6 SIMPLE STEPS ON HOW TO MAKE FRENCH CONVERSATION IN 6 DAYS (2)
So, do you think you can make French conversation in 6 days?
If you have spent months or even years trying to use French in conversation, wondering why it’s so much easier to understand it than to speak it, then you are in the right place.
Read the first part of the article, then continue to read below, to see what you have to do in the next 6 days to get yourself moving on the conversation front, and watch the video for some French that that can appear as if from nowhere.
(This week: verb PARAÎTRE – to appear)
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When do we pronounce in French the sound E like in the English word EGG?
This is a little more fluffy than expected 🙂
1. when E has an accent: É, È, Ê
Examples: bébé. très. tête
2. when spelled AI
Example: le lait
3. when spelled EI
Example: la neige
4. final ER and EZ
Examples: manger, vous mangez
5. when E is followed by two consonants
Example: restaurant
(there is an exception here, but I need to speak to you in person to explain it, otherwise it may overwhelm you)
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Subjonctif made simple
Should we or shouldn’t we learn how to use the expression IL FAUT QUE?
Most schools and teachers insist on it as if life depended on it. And this is how the subjonctif nightmare starts for everyone…
My answer is: NO. We have a way to avoid it, and this is going to make your life so much easier.
Examples:
Instead of « il faut que tu manges » (“que tu manges” is subjonctif) use « tu dois manger »
Instead of « il faut que vous aimiez » (“que vous aimiez” is subjonctif) use « tu dois aimer »
How much simpler is this?
Contact me for a free assessment, and I’ll tell you the rule of thumb of creating le subjonctif, if you are curious.
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Putting everything together
Rule number one: don’t focus on vocabulary, focus on phrase construction, and make conversation as soon as you can (2nd or 3rd lesson, if possible), then enrich your language by incorporating vocabulary and grammar as you go.
And here are the 5 elements you need to do this:
1. Learn to use DE, DE LA, DE L’, DU, DES and don’t translate DE with the word “some”.
2. Learn the gender of the nouns WITH the word, always use an article when you memorize; remember that « le livre ≠ la livre »
3. Use le futur proche for conversation, while you practice le futur simple, it’s the direct translation of the English expression “I am going to …”
4. Know when to pronounce the sound E as in the English word EGG
5. Avoid IL FAUT QUE at all costs 🙂 …of course, while you keep dabbling at it and become more comfortable with the subjonctif.
These 3 steps and the previous 3, are part of the 6-Day Parisian French Conversation Challenge, where I’m challenging myself to give you all you need to start making conversation in less than a week. The Challenge is a series of 6 videos where I explain all these steps with examples, and I give you homework. In day 6, I’ll give away all the 6 videos to each person who contacts me here. All you need to do is to send me a short background so that I can give you advice that works for you and only you.
NOW IT IS YOUR TURN!
Write in the comments below, which one of the 6 steps is the most challenging for you?
Let me guess.
Do you constantly have the feeling that you can’t hear what the French say and you don’t know how to read all the French words because they are written so much differently than they sound?
Learn 3 secrets that will help you be self sufficient in the way you pronounce French words – even if you don’t know what they mean – so that you can read that sophisticated menu in your favorite French restaurant.
Immerse yourself as you FINALLY reach your dream of becoming bilingual, learn to speak Parisian French on Skype and BREAK your language barrier!
…and now, please SHARE this article with your friends. They’ll love you for it! : )
Always in your corner,
Llyane
Photo credit: Marc Nouss, A.G. Photographe
