french lessons

[valB]

I have just had my sixth lesson and my head aches. Does it get any easier or am I just a dippy person. My husband is getting on so well and he understands it much more than I do and we always have heated words on the way home as he cannot understand why I am finding it so difficult. One of our biggest problems is that we rarely see any French people as we do not have any neighbours. I thought I would grasp the language a lot better than I am although our teacher is excellent and she has said not to expect too much too soon. Anyone else out there struggling or are you all coping with it........give me some hope.

[Rose]

[quote user="valB"]I have just had my sixth lesson and my head aches. Does it get any easier or am I just a dippy person. [/quote]

Val... six lessons!  You're just starting out [:)]  It will get easier but it will help if you can get some practice too.  I have learned so much in the last few months since we moved.   And don't worry about your OH... before we left the UK mine was so far ahead I used to feel stupid... I think I'm just about even now and maybe even moving ahead... not that he would admit it!  [:$]

[valB]

You have cheered me up no end. I will persevere and maybe it will all click eventually...verbs....hundreds of them. We have even started to listen to French TV for an hour or so each day as advised by teacher with the hope that some will sink in.  Thanks for spurring me on.

[raindog]

Yes, French tv will help alot - especially the news where they speak very clearly and precisely. Try and make a habit of it. I learned alot from listening to the French news on the radio whilst driving.

[Pads]

Valb

Im also on about my 6th lesson, the first few I thought wow im good , but each week is getting harder not only learning some thing new each week but trying to remenber what I have learnt from weeks before, I known for having  bad memory so its hard but im determined so will stick at it. But when I look back at what I was like 6 weeks ago and look at what I know now I can see a hugh jump. and Im sure you will too, dont measure your self next to your husband , but next to your self 6 weeks ago. I think I would find it hard to have lessons with my husband that is a lot of pressure, and no wonder you have words on the way home , I know I need the half hours drive home to lisen to the radio and wind down after each class. Is it possible to have lessons on your own ? The big thing for me is to go home and do lots of work by myself and I can go back the next week with a clearer understanding of what we have done. Tell us what you have learnt and you will see for your self its probally quite alot. What ever you do keep looking forward to your classes because if you grow to hate it , you will just block it out and that wont help. Have a word with your husband (in a nice way) and say look your attitude isnt helping I need your support if theres something Im not getting , when we get home you can explain it again and help me.

Trust me your not stupid, if you were you be one of these people who thinks they dont need lessons , they just need to shout louder [:D] 

PS always happy to speak via email about what your learning and what Im learning it may help to clear up our worries, and we can give each other a bit of support         

[Pads]

PS forgot to say I have lots of  sites for learning like this one for clock learning if you want I could send you some

http://lexiquefle.free.fr/heure.swf

[valB]

Wow, now I feel really good and yes i suppose I do know more than I thought I did as I can ask for items in shops and order food in restaurants and funnily enough I can actually read a lot of French but as I am finding, like you, that as  it is getting harder I do not give it as much of my time as I did initially.  Yes, please send any sites that may help me learn a little more. I now feel quite homesick as I notice you are in Cornwall and that is where we used to live before coming here and ALL our children are still in UK so I do get a bit down at times although the kids love coming here and are green with envy. Thanks for all the replies.

[Pads]

Hope these sites are working this one tells you the numbers

 

http://www.languageguide.org/im/num/fr/

Where in Cornwall were you ? Trust me you arnt missing much here.............!! I wish I could move out to france for good it would be a big help to go to shops and ask questions even if I didnt really need to know, just for practise[:)]

[cooperlola]

As Pads knows, it's when you get on to the heady stuff like prepostions that you want to tear all you hair out!  But it will come and you'll look back and be able to think "I did that.  I've really learnt something."  It's worth all the effort and hiccups along the way to be able to have a proper conversation with somebody from another country and culture.  And you feel so much more comfortable in your new home.  I have nothing but enormous admiration for anybody who comes here with few French skills and puts all the effort in.[B]

[Sigognac]

Don't take this as a put down, but learning a language is a long journey.

I have lived in the UK for 20 years, I work as a translator,... and I am still learning.

Moreover, learning a language is not a smooth curve, there are times when you feel you have achieved a lot and others when you feel it is all going downhill...

The main thing is to set oneself achievable goals.

[valB]

Twenty years !!!!! I will be pushing up the daisies by then. Seriously though, all I want is to be able to have a decent conversation with the Frech people as I feel it is purely respect for them and their country.

[derf]

This BBC website may help you to progress.  http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/french/mafrance/#

[valB]

Thank you Les. With all. this help I will have no excuse now

[Cat]

You may not be aware of the progress you make, but others will notice.  It comes very gradually, a little more understanding, a little more ability, and then often a giant leap.  And then you may feel as if you've hit a wall and come to a standstill. 

I had my French lesson this morning, and came away thinking that I'd done quite well, but last week I felt like a right dunce.  I've been living in France for 3 years, and my partner is French so I speak French all the time at home, watch only French TV etc, but still feel I've a very long way to go in language terms.

Stick with it and it'll stick, eventually.

 

[Pads]

Les , Thats a great site I thought I had all the bbc ones but havnt seen that one, Many Thanks   

[dolly daydream]

I agree with everything cat said.  Just one observation, if you are finding it easy you need pushing a step further.  So it doesnt really get easier, you just get better then move on to the next level which is once again difficult.

[Gardengirl]

Just wondering how Pads is doing. I've read the messages above, but no questions about lessons recently.

How's it going? You opened up a very useful link to sources of help online; I've put them all in to favourites, and my husband has been brushing up his skills using them.

Hope you're making steady progress - that's often 1 step forwards, but several back I find, as more knowledge makes you realise how much you don't know!

Bon chance,

Jo

[Pads]

Thanks for the inquiry garden girl2, The last cople of lessons have been fine and I have managed my homework ok with out having to ask anything. But then we havnt touched on to many verb changing things , which is the bit I dont really get, But im working on them [:)] Have you checked the  thread about lessons some sites have been posted on there for other lessons and french games?

[Gardengirl]

Good to hear that, Pads. Yes I've had a look at the other thread; I see there's been confusion over the use of etre/avoir, espeacially when saying your age. Difficult!

I'm just filled with admiration for people like you who are really keen get down to learning french at perhaps a mature age. I think it's the only way forward, but appreciate the effort it takes.

Best wishes, Jo 

[Pads]

Hi garden girl, the thread I meant the other day was (sites for the aspiring french speaker) here some people have posted sites that are very helpful.

As I was saying to val the other day when you look back and see how far you have jumped from when you started your lesson to now its amazing what you have learnt, even if each week I leave thinking god Im so stupid, I know I have really picked up loads, when I started with my teacher I could only just count to 20 and that was dodgy now I can say any number do the 12 and 24 hour clock days months, say the alphabet and most important for me all those little words you need to put inbetween to make sentances. as when I was teaching my self I was just learning main words. so im really glad Im doing it.

plus its great to get support from everyone here[:)] 

More mature age ??[:-))] moi??