There are a million and one exceptions to grammar and vocab rules in French. And you don’t need them.
OK, if you want to be a professor of French literature at a major institution, yes, you need to know them. If not, you’re in luck. Let me tell you why.
The first three “types” of exceptions that come to mind are
- Verbs,
- Grammar rules, and
- The Subjunctive.
Other than you, guess who doesn’t like exceptions? French people! You’ll hear French people complaining about crazy conjugation structures, irregular verbs, exceptions to adjective placements, spelling oddities, and the use of the subjunctive.
In fact, French people don’t care about all the nitpicky rules. They have a minimum standard of which rules to follow in everyday life, and the rest is for the classroom.
Think about your native language and all the exceptions therein. You probably don’t know all the rules to English grammar—you just speak to the standard. And that’s good!
Why should you feel differently about French? Instead of getting caught up in the grind…
Go around the complicated stuff
It probably doesn’t sound kosher, but any time you’re dealing with an exception that really confuses you, just let it go. Find a way to say what you’re thinking in a simpler way.
When you speak a foreign language, your brain has to do several things at once:
- Think of the words you want to say
- Translate words you don’t readily remember
- Make sure the grammar is correct
- Smile and be human with the person in front of you
If you’ve tried to speak out loud, you know it can be tough. You get caught up. You stumble. Worst of all: you get nervous and frustrated.
Don’t add complicated grammar to the mix. Let it go. Focus on what you know how to say.
Nerves and frustration
It most areas of life, it’s a good idea to keep your cool and patiently find a solution when problems arise.
If you let nervousness and frustration seep in, your mind has a much harder time solving the problem.
Languages are no different.
In a native tongue, you can easily express your thoughts. But when you’re speaking, reading, writing, or listening to a foreign language, you feel like you’re at a disadvantage because there’s an extra hurdle to get over.
When you get frustrated and can’t express it or handle the situation with words, the intensity multiplies.
Nerves and frustration are dangerous when it comes to learning. You can burn out quickly without getting them under control.
So, “be like water.”
Be like water
I know, it’s cheesy. But the idea it critical. Instead of trying to be perfect, realize that you cannot be. Seriously. If you try to speak perfectly, you will only disappoint yourself, get frustrated, and maybe get completely discouraged from learning the language.
That almost happened to me on multiple occasions…
Instead, feel out the words you know. Smile. Relax. Don’t say you’re sorry in conversation—you’re learning a new language! That’s more than the person in front of you can say at that moment.
“Be like water,” says martial arts legend Bruce Lee. Flow through your conversations with patience. Don’t put pressure on yourself to speak with perfect grammar, vocab, and subjunctive use.
Just say what you can and open your mind to learn through those moments.
Knowing enough to communicate well enough
Such should be your goal during study sessions. You should look for ways to learn the minimum necessary to communicate. Why? Because the more complicated information will come with practice, not study time.
I cannot emphasize this enough. You need the minimum to communicate—the rest will follow naturally. Fundamental French is designed to weed out exceptions and help you focus on 11 simple principles.
If you doubt me, think about your first language. You started speaking as a baby with the basic words you needed to communicate what you needed. Then you started practicing, immediately, with yourself and other people.
You become fluent through practice. This is just the nature of languages. They come quickly with training, slowly with study.
2 years? Check.
Once I realized how important is it to patiently work through speaking, French came so much more quickly. Two years to be exact.
It’s a paradox: the harder study, the slower you improve.
Don’t stress about exceptions and nitpicky rules. Just focus on learning the minimum principles and essential vocabulary you need to speak the language, then focus on using the balanced strategy—listening, speaking, reading, and writing—in order to improve. It will come.
If you need to know it for school…
I hear you. I had to learn all the nitpicky grammar rules when I was getting my degree in French. It’s painful, but necessary if you want a good grade.
In all honesty, it’s not bad to learn the rules. A solid review of more complicated structures, grammar exceptions, and advanced vocabulary is healthy for your learning journey.
Just don’t dwell on them. If a rule is super complicated, such as the order of direct- and indirect- objects with nominative verbs, I urge you spend some time grasping the idea, passing the test, and just letting it go.
Focus on the key principles and vocabulary in the linked books above, and always go back to the balanced strategy. Enjoy your journey, feel the improvement.
Before you know it, you’ll be speaking with and understanding native French speakers.
Takeaway
In sum, you don’t need to spend much time studying irregular verbs and grammar exceptions to speak French. If you try to, you risk getting discouraged with the language. Instead, focus on studying the basics. The more complicated rules will come with practice, practice. practice.