I want to learn French now...

I have been listening to a French radio station on and off for a while now and really like some of the songs, I just wish I knew what they were saying...

http://www.ielanguages.com/french.html

oh and try http://www.france24.com/

they have streaming news. it's good because in general, you'll be familiar with the subject matter, pictures help and it allows you to hear the language so that you gather an ear for it and can better learn pronunciations and what not.

Just remember, there are two dialects of French, (Quebec-Canadian) and France French. I know the accent is a bit different, but that's about it. I took about 3 years of french speaking lessons and still know enough of the basics, but like Shaka inferred, conversation is best to keep it fresh (which i didn't really have, either..lol). Anyway, have fun & enjoy the tunes..!

what the?

there are more than two. french is spoken in like 30+ countries. it is the second most widely taught language. it used to be the "official" language of business.

in the end, what you learn in books won't give you an ear for any language and thanks to the internet, you can hear languages spoken conversationally whereas before...eh 😛

there should be a french alliance group in a city near you. so aside from listening to streaming videos online via french news services, you should join because it will enable you to practice live.

I speak and write in French. I learned it, growing up though. I would recommend Rosetta Stone (French). Watch English/French movies with French subtitles, and also French movies subbed in English, to be able to both learn written French as well as how to pronounce words correctly. Find an online community where you can interact with French speakers.

Posted by wsigaf

those are classics 😄

I really like those. I always have music going here. Speakers when I'm cooking/cleaning, headphones on the comp. It just has to sound good and I can keep on doing whatever I'm doing. Those are good songs for gaming.

I love soprano!

Any good French artists you can recommend LibraSid? I enjoy world music very much. I am currently listening to German artist Xavier Naadio. He's an R&B artist.

Sorry, I have not figured out how to upload/post a you tube on here yet...lol

I randomly switch around to different channels on itunes and sample some music. Unfortunately I don't speak a word of French and couldn't really recommend anything in particular. I just really liked the way these sound. I'm kind of scared to understand them, what if I don't like the lyrics haha. I will learn though, I want to travel when I'm older and would like to be able to communicate.

@LibraSid,

I feel ya on the wanting to understand the lyrics. To me, it's like questioning what a sunset means. Do you really want to know or can we just enjoy it.

Fastest way to learn it is probly if you went to a french speaking country and live there for couple years or so plus ur motivation to speak french would double ur vocab. Lol i personally found that tv's and books dont really work. You gotta experience it!!

Hi,

You may find useful my websites : to learn French for free, http://www.frenchspanishonline.com/beginnersfrench/freefrench.html is with audio vocabulary, videos, games, French expressions for beginners (Ratounet the muppet sings for kids) and advanced level students
and www.frenglishnews.com is for news in English and in French with audio.

Thank you,

Best Regards,

Pascal d'Herv?
FSO

I'm a fan of classic chansonniers like Jacques Brel or Charles Aznavour. To me they sound kind of exotic. As far as learning methods are concerned, I think that it all depends on wether you have a talent for learning languages or not - if you do, you can come a long way listening to radio, podcasts or watching TV, movies, etc. Sure, it's always best to just go to a French speaking country or region and immerse yourself completely, but not everyone has the means to do that.