Help! I STILL can't speak French!!!!

[sistereurope]

OK everyone...I would bet that the majority of you have at least some French language skills (and some I know are fluent). I took 3 years of French in High School...of course that was (gulp) 30 years ago, and I had a teacher who spoke French with an Alabama accent. I took 2 semester in college, did ok (at least well enough to get credit), then gave it up for at least 20 some years.
I dusted off my old text books when we first went to Paris and re-learned some VERY basic phrases. My husband is fluent so I depended on him a lot.

When I came home I decided that I needed to brush up on my skills, so I enrolled in a class at our local community college. I hated it - we had a book called "French is Fun", but the class was anything but - the teacher had no interest in making it interesting. So I dropped out and tried to learn on my own. My French friend gave me a grammar book and I dutifully did the exercises. I also got a tape so I could practice pronunciation (French and Baltimore accents don't match!)
All of that work resulted in me being able to re-learn enough to be able to read French, and I can understand SOME spoken French (if it's SLOW and easy). But I still can't speak more than the very basics...and I can't think of what to say, even if I could understand the same thing when it's written.

So, experts (Les?) Can you recommend some CD's/books/online lessons?? I don't want to give up, but I'm feeling frustrated. I have an ongoing argument with my husband that some people just have a knack for learning different languages (HIM!) while it's a struggle for others - he just says that it's because he worked harder!

[Truffaut]

You're correct about some people being more naturally attuned to learning languages. This is particularly true of people with strong aural abilities (musicians, for example). Learning to speak is the most difficult part of language and the only really good way is to do it daily. Perhaps there's a French club in Baltimore. We have the Alliance Française here in DC.

[sistereurope]

I KNEW I was right - my husband is also a musician!
I know that we don't have an Alliance Francaise here in Baltimore. I'm hoping to find some "method" that I can do on my own...I have a hard enough time finding the time to make it to the gym and the grocery store!

[Truffaut]

I find that parties are the most difficult situations. Conversations can shift abruptly between topics, people interrupt, everyone is talking at once and using lots of colloquial constructions....very confusing! It's also frustrating, when you know that you're intelligent and a good conversationalist, to find yourself saying riveting things like "The wine is good", "I like yellow", etc.

[Sarastro]

An excellent way to increase linguistics skills is to listen to French radio. There are many free channels available on the internet.

Here are a couple of excellent resources:

comfm.com/
www.annuradio.fr/

[Becky (Berkeleytravelers)]

My husband is learning with the "Rosetta Stone" cd series (he did not know any French at all before we first went to Paris a few years ago) and likes it. At the rate he's going, he probably will be better than I am before long! I took some in high school (it reall does come back, to some extent) but totally lost my accent because I then took Spanish in college.

I have a cd set I recently got but have not yet tried, aimed at working on pronunciation (my weakest point). I also use the "French at a Glance" booklet when traveling (laid out in a way I find helpful, because lots of "situational" variations on a sentence, etc.). It's gotten me through many years without major mishaps, so it gets my vote.

[les]

THis is a tough one. First of all, I've heard this a billion times. I teach one night class and have a fair number of adult students in there, most of them with your story.

"French is Fun" sucks. Just IMO.

It is true that some people are more adept than others. If you have a good "ear" you can pick up easily. Or if you start as a child. Unfortunately you are an adult, and it tends to be more difficult for adults whose brains are no longer very malleable.

If you have an Alliance Francaise in your area, I would contact them. They would have classes or conversation classes. Another thing you could do is contact a local university to see if they have any grad students who do private tutoring. The best way to learn in your position is to practice every day (listening CDs, music, etc.) and take a one-on-one class with a native or near-native speaker. It takes a lot of effort, but if you have the inclination you can improve for sure.

Of course the BEST way would be to enroll in a summer course in Paris! Living there is how you really learn.

Les

[Happygoin]

Well...you heard it here...I guess we all have to go live in Paris...line forms at the rear

[sistereurope]

Thanks...I suppose I just need to stop thinking about it and just start listening to the few tapes I do have. We did watch some French TV during the election. And we're thinking about getting satellite TV so that we can watch overseas stations (IMHO most TV here sucks).

Les...I agree, French might be fun, but "French is Fun" most definitely sucks.

And sigh...wouldn't I LOVE to be able to live in Paris for a summer!!!!! I'm still trying to figure out when I can get back for a week!

[les]

Try radiofrance.fr. There are a few stations with just conversation (news, interviews) like franceinfo and franceinter. Even if you don't understand it, having it stream from your computer and sink into your brain helps your mind start to distinguish sound. And the best part is when you understand something!

I have a lot of students who listen to French radio every day, and it helps!!

Go to French movies too. Or rent them. THat helps. ANy listening opportunity you have is good for developing your ear.

[susanb]

Those are all really good ideas. We live in a university town and dozens of languages are spoken here. Do you have ANY idea how much you would pay a student. A good starting point.
Thanks

[goldenmama]

>:(Gosh darn it, that hurts to know my adult brain is no longer malleable! That explains why I can't get any where on my French tapes. Every day I forget what I learned the day before, and I have to keep going back to Lesson One!

[les]

The going rate for one on one tutoring, someone who is a professional teacher or tutor, would be about $35 per hour.

So for a student, I would say $20 - $25 per hour.
I would be there are native speakers at the university as well.

And as far as going back to Chapter 1, that's ok. Just keep going back to it until you are very comfortable with it. The key is persistence. If you don't do a little every day, or every other day, you will always be back to square 1.

[sistereurope]

You are so right, Les...it takes persistence and some good old fashioned hard work!
I guess I was just looking for some magic bullet. Do you recommend ANY of the CD's/tape series?

[Shoesy]

When I studied French in high school (decades ago), I had no trouble understanding written texts, but my oral comprehension skills weren't particularly good. When I was in Paris last year I really tried to comprehend what people were saying, but I found it extremely difficult, unless the utterances consisted of one or two words. Luckily, I had no problems learning Hebrew when I moved here.

[kasthor]

There is no secret, unfortunately... Practice, practice, practice and if there is time left a little more practice!

Not that I'm comparing myself, it seems I'm quite talented for foreign languages, but a few year ago I had stopped speaking english on a regular basis (that happens after school) and I started working in hospitality so I would speak english every day, sometimes I'd speak even more english than french , or german for that matter, and there has been a great improve in vocabulary and fluency, not to talk about the access also given to anglo-saxon culture...

The result is that both my best friend and girlfriend are american!

So I think finding and merging into a community is the best way to learn, not only the language but also the culture, both of which are very linked and facilitate the access to each other.

[phread]

Pillow talk is internationally recognized as the best way to learn a language, but as you are already married, that is probably not the best idea. The second best would be to find a French person in your area willing to meet with you for a weekly chat.
Another good tool is watching your favorite DVDs in French. Trains the ear. good luck!

[Sarastro]

Certainly most here already know of TV5 (French language television) but it is available in the US on DISH and perhaps several cable providers.

Among other programs TV5 shows French movies often with English subtitles.

My favorite program is Question Pour un Champion, sort of Jeopardy for the French. Its host, Julien Lepers, is arguably the fastest French speaker on the globe. I am quite proud to say that after watching this program for years, my ears have progressed sufficiently to understand almost half of what he says. What would take a normal French person to say in several minutes, Julien can say in several seconds. He is truly amazing to watch.

TV5 costs a bit extra every month but it's a great way to keep up one's French.

[GitteK]

My French was VERY rusty when I started to go back to Paris in 2003 - after a pause of 25 years. But it helped me a lot to start reading French again and of course to go to Paris again once or twice a year and then forcing myself to speak French.
Also it has been a BIG help to subscribe to a weekly copy of Le Figaro - AND to practice my horrible French on our R.H. member Luc in the chatroom. THAT really gives you an opportunity to face your poor grammar and ditto vocabulary !

[Shoesy]

Gitte darling - I don't think you're a good example. Your English is superb ( even your slang!), and you're not even a native speaker. Therefore, one can assume that you have a remarkable ability to learn languages.