How to stay motivated when learning French
Have you hit a dreaded plateau? Does your progress seem too slow?
In this article, we will examine what went wrong and how to fix it.
Hi, my name’s Chris the owner of this school and the creator of all the learning content.
For more info about my journey and my qualifications, please click here:
Let's frame the problem
Do you know what went wrong?
When learning a language, there are many more invisible factors involved than just the act of learning. Think of it as a stream. Too many methods or schools say “Do this and this will happen” while ignoring the other partners involved in the equation: your conscious and subconscious frame of mind (1), your understanding of the act of learning (2) and your understanding of what we mean by “language”.(3) At the moment, you might be frustrated at an undefined problem while not knowing the cause of it or where you would like to be.
Can you measure what is wrong?
Let us be clear: learning a language takes understanding of the purpose you are trying to achieve and this takes clarity of vision. Too often, learners do not understand what they wish to accomplish and blame “a lack of vocabulary” and other ill-defined problems. You cannot accomplish a result if you don’t have a clear view on the goal. Do you know for sure where you stand? Do you see clearly on the map of French and do you know what is missing from your arsenal of tools? If your answer to the question is “yes” it means you have an extremely clear vision of the structure of French. If the answer is “no”, it means that a teacher can tell you what you are missing and offer a solution to a clear problem.
Do you understand what you are doing?
There is a simple reason why specialists will learn a language easier than you: they know what they are doing. They have a much clearer understanding of what “a language” means. As long as it remains an unstructured ocean of words and sounds in your eyes, you will stay stuck. There is no improving on a problem we don’t understand. Saying that natives speak too fast is not a real problem. In actual fact, your knowledge of French does not cover a sufficient amount of key words in order for you to recognize 80% of what they are telling you. The next step is for you to learn these words.
Know the act of learning
Because we all use at least one language, there is a sense that we somehow know how it works. In truth, languages are a science and a very complex one at that. Your native language will give you no measure of the journey that is necessary to learn a second one. Forget about “easy” and “natural”. In truth, you will have to re-teach the subconscious language program in your mind and separate the two forms of communication for minimal interference. This is the reason you have an accent: because your first language “tells” your second how words should sound. Learning a language involves a lot of “un-learning” and the shattering of a few linguistic principles that you have accepted as true all your life.
Who are you listening to?
Make no mistake: we are very receptive to sweet solutions of effortless miracles. But the sources who share these are mostly unverified. It is easy to find articles on “How I learned French in 50 days” but the fact is that you are not a teacher nor a native. You cannot know if their French is any good. Many Youtube teachers make mistakes in their French and are unqualified. Even language schools employ sub-par talent. Examine your beliefs about learning French and ask yourself where they came from. Who put these ideas in your head? Who told you that being “motivated” was even a thing?
Vision and clarity
Imagine hiking towards a destination unknown. This unstructured trek would also generate a lack of motivation. You are absolutely obliged to start seeing French as a structured system before you understand where you are. Your source of learning cannot be phrase-based or game-based. You must see a language as a tree, with the trunk, the branches and the leaves. You must understand how it all holds together and the areas you have never visited. If you cannot manage to do this alone, a qualified teacher will do this for you, or at least teach you how to change your understanding of language.
What is your frame of mind?
There are frames of mind and behaviour traits that successful language learners share. People who believe they can achieve do not rely on such things as “motivation”. People who commit and make a clear decision don’t need this either. Positive thinkers, “yes people” all achieve their goals without looking to the outside for help. My best students all have in common a sense of marvel. They “ooh” and “ahh” at every new discovery but also at the neat structure of our course. I would say that a sense of marvel and intellectual curiosity are the two best assets.
Are you using the right tools?
A hard truth perhaps but a necessary one: your subconscious does not “like” your efforts because it causes disruption. It will try to sabotage your learning of French. Humans enjoy ease and tranquility and the act of learning is never that. Also, there is a type of learner who constantly jumps ship and never takes responsibility for their poor results. Granted, most French courses out there are rubbish, but they at least contain some knowledge that you should have learned. Using 4 or 5 learning sources and never finding the right one is not “normal” and indicates a lack of commitment. It is better to finish one course and see it through than to give up by blaming” lack of time” or the shortcomings of the course.
Do you know who you are?
Another hard truth: human beings who do not self-reflect on their own person will make less good language learners. It takes a level of introspection and self-analysis to achieve any type of success. Listen to your favourite sports personality, coach or musician. They have a level of analysis that is unusual. It is because they understand themselves and their environment that they became good in the first place. When you started French, you were not “neutral”: you had a level of self-belief, myths about learning, a sense of self-worth that all influenced your learning of French. Discover which these are.
Repetition is the Mother of All learning
Our society is one that values “Modern” almost like a religion and turns its back on the timeless principles. The human brain reacts to repetition in sports, music but also in academic learning. It is called “drills”. But the promise of “modern” has open the floodgates for any charlatan to sell us ways of learning languages that are easy and painless. The only shortcut is the one that seems like the long way round: facing French head-on and studying. “Study it once, now it forever” I always say. But to the human mind, it seems disagreeable and hard. Perhaps it is time to look at your level of self-discipline and your commitment to learning French? It all depends if you are searching for answers or compliments.
Are you working with the right teacher?
It is a fact that not all apps or schools work well. In the case of apps, their builders are anonymous and their legitimacy holds by their number of downloads. As for schools, the French-teaching market is overpopulated by “Franco-French” teachers who propose methods that make sense to them. according to their cultural tradition. These do not take into account your language background of English. Sitting through 2-hour classes of a native French person speaking about their language can feel alienating. The fact is that these classes are mostly embedded in outdated and Franco-centered traditions.
Are you self-centered enough?
As a language learner, you must be the Hero of the journey. If this was music, don’t look at how well the others play in the hope that it will rub off on you. Forget the language podcasts, the films and the radio shows in French. They contain neither structure, nor are they a plan of action. Focus on YOU and you will recognize your knowledge in other native speakers. Your personal victories will create that sense of amazement to endure. A victory such as half-understanding a podcast is not one that will keep you progressing in a straight line towards a destination. Focus on you and collect victories.
To conclude this article
Clarity of vision within the French language, self-awareness and structure might well be the top guarantees of staying “motivated”when learning French.
Remember that as a non-professional, you are likely approaching French as a hobbyist and an occasional learner. For every minute you reflect on your practice, the professional has engaged in weeks’ worth of talks with colleages as well as reading specialized literature.
Not knowing what is expected of you always comes first in the list of reasons that learners fail to learn properly. To say it in simple terns, learning French is not what you think it is.
Equally important is the understanding that there are multiple partners in this dynamic: the beliefs you carry with you, the opinions of others, and subconscious factors also.
We can divide all of this into 3 groups: the frame of mind that taints your overall approach to learning (1), your understanding of “language” as a system (2) and your understanding of the act of learning (3).
Learning French can be a relatively quick pursuit depending if we have a clear route ahead of us and if we know what we must accomplish. Motivation is never to be found outside of ourselves and always comes from within.
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How to use our resources:
In 5 easy steps, each student has their own study plan. Your teacher will recommend specific parts of our French program, which you then complete in your own time. When you feel ready, meet up again for an evaluation of your skills.
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You can book a French class now.
We will meet on this website. Top of the page you will see CLASS. When you have the password, you will be able to log into our virtual class.
And even before that, we are happy to phone you to learn about your current level of French.
A little story from the owner...
I’m the holder of a Masters in German linguistics and Literature and I will make the claim that I will never forget my German. That’s because my learning was based on understanding and reasoning. I can always fall back on it and self-correct.
I learned it this way because I was 35 by the time I heard my first word of German. My college did not properly explain that there weren’t actual classes to get us familiar with the language. We went straight to the literature.
At one point, I had 2 months over the Summer to explain German to myself before I failed my year. This is when I knew I had to find structure.
When I eventually spoke it at the oral exams, I discovered that practice didn’t matter. Speaking is not the problem. The real task is knowing how the language functions. I saw that speaking is not the tool by which we learn.
Everything you believe about French, I probably believed about German. The main concern being “I have no one to speak to!” I tried all manner of conversation partners which turned out to be a waste of time. The real need was to learn skills, not to engage in random conversations.
During our French classes, we will make sure that you know the foundational principles of French. Just as I did with German. There will be no clutter and we will go straight to the essentials. We will build a solid tree trunk on which the branches can hold.
One last thing. my German isn’t that great unfortunately. Not for lack of study but because I never found that magical teacher who was a native of English and of German. I never had that person who understood my world and theirs equally well. But this, I can do for you in French. I know your world of Engish and I know the French world as a native of two languages.
Two videos for an in-depth understanding:
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