What is the most efficient way to learn a foreign language ?

Question

What worked for you ?
I teach gov' workers French in Ottawa. They have to be bilingual because of the language law, however, most of them : 1) resent having to learn French 2) have a scientific mind and find French twisted (because of the exception in grammar rules) 3) don't have time to study at home.
They have to maximise their time in the classroom and be bilingual in order to be promoted.
So, any trick to teach them French ? What works for you when you study a foreign language later in life ?
Best answer get 10 pts and a big "merci" !

Thanks for your answers ! But don't forget my students are already enrolled in classes (I'm the teacher !) and that they all have already basic understanding of French.

Answer 1

I am trying to learn a different language and it's no easy task by any means, but I have a few suggestions that may help integrate the class room into the home life and make learning a new language more fun and entertaining.
First off I must tell you that my husband speaks English (2nd language), Hindi, Punjabi and knows a little Spanish. His primary language is Hindi / Punjabi. I do not speak or understand these languages fluently but have learned quite a bit by doing these things...
1. Watch foreign movies in the language you are learning with English subtitles. You have to do this more than once with the same movie so you know what the story is already so the 2nd time you watch it you don't have to read as much because you remember what they are saying. Pay attention to what the actors are saying and the way the pronounce the words / the accent they have. Try to repeat what they say when they say it.
2. When driving to/ from work have either an audio cassette or cd that doesn't use to much repetition that teaches the language in a begginer format. I like the "Pimsleur Language Programs" they don't bore you to death with repitition, they use conversations and then review them word by word . When you finish the first lesson the the second lesson builds upon the first and so on. So you should master the first lesson before moving on to the second or you will miss out on key phrases and instructions. They use male and female voices to help you more with pronunciation.
3. If you have a friend or family member that speaks the language that you want to learn ask them to randomly speak to you in that language. That will help you to remember specifics and keep it fresh in your mind.
For example: in Hindi "laal" means "red" then my husband would ask me for the "laal" towel. It helps since I don't speak it very much, hearing it keeps me from forgetting what the words mean as English is my primary language.
4. As a last resort carry or keep a translation dictionary with your primary language and translations to the other language you are learning just in case you forget what a word means or how to pronounce it. You could of never heard the wourd before and need to know what it means so this reference will come in handy.

I hope this helps you with teaching French and maybe your students will find some of my suggestions a more entertaining approach to learning. They will be speaking French before they know it !

Answer 2

Most people I know that have learned one or more other languages say that the submersion method is best. If they don't have time to "study" at home- they should get tapes of people speaking french and listen to them while they are driving in their cars, or doing everyday tasks at home - listen to music, watch movies, put up labels around the house, etc. Anything creative you can do, short of living amongst French speaking people or taking one on as a roomate, to surround yourself with the sight and sound of the French language will help you to learn it- hear it, repeat it , write it see it - a person has to choose to do this though, you cannot force someone to learn something thay already have a rebellious attitudes towards. But in a nutshell- there is no excuse for not having time to pop in a tape to listen to and repeat while cooking, driving, mopping, sweeping, washing dishes etc.

Answer 3

Total immersion is the most effective means of learning a language. As long as they're falling back on English, that will slow down their progress. They need to eat, sleep and breathe French. Give them lots of authentic language with plenty of role plays in real-life situations. And anytime they watch television or movies, ideally they could watch first in English to know the storyline, then watch again in French. Ideally... big word here, I know.

Another good thing... don't know if anything of the sort is available there, but here in the Paris region, there's a daily small format newspaper called "20 Minutes." Lots of local news, but not in long, complicated articles. It's designed to be read on the commute to work. If you'd like to have a look, it's online. They could read the articles and discuss them.

Answer 4

Hey, it is very hard to make someone learn if he/she doesn't want to. So, the first thing you need is enthusiasm. After this, you may try things that work for kids - I studied french a lot trough popular songs and short stories, which I remember by heart until now...
Anyway, the best way to study a language for me it is still by reading! Reading books, previews, magazines makes you learn so much, after this comes TV and films, esp. if you can get some with subtitles - like some programs on TV5 or BBC PRIME - you hear French, you read French/English.....
And finally, lot of casual talking and conversations...about nothing special... just to practice the language....
But yes, with English is so easy, French can be really twisted and need lot of patience and attention and lot of writing...
I wasn't that helpful but anyway, good luck....

Answer 5

I HATED learning French at school (in Ireland), and spent 5 years wasting my own time, beacuse I found it totally irrelevant and boring. 5 Years later I married a French girl, we had kids who speak French and English, and for me the (French)language just sort of arrived on its own. What I mean is that I learned french as a child does...it started with words...no grammar, just words...think of how a child learns...biberon...couche...dodo..things like that, children don't learn grammar for a long time, and I think that is the natural way to learn - grammar can fill in around the scaffold or the structure of vocabulary. However, that doesn't really answer the quesion of HOW to get your guys interested...
What made me really speak French was going there and talking to people, but I don't know how practical this is for you. Make them see that real people do this...real people actually speak to each other in French.

Alors...bonne courage!

Answer 6

How about cartoons from that language.

My first language is Spanish and I learned english when I was five. I used to watch tv in english and naturally, I would watch cartoons. This is what I suggest to my relatives or anybody that want to learn english. Even disney movies that are dubbed in that language may be of help.

The next is to pick up a Berliz text on the language. They have pretty good language books and go over the pronounciation. Then they build your vocabulary and go over grammar.

After your second language, all others get easy. I took German in High school because spanish class would have bored me to death.

Answer 7

I'll try to make it simple, you can start by:

1- converstaion workshop: get 2 students at a time to carry on a 5 min conversation in front of the class. Allow them time to practice

2- listening to tapes is the fastest way to learn a language. Let them listen/read the scenarios and act it in class.

Goodluck..

Answer 8

For me learning Japanese was a bit difficult, but after practicing annunciation, syllables, grammar, (practice, practice, practice) was the only way for to retain the knowledge, and to learn the language. Also too, visiting neighborhoods, restaurants, community language programs, or local colleges to help retain what you learned

Answer 9

Find a foreign friend to talk to or just go live in the country for a couple of months, sure way to learn it fast.

Answer 10

watch movies in that language, go to the country of it language, speak it all the time. They say you know the foreign language when you begin to think it. So do it. Forget your own language!