Even with daily French lessons, you might feel stuck in your language learning. How can you speak French better? The best way to improve your French, when you’re at an intermediate level, is to use French in your daily life and with French people. There is a big difference between doing an exercise online and speaking French with some French natives. Here are our 3 tips to speak French better.
How to Speak French Better?
- Check your level with a private teacher
- Meet some French people
- Immerse yourself in French news, culture and social media
Take Online Courses to Check Your Level
If you’re learning French alone or with an app like Babbel, you might feel like you’re making progress. But how would you know when you’re making mistakes? Maybe you learned a grammar lesson wrong and now you’re using some prepositions wrong? If no one is correcting your mistakes or pointing out your weaknesses, you’ll never be able to become fluent and confident about your skills. Don’t be afraid to ask someone for help. It’s easy for a private teacher to make an assessment of your level in French.
With online French courses, you’ll be able to focus on the parts you need to improve, while discussing a subject you like. Online courses are customizable, so you can talk about your job, your next trip or your hobbies. That’s a great way to learn how to speak French better.
Build a French Social Life
What is the quickest way to improve your French? To use it! We know how difficult it can be to speak with someone in French, especially if you’re not very confident in your language skills. But it’s the best way to use your knowledge and work on your pronunciation. Obviously, it’s not always easy to find French natives to speak with, or people who are learning French too. Get informed about the Erasmus parties in your city, about language learners study sessions or about gatherings between expatriates.
Alternatively, if you’d rather write in French, you can check out social media dedicated to language learning! Online communities can be a powerful tool. There are plenty of apps you can use daily, like HiNative or HelloTalk. And the best part is that you can help people back! Just choose which language you want to learn (like French), as well as your mother tongue (let’s say English). This way, people who speak French but want to learn English will be able to correct your mistakes, while learning some English. It’s a win-win situation.
Learn Daily About France
When you’re learning a foreign language, you also have to learn more about the culture and the daily life. First, it’s a good way to learn some vocabulary. Second, it’s great if you want to travel to the country from which you’re learning the language. So if you want to speak French better, don’t forget to learn more about what’s going on in France. Don’t be shy and check out French news websites or French TV programs. Thanks to the Internet, it’s easy to read about political events in France or which French celebrities are headlining. You’re tired of reading bad news? Well, you can also watch something more entertaining like French vlogs on Youtube. And for a daily sneak peek into the French lifestyle, follow some famous (or not) French Instagram influencers! There are also plenty of French films and TV shows to watch on Netflix.
To speak French better, the key is to get out of your exercise books and into the real life! Take advantage of daily situations to use your French skills. The more you put yourself out there, the more people will be able to correct your mistakes and help you improve your language skills. Soon, you’ll be fluent!
