Letters: French is a hard language - even for native speakers
Reader recounts his struggle to find access to more modern teaching methods
Many native speakers of French admit that it is a hard language to speak correctly
EleniVasiliou/Shutterstock
To the Editor,
Like many others, I have struggled to learn this impossible language for some years now.
One problem is that there are no language schools near us in the Var. Where is the Alliance Francaise? Are there other schools throughout France? Maybe most are small and local?
Another problem is that many teachers of French are “old school”, ie. exercises are written instead of oral.
I know what I am talking about because I have a Master’s in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL).
I have taught English and studied other languages in excellent schools (Iran-American Society in Tehran, Goethe Institute).
Read more: Learning French – helpful vocabulary around cheese
The French are very polite and usually will not correct us when we make mistakes speaking. They nearly always excuse themselves by saying that they themselves do not speak good French – because it is very complicated.
For a long time I thought this was just part of the politeness, but more and more I see that they are probably right.
By the way, Écoute is a monthly publication which offers some help. It is designed for German speakers wishing to learn French and is as good as it gets when you are limited to reading and writing.
The Connexion articles on language are excellent, by the way!
Barbara Sumner, Var
Do you agree that many French teachers are 'old school'? Do you have any tips for learning French? Share them with other readers at letters@connexionfrance.com or visit our dedicated learning French page here
