Learn French from scratch! Learning French for beginners from scratch with a self-instruction manual.

23.09.2019

The language of the French (See French), the main population of France, part of the population of Belgium, Switzerland, Canada, the population of Haiti and some of the former or modern possessions of France in America and Africa. The official and literary language in these countries ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

The language of the French (the official language of France), the French-speaking population of Belgium, Switzerland, Canada (in which it is one of the official ones). The French language is used by the population of many states in Africa, Haiti, French Guiana, including in ... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

FRENCH. L. has owned F. Ya since childhood. “as one’s own” (see Shan Girey A.P., in the book: Memoirs, 2nd ed., p. 35). In accordance with the secular customs of the time, he was taught by French tutors J. Cape and J. P. K. Jandro. In children's notebooks L ... Lermontov Encyclopedia

French- FRENCH, belongs to the Romance group of the Indo-European family of languages. The official language of France, French Guiana, Haiti, Monaco, Benin, Burkina Faso, Gabon, Guinea, Zaire, Congo, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Togo, ... ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

French- French is one of the Romance languages ​​(Gallo Romance subgroup). The official language of the French Republic, the Kingdom of Belgium (along with Dutch), the Swiss Confederation (along with German and Italian), Canada ... ... Linguistic Encyclopedic Dictionary

The language of the French (the official language of France), the French-speaking population of Belgium, Switzerland, Canada (in which it is one of the official languages). The French language is used by the population of many African states, Haiti, Franz. Guianas, including ... encyclopedic Dictionary

Common name for dialects of northern France, southern Belgium, Lorraine, Alsace, western Switzerland and Canada. In a closer sense, F. is the language of the dialect of central France (Ile de France), from the 12th century. which began to force others out of poetry ... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron

French- (French)French, spoken by 75 million people. in France and its overseas territories, as well as in neighboring countries and in Canada. It is also the official language. in a number of African countries, ex. French colonies. Belongs to the group of Romanesque ... ... Countries of the world. Dictionary

French in Canada is one of the two official languages ​​of Canada, along with English. The total number of French speakers is about 6.8 million (22.7% of the population, 2006, census). French-speaking residents of Canada with ... ... Wikipedia

- (fr. La langue français en Flandres) for a long time had an important historical, political, economic and cultural significance, despite the fact that the attitude towards it from the autochthonous Flemish majority was and remains ambiguous ... Wikipedia

Books

  • French language, Popova I., Kazakova Zh., Kovalchuk G.. This textbook has gone through 20 editions and is a stable textbook for beginners. Its goal is to instill correct pronunciation skills, give solid knowledge of the basics of grammar, develop ...
  • French language, Popova I., Kazakova Zh., Kovalchuk G.. This textbook has gone through 20 editions and is a stable textbook for beginners. Its goal is to instill correct pronunciation skills, give solid knowledge of the basics of grammar, develop ...

At all times it was considered that the more languages ​​a person knows, the more chances he has for a promising future. Learning French as a foreign language is (for various reasons) one of the main aspirations of many people. For some, learning French is a necessity related to life circumstances, for others it is a hobby, for others it is just a blue dream. But before all equally there is a question on monetary investments in this business. Certified courses are not a cheap pleasure, but about private lessons that only a few can afford and there is nothing to say. Therefore, let's talk about self-study of the French language: methods, ways and means.

Faced with the need or with your own will to start learning French from scratch, it is enough to have the proper level of motivation. Otherwise, you will be helped by the presence of a huge amount of educational material: relevant didactic literature, reference books, dictionary sources, tutorials, etc. All this can be found both in libraries, bookstores, and on the Internet. In addition, there are also video and audio courses, teaching foreign languages ​​via skype, etc. The most important thing is the right approach to planning and organizing classes and a clear distribution of time.

In order to learn French from scratch, the first stage (40-50 lessons) is usually devoted to the rules of reading and pronunciation. These are basic skills that are extremely important because their development affects the ability to read French texts and listen to French speech.

The next 50-60 lessons, aimed at adults or adapted for children, are accompanied by a number of exercises, audio material and familiarization with texts and tasks for them. At this stage, the basic lexical and grammatical material is mastered, which includes the relevant texts to consolidate the already existing (studied) skills.

It should also be noted that each lesson should last an average of 3 hours.

As a result of these two stages (of course, with perseverance and patience), you will be able to conduct and maintain a conversation on basic, everyday topics, read in French and understand the general meaning of what you read. You will be able to understand basic and intermediate texts. You will also be able to listen to elementary audio texts and know the basic communicative norms.

Help for beginners

"Is it possible to learn French on your own?" It is difficult to give a definite answer to this question. After all, people are different: each person has a certain potential, each has his own degree of motivation, and few can boast of willpower. Someone easily sits down for daily activities, and it is not easy for someone to get together and force themselves to learn a foreign language, doing dozens of exercises every day and memorizing new words and phrases.

To help those who nevertheless dared to learn French on their own and stand firm in their position, we can advise the most common and affordable ways of learning, which save not only money, but also time.

The first option: the use of book aids (tutorials, phrasebooks, textbooks, etc.), among which the most popular and suitable are:


  1. French textbook. Manuel de Français”, authors - I.N. Popova, Zh.N. Kazakov and G.M. Kovalchuk;
  2. textbook "Elementary course of the French language", Potushanskaya L.L., Kolesnikova N.I., Kotova G.M.
  3. textbook "French Course", author - Gaston Mauger.

The disadvantage of this method of learning is that a person opens books, flips through, running his eyes over the first pages, and ... closes. Because he understands that it is almost impossible to deal with the material on his own without the help or at least the advice of a knowledgeable specialist.

More diligent students open study guides, try to read, memorizing new sounds and memorizing new words, independently write down some rules in a notebook and even begin to do the first exercises .... But gradually they also have doubts: “Do I pronounce this or that sound correctly?” “Is this intonation supposed to be in this phrase?” "Am I reading this word correctly?" and many other questions that appear in the process of studying.

As a result, some abandon this business, while others call for help from professionals, signing up for French courses or hiring tutors.

The second option is to try to learn French from scratch using online methods.

To date, the network presents a lot of resources with a specific thematic focus. With their help, you can also try to learn French from scratch, and for free or for a small fee.


A great help for beginners can be the BBC portal, which includes a French section dedicated to learning French. The section features a large number of grammar exercises, dictionaries, reference books, a weekly newsletter with new lessons, a video course for those who study on their own, and even open access to radio and French TV. Each lesson is supplemented with detailed comments and audio files necessary for correct pronunciation.

However, there is one drawback: the site is in English, so it is desirable for users to speak English.

Self-study of foreign languages ​​is always associated with some difficulties, even with strong motivation and exemplary diligence. The difficulty lies in the fact that there is no one to give an objective assessment of your learning. Therefore, there is a risk of erroneous knowledge and skills in one aspect or another. It is better to start learning French, like any other language, under the guidance of a qualified specialist. When the main base is laid, the initial level is reached, then you can try to move on to independent study.

Instructions for self-study of the language

First of all, special attention should be paid to phonetics. In French, pronunciation is key. Read different texts aloud every day, even if you do not know their translation. Train your speech apparatus in French by repeating French words as often as possible. The speed of mastering French speech depends on the frequency of training.

To be able to speak French, you also need to understand what is being said. Find an opportunity to regularly watch movies and TV shows in French. It is better if they are accompanied by subtitles in their native language. Pay close attention to intonation and pronunciation, try to reproduce some of the remarks you heard. Record all your efforts on a voice recorder so that after listening, you can compare them with the original.

Learn new words every day, memorize speech turns and set expressions. Beginners can use a dictionary, phrase book, this will help in mastering lexical material. When studying grammar, try to immediately form sentences in French without translation into Russian. Start with phrases, simple sentences, and gradually try to make complex long sentences on your own. It is recommended to learn about ten words daily.

Using a dictionary, try to translate simple texts yourself, read three or four pages every day. Try not to skip or postpone training for minor reasons, listen and try to translate the lyrics of French artists. Work two to three hours a day and consolidate your skills, then you can learn French faster.

You can check how your goal has been achieved, and how much you have managed to increase your level by moving it from “0” to intermediate or even advanced (B), using appropriate testing. You can easily take the test online. Similar checks are also carried out at full-time and correspondence French courses.

And at the end, one more piece of advice: remember that any language, if it is not used in practice, is considered dead, therefore, having mastered the first basics, try to communicate in writing or orally with native speakers of French, whether it be correspondence on the Internet or oral conversations in real life. life.

French is one of the most beautiful languages ​​in the world. It is spoken by more than 220 million people - join them too! Learning a language can be difficult, but this article provides a quick overview of the methods by which you will learn French in no time!

Steps

Start learning

    Find out your type of perception of information. Are you visual, auditory or kinesthetic? This means how you remember better: by seeing the words, by hearing them, or, respectively, by associating actions and feelings with words.

    • If you've studied languages ​​before, remember how you learned them and see what works for you and what doesn't.
    • In most training courses, you will write a lot and talk little. Speaking the language and immersing yourself in it is extremely important and is an effective way to learn a language faster.
  1. Memorize 30 words and phrases every day. In 90 days you will know about 80% of the language. The most frequently used words make up the largest percentage of usage, so start by memorizing the most common words.

    Learn the structure of the language. Learn how verbs combine with nouns and with each other. What you learn at the beginning will make more sense as you become more proficient with the language. Always pay attention to the correct pronunciation.

    Immersion in the language environment

    1. Read and write in French. To become familiar with a language, you need to read and write in it. This will help you use the words you have already memorized and keep them in your memory.

      Listen to something in French. Play French music or your favorite film dubbed in French. Look for French movies, French TV shows and radio stations. Practice by repeating what you hear.

      Speak French. This is one of the most important aspects in learning French. You should speak the language, even if you feel uncomfortable because you don't know much. Everyone starts out like this, but over time you will improve.

      • Find a pen pal or skype a friend whose native language is French. There are many programs on the internet or at universities and language schools that can put you in touch with people who speak French.
      • Don't be discouraged by criticism of your pronunciation. Instead, thank the critic and work on improvement.
      • Speak out loud in French when you are alone. Tell what you are doing. If you wash dishes or drive a car, talk about it. Pay attention to your intonation and pronunciation.
    2. Practice, practice, practice. Without practicing what you have learned, you will not get very far. Even a quick language learning takes a certain amount of time. If you work hard and practice what you have learned, there is no doubt that you will learn French well!

    Learn useful phrases

    • Some people are naturally good at language, and some are not. Don't use this as an excuse.
    • After expanding your vocabulary, start translating things that you encounter in everyday life. For example, after listening to a song in your native language, try translating it into French. The same can be said for menus, road signs, and even casual conversations. You will probably find it tedious, but the language can only be learned with practice. Sometimes, speaking something in your native language, you will find yourself thinking that you do not know the translation of a particular word into French. In such cases, look into the dictionary so as not to lose skills and not forget the language.
    • Speak French to yourself. Don't forget to laugh at mistakes - it helps.
    • Try to speak French when no one can hear you. If you're not sure about a phrase, double-check it in a dictionary. There are many translation applications on the Internet - look for the right one for yourself. Don't be afraid to make mistakes; mistakes are part of the learning process.

FRENCH, mother tongue of the vast majority of the population of France and French-speaking areas of Belgium and Switzerland. In these three territories, respectively, approx. 50 million, 4 million and 1 million francophones. In several areas of France - Corsica, Brittany, Alsace, French Flanders and southern France - French is not the native language of the local population. French is the native language of approximately 6 million Canadians in the provinces of Quebec and Ontario. It is spoken in the French colonies in the West Indies and the Pacific Ocean and by about 600,000 people in Haiti, a former French colony (until the early 19th century), where French became the official language. French remained as the state language in many former French colonies that gained independence after World War II: in Guinea, Mauritania, Mali, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Niger, Benin, Togo, Cameroon, Chad, the Central African Republic , Gabon, Congo and Madagascar, as well as in the former Belgian colonies of Zaire, Rwanda and Burundi.French is one of the six official languages ​​of the United Nations.

French belongs to the Romance group of languages, but occupies a special place in it, because, apparently, it has undergone a stronger Germanic (Frankish) influence than other Romance languages, as its name itself indicates. Initially only the language of the Île-de-France region, consisting of Paris and its immediate environs, later, following the conquests of the kings of the Capetian dynasty, French spread to most of the territory of ancient Gaul. There are six important differences between French and other major Romance languages. 1) Latin combination of sounds ca gave in french cha, which was once pronounced as ca, now - sa; e.g. latin caballum gave in italian cavallo, in Spanish - caballo, and in French cheval. Similarly, Latin ga changed in dza and then in za. 2) Latin u gives in french ü ; e.g. latin Murum gave in italian muro, in Spanish - muro, and in French mur which is pronounced mur. 3) Latin final -a gave in French, which is not usually pronounced in modern language; for example, moon gave in italian moon, in Spanish - moon, and in French moon. 4) Latin s before consonants gave in French h, which then disappeared, lengthening the preceding vowel, which became written with a circumflex; e.g. latin festival gave in italian festival, in Spanish - fiesta, and in French fete. 5) Latin nasal consonants in a position before another consonant merge in French with the preceding vowel, resulting in a nasalized vowel; e.g. latin cantat gave in italian canta, in Spanish - canta but in French chante(pronounced šãt). 6) In French, the final consonant of a word is sometimes associated in pronunciation with the initial vowel of the next word - a phenomenon of the so-called liaison, for example, les enfants is pronounced lezãfã.

The French language enjoyed great influence throughout Western Europe, especially in the Middle Ages and in the 18th century. In the Middle Ages it spread to Germany, Spain, and especially Italy; as a result of the conquest of England by the Normans in 1066, for almost three centuries it became the official language of the English kingdom, the language of the court and the ruling classes. As a result, modern English has turned out to be a mixed language, consisting mainly of Old English and Old French elements. Because of England's insular position and the comparative isolation of her life, the French elements in the English language are remarkably archaic, and in most cases preserve the pronunciation of the 11th century: words such as veil, point, feast, haste, quit, chamber, general, devout, flour.

During the Renaissance, the cultural superiority of Italy led to the fact that the French language absorbed many hundreds of Italian words and forms, which still form an essential part of everyday French speech. No foreign language has had an influence on French comparable to that of Italian. The French language was flooded with words related to art, music, literature, good manners, politics, military science, banking, and high culture in general; examples are the words: artisan, balcony, baldaquin, belvedere, fresque, courtisan, Altesse, Canon, corporal, cavalcade, soldat, banque, banqueroute, mascarade, carnival, newspaper, caprice, intrigue, adagio, sonate, fugue and arpegé.

The French language has changed a lot since the Old French period to the present day, and Old French is incomprehensible to a modern Frenchman who does not have the appropriate training. The main changes can be demonstrated by comparing the Old French elements contained in English with modern French. 1) Old French affricates ts(in writing - c), ts(in writing - ch) and (in writing - g, j) lose the closure element; 2) s disappears before consonants, and in places where it disappears, a circumflex is written above the vowel; 3) combination ei successively turns into oi, oe, , oa, ua; 4) ue changes to ö ; 5) ou goes into eu and then in ö ; 6) nasal consonants in position before other consonants merge with the preceding vowel; 7) e usually goes into and then disappears, thus reducing the number of syllables in the word. Over the past ten centuries, French has changed much more than all other Romance languages.

The first written monument of the French language is a text dating back to 842 Strasbourg Oaths, written by Nitard in a certain French dialect (it is not exactly established where exactly it was spoken). In the Middle Ages, there was a rich literature in French.

The German influence was certainly much stronger in France than in any other Romance country. Common words like honte"shame", hair"hate", choisir"to choose", effrayer"frighten", laid"ugly" hate"rush", gardener"keep", blesser"hurt" guest"guess", bru"daughter-in-law" Saisir"grab" age"pledge", fauteuil"armchair", bleme"pale", blue"blue", joli"beautiful" does not find parallels in Italian, Spanish or Portuguese, where words of Latin origin are used instead. Many of the Germanic words found in Italian and Spanish entered there from France in French form; e.g. Italian Giardino, loggia and guaranteed.

French uses the ordinary Latin alphabet of twenty-five letters; letter w used only when writing foreign words in a foreign spelling. This alphabet is complemented by a sign called cedille ( ç ), and three diacritics that are written above vowels: acute (accent aigu), grave (accent grave) and circumflex (accent circonflexe). Modern French orthography, like English, can serve as a reminder of the history of the language, since its development ceased in the 12th century. and it does not reflect the subsequent significant changes that French pronunciation has undergone. Therefore, it often turns out - as, for example, in the case of the words point, saint, chamber, quit, - that the English pronunciation, being much more conservative than the French, corresponds more closely to the modern French spelling of these words than does the pronunciation of modern French.



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