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“N’ayez pas peur.”
And the formal classes proceed into the wilderness and fantastic thing about the French language. Or ought to I say langue française.
And yep, now we have simply dove into to studying the imperatif kind, and because the command directs above in French – Don’t have any worry! Which is a good place to start out as a result of once we select to be taught a brand new language, particularly as an grownup, and anybody proficient in any area aside from the French language, humility should be introduced with us on the journey.
To journey over any new language we want to be taught, or any new ability for that matter, is a observe in being susceptible, and being susceptible is frightening. It’s scary to attempt to kind the phrases and say them outloud, even when now we have practiced and know the alphabet of our new language. It’s scary to bravely elevate our hand and try and reply a query once we know the reply could also be a direct and frank ‘no’ from the professor. And it’s scary to maintain elevating our hand, to maintain talking the brand new language, after now we have mispronounced and incorrectly answered previously which is why, it’s crucial to carry this directive with us as we select to be taught – Don’t have any worry.
In spite of everything, what’s there to be afraid of actually? That is when we have to set our ego apart, take the various (many!) corrections from the professor and simply maintain making an attempt, simply maintain talking and regularly, ever so very regularly, enhancements and a depth of understanding as our long-term reminiscence begins to carry this new language in its arsenal of data it attracts upon once we least count on it to be simple to know, the brand new language turns into simpler.
I write the phrases of encouragement for you, readers and listeners of the weblog and podcast as a lot as I write them for myself as a result of it’s a gradual journey, however abruptly, I’ll discover myself in moments greedy and understanding what to say and learn how to say it when previously such an incidence would by no means occur. And it’s in these moments, I do know that the common effort, vulnerability and bravado (and psychological exhaustion) are price it and are paying off.
In the present day, we return to the collection of what I’ve discovered to this point in French class. A journey that started in 2016 as I shared in Part Quatre simply a few months in the past (visit that post/episode #349 here) and is continuous as I start FR 104 (A2.2) with Washington D.C. Alliance de Française having begun with them FR 101 in September 2022. Half Quatre introduced us to the mid-way level of FR 102, so right now’s episode will give attention to what I’ve discovered as FR 102 concluded and all of FR 103 which wrapped up in mid-April.
Admittedly, FR 103 is after I felt I used to be in model new territory as as much as 102 I had a transparent consciousness of current tense, the numbers, fundamental ‘get to know you’ phrases, and had been uncovered to the parts taught, however wanted to shine them in addition to fill in a number of of the fundament gaps (correct pronunciation of the alphabet for instance!). So now I’m within the thick of recent data, and my head is exhausted every week, following every day of lessons (two, two hour lessons every week). Nevertheless, effectively, I get forward of myself. Let’s check out the record of what I’ve discovered to this point in French class . . .
1.The psychological exhaustion improves with time
As I shared above, when FR 103 started, with a brand new professor who has excessive expectations and makes use of each minute of sophistication, after every week and every class, my thoughts was exhausted; nonetheless, that was the worst of it. In different phrases, my thoughts was working in a approach it had not, and subsequently, needed to ‘get into form’ by being stretched. Now, sure, I nonetheless have psychological fatigue, however a part of me is used it, however the different a part of me is aware of, my thoughts because it pertains to studying the French language, is getting higher toned and used to looking out, remembering and making use of the brand new data. All of the extra purpose to hold in there and maintain attending class, holding signing up for the subsequent class.
2. Être, Avoir, Savoir, & Vouloir are the one verbs which can be irregular within the imperatif
As hinted at above within the opening quote, we’ve begun studying the shape and performance of the imperatif! And it’s actually fairly easy, particularly after I found (and it is smart logically) that there are solely ever three types of the imperatif for conjugation (tu, nous, and vous), and as long as you already know your Current tense kinds, and memorize the 4 new irregular types of être (to be), avoir (to have), savoir (to know) and vouloir (to need), you know the way to correctly use/write/communicate the imperatif!
What’s the imperatif? The very same factor crucial is within the English language, a command or route given with an understood topic (so the sentence begins with the verb).
3. How one can talk time correctly (formally and informally)
A easy idea, however realizing learn how to kind a sentence when requested the time is barely totally different in comparison with English, however it’s fairly easy. The secret is to recollect to as soon as you start talking the time formally (army time) to proceed to take action – solely numbers, no phrases; and while you communicate heure informelle, then you need to use the widespread phrases – midi (midday), minuit (midnight), moins le quart (lower than 1 / 4 – quarter-hour), et demi (half previous), and so forth.
4. What “liaision” and “enchaînement” are as they pertain pronunciation within the French language
Giant, odd phrases, however all they’re, and they’re essential if we wish to pronounce the language accurately, is how the sound of the phrase adjustments as a result of phrases round it.
- Enchaînement:
- What’s affected? Phrases that start with “h” or a vowel.
- How is the pronunciation modified? If the phrase that precedes the phrase that begins with the ‘h’ or a vowel ends in a consonant sound, then the speaker should mix the phrases and drop the final consonant sound of the primary phrase, combining the sounds into one.
- EXAMPLE: neuf heures —alone, you’d pronounce ‘neuf’ as [nuf], announcing the ‘f’ sound; however when the phrase ‘heures’ follows because it begins with an ‘h’ or a vowel, you drop the ‘f’ sound and pronounce neuf as [neuv] main into ‘heures’.
- Liaison:
- What’s affected? phrases that finish with a vowel sound and the subsequent phrase begins with a vowel or ‘h’
- How is the pronunciation modified? Pronounce the consonant of the primary phrase that beforehand was not pronounced.
- EXAMPLE: trois heures — alone, you’d pronounce ‘trois’ as [twah], not announcing the ‘s’; however when the phrase ‘heures’ follows, the ‘s’ is pronounced and is pronounced as a [zzz] sound.
5. How one can assemble passé composé
Lastly studying the previous tense (aka the passé composé) was a giant step in my studying journey of the French language. And it’s soooooo a lot easier than I had anticipated. Whereas I received’t train all the lesson to you, the hot button is realizing that each single conjugated verb will likely be preceded by both être (conjugated to suit the shape) or avoir (conjugated to suit the shape), and there are solely roughly 15 verbs that use être (merely memorize them), and the reset all use avoir.
Beneath are the fifteen verbs that use être, and the way I bear in mind them is they’re all verbs wherein they describe a change of state or movement. Now do word, not EVERY verb that includes movement or a change of state makes use of être, however all of those on this record match that definition.
- entre (to enter)
- sortir (to exit, exit)
- monter (to go up/to climb)
- descendre (to descent)
- passer (to go/to go move)
- rester (to stay/to remain)
- retourner/tourner (to return)
- tomber (to fall out/to fall)
- arriver (to arriver/to achieve)
- partir (to go away/to depart)
- aller (to go)
- venir/revenir/devenir (to come back/to come back again/to turn out to be)
- naitre (to be born)
- mourir (to die)
- Additional one: déceder (to be deceased)
After which, the verb that follows has a set ending for all kinds (je, tu, il, elle, on, vous, nous, ils/elles, which comes right down to memorizing, however most, if they’ve a sure ending within the infinitive kind (i.e. -er, -ir, and so forth.) finish in the identical ending for that kind. For instance, my record captured within the picture under:
6. Passé composé is less complicated than I assumed and offers me a lot flexibility in developing phrases
It’s price reiterating that once more, what I assumed previous to studying was incorrect. I simply wanted to be taught by somebody who knew the language. As soon as I had the data, nice progress in speaking was made and ease skilled realizing I might share what I had completed in dialog, no matter which may be!
7. Optimistic encouragement and reward are splendidly highly effective it doesn’t matter what the coed’s age
It has been an enchanting expertise being a instructor who taught for 20 years and moving into another person’s classroom who’s the knowledgeable on a fundamental topic – the basics of a language. Aside of the talents they’re educating and I’m making an attempt to be taught, the power and connection a instructor brings to the area determines the chance of their college students remaining within the class, believing they’ll do it and the arrogance to attempt.
As effectively, a instructor is a human being, and it’s simpler to note when my professor is exhibiting an immense quantity of endurance, restraint and energy to maintain us accountable, so I empathize and attempt to remember that she could have good days and never so good days, however what I respect about my present professor is that she wastes not one minute of our class time, and is decided to show us the language.
There are moments when it’s clear that educating a lower-skilled class to college students corresponding to myself and being somebody who is aware of the French language beautifully as my professor does, will get to be a bit ‘why don’t you already know this?!’ at instances, and whether or not via their repetition of the talents we’re simply being launched to, her endurance is a bit missing and I do know that for my confidence in studying the language, I might use a bit extra acknowledgement of my effort and willingness to attempt to communicate out or attempt to communicate. Nevertheless, in these moments, it is usually a really useful train for myself to set my ego apart and dig down and select to be taught than to take it private. In spite of everything, I can truthfully say, she is the most effective and most educated and able to explaining the language clearly professor that I’ve had in my 20+ years of making an attempt to lastly be taught this beloved language, and I’m grateful these lessons and the standard of lessons can be found.
8. Le Passé Latest
Whereas we simply acquired a style of learn how to assemble the latest previous (le passé latest), so something that has simply occurred, seeing the formulation for learn how to assemble the phrases, realizing that every one it’s is the easy formulation: use the verb Venir (to come back) within the current tense + de + le verb de l’motion a1 l’infinitif kind, jogs my memory that I merely must bulk up my data of vocabulary with a wide range of verbs I would want or use.
9. Listening to the language spoken first with out the transcript is vital to ultimately (and extra rapidly) comprehending what you might be listening to, even whether it is extra uncomfortable initially
When FR 103 started with my new professor, she rapidly advised us (gently scolding us) to not have a look at the transcript once we had been listening to passages that we had been making an attempt to decipher what was being mentioned. I can bear in mind in FR 101 being so perplexed that different college students had been capable of simply perceive what was being mentioned on the primary go-round and even stating my confusion in school, however what I didn’t notice was that they had been studying the transcript as they listened and the professor had not advised them to not, so why not? Not the case in FR 103. Our professor – Olga, identified emphatically that if we’re going to perceive what we’re listening to extra rapidly, we have to first hear it (with out peeking on the transcript), wrestle with what we hear, and equally to the psychological fatigue that’s intense initially, it turn out to be simpler extra rapidly than we would notice.
Evidently, lesson discovered. No one is wanting on the transcripts anymore and wrestle with audio comprehension is predicted, as long as we attempt.
10. Simply 10 minutes a day of finding out, on a regular basis, is healthier than hours sporadically
One other fast tip Olga shared with us was to ensure we observe or research at the least 10 minutes every day on the times we don’t want to finish any homework or in between class periods – our two week breaks, for instance. Versus finding out intensively for a few hours, however not doing so recurrently, we are going to truly purchase the language extra rapidly via constant, quick efforts.
11. Phrases for transferring a narrative alongside chronologically
- d’abord (first)
- en suite (additional then)
- puis (then)
- après (after)
- en fin (lastly)
12. Vocabulary for frequencies of incidence (la fréquence) et l’habitude
- jamais (by no means)
- parfois (generally)
- souvent (usually)
- toujours (at all times)
- tôt (early)
- en retard (late)
- d’habitude (usually)
- en général (typically)
- chaque (every)
13. Reflexive verbs aren’t as scary as they appear
FR 103 started with reflexive verbs. A verb whose direct object is similar as its topic. For instance, se lèver (to get up); se doucher (to take a bathe/wash oneself); se brosse les dents (to brush one’s enamel); se coucher (to go to mattress); se preparer (to organize oneself).
As soon as I discovered the place the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, and so forth.) wanted to go within the formation of the sentence, and in negated sentences, it was only a matter of remembering the reflexive verbs.
Just by writing out these classes has been useful to recollect all that was coated over the previous two+ months, and now the journey continues ahead. And whereas after all, there may be assured to be instances wherein I scrunch my brow up and scream inside as a result of it isn’t coming rapidly or in any respect, I additionally know that on the finish of every class, I’m grateful I’m there. I’m pleased with myself for making an attempt, and over-archingly I’m following the directive seen under within the imperatif kind, to have enjoyable. As a result of if there may be any class I’d wish to be enrolled in proper now to be taught one thing new, it’s the French language, so I do know I’m precisely the place I need (and want) to be.
“Faites-vous plaisir.”
Search for Half Six late this summer time.
Merci pour la visite! À la prochaine, bonne journée!
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