Once your language learning is on track, the challenge is to put your skills into practice in real life.
Speaking French is all about confidence and it can only come from practice.
The best way to improve is to use what you learn at every opportunity.
In my opinion, conversation is the most important part of understanding a language and should be the focus of most of your learning.
Oral communication is the most used part of language learning, so the more you practice, the better.
However, this is easier said than done. Here are some tips to help you create situations where you can practice your conversational skills.
1. Language Cafe
If you live in or near a French city, there are plenty of events for language learners.
Language cafes are common. This includes meeting with native French speakers who want to improve their English, having coffee and drinks together, speaking in both languages, and allowing each to practice.
This is a great and free way to improve your speaking skills while socializing in a more relaxed environment.
These events can usually be found on Facebook groups or just by searching on Google.
Also Read: Try these 17 French expressions to improve your language skills
2. Language speed dating
This is the speaking practice I use with my students and it works great every time.
If you have a group of friends who are learning French, this exercise can be a good event and another way to practice the language together.
The point of this exercise is to get used to speaking on the fly without thinking. The repetitive nature builds confidence in saying the same phrases and builds a base for expansion as the conversation continues.
As you can imagine, there are two rows of chairs facing each other. People talk to “Date” for two minutes before he moves one row along the chair.
You can be yourself and talk about real-life situations. This may be useful for early learners. Or, if you’re a more advanced learner and want to challenge yourself, you can invent entire personas.
Don’t worry if you said pretty much the same thing on most dates. The point of this is to instill confidence in speaking, and confidence comes from repetition.
Trying to say the same thing in a different way every time you talk to someone new makes it harder.
Also read: How to Pronounce French Wordst
3. Join a local class or club
You may be attending a language class, but joining another kind of club is a great way to practice your language skills.
Even small towns have all kinds of activity groups to suit your interests.
Activities such as walking or running in groups are great ways to increase your chances of speaking at low intensity.
The advantage of classes and clubs is that they revolve around activities rather than conversations. This will take the pressure off a lot.
A larger group means that even if you’re not ready to chat, you can contribute or focus on conversations when you feel like you can listen to what’s going on around you.
Not only can you improve your conversation skills, but you can also make French friends. This is the best way to finally improve your French.
4. Share net
ShareAmi is a platform first launched during the pandemic by the charity Oldyssey to combat the isolation felt by seniors due to various lockdowns.
A mutually beneficial scheme that connects young language learners with older French people.
Not only does it help young learners with their language skills, it also fosters friendships between generations and provides a sense of purpose for both sides.
read more: A language learner calls a retired Frenchman to practice chatting
The round-table discussion was held on Zoom, and many participants deepened their bonds with their “partners.”
For more information, see: https://www.shareami.org/
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Update: Tips to improve your French skills