French? Are you Fluent?

Question

I know the basics , want to know can anyone speak it fluently and how long did it take you? ( no smart *** french people need reply . .ha ha )

Answer 1

I'm not fluent - I frighten people in the streets with my French - but here's a great link by a French fluent speaker, saying how he got there and all kinds of stuff the French say that you don't learn about on courses.
**** http://www.signiform.com/french/ *****

There seems to be a big element of talent in it - I have a relation who spent 6 weeks in France in a cooking course and came back confident in the language, and very soon became fully fluent, but that is extraordinary. It's not intelligence but aptitude - I guess some people are wired better for multiple languages.

Answer 2

I'm not fluent in French, although I really would like to be. I've studied French for the past 4 years at my school and I am continuing with it for another 2 years, although I doubt that I'll be fluent by then.

Being taught French from the age of 12 at school is different from learning the language at a very young age or frequently visiting French speaking countries.

The speed with which you learn French is personal. Some people pick up languages very easily whereas other struggle to master the basics.

Just keep building on what you know, try to visit places that had French speakers or enrol in evening classes at a local college to help you improve.

Good luck!

Answer 3

Anyone can become fluent in any language. Some will be quicker at achieving fluency than others, but everyone can eventually. Everyone did it as babies!

The best way to truly do it though is to go and live in a french-speaking country for a good year or so, longer if you only know the basics. I've known several people who didn't know how to say such simple things as their age in various different languages, but they went to live in the respective countries and just picked it up.

I've studied french to A-Level, but am not fluent. I can understand a lot of what I read in french newspapers etc. and communicate with native-speakers well, but the only way for me to become fluent is to live in a french-speaking country.

Answer 4

I think you might get rid of your French prejudice for a start. Why do you want to learn French, if you don't like the French?
I started learning French, in the UK, at the age of 7. I was probably fluent at 14, but didn't have the chance to try it out until I was 16.
That's many moons ago.
I had the advantage of having an English mother who spoke 5 languages. The first Beatrix Potter book I read was 'Pierre Lapin', not 'Peter Rabbit'.

Answer 5

I started speaking French when I was 11, and studied the language for about nine years, up until I went to live in France for my ERASMUS year, working as a language assistant.

Out there, I was surrounded by spoken, written, oral and aural French at every turn, and I found that the standard of my knowledge in the language (and also my accent) just shot right up. I have kept up the standard of French since then, and can still communicate pretty well.

If you studied intensely for about 2 years, you would probably be able to get by pretty well, but by actually living in a French-speaking environment, you make REAL progress very quickly.

Answer 6

Almost. Have been learning since I was 11, have done A level, and also 3 years at Open University. When I'm here in UK I think I've forgotten it all but when I get to France it all comes back very quickly. I listen to French radio and read French papers and correspond with French friends. Ultimate accolade: once I was in Paris and was stopped in the street by a female pollster who wanted me to answer questions about French TV commercials. I answered etc and then she asked me which part of France I came from!

Answer 7

I'm French but someone I knew at school moved from America. She was in my class and didn't know French at all when she ended up here. At the end of the year I considered her fluent. I didn't need to speak slowly for her to understand and she pretty much understood everything I said, except when it was very very specific vocabulary... I guess you can be pretty fluent if you moved out here or at least came for a few weeks on vacation but you'd had to be with French people everyday and talk to them...

Answer 8

Last year I went to France and basically knew NO french, with Dictionary in hand I tried really hard (I believe you ought to try when in another country), even when the sales person knew English I still spoke French and asked them to help with pronounciation if it was needed.

I done really well, I don't normally big myself up but I really didn't know much to begin with and the more I tried the more I picked up. I think those that I spoke to appreciated it too.

As to being fluent, I certainly wouldn't put myself in that catagorie.

I'm really looking to going to Briancon again this August, and trying really hard again to speak French.

Answer 9

I know the basics also... I am not fluent, but I spent six months in a half-French half-English community to learn what I have. I would guess it might take another year of immersion for me.

Answer 10

I moved to France from London 2 years ago. I'm still not fluent but I improve everyday. I do know some people who got fluent in a year - but then they went to school everyday to learn it. I guess the more you put in the more you get out!! Bon chance!!