When Learning A Language

[Tilly2]

why is it that you can read and understand it but when it comes to speaking it, you forget how to say what you want to say? That's my experience, anyway.

[dannyk13]

I think the secret is to try to think in the language.

[Tilly2]

Thinking in the language seems to be a long way off, danny. I suppose that's what happens eventually.

[dannyk13]

What language Tilly?

[Tilly2]

Danny, I'm doing a refresher intensive French course. I have not done any French since my school days, many moons ago. I can read and understand a lot of it but can't actually remember how to say thing without being prompted.
I just wondered if that is natural and it will become easier.

[sherrardk]

My five year old son has a severe speech and language impairment - when he speaks he does so like someone who is speaking English as their second language. He has to really search his brain for the words he wants to say and has a slight Eastern European accent.

[diddlydo]

You need loads of practice speaking to someone who only speaks in French to you. Be prepared to have a go and don't worry about making mistakes.

[dannyk13]

Stick at it Tilly.They say that French is the second hardest language to learn after English.As you progress you will probably find that when speaking to someone in French you will find that you are thinking in French. Good luck with it. I only have an O Level in Italian but was lucky enough to have an Italian wife who helped me a lot, as did my in-laws.

[Tilly2]

Sherr, it must be very difficult for your little boy. I hope he is getting the support he needs, at school.

[Tilly2]

Thank you, danny. I hope to find it easier when I start my college course instead of trying to do it by myself, listening to CDs. I'm trying to give myself a heads up. I don't want to be the dunce!

[sherrardk]

We are really lucky as I got support sorted out for him before he started school. He has a TA every morning who does speech therapy with him (she has moved from reception to year one with him) and she really 'gets' him. He also gets one-to-one speech therapy from a 'professional' who then works out a programme with his TA. Also very fortunate that he is bright so he understands what he needs to do to improve his speech. It was terrible when he started school, I was the only one who could understand him and now everyone can understand most of what he says.

[Tilly2]

It's good to know that the support is working, Sherr. Well done to you for fighting for it.

[dannyk13]

Ditto ^^^

[jomifl]

Tilly, The only way I know of being able to speak French without having to think about it is to start off with learning as many everyday phrases as possible. You will then be able to say these without thinking about how to do so as with English. You will find that as you accumulate a stock of these you will unconciously join them together to make sentences. You have to practice them by speaking them so as to the get neural pathways set up. Just say them aloud to yourself. So the greeting...'Bonjour, comment ça va?' will be followed by tthe reply 'Bien, merçi, et vous?
Ask yourself the question then answer yourself then when someone asks the question you will reply without having to think about it.

[Tilly2]

Thank you all for your good advice. My next target is learning to play the piano...............!

[KARL]

It is almost universally the case that one is much slower at speaking than understanding in any language - that is also the case with infants learning their first language. I should warn you that the French have a strong reputation for being very snooty about their language not being spoken perfectly as a native of France. I recall a French Canadian I know who's first language is French leaving France early on his first (and I believe only) visit to the country because he could not stand their looking down on him for his accent and vocabulary, including pretending they could not understand him at all. But there are those in France who (like those of other language backgrounds) admire foreigners for trying to speak their language.

Also, French is not a very difficult language as such (apart from pronunciation to satisfy the French) and English is one of the easiest to learn as a second language - that is why it has become so widely accepted (there are almost no grammatical challenges). You have already been well advised: Keep at it, try to find opportunities to converse with someone who is a native speaker. Oh, the French absolutely loathe anglo-saxon pronunciation of French as typified by "ay" at the ends of words like bouquet, fiancé, voulez, etc. Get that right and you will really be taken notice of.

[jomifl]

There are as many different versions of French as there are French people. A (French) neighbour of ours corrected mrs. jom's pronunciation of 'trente' inseat of 'tront' he said it should be 'tranter' but then he does pronounce vin as 'ving' and tiens as 'chang'.

[piggynose]

i live in madrid, and have given up trying to speak spanish, because all i get all the time is "como?" or "que?". Maybe i dont have an ear for languages. or the words dont come out as they should

[theshedman]

Why not have a look at the Michel Thomas French course. He only teaches you how to speak and not the reading part of the language although you will learn much of that too. The BBC also do a course free on-line.

[Tilly2]

Thank you, shedman. I'll have a look at those.

[heathfield]

How about the trick of reading French out loud? That way your mind more quickly gets used to you speaking the words.