Best Learning Resources For Self-Studying French

If you dont want to or cannot study French with a tutor,  in a class or in immersion, youll be going it alone. This is known as self-study. There are ways to make self-study effective, but its essential that you pick the right self-study  method for you. After all, you want to spend your time doing something that actually works. So spend some time analyzing whats out there, and dont just take the first self-study path that comes to your attention. Audio Training Is Essential If you want to communicate in French (and not only pass exams or read in French), learning with audio is a must. Theres a huge difference between book French and spoken French, and traditional methods will not prepare you for the way French people actually speak today. French Language  Books French-language books such as childrens books, bilingual books, and audiobooks are a great and relatively inexpensive way to improve your French, in conjunction with audio courses. With Amazon delivering to your doorstep, its easy to order French-language books these days. Hard-copy paper books are still the best way to train on a specific point of grammar  and to do exercises. For all the rest, youll need audio. Childrens Books Reading Le Petit Prince is, for more advanced students, a wonderful way to expand your vocabulary. It is a myth that all French-language childrens books are easy. They are not. Children books are easier than most French books written for the French because they use short sentences, but the language is some French childrens books can be quite difficult. Consider the language used in the Dr. Seuss books. They definitely would not be an easy read for a beginner in English. Bilingual Books Most bilingual-book  series  are taken from free-copyright books and translated into English. They were not typically books written for students. So they are still very difficult and will often feature older French vocabulary and expressions: Find out  when your book  was written, and take this into account when learning the vocabulary. French Audiobooks and Audio Magazines Both of these are a fantastic resource, even though most have been created for the French student. Much of what has been developed for the French is going to be difficult for a beginning or intermediate student of French, so difficult that they could be overwhelming and discouraging. There are, however,  audio magazines that can be used to good effect by beginning and intermediate students of  French. Among the better audio magazines are  Think French,  Bien Dire,  and  Fluent French Audio (although the latter is probably better suited to high-intermediate students). There are also level-adapted French audiobooks and audio novels  with English translations,  such as the À Moi Paris series and Une Semaine à   Paris. French Audio Courses French audio courses are the ideal tool for the self-learner. A good audio course should teach you vocabulary and grammar, if possible in context, and, of course, pronunciation. It should be fun to use, direct you through a well-proven learning path  and nurture your self-confidence. Because they involve a lot of work, these courses are usually quite expensive, so look for a 100 percent money-back guarantee disclaimer, a trial period or extensive samples. Among the good French audio courses:  Michel Thomas,  Assimil,  and French Today. Rosetta Stone language books are a great, fun tool to develop your vocabulary, but they are very light on grammar. This may be fine for other languages, but it is a true problem for French. Do Your Research and Find Whats Best for You There are, of course, still more  methods to learn French. Do your research and find out what methods best fit your needs, goals, time and budget. You wont be sorry.