French/general study help

[Ion Raptor]

Well guys I've never been a great studier, and have never had good study habits. Because up until now I've never needed them. However now I've realized that French is killing me and no matter what I do I cannot seem to keep things in my head.

I've tried flash cards, I've tried writing things down over and over again, I've tried just staring at the book and telling it that it will give up it's knowledge to me or else......but alas none of this is working as evident today when I bombed a test I thought thought I had studied well enough for. I simply blanked on it when it was placed in front of me.


So I'm asking any of you who have background in foreign languages (or just general studies) to help me find a way to memorize these things. I'm not sure if it can be impossible for someone to learn something, but I'm praying that it isn't.

[Battle-Ranch]

The best advice I can give you is just start using French in everyday conversation. Force yourself to start posting in french, teach your dog tricks in french and general blend it every chance you get (its french so a date is a great chance to not only study, but also sweep her off her feet )

[Torquemada Coteaz]

or move to france for a month or two
by the end of it you've either learned french or gotten yourself killed somehow...

But yes, generally just start tying it into things. Generally, don't cram, study gradually helps.

[Baron Spikey]

if you just want to pass tests rather than actually learn the language do what i did (i really hated french), learn it by rote as if it was a script or something.

Write down a sheet of vocab or phrases that you need to learn and keep going over them until you can cover the page and repeat what you've remembered. Everytime you get something wrong (even the smallest thing) start from the beginning...its not exactly going to make you fluent but it should help with the basic stuff.

[Dragoon King]

I myself use rote learning a lot, but it also helps if you just connect certain words to things in everyday life, the more connections you make, the easier it will be to remember. Blah, I don't like French myself, although a lot of people think its sofisicated. I've been trying to learn some Japanese and German, cause I want to study WW2 material in those languages. If you know anyone who speaks fluent French, try to have converstions in French with them daily.

[Cirative]

Find yourself a smoking-hot French chick to impress.

Trust me, learning a foreign girl's native language pays off.

[Templar Mikeel]

Cirative, thats the best advice given so far.

Or what you could do, as stated above, integrate it into your day-to-day speaking.

[Lord Commander Erus]

Originally Posted by Cirative

Find yourself a smoking-hot French chick to impress.

Trust me, learning a foreign girl's native language pays off.

Do you connect everything to women? Gurl darnit man you're insane!


Rote is probably the best and most assured way to go if you're not concerned about maintaining fluency past the class.

[masterofweirdness]

Drop French.

Take Latin.

I did it for Spanish.

Latin is much better!

[Ion Raptor]

but is it any easier?

[JoeGuardsman]

Languages are easy, especially if you aren't trying to speak them. It is just a system with maybe a few exceptions. You should be used to exceptions in rule systems after playing GW games.
My trick for vocabulary if you want to learn words for real is this. Try to remember the word three different times spaced out over the course of the day. Staring at the book and repeating or rewriting something only puts a constant strain on your short term memory and that is only going to frustrate you when the word falls right out when you finish studying. I study Japanese every day so it is easier to do this but what I do is place my study materials around my room and I run into the words accidentally. Also never have the word and the definition in the same place. Make sure you at least need to turn the paper over. It's all a matter of getting it into your long term memory.

[masterofweirdness]

Originally Posted by Ion Raptor

but is it any easier?

I think it is, simply because no one expects me to speak latin!

However... this may not be an option, depending how far you are in High school (you are in high school... right?)

[Ion Raptor]

no, college....which is why I'm so worried. The only reason i'm taking a language at all is because I have to for my major

[masterofweirdness]

Originally Posted by Ion Raptor

no, college....which is why I'm so worried. The only reason i'm taking a language at all is because I have to for my major

Hmm... ya... in that case, I would just stick with French, since I'm assuming you took it because you took French in High School...

Honestly, I don't know... work hard, study hard, find someone who is a native french speaker and talk to them every day. That's what I would do.

[Battle-Ranch]

Put your French book on your head and absorb the info via osmosis

[Cirative]

Originally Posted by Lord Commander Erus

Do you connect everything to women? Gurl darnit man you're insane!

That's how (and why) I learned Brazilian Portuguese. I absolutely love Brazilian women, so I learned their language. And, like I said, it paid off big-time.