Learning · 17 recordsLearn French

French is usually easier to read than to hear, because so much of what is written is never pronounced. So this plan starts with sound, shadowing audio every day, then covers the few verbs and tenses that carry most conversation, and books a weekly conversation early enough that listening has a reason to improve.

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Goal

Understand and be understood in French Month 6

The ear trained first, then everyday grammar, then real conversation.

Sound and spelling Week 6

French is written one way and spoken another, so the ear comes first.

  • Choose one main course and one podcast for learnersDo firstDay 3
  • Learn the nasal vowels and the common silent endingsWeek 2
  • Learn every new noun with le or la attachedWeek 3

Everyday grammar Month 4

The handful of verbs and tenses that carry most conversation.

  • Get être, avoir, aller and faire solid in the presentWeek 5
  • Start telling short stories in the passé composéMonth 3

Conversation Month 6

Weekly, with a person, from the first month.

  • Book a weekly conversation with a tutor or partnerDo firstWeek 3
  • Watch an episode with French subtitles, then again withoutMonth 3
  • Hold a 20-minute conversation, switching between tu and vous correctlyDo firstMonth 6

Routines

  • 15 minutes of Frenchdaily
  • Shadow 5 minutes of French audio out louddaily
Skills
  • FrenchBeginner → Intermediate

    Log practice against it. Listening usually lags reading for months, which is normal rather than a sign of failing.

✦ It puts something in the calendar

Dates you will not have to remember

French conversation session

Week 419:0030 min
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Why French is harder to hear than to read

A lot of written French is never pronounced: silent endings, nasal vowels, and liaison, where words run into each other.

So reading races ahead and listening falls behind. Shadowing, repeating a clip out loud as you hear it, is the fix, and it is why it is a daily routine here.

Learn every noun with its article. Guessing gender later is much harder than learning it once.

Questions

Learn French, answered.

The US Foreign Service Institute estimates roughly 600 to 750 class hours for an English speaker to reach professional working ability in French. Everyday conversation comes well before that, so this plan is dated at six months to a 20-minute conversation.
Because much of written French is never pronounced. Silent endings, nasal vowels and liaison, where words run together, mean reading ability races ahead of listening. This plan puts sound first and makes shadowing a daily routine for that reason.
There is no shortcut past the hours, but some hours count for more: daily practice rather than occasional long sessions, nouns learned with their article, and a weekly conversation with a real person.
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