Looks like I’m going to need to learn French to broaden my job prospects. Apart from marrying a French lass what this week, what other options are open to me? I guess I’ve either got to get private tuition or go online with DVD ie, Rosetta Stone type thing.
I’ve not got loads of free time where I’m sat twiddling my thumbs, but I’ve an hour commute twice a day in the car, so could use that time constructively I’m guessing. Any suggestions?

I’ve found language Podcasts to be helpful. There are some for German and French and they’re usually free. I download them to the phone, then hook it up through the stereo in the car.

I have got a Michel Thomas Spanish CD I used to listen to in the car frequently. That was quite good.

With internet radio now, it would be good to listen to as much French radio as you can handle so you get used to the language and pick up on new vocabulary etc.

Best way to learn is to live in the country and get immersed in it, but that’s not always the easiest thing to do.

Best way is from your lover. Also the most fun … 🙂

Otherwise, look at the Assimil series – I find them really good.

Quelle surprise 😯

I’ll mail you DD

Definitely Michel Thomas for the core grammar and then maybe a Learn French in 3 Months for basic vocabulary. Then try and read a newspaper every day and subscribe to the many word a day email services.

If you google you’ll find that smug Irish bloke who claims it’s super easy, all you have to do is move to that country for three months.

Yeah, great, I’ll just tell work I’ll be disappearing for 3 months, I assume they’ll keep on paying me… 🙄

Seriously though – it does depend a bit on your own learning style. Personally, I can sit with a Teach Yourself book and figure out the language, and when I get familiar with it I can start practicing if I find a speaker or a language source. Other people can’t do the grammar/structure thing and need to get stuck in with 1:1 talking or tuition.

I watched loads of dubbed american/english tv so I could tell what was going without needing to understand every word. Better if you can get subtitles.

Once you get good you can laugh at the choices the translator had to make to make it understood to foreigners.

Rosetta stone is good. Michael Thomas is good. Books, websites, radio, etc is good but if you are not speaking/listening to it on a regular basis then I am not sure if I would bother. Learning a language is all about communicating so if you are not doing that it is not really going in the right way. I am sure there must be random people you can send mails to and in French. I tried learning for a bit but it just gets aimless if you are not communicating and having fun in the end.

Start by looking on the BBC Languages website, there’s lots there. Listen to French radio instead of whatever you do at the moment. (I like Beur FM, but the accents aren’t exactly French.)
Be careful about learning while driving. I tried that & came close to several accidents through concentrating too hard on listening.
French films are good, after a while you will start to pick out phrases.
I’d also recommend going to classes such as the Alliance Francaise, for the chance to practice talking

I’ve started using http://www.livemocha to improve my spanish, havent used it much yet, but it shows promise.

French Radio.
French coverage of the TDF.
French kids TV.
French films with English subtitles.
French roadies.
In short….immerse yourself in France and French.

Michel Thomas will give you a good starting point.

SB

so, there loads of jobs in france then?

si, il charge des emplois en France alors?

despite my mother teaching French, German and Spanish, as well as speaking Latin and a smattering of Russian and Greek I’m unable to learn any of it 🙁

Kev

I’m terrible with second languages myself, but understand the yank military described ‘immersion’ system is the best. When you walk into the classroom you’re only allowed to speak the target language, using body language to fill in the blanks. The idea being that being immersed in a target languages community is the best way to learn. If you can’t physically go live in the community, then the classroom method above works second best. You’ll have seen the idea described somewhat described in the Julia Roberts film: Eat, Love, Pray.

I remember when Skype had a parallel language learning community (http://www.jyve.com/ but it’s shelved now) that was useful, although there technically audio wasn’t enough really, even though it had the edge allowing for conversational repair actions, you really needed webcam usage portraying your full body for body language cues.

Go to Paris, join Foriegn Legion…