The 5 Stages of Learning French (And what to do in each one)

Learning French can be an exciting and rewarding journey, but it requires patience and consistent effort. Here are the different stages of learning French and some advice to help you along the way:

Stage 1: Discovering the Language

The first stage of learning French is all about discovering the language. This is the stage where you should focus on learning as much vocabulary as possible. One effective way to do this is by using mnemonics to associate new words with something memorable. Another way is to immerse yourself in the language by reading simple French texts, such as children's books or news articles.

Stage 2: The Language Becomes Familiar

Once you've learned a substantial amount of vocabulary, you'll move into the stage where the language becomes familiar. At this point, you should focus on massive input, which means exposing yourself to as much French as possible. This includes reading and listening to French media, such as books, movies, and music. Additionally, it's important to create, memorize, and drill 80/20 sentences for basic conversations. These sentences will form the foundation of your conversational abilities and will allow you to communicate effectively in everyday situations.

Stage 3: Overcoming the Plateau

At some point, you'll reach a plateau, where your progress slows down. To overcome this, you'll need to continue with massive input and focus on drilling Language Islands, which are groups of sentences that relate to specific topics. For example, you may have a Language Island for ordering food in a restaurant or asking for directions. By focusing on these topic-specific sentences, you'll be able to expand your conversational abilities and overcome the plateau.

Stage 4: Understanding Around 80%

As you continue to immerse yourself in the language and practice speaking, you'll start to understand around 80% of what you hear. At this stage, it's important to continue with massive input and focus on perfecting your grammar and vocabulary. One way to do this is by using translation. Take a bilingual text and translate it into French, then compare your translation with the original text to see where you need to improve.

Stage 5: Totally Comfortable in the Language

Finally, you'll reach a stage where you feel totally comfortable in the language. This is when you can truly enjoy using French and continue to improve by listening, reading, and speaking as much as possible. Congratulations, you've achieved fluency in French!

In conclusion, learning French is a journey that requires patience and consistent effort. By following the advice in each stage, you'll be well on your way to becoming fluent in French. Good luck and happy learning!