

• • Careful with argot- it is very easy for a non-native speaker to say the wrong thing or to use an outdated phrase, causing your French friends to burst into laughter.
  • Also remember that Canadian French varies from the French spoken in Europe and elsewhere; the argot here may not translate in other locales.

French Podcasts

1. Podcasts like the French Pod Class are another great resource.
2. Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes; an audio podcast and a text transcript of the podcast will download to your iTunes every time a new one is available.
3. Listen to every podcast until you feel you've understood what's going on.
4. Review the podcast's transcript to double-check you've understood everything.

Resources for Studying French

1. While studying French, the University of Chicago's:
   • Verb conjugator and
   • French-English/English-French dictionary will be extremely useful
2. Indo-European language's French page has a range of lessons and vocabulary lists, from beginning to advanced, as well as accompanying MP3 audio files you can download.
3. If you need to translate a few words, or an entire website from French to English, or from English to French, visit Alta Vista's Babel Fish Translation.

French Pronunciation Tips

1. French uses liason, where words slide into each other and letters are sometimes elided
2. Though you generally do not pronounce the consonants at the end of French words, as with everything in life, there are exceptions: LanguageGuide.org has ordered words into those with silent ends, and those whose final letters are pronounced.
   • Click on the speaker buttons to hear how different words should be pronounced.
3. For more pronunciation tips, see this page and this tutorial on silent letters.

More Tips for Studying French

1. Read blogs like French word a day. This page has definitions and pronunciation tips for its words, as well as providing a window into life in France.
2. Watch videos like French in Action. After registering on the site, you can watch this series of videos, used in high school and college French classes around the country.
3. Check out your local university to see if they offer French classes, or if there is a student or professor who can tutor you.
4. Create or buy flash cards to test yourself. Have pictures or English words on one side and French words on the other. Both flash cards and podcasts are great for studying French on the go.
5. Rent movies in French. Turn off the subtitles (or cover the bottom of your TV set).
6. Listen to French music; try to understand the lyrics.
7. Visit French restaurants where you live; if there are French speakers on staff, practice your French!