When You're Having Trouble Learning French (or Any Language)

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  • čas přidán 27. 06. 2024
  • Even though I finally achieved my dream of speaking French and getting my DALF C1 diploma (and now living in France!), I have found myself blocked, stuck or just unable or unmotivated to study French many times in my life.
    One time I went more than ten years without a French lesson.
    But over a lifetime of loving (and trying to speak) the French language, I have learned some techniques to help me make progress.
    So for those learning French (like me) I'm sharing tips for moving forward and keeping your progress going. I'm not a French teacher, just someone who loves the language and wants to keep improving my French.
    Not an ad, but I really like French Today's website and their French audio books for listening comprehension practice in French. www.frenchtoday.com
    I hope my tips will help you--above all be kind to yourself! I still make mistakes all the time. It's normal! But I try to learn so I can move up and make more complicated mistakes haha.
    Bonne continuation les amis !
    Find me other places online for so much more!
    Substack: karenbussen.substack.com/
    Instagram: / karenbussen
    Facebook: / karenbussen
    Website: www.karenbussen.com/
    #livinginfrance #movetofrance #frenchlessons #studyfrench #frenchpractice #helpwithfrench

Komentáře • 25

  • @Rosamee
    @Rosamee Před měsícem +1

    Dearest Karen,
    I feel blessed that I discovered your channel 🌹I am thankful for your lovely videos from the bottom of my heart. Your sincerity seems to me unique and I believe, you have a generous heart and empathy for others who’d also like to broaden their horizons.

    • @karenbussen
      @karenbussen  Před měsícem +2

      Thank you so much for this kind message. You made my day! I'm so happy you are here, let me know if you have any questions or if there is other content you'd like to see. greetings from Paris!

  • @experiencesourceself358
    @experiencesourceself358 Před měsícem

    You are amazing!!! i love all the energy you exude and the spirit you are!!! Totally agree with all the tips you share! 🤩🤩🤩

    • @karenbussen
      @karenbussen  Před měsícem

      Merci merci ! Thank you for being here and for your kindness 😊

  • @claudiaramos8357
    @claudiaramos8357 Před měsícem

    Bonjour Karen! J'ai beaucoup aimé votre idée de créer un espace dédié chez vous pour pratiquer le français. C'est une idée très simple, mais efficace pour créer un sentiment d'immersion. Merci! Excellente suggestion !

    • @karenbussen
      @karenbussen  Před měsícem

      Bonjour ! Merci pour ce commentaire et bonne continuation 😊 🇫🇷

  • @violamezei6193
    @violamezei6193 Před 10 dny

    And that was a great language coaching session! Thank you, you are a talented teacher. I recently saw an interesting video by Olly Richards (a polyglot) who says that science backs up the fact that each of the languages that you speak can bring out different personality traits in you. You can also make more rational decisions when you think about a problem in your non-native language. I wonder what your thoughts are on this topic (maybe check out his video and react to it, that would be really interesting)...

    • @karenbussen
      @karenbussen  Před 9 dny

      Hello! Merci ! I will check out that video but I already agree that thinking and expressing oneself in another language is like making a shift in many ways 😃

  • @lorraine6947
    @lorraine6947 Před 2 měsíci

    @Karen Thank you for this video.

    • @karenbussen
      @karenbussen  Před 2 měsíci

      Thank you for watching and greetings from Paris!

  • @StephenLester-kl7oy
    @StephenLester-kl7oy Před 2 měsíci +1

    J'aime tellement vos vidéos ! J'emménage en France dans quelques mois et elles m'aident à me préparer pour le grand saut. :)

    • @karenbussen
      @karenbussen  Před 2 měsíci

      Merci merci pour votre commentaire. Je suis ravie que mes vidéos vous aident. Tous mes meilleurs voeux pour votre déménagement et bienvenue en France !

  • @Loufi303
    @Loufi303 Před 21 dnem

    Such beautiful pronounciation! I started out in life speaking French, but lost it (due to a country move) at the tender age of 4,5. I only got around to it again a few years ago and do make progress, mais...petit à petit. I can read fairly easily, but the correct, somewhat more complex sentence constructions? Argh!

    • @karenbussen
      @karenbussen  Před 21 dnem +1

      Don't give up! Just keep going and my best advice is to not worry about perfection--just go for it, make mistakes (you'll learn from them) and try to talk as much as you can. Bonne continuation and thank you so much for leaving a comment :-)

  • @davebailey7494
    @davebailey7494 Před 20 dny

    Young Lady, you are precious!

    • @karenbussen
      @karenbussen  Před 19 dny

      This comment just makes my whole day-merci merci !

  • @moniqueadams7275
    @moniqueadams7275 Před 2 měsíci

    I always look forward to watching your videos. I'm 66 years old and thinking about retiring in France.
    I bought my tickets for June to visit Nice.
    I have just begun to learn French two months ago. I'm wondering
    How does one go about going from the airport to hotel, getting food, ECT... without speaking the language.
    Will I be okay?

    • @karenbussen
      @karenbussen  Před 2 měsíci +2

      Bonjour ! Thank you for such a lovely comment and that is so exciting. In terms of the language, do not be afraid. Nice is a big airport and a big (and beloved touristic) city with many English-speaking visitors, so while not everyone will speak English, you can be sure that you'll be able to get by. My main tip: always always always start any conversation with anyone (taxi driver, hotel front desk, restaurant staff, market seller) with the word "Bonjour !" If you do that one thing, it will get you a long way because it shows that you know how important a greeting is in France. It's great that you've started learning the language and I encourage you to practice whatever you've learned by the time you arrive. Do not be afraid to speak in French, even if you don't know as much as you'd like.
      Also, you'll likely find menus in English in restaurants that serve tourists. I wish you a wonderful trip and bonne continuation !

  • @ferayster
    @ferayster Před 2 měsíci +1

    How do you say "pick up after your dog'" in french.? Living the dream !!!

    • @karenbussen
      @karenbussen  Před 2 měsíci +1

      hahaha ! So funny because it's so true. We have a neighbor who walks her dog and lets it do its business right in front of the door to our apartment building every day, with zero cleanup. But I also heard that there used to be "moto-crottes" -- people on scooters picking up poop in Paris--(look it up!)
      I asked my French husband how he would say that and he replied, "ramassez votre merde !" which also made me laugh because he still "vouvoyé'd them :-) But don't forget to start with Bonjour haha. Thank you for your funny comment and yes #livingthedream

  • @michelesauret7779
    @michelesauret7779 Před 2 měsíci

    Vos efforts paieront, un jour votre français deviendra très fluide, vous serez parfaitement bilingue. Merci d'aimer notre langue 😘

  • @user-sorleyboy
    @user-sorleyboy Před 2 měsíci

    Merci, Karen! Je m'appelle Mitchell. En France, devrais-je dire : Michel?

    • @karenbussen
      @karenbussen  Před 2 měsíci

      Bonjour ! Hmmm...c'est une question un peu difficile. I will write in English so all can read. I am on the fence about this. The question is really "to T or not to T" :-) Here are my thoughts:
      1) Whether or not you decide to emphasize the T in your pronunciation, make sure to put the accent on the last syllable. "Mee-SHELL" or "Meet-SHELL."
      2) In French, there really is no hard "ch" sound. Ch is pronounced "sh"
      3) I think because it's so close to Michel, that is what the French will hear when you say your name (as long as you accent the last syllable and pronounce the I as "ee"
      4) If you're just visiting France you might not really need to spell out your name for anyone, so you could just go with Michel if you're OK with that. For example, I know my name is not really Karène, but that's just how I say it because it's easier for the French to hear it/say it. When they need to write it down, I spell it out (using French pronunciation for the letters).
      In conclusion (ha!) I would say you could always try it both ways and see what works best. In my life here, I just prefer the ease of quick understanding and I like how my name sounds when frenchified.
      Je vous souhaite une excellente journée et merci pour votre commentaire ! Bonne continuation...

    • @user-sorleyboy
      @user-sorleyboy Před 2 měsíci

      @@karenbussen Merci pour votre recommendation! Je suis d'accord.