Liz
how do you practice speaking the language you're learning? *especially for beginners

where i live there are very limited places where you can practice beginner's french. most groups are very advanced, and even the confidence booster practice groups are upper intermediate... so as a beginner i find it very hard to actually practice speaking on a day to day basis... most skype contacts i have are with people in france. and the difference in time between australia and france is the main reason why i havent gotten any practice yet. :/  

 

last weekend i went to the confidence booster practice group and aside from one other person who's a beginner, the other 8 or so people were all intermediate to upper intermediate speakers... the group leader kind of left us two beginners there and we really struggled... for like an hour! awkard much?? lol  plus, when i came home and had my italki french lesson my pronounciation got worse! which is funny but really made me think, if you are learning a new language it may not be the best to practice with other people who are just starting as well? i mean it would be like the blind leading the blind?? lol also, if i'm speaking at home to myself it doesn't help too much either because i have no idea how my pronounciation sounds :/

 

my question here for discussion is: how do you practice speaking at home? have you found language partners or groups? if so, how have they helped you in learning the language of your choice? what are some challenges you face? and aside from here on italki, what are some ways you have learnt to speak? and lastly, do you have any suggestions for me?

 

thanks!

:)

Sep 30, 2014 6:56 AM
Comments · 8
3

I did all of my practice at home using Fluenz & Pimsleur for 4 months before venturing out.  It gave me a good enough base to feel confident speaking & listening to conversations.  I would have found it too intimidating to jump into a conversation right off the bat.  But if I did I'd seek out a person that knew Spanish very well & wanted help with English.  That way we'd both be in the same position and neither would speak over the other's head.

September 30, 2014
3

I talk with myself, and then for pronunciation I find some material where you get both audio and text and then shadow them speaking, so that I listen to the audio and read/act out the text at the same time and try to sound as much as them as possible.

September 30, 2014
2

"if you are learning a new language it may not be the best to practice with other people who are just starting as well?" 

I completely agree with you Lizzy. At school for example when you go aside the lazy guys you become lazy too. In Italian there is a proverb that says: <em>"chi va con lo zoppo impara a zoppicare" that means "who walk beside a lame learn to limp" </em>

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Regarding practice in my opinion if you are a beginner you should continue to enrich your vocabulary, listening could be useful as well. There a lot of cartoons on youtube. 

Regarding speaking you should catch any chance you have to talk in French even if you don't know very well. I followed your advice of vocaroo I recorded a little audioclip and ask italki users to correct me or say me if I'm doing well. 

September 30, 2014
1

Hi Lizzy,

 

    Listening can be very useful too. I've improved a lot my comprehension in spanish by watching the news in spanish every morning during a few month. Even if you don't focus so much and don't understand everything. Your brain will memorize a lot of sounds and some sentences, then your comprehension will become more natural. You can watch international news in french for example but also cartoons, movies, documentaries...

    Regarding your time difference issue with france, you can speak with people also elsewhere. French is spoken in New Caledonia for example, it's not far from australia.

 

bon courage :)

 

December 1, 2014
1

I don't know if my input would be helpful for you, but I started French 4 days ago. Right now I'm just watching cartoons and things like documentaries in French. I don't understand most of what's being said but that's not my concern at this point - I just want to listen carefully so I can eventually shadow the native speakers. Then I will probably do a recording and post it online for others to check.

 

I would also avoid other beginners because you might pick up bad habits and "Frenchglish?"

 

I know the time zone difference is a challenge, but don't give up! Good luck!

September 30, 2014
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