Learning a new language can be hard and by nature of being spoken, most of us feel that there is no replacement for speaking out loud to someone who will critique you from day one. As a former French tutor, I don’t believe that the only way to learn a language to have someone hovering over you, stopping you every time you make a mistake.
This is the old way of learning French and clearly it doesn’t work for most people or every French student worldwide would be at least reasonably fluent in French. But they are not. Here’s why:
- Nerves — Do you feel confident in your language-speaking ability when someone is scrutinizing your every word? Probably not. Unfortunately, this happens every day in the classroom. When you learn to speak French online, you can go as comfortably as you need. Many people are finding that their ability to speak improves dramatically by practicing talking to a pet, doll or simply by recording themselves and listening to the playback.
- Not enough time — In a classroom, you are sharing your 40-minutes with probably a dozen other people. For that reason, the actual time you get to speak is minimal. You might even fall asleep waiting for your turn to speak.
- Useless vocabulary — Traditional classes teach you phrases and vocabulary you will never use! You probably won’t need to say “The monkey is in the tree” unless you visit a zoo when you go to a French-speaking country. When you learn to speak French online, you will be learning phrases that are useful to tourists as well as everyday life.
- Too much focus on grammar — Don’t get me wrong, grammar is very important, but you need to learn that grammar in a context and that rarely happens in classes. Online learn French software typically introduces phrases you will use, then breaks down the grammar so you recognize the construction as you move through the course.
- Everybody learns at different rates – If you learn quickly, you will rapidly become frustrated with someone in your class who can’t spit out simple phrases. On the other hand, if you are the person who needs more attention before a concept sinks in, you’ll feel pressured by others breathing down your neck while you try to formulate your thoughts. Online French language learning software will help you get around that, whichever side of the learning curve you’re on.
What are your feelings about learning to speak French online? Leave a comment and let me know your experiences.