It’s all in the mindset. Your ability to learn French depends on your mental approach.
I’ve seen far too many people begin studying and give up, or even land jobs in francophone areas but never maximize their potential.
But I did it… which means you can too.
To learn French, you need to have the right mindset. You need to see the world through a new language.
I know it sounds corny. Honestly, I do. But developing this mindset is what generates success.
In the fall of 2009, I had a scary encounter. ‘Learn it,’ said a woman peering at me, ‘learn it like you didn’t have a choice, and I promise you won’t have any regrets.’
I was fifteen at the time, and most teachers didn’t speak to me like that. But she was different. I understood, too. She was an American woman, fluent in French and Spanish, teaching students who didn’t seem to fully grasp the treasure of learning a language.
A confident teenager, I replied, “Why do I need to learn French?” She gave me a glare I will never forget and walked away, either out of pity, disappointment, or rage.
Eight years later, I walked into that same room and thanked her for those words of advice–they changed my world. She was, as you guessed, my 9nth grade French teacher.
It seems silly, but what she said was right. I didn’t like it at the time, but she was right.
You have to learn French as if you needed to learn French. Babies need to learn language because they need to communicate.
If you take nothing else away from The French Objective, please heed her point. The more you feel the need to learn French, the more successful you will be.
Now that you know you must study with the balanced strategy (aka the 4 mediums of acquisition) and that you have to feel a need to learn French, let’s get more concrete. Here are 5 Must-Dos for your journey.