my language journey | beginner status

26 February 2017

Je suis désolée, j'essaye, je te le promets.

I'm sorry. I'm trying. I promise you.
Small disclaimer: I am not a language expert. I still consider myself a beginner in my studying. I am in no way fluent in French, or any other language other than English for that matter, but I've been wanting to write a post like this for awhile. I want to share my language journey with you, and give advise for anyone who might want to try to learn on their own.

Someday in the future I plan to write detailed posts on why I am studying French specifically for my first language, why I decided to major in it in college, and why I strongly believe that language learning is so, so, so important for everyone. This post, however, is all about the how: how I began learning French, and how I got to the level I am at now.

I've been studying French seriously since about Junior year of high school. However, learning a different language has always been something that I have wanted to do, and I've been teaching myself little bits of language off and on since I was very young.

My first official French resource I tried was French in 10 Minutes a Day, a cheap, short, floppy workbook meant for people attempting to learn basic French quickly in order to have a nice vacation in France. Nothing serious. Even though it wasn't the best language source to realistically learn French well, it gave me the first steps I needed, and it cultivated my early fascination with language. It taught me basic vocabulary that has stuck with me to this day, and I believe I still have the workbook half finished and abandoned in a drawer somewhere.

Since I was homeschooled my whole life, I never had an opportunity to take a serious French class, so I began exploring online options. I would watch little lesson videos, listen to native French speakers, and I also joined a website called LiveMocha, a sort of social media site for people trying to learn languages on their own (however, it's sadly not in existence anymore).

Towards the end of middle school I finally convinced my parents to get Rosetta Stone, since I needed to start working on getting a language credit for high school. I firmly believe that Rosetta Stone is one of the best resources for starting to learn a language. It won't make you fluent at all, and it is somewhat pricey, but I feel like it gave me a way better jump start than any other resource I had used previously. I learned a lot of vocabulary and phrases, and it made my first real French class so much easier.

As I was going through the Rosetta Stone program, I also used some supplemental sources to go a bit deeper in my language learning, especially as I became more serious.
I got a nice French--English dictionary, and I would watch old French movies whenever one was on TV (which happened more often than you might think). 
I would google concepts I was confused about, and I would read various French literature, most of which was translated into English, but it still taught me cultural things that were important to know.
I also subscribed to a helpful youtube channel that I still watch regularly, Comme Une Française TV, that explains specific aspects of the French language and culture that isn't always taught in classes or curriculum.

No two people are the same, and what has helped me may not work for you. If you want to learn French or any other language, the best thing to do is to try different things. If you're serious buy different books, or look around online. In this day and age, the possible resources are endless. Just stick with it. Persistence and practice are ultimately the best ways to learn anything.


  1. Be proud of yourself for learning french! This is great, keep at it!

  2. I am the worst at French???? but i love it so much oh my gosshhhh. but oh. this post sounds so!!! helpful. if i ever find the time, i might start learning French again.

    1. I'm so glad you found this post interesting! You totally should learn!! :)

  3. Foreign languages are so fascinating! I've been learning some Spanish lately and a little Amharic. What's your preferred learning style--are you an auditory, kinesthetic, read-write, or visual learner? How many classes relating to French do you take in college right now? Are your teachers French? What's your favorite word so far in French?

    1. Languages are super fascinating! Kindred spirits! Good luck with Spanish and Amharic, those sound very cool to study. I've tried many different learning styles, but I think I'm more of an auditory and kinesthetic learner, depending on what I'm learning. I've taken two classes so far, one each semester. But I'm sure I'll be taking more at a time as I get further into my studies. My professors are not French, but I have had to have conversations with native French speakers for some of my assignments. And ugh! I have so many words that I love, I don't think I could pick just one. I'll have to get back to you on that one.
      Thanks for your sweet comment, Danielle. :)

    2. Haha, okay, I know it's hard to pick favorites off the top of your head.

      You're welcome! : )

  4. Great thoughts! Everyone is different. My younger sister finds that music helps her learn languages really efficiently. I have her watch movies, write journal entries, and translate songs in French. She loves doing it and is learning a lot!

    I've stuck to a more traditional route for my Italian studies. I have used live mocha, rosetta stone, DuoLingo, and (my personal favorite) Rocket Italian courses. I'm always on the lookout for ideas from other language learners, so this post was a real inspiration to me.

    1. Awww I'm so glad your sister is learning French. That makes my heart happy. It's very true, everyone has a different learning style, whether your learning languages or anything really.
      I've also used Duolingo. I can't believe I forgot to list that one.
      I'm so glad you enjoyed this post.
      Good luck with Italian! I've always thought that was a super pretty language. :)