How I Became FLUENT in FRENCH in 1 Year!

Summary

In this video, Rory from Melbourne, Australia, shares his success story of becoming fluent in French within a year. He emphasizes the importance of learning phrases through a combination of listening and reading, using the Assimil textbook method. Rory stresses the necessity of commitment, including time, social, and financial investment. He argues against traditional language learning methods and promotes daily practice and gradual difficulty increase for effective language acquisition. Rory offers one-on-one calls to help viewers develop a personalized roadmap for French learning success.

Takeaways

• 📚 **Learning Phrases**: The speaker emphasizes the importance of learning phrases over traditional grammar-focused lessons and suggests using a textbook like 'Assimil' for structured learning.
• 🎧 **Auditory and Visual Input**: Combining listening and reading simultaneously is recommended for efficient language learning, as it provides dual input for better retention.
• 🚀 **Progressive Difficulty**: It's crucial to increase the difficulty of the phrases being learned to push out of the comfort zone, akin to 'growing pains' in physical development.
• 🌐 **Commitment Types**: Success in learning French requires three types of commitment: time, social/emotional, and financial.
• 📅 **Daily Study**: A non-negotiable daily study habit is essential for consistent progress and for the brain to prioritize the learning of French.
• 💡 **Brain's Retention**: The human brain retains information better when it is encountered frequently, which is why daily practice is so important.
• 🏠 **Social Sacrifice**: Social and emotional commitment involves making sacrifices in social activities to allocate time for language learning.
• 💰 **Financial Investment**: A financial commitment signifies self-confidence and serious intent to learn, suggesting that investing in language learning can save time in the long run.
• 📉 **Avoid Short-term Goals**: The speaker warns against short-term goals often promoted in quick learning videos, advocating for long-term commitment instead.
• 🤔 **Productivity Check**: It's important to regularly assess if the learning method is causing 'good growing pains' or if it's unproductive and causing frustration.
• 🔄 **Ups and Downs**: The speaker acknowledges that there will be fluctuations in the learning process, but with consistent commitment, the overall trend should be upward.

Q & A

What is the first key element mentioned for successfully learning French?

The first key element mentioned is learning phrases. The speaker emphasizes consuming a large input of phrases through listening and reading, and using a textbook like 'Assimil' for the first three months of language study.

What does the speaker suggest about the effectiveness of grammar-focused learning methods and language learning apps?

The speaker suggests that focusing on grammar and using language learning apps like Duolingo or Babel are not effective methods for learning French. He believes that these methods don't work and are not conducive to becoming fluent.

What are the three types of commitment mentioned as necessary for learning French?

The three types of commitment mentioned are time commitment, social or emotional commitment, and financial commitment. These are essential for prioritizing and dedicating the necessary resources to learning French.

How does the speaker describe his own language learning journey?

The speaker, Rory, describes his language learning journey as successful despite having no prior success with traditional language learning methods in school and no one around him who spoke a second language. He learned French on his own and became fluent in one year.

What is the role of the textbook 'Assimil' in the speaker's language learning method?

The 'Assimil' textbook is used for the first three months of language study. It provides lessons with French on one side of the page and English on the other, allowing the learner to simultaneously get auditory and visual input by listening to native speakers while reading.

Why is daily study essential according to the speaker?

Daily study is essential because the human brain prioritizes and retains information that is frequently encountered and focused on. Studying every day helps the brain to deem French learning as important, thereby facilitating better retention and progress.

What is the significance of increasing the difficulty of phrases as you progress in learning French?

Increasing the difficulty of phrases is important because it pushes the learner out of their comfort zone, similar to 'growing pains.' This discomfort is a sign of growth and progress, ensuring that the learner does not stagnate at a beginner level.

How does the speaker view the concept of learning French in a short period like 30 days as portrayed in some YouTube videos?

The speaker is critical of the concept of learning French in a short period like 30 days. He believes that this approach shortens the goal horizon and does not lead to long-term retention or fluency. It is more of a challenge rather than a serious commitment to language learning.

What is the role of social or emotional commitment in learning French according to the speaker?

Social or emotional commitment involves making sacrifices in social activities to allocate time for French learning. The speaker suggests that learners need to be willing to say no to social engagements in order to prioritize their language studies.

Why is financial commitment important in the language learning process as per the speaker?

Financial commitment is important as it demonstrates a person's seriousness and confidence in their ability to learn French. Investing money in language learning resources or courses can be a powerful motivator and a tangible sign of commitment to achieving fluency.