Help, My French is rubbish!!!?

Question

I live in France with my husband and three children. The children all go to school and their French is improving all the time, mine however is lousy. I cannot get the hang of it and as it is winter all the locals have gone into hibernation mode. Finances are very tight right now so lessons are not an option. Please can you help me, I am very happy to help out with English if you need it and will endeavour to work as hard as I can to fit into my adopted country. Thank you all, in anticipation.......There is a question in there somewhere!!

You are all very kind and have come up with very useful suggestions. It may be important to know that my husband and I are renovating a house at the moment so as well as finances, time is also an issue. I am not making this easy for you am I? Thanks again I will put all your answer to good use, personally I think I am just a bit dim!!

That is very sweet Ben, but how do I get hold of you?! You are showing as no e-mail.I warn you though my French is truly awful, I struggle with the basics. You are most kind and I would like to take you up on your offer if you think you can tolerate a stupid English woman!!

Answer 1

Why don't you get your children to give you a hand? You could make a game out of it - you say something in English, and they have to tell you the French for it?

Answer 2

When I when to France for a holiday I stayed with a french family and I knew no french! By the end of the couple of days I had picked up a lot. I think this is because I could only talk in English to one person. Maybe if you invited some people around, went shopping or joined a community group meaning you had no choice to speak french, you will soon learn. Also, if tight for money, try looking at your children's books, try looking at them, at the end of the day the same stuff is written in any french book, if it is a child's or an adults. Hope this helps, if you want any more help email me x x x x

Answer 3

Why don't you post ads at the local bakery or at local shops? Maybe you can tell them you can help with their English, if they want? If you live in a village, or even in a town, you'll find that there are usually classes for a few things (not language classes). Mix with the locals, even if they are way older (if you live in a village, you sometimes don't have an option). try to meet mothers of your kids' friends. Try to think about sentences in advance.

If you live in a flat in a small town, you can pretend one day that you have forgotten to buy something to cook, and knock at someone's door (you can also do that with your neighbour, even if you live in a house). Try to find someone your age. MAYBE she'll want to talk to you a bit more in a few days (don't forget to bring back the thing you borrowed the day after!).

Go to the market and buy a few things. Ask questions you have prepared before. The French love to talk about food, so if it's not too busy, they'll probably explain a few things - it doesn't matter if you don't understand everything at first.

etc.

Answer 4

Start out labeling everything in your house with the word in French. Every time you see that object, say the word. before long, you won't even know that you're learning French. Then start using verbs...ask your kids/husband about them. Things like, The pen is on the table. La plume est sur la table. You'll get sued to it very quickly that way.

Answer 5

In a similar situation, I found the following very effective: buy "Le Monde" a couple of times a week, read stories whose details you are familiar with in English. It's amazing how much vocabulary you can pick up. Tie this in with watching TV news - there will always be stories in the international news with which you are familiar (Iraq, Afghanistan, American politics for example) and you will be surprised how you can connect words and phrases - use a dictionary and read everything you see on notices and labels in supermarkets. Have a daily hour with your kids where it's French only - it will come! Bonne chance!

Answer 6

Who are you leaning on to fill your french gap? Don't go anywhere with that person. Go places on your own, and do things on your own. Your french will have to improve in order to overcome the barriers you will come across.

I found that my french improved enormously when I was in a sauna on my own, and a french woman came in and told me that I had not paid to be there. She was a very stern sort, but I understood and replied very rapidly.

Try taking up a hobby while the kids are at school. Skiing is popular in some areas of France.

Answer 7

I used to live in Italy and had to learn the language. The key is to immerse yourself in the situations which are difficult, watch french TV, make phone calls (these can be especially difficult). But you will find that even the most difficult of situations soon becomes possible with practise. Think of this as your opportunity to learn another language, because it is the best way to do it.

Answer 8

Hi,
I'm a french man living near Paris. I found your post while I was searching for someone who speak english and french. In order to improve my english level.
If you want, we can have some discussions in french and english.
Don't hesitate to send me a message.
Ben

Ps: email adresse updated

Answer 9

Why don't you try " Méthode Asimyl " at home. They have a good starting approach in all kind of languages. You'll get a CD enclosed that gives you the perfect prononciation.
I am learning Moracco Arab those days and I must admit the results are not bad. Try it and you'll like it ! ...

Answer 10

I agree with the previous person.
Make a game out of it with your kids.

Also, watch cartoons in french. They use simple language, they are for kids after all.
It is how i started learning english (my native language is dutch).
It worked out fairly well.

One thing - as people grow older, their ability to absorb languages decreases, making it you need to work harder to learn.

Bonne Chance :)