Studying a Foreign Language Easy and helpful hints from the best French teacher ever (until you get to high school…)

A word about the textbook  While it is a wonderful resource, it is not your only resource.  You should never JUST use the textbook when you study. You’re doing yourself a disservice. Make your own set of resources! (see future slides)  Reading at the textbook is not studying. Studying is active practice.

Basics  Study for minutes every day! Learning a language is like building a staircase. You have to know what comes first before you can “build” what’s next! Otherwise, you’re just building on empty space  Go back and review what you’re already learned. You never know when those funky old vocab words will show up…

Basics  Re-learn the parts of speech (or learn them for the first time if you never quite got them) Learning a foreign language is just like learning English. You still have to use the basics. Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives, Adverbs, Conjunctions, etc. If these don’t sound familiar, look them up online and know what they are! Or ask your English teacher for a refresher!

Participation  Participate in Every Class!!! Even if you’re not sure what you’re doing and even if you’re nervous. Everyone is. And you’re brave, right? Take a few deep breaths, compose yourself, and raise that hand. If you really don’t know the answer, say SOMETHING! (I don’t know, I need help, etc.) The mere act of trying stimulates brain cells! (plus, your teacher notices who participates…) If you’re not called on, answer silently. You don’t even have to move your lips -- just answer in your head.

The No-Brainer Study Method:  Flashcards: Make them yourself! 3 x 5 cards cut in half work best for portability. As you quiz yourself with flashcards, take words you know out of the deck to focus on the ones you don’t know. Can be made for just about anything! Nouns, verb conjugations, phrases, you name it! You can make flashcard games on You learn while you’re making the game! Color-code your flashcards: Pink for feminine nouns, Blue for masculine nouns, green for verbs, etc.

Other uses for flashcards  Write the singular form of a word on one side and the plural form on the other.  Create flashcards to study verb conjugation. For example, write “avoir-tu” on one side and “as” on the other.  Illustrate your flashcards – it uses other areas of your brain to help memory.

Two column charts, or, Lazy Flashcards  Write your vocabulary words on one side of a sheet of lined paper in English, and write them on the other side in French. Cover up one side of the list to see how many you can identify correctly! Hint: French to English is easy… English to French is trickier

Repetition: The more you repeat, the more you remember!  When you have difficulty spelling a word, write it down at least ten times (or more!) to get practice recognizing the language and spelling patterns.  Tape yourself saying the words, then listen and repeat.

New Phrases/Grammatical Forms  Most new phrases can be used with many different vocabulary words. Write them down, subsituting various vocabulary words. Example: J’aimerais de la pizza. J’aimerais des oeufs. J’aimerais… you get the picture.

Immerse yourself in the language  Try to learn the names of everyday things around you.  Try to “think” in French. It’s not easy at first, but it becomes second nature after awhile (even if you’re not sure how to say some of the words).

Study Groups  Meet with other students outside of class (in the media center or at the library, for example)  Create tests for others to try. You learn as you make them!  Teach French to your family (or a stuffed animal... Seriously!) If you can teach it, then you’re a pro

Study Out Loud!  Find a place in your house where you won’t be disturbed and read your homework out loud. It hits different areas of the brain, which can help you remember more!  Places where you might not be disturbed: Your bedroom, the basement, the bathroom.

Worksheets  Make your own! Illustrate them! Give them to friends!  Get extra copies of the worksheets from class. Use them to practice for tests.  Find extra activities in the online text or in the textbook. Ask your teacher for an answer key if there isn’t one provided.

Get help if you need it  Set up a study meeting with your teacher. This is a lovely way to get one-on-one help with a very nice person!  This does NOT mean 1-2 days before the test! This falls into the category of “cramming” and you’ll forget most of what you learn by the end of the night. Promise.

Other fun ways to practice  Listen to French radio online. is a great station to try.  Look at a French-English dictionary and figure out words that you want to know!  Play French Hangman, Wheel of Fortune, or Scrabble (easier with Frenchie frends)  Write s in French to your French teacher. She’ll write back to you in French!  Make a song out of your vocabulary words.

Other fun ways to practice  Recite verb conjugations in the shower  Name things you see using French during a car ride  Look up the 100 most common words in English. Then translate them to French.  Visit French websites ( is a great one)  Rent and watch French films. G or PG, of course. Netflix has an excellent selection!

One Final Note…  Take responsibility of your own learning. If you do not want to learn the language, you won’t. If you do want to learn the language, take control. Choose content of interest, that you want to listen to and read. Seek out the words and phrases that you need to understand your listening and reading. Do not wait for someone else to show you the language, nor to tell you what to do. Discover the language by yourself, like a child growing up. Talk when you feel like it. Write when you feel like it. A teacher cannot teach you to become fluent, but you can learn to become fluent if you want to. – Steve Kaufmann, The Linguist Institute