While living in the UK studying Part-Time.
2006-07-07 09:53:51 · 16 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
Depending on your age, not very long if you make every effort to speak in French, and not be afraid to have people correct your pronunciation and grammar.
Keep an open mind and listen for words and phrases you understand. You'll be speaking French in less time than you think. You have curiosity, that's half the battle!
2006-07-07 10:06:03 · answer #1 · answered by hollyltstarfleet 4 · 8⤊ 1⤋
You need to put yourself in a situation where you have to use French if you want to be fluent. You should live in France or a french speaking country, in a place where you cannot use your first language. if you don't put yourself in the kind of situations where YOU ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO SPEAK THE LANGUAGE TO SURVIVE you will take a lot longer to become fluent.
Another good tip is to go out with someone (!) who is a native speaker, but make sure they correct you when you go wrong. I am married to a Spanish guy but he stopped correcting me a long time ago and I think many of my mistakes (although never breaking down communication) are 'frozen' into my Spanish! The motivation to communicate with a partner is 100% and you find you may have less of the typical 'communication problems' cited amoung couple who speak the same language!
2006-07-08 00:43:31 · answer #2 · answered by Pixie 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It depends where you're studying and how much practice you get. It will be really difficult to become fluent if you're not exposed to fluent French speakers that you can practice with.
It took me 5 years of both high school and college French and I still have a bit of difficulty perfecting my accent.
2006-07-07 09:58:31 · answer #3 · answered by Michelle C 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
8 years?
French is a changing language like English. New words appear every week. There are also big differences in accent and vocabulary from one region to another. It isn't something you learn like a fact, it is something you live with.
Listen to French radio (long wave 162 metres), buy newspapers Le Figaro and Paris Match.
I still think the only way is to live in France.
2006-07-07 10:04:30 · answer #4 · answered by XT rider 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
to be fluent you have to go and live there. it will take years otherwise. I've been speaking french for 30 years but living there made me fluent
2006-07-07 21:25:41 · answer #5 · answered by minerva 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
To communicate truly fluent in a language wich is not your native one, you need a whole life.
2006-07-08 07:27:31 · answer #6 · answered by paris 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It all depends how much you NEED it. If it is an essential need in your everyday life and you are in full immersion, in 6 months you will speak very decently. If you take 2x a week courses of one hour each, without working on it on your own - never. Anything in between is in the realm of possibilities.
2006-07-07 10:02:23 · answer #7 · answered by OneLilithHidesAnother 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
according to an ad on the tv tonight you can speak french in a week with a cd off the front of tomorrows newspaper (think the express). next cd next week! good luck - or should that be bon chance?
2006-07-07 09:58:37 · answer #8 · answered by missfliss 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Five minutes, max.
All you need to learn is a couple short sentences and you'll fit right in. Repeat after me:
Je me rends! Je renonce! S'il vous plaît ne pas me blesser! Je suis un fromage jaune à ventre mange le singe de reddition!
2006-07-07 09:59:15 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't know. I'm in high school-I'll be entering my fifth year in French in September (I started in 7th grade I'm not remedial-lol), and I think it depends on your teacher, and how you use it in your everyday life, I'm not fluent, but I really wish I was :)
2006-07-07 10:07:27 · answer #10 · answered by P-nut 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋