Your French language skills are more than a little rusty. You want to improve them so that you can get one step closer to being fluent.
So, how can you improve your French language skills? These are five ways to do it.
1. Take a Course
The best way to improve your French is to dive into the subject. You can do this by visiting this online school and signing up for one of its French immersion courses. Completing one of these courses won’t just help you improve your French!
It could give you a credit towards your OSSD diploma, and it can give you a prerequisite for a post-secondary education program, specifically one in Languages.
Online school isn’t exclusive tomiddle and high school students. Mature students can also sign up for courses to improve their learning, achieve prerequisites or get the credits they need to graduate with their diplomas. It’s never too late!
One of the biggest benefits of online school is that it can accommodate a busy schedule. Do you have to go to school during the day? Do you go to work in the evenings?
Do you have lots of extracurricular activities lined up? That’s completely fine. You can do your coursework at any time — there is no set date or time to show up.
You also have up to 12 months to complete the course. Take as much time as you need.
2. Download an App
You can pull out your smartphone and download a language-learning app like Duolingo. Duolingo can teach you reading, speaking and listening skills in a variety of different languages, including French.
The app gamifies the learning experience, rewarding you for pushing past your daily goals and competing with other users. You’ll cram in more learning to win the top spot on the scoreboard.
Duolingo isn’t the only language learning app available. You can also learn French through apps like Babbel, Memrise and Busuu. The app HelloTalk lets you set up chats with native speakers, so you can practice your conversational skills in French. Put your lessons to the test!
3. Watch TV
Watch French TV shows on streaming services like Netflix. Adjust the subtitle settings so that you can read what the characters are saying clearly. Put the subtitles in French, not English.
TV shows can teach you language lessons that you won’t find in a formal immersion course. You’ll encounter things like slang, jokes and common idioms. These will help you hold conversations with native speakers.
4. Listen to Music
Listening to French music is another way to entertain yourself while learning the language. Fill your music library with French-language artists and bands and spend as much time as you can listening to them.
The Spotify app allows you to view lyrics on songs that you’re playing on your mobile, tablet or desktop device. You can read along as the song plays and memorize the words.
5. Read Books
Read French books! This doesn’t mean you should pick up an instructional workbook. Pick up a book that you would read for fun. It can be a mystery novel, a fantasy series or a sci-fi comic book — whatever you like.
Try to read books made for younger readers. Younger reading levels will have simpler vocabulary and narratives. Until you’ve mastered the language, adult books could leave you stumped about what’s going on.
Your French-language skills won’t be rusty for long. Follow these tips and get learning!