 Poster: A snowHead
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Since the departure of our lovely French teacher my French has definitely stalled/gone backwards. Could anyone recommend any websites they have found particularly useful in learning/improving a language? Many thanks
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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i use duolingo, app on phone and website
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Since the departure of our lovely French teacher my French has definitely stalled/gone backwards
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Yes, I miss her too! Babbel is very good but maybe a bit basic. And listen to 'arry Potter in the car; I could lend you some CDs.
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| Little Martin wrote: |
| i use duolingo, app on phone and website |
I've noticed quite a few errors on DuoLingo in the French part. They need to improve their quality control somehow.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I've also used duolingo, which seems to be most useful for me to improve grammar. It does have some mistakes but on the whole is pretty good.
I've also worked through the whole Pimsleur series of cd-based lessons. They're expensive to buy but I just borrowed them from our local library.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Pimsleur get's a thumbs up from me too - the advanced one is pretty good
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The BBC is pretty good I find.
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Listening to French radio, streaming french tv through the computer. Also if you have a Kindle or the kindle app you can get loads of classic books in French e.g. Alice in Wonderland, the Three Musketeers etc. In French for free!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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For radio I was recommended to try Swiss stations from the French-speaking parts as they (apparently) tend to speak noticeably slower than those in France.
For ebooks I think they're missing a trick: it would be really useful to easily flick from the English version of a book to the French version and back again. When reading translated books I often get stuck and so want to check what a phrase means, but the faff of finding the relevant part or manually translating it means reading becomes much less enjoyable. I think you can occasionally get print books with one language on the left hand page, and the translation on the right hand side (I remember at school having them for Shakespeare!) and more of those would be really helpful too.
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If you want to watch some decent French TV then Spiral (aka Engrenages) Season 5 is showing on BBC 4 at the moment on Saturday evenings and is probably all on iplayer
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Thanks very much for all these very handy suggestions
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| kieranm wrote: |
| If you want to watch some decent French TV then Spiral (aka Engrenages) Season 5 is showing on BBC 4 at the moment on Saturday evenings and is probably all on iplayer |
The trick is finding appropriate opportunities to use some of the expressions you learn in Spiral. 
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You know it makes sense.
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Drops for iOS is a new app, looks decent and fun way to learn.
Also use duolingo and Michel Thomas. I think you'll only get as far as learning words and basic sentences using these methods. A lot to be said for total immersion, you'll learn a lot more a lot quicker when you need to.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@kieranm,
Last edited by Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name: on Fri 13-02-15 15:49; edited 1 time in total
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Poster: A snowHead
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@kieranm,
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For radio I was recommended to try Swiss stations from the French-speaking parts as they (apparently) tend to speak noticeably slower than those in France.
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True, Swiss French is slower and smoother than some French accents, but the Swiss city dwellers say the mountain accents are different.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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But what about German 
Do most of these recommended sources still apply??
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@mountainaddict, yes I think they all do except the recommendation to watch Spiral, which is French.
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@mountainaddict, I think Pimsleur is available in German.
For French (and Italian), I found the Collins Paul Noble series particularly helpful. They're more accessible (and arguably more applicable) than the Pimsleur tapes. It is what I used to get myself up to trained strength when moving to France.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Those who speak two languages are bi lingual
those who speak three languages are tri lingual
those who speak many languages are multi lingual
those who speak one language are English!
To be fair to us, English is an obvious choice of second language when it is not your first but when English is your first language, the choice is more difficult, I have spent time in French, Spanish, Italian, catalan, German speaking countries, at times, English has been used by French and Swedes as common language
sometimes, just knowing the simple hello, please and thankyous is enough
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@mountainaddict, Duolingo is available in German, although my daughter thinks it is a little biased towards economics. I'm finding it really help with my emergency Italian learning.
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sometimes, just knowing the simple hello, please and thankyous is enough
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indeed, and it's basic courtesy, even if you are going to have to resort to English after the first attempt at a "phrase book" sentence. I've not been anywhere where I couldn't do the "hello" and "thankyou" minimum and would try to do a BBC "get by" course if going somewhere new. It really opens up opportunities. My daughter learnt some Arabic before going on a dive trip to Egypt and was invited back to a shop they'd visited, after closing time, to spend a bit of time with the woman who ran it, and had initially been a bit hostile as yet another set of clueless, rude, foreigners came in the door. She never learnt much - not the easiest language - but was very pleased when it came in handy with a new and very shy Egyptian pupil in one of her classes in Brighton. She just exchanged a very few words with him and when the other pupils heard it they became interested in him, and his language, having just ignored him up to then. She didn't let on to the rest of the class that she'd exhausted her entire fund of Arabic in half a minute. I learnt some Afrikaans when I was studying southern Africa and it made for a much more entertaining evening in a rural bar in the Eastern Transvaal than I would have had otherwise. Again, I could speak very little (though more after a few beers.....) but it opened doors. I have almost completely forgotten it now - that was many, many, years ago.
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I've found total emersion has helped me the most once I had a few basics learnt from school/Duolingo. The suggestion of ebooks is a good one. I'm reading through the Harry Potter books in German, as well as having them in audio book form for in the car. Radio also helps, I've downloaded the app for one of the Austrian radio stations. (Ö3) which also works in the UK.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| pam w wrote: |
| My daughter learnt some Arabic |
I've learned a bit too, but I only use it when I go down to Grenoble.
حَوّامتي مُمْتِلئة بِأَنْقَلَيْسون
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| davidof wrote: |
| pam w wrote: |
| My daughter learnt some Arabic |
I've learned a bit too, but I only use it when I go down to Grenoble.
حَوّامتي مُمْتِلئة بِأَنْقَلَيْسون |
Google translated that as "Hawwamte full Bonkulaison" haha!!
I live with a Frenchman, so my French should be excellent. It's not 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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The biggest problem I have encountered when trying to practice my French when on holiday that as soon as you are polite making an effort they want to practice their English on you. Durring what over here would be the county champoinships in Archery it took me till the afternoon session to get those on my boss (target) to score in French and to let me do it. We spent the morning session with them scoring in English.
Plus we get very little chance to practice back here in the UK so again my French and Spanish will really suck and takes a while to try and get back.
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We had only german satellite tv for a few years so my g/f wouldn't lose her german language skills, but I had to draw the line when she suggested french tv too, it's awful! But I realyy noticed my (poor)german deteriorating when we took the satellite down.
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You know it makes sense.
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@speed098, Agreed - and when I'm struggling for a word or getting my tenses mixed up, (and looking at the very kind but pained expression on my poor recipient!) it's very easy to let English be spoken back to me but its a bit frustrating at times.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@speed098, I encountered that in Italy, where there were lots of Brits but I very rarely do in "my" area of France, where there are few Brits, and most people seem to speak less English than I do French. Go somewhere you've never heard of and it will be easier - I find it very difficult speaking French to people who I know speak good English - but when my (poor) language skills are the best around, I enjoy it.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@pam w, +1! a voice in the SH wilderness.
@speed098, i'd suggest stubbornly plugging away in the local language. I generally find that whatever you can speak however little is much appreciated and really helps breal down barriers and make relationships.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@loatie, Hi, just caught up with your thread! Bev and I are currently working our way through season three and now four of "Coffee Break French" As you can imagine, we've tried a lot of different methods, and it really is well done. They sometimes have special offers on the membership packs which are certainly worth getting. Website is good and worth a look. Tell you more about it when we catch up next. Oh, and an iron will and steely determination to spend time speaking and working with the language on a daily basis are vital as well (bit lacking in the later, sadly ....too many distractions....)
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@TTT, I do short of snatching the score sheet from their hands there was not much I could do. I was the guest, and though I would love to be able to practice my French and improve manners dictates that you be polite as you are in their country. It did take time but as I said in the afternoon I finally convinced them that I needed to practice my French and as it was a French competition really scoring should be in French. It took me till the end of the second end then I was rattling the scores off ( and added up ) almost as quick as they would have been.
When driving to France I have my French language programs playing in the car to get me thinking in French ( it does slowly come back ). I admit am really bad at learning languages it is just not one of my strong points but I do try my hardest and I am very apologetic when struggling.
Thankfully skiing and archery don't need too much language skills to communicate, and have a mutual understanding and respect ( probably good example of actions speak louder than words  ).
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@gvj, thanks Geraint - look forward to hearing all about that.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@loatie,
I used the BBC program "Mi Vida Loca" when we had Spanish lessons ( is available online ). But by far the best learning media I have used was the Rosetta Stone.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@speed098, good on you - exactly the sort of attitude I would encourage more people to have.
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| speed098 wrote: |
@loatie,
I used the BBC program "Mi Vida Loca" when we had Spanish lessons ( is available online ). But by far the best learning media I have used was the Rosetta Stone. |
It's mentioned above but I found Michel Thomas' French tapes absolutely superb before I started working in France. If nothing else it identifies all the French words that you already know; the English language borrows more heavily from French than I'd ever previously realised, just pronounced differently.
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| anarchicsaltire wrote: |
| kieranm wrote: |
| If you want to watch some decent French TV then Spiral (aka Engrenages) Season 5 is showing on BBC 4 at the moment on Saturday evenings and is probably all on iplayer |
The trick is finding appropriate opportunities to use some of the expressions you learn in Spiral. |
The subtitles for Season 1 were excellent. Season 2 started the decline and now they're hilariously bad.
In one of the early episodes of this season 'F**k off you c**t' was translated as 'Run along now, you bad chap' (well, almost as badly done!).
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Another good French TV show (well I like it anyway) is "Ce Soir, Tout Est Permis". It's a fairly visual show, so even if you're not catching every word you can still enjoy it, and I found with the subtitles on in French it was enough of a hint to mean I could understand most of what's going on. The closest UK program I can think of is "Whose Line Is It Anyway" from the 90's. There are a few episodes on YouTube, and it's broadcast on TF1 for those who get the French channels.
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Duolingo uses South American Spanish and Portuguese, I'm told.
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FAQ
