How to Start Learning French (For Beginners)

Okay, let me tell you a little secret that I think is going to help you. No matter what your French learning goals are (whether you want to learn French speaking, or want to learn how to write a romantic love letter in French, whatever), there are three areas where French is most difficult for English-speaking learners.

I want to take some time to talk through each of these with you and explain why they’re so hard, and so common. That way you’ll feel less alone (and less likely to give up) when you come across them.

1. French pronunciation.

Some sounds are hard to say, plain and simple. There’s the nasal-y “an/ein”, as well as the French R.

Then there are some sounds that might even seem impossible to hear or say, like “u/eu”.

My Mexican mum still can’t pronounce a few common French sounds, after 36 years in France, while being bilingual! Sometimes when she’s at the market she even rephrases what she wants to say (“Deux oignons doux”) to avoid having to repeat herself 10 times!

Relax. Yes, you’re going to sound and look ridiculous when you’re trying to practice articulating these sounds in front of your bathroom mirror. But with context, when you actually speak French, you’ll mostly be understood.

My shortcut for beginners: You can avoid 99% of the pronunciation mistakes tourists make by learning NOT to pronounce the silent letters in the new words you learn. This puts you on the right path from the start and will save you time in the future. I’m tired of C1 students saying “Bon appétit” with the T. You can do it. For example: cross the silent letters with a pencil from the words you learn!

My tip for perfectionists: Be aware of the differences between written and modern spoken French from the start. This will save you headaches when you hear French in real life, right away. Spoken French is a bit like music, it HAS to “sound right”. We make “la liaison” where words merge into each other, we eat letters and cut words. It will help you avoid sounding like a rigid textbook or old-fashioned French (which I compare to speaking English like Hamlet in a Shakespeare play).

2. Gender of nouns

French nouns all have a gender : masculine or feminine (no neutral). And most of the time, the rest of the phrase has to agree with the gender of this noun: the adjective, the article and the verb. Argh!

Students learning French, especially beginners, focus way too much on the gender of nouns. But can you keep a secret? No French person actually cares.

My friend Christina (see video lesson with her) has been in France for 15 years and is also bilingual. BUT, she completely gave up on learning the gender of nouns in French! Her French is still completely fantastic, but when she’s speaking French she just gives up getting the gender right. (When she’s writing emails, it’s a different story— she looks for the gender on the internet.)

My shortcut for beginners: ONLY learn the gender of nouns you NEED. Don’t worry about the lists of vocabulary you’ll only use once a year. And relax. Again, French people know it’s hard. Some even find your mistakes sexy. You’ll remind them of Jane Birkin. 😉

My tip for perfectionists: Always check the gender of nouns you use when writing in French by using autocorrect or a spell checker on your computer. Be ruthless in your writing when you’re using a computer (but take it easy on yourself when you’re speaking).

3. French grammar, conjugation and… all their exceptions

Learning French is endless. So don’t assume you’ll learn all its grammar and conjugation at an A1 level before moving to A2. People don’t even know it all at C2. Even French people don’t know everything!

Instead, double down your efforts on learning the correct foundations when it comes to French grammar and conjugation. Don’t try to “self-teach” yourself these complicated things. It’s going to be way more difficult, and chance are you’ll focus on the wrong elements.

Want some tips on what you should focus on?

• Beginner verbs: first group verbes (ending in -er) + être, avoir, aller, vouloir
• Beginner conjugation: present + shortcuts, as below
• Shortcuts for conjugation: for example, aller + infinitive (instead of learning the future tense, which we don’t really use in spoken French)

My shortcut for beginners: Make short sentences. I say this all the time when I correct students’ homework in my live program “Le Salon de Géraldine”: MAKE SHORT SENTENCES. Sounds like, “duh”. But by making short, well structured sentences, you make less mistakes and you’ll be more confident in your French. Mistakes don’t matter but clarity does.

My tip for perfectionists: Grammar and conjugation are the biggest trap for perfectionists. Forget about the subjunctive, the “en” VS “y”, the passé simple (tip: never learn this one). Focus on modern spoken French grammar instead, like dropping the “ne” in negation, replacing “nous” with “on” and conjugation shortcuts. You’ll sound French very quickly this way.

BONUS: Waiting to speak perfectly to start speaking.

Ok, this applies to all languages, but it’s a problem that’s very common when it comes to people learning French.

I’m constantly hearing students who are already at a B2 level confessing they’re too shy to speak French. This is a common perfectionist trap. All you really need is a big hug and some reassurance. So here it is, virtually 🙂 Don’t wait – practice your French speaking now!