Learning this foreign language is not easy, because it is very different from Dutch. Yet there are many, many ways through which you can learn French, but before you start learning this language you should know if you mainly want to speak, write or read French. If you want to speak French you have to pay attention to completely different things than if you only want to understand French books. Vocabulary is very important for these three components, but how can you best build a French vocabulary?
Why learn the French language
Of course, it makes sense that you can communicate with French using the French language. For example, if you go on vacation in France, you can ask or even befriend someone, but only if they understand you. Probably most people speak English abroad, but not all French speak English. By speaking French you will respect the culture more and you will be better understood. With an extra language on your resume, you also have a better chance of being hired somewhere, because many companies prefer to choose someone who speaks a foreign language. Your job opportunities are therefore increased and you are also hired more quickly abroad.
This of course applies not only to French, but to all foreign languages. Learning French will also help you understand your own language better, because you will start thinking about the difference between Dutch and French. We all know what to say and when in Dutch, but a foreign language can ensure that you also know why we say it that way. Research has shown that children who are learning a foreign language perform better in mathematics and Dutch.
speak French
Many people want to learn French so that they can communicate with French. If you only want to speak the language, it is best to practice with audio, because that is most similar to a conversation in that language. Of course it makes less sense to read French books, because you have to train your listening skills.
It is also very important to have a large vocabulary. By watching a lot of French YouTube videos, French films or, for example, the news, you will remember many new words. Besides watching movies, you can also listen to the radio. In the beginning, understanding films will be very difficult, so turn on the Dutch subtitles, because then you can better place the words in Dutch.
Reading French
It may also be that you only want to be able to read in French, so of course you have to work on your reading skills. When reading texts it is important that you have a good command of the grammar and especially all times. If you know all the times, you know, for example, whether something happened in the present or the past. Here too your vocabulary is very important, but you build it up slowly by reading texts. You can train your reading skills by reading French newspapers and magazines. If you don’t understand a word, feel free to look it up in the dictionary, but don’t translate everything. Try to understand the text with the words you know. You can also read French (children’s) books.
Often certain words are used once in almost all texts, so it is useful if you know such important words. For example, you can create a glossary on which you list all commonly used words that you don’t know.
French writing
Writing in French is quite difficult for people who are just starting to learn this language, because you have to have a good command of the grammar and a large vocabulary. Start building French vocabulary, so watch videos on YouTube to expand your vocabulary.
Watching videos is often a lot of fun and it is very educational. In addition, it is important that you can make sentences, so learn the grammar. You will find a lot of information about grammar on the internet. If you have mastered the grammar, you can practice writing texts.
Conclusion
Learning French or another foreign language is not easy, but there are many ways to learn it in a fun way. Probably everyone likes to watch movies, read blogs, read magazines or listen to the radio, so if you do all those activities in French instead of Dutch, you will learn a lot. In addition to learning French via the internet or from a book, you can of course also take French lessons. That way you can practice a lot and ask questions.