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How good is French. Learn French via Skype: Features and Benefits

What is the best way to learn French - with a native speaker or with a Russian teacher? Do not rush to answer, let's consider in detail the pros and cons of both options.

What does a native speaker give us in learning a language? In the performance of a native French speaker, we hear the pronunciation, intonation, rhythm, melody of speech. We begin to feel and perceive the system and structure of the language - not because we learn the rules and a lot of exceptions, but because we turn on the internal, natural speech recognition mechanism.

The language environment is the nutrient solution in which our skills will grow the fastest.

These were quite obvious advantages of studying with a native speaker, and now let's talk about the cons.

Native speakers are different. Take a look around: could any person from your environment, a native speaker of Russian, be a worthy role model for his speech? Is this person’s speech literate and cultured enough, is the diction good? Agree that these requirements are not adequately met by the first counter media. And on the example of modern school teachers Russian, one has to admit the sad fact: even the presence of a specialized education is not a guarantee that a person speaks Russian correctly. Assessing the actual level of the native speaker with whom you are going to learn not your native language, but French, is much more difficult than the level of a teacher in Russian! In practice, it is not so easy to meet a high-quality native teacher. Those of you who have already faced such a problem know what it is about: anyone comes to teach courses as “native teachers”, people from the street in literally words - hastily trained to "teach" housewives, waiters and other seekers of overseas happiness.

In addition, the Western style of teaching is very different from the Russian one, and not always for the better.

Is the language environment a panacea? Is not a fact. Think about how many people you know who have lived abroad for many years but never speak French. How can this even be? Francophone environment is a psychologically aggressive environment, especially for an adult. In children, adaptive mechanisms are much higher. It's not about you at all. local residents- they can be very benevolent, but in the reaction of your brain, for which this whole situation is an extremely severe stress. The response to stress is highly individual. Few of us have such perfect stress resistance that such “immersion” turns out to be effective in terms of learning the language, and not negative in relation to the psyche and nervous system. Therefore, often a person simply abstracts from all this foreign environment alien to him, leaving himself a small window in the world. In this "window" it is enough to know a certain set of foreign phrases and the necessary routes for movement.

*Since "immersion" in the language environment is mentioned, this term needs to be clarified. AT Soviet time the method of immersion was practiced in certain structures. And even taking into account the strict selection of cadets, this method was far from useful for everyone. Also take into account that the “immersion” was never for beginners, but only for listeners who already had high level development of French language skills. However, a significant part of the cadets, instead of advancing in the language, received powerful symptoms of extreme stress: headaches, sleep disorders, and so on. This experience should be taken into account if you are going to learn a language in this way. Are you ready to dive into the language? Is your skill level sufficient? And most importantly: do your psychological features such a method? It is also important to know that the true method of immersion involves the complete absence of any communication on mother tongue during the period of study. But if you are offered evening gatherings in a language club, calling it “immersion”, feel free to agree if you like the company that gathers there: this is just language practice in the form of live communication, not immersion. There are no contraindications.

Is it not worth recognizing, based on the foregoing, that learning a language with a local teacher is more reliable and productive?

Let's start from the very obvious fact: domestic teachers, like carriers, are different. Among them there are people who are really good at the language they teach, and at the same time are at the top in methodologically that is, they are able to convey their knowledge to students. But there are very few such teachers, even in the capital. Brief illustration: many years of experience of the Center for Language Psychology in face-to-face education showed that in order to find one teacher for a trial period, at least 50 resumes should be processed. Then about 30 selected candidates to talk on the phone to schedule 10 interviews. Out of 10, only 1 can be allowed to work for a trial period. Obviously, not everyone has the opportunity and the necessary professional skills to conduct such a casting.

The main advantage of studying with a local teacher is that this is the person who will introduce you to the French language, starting from your native language. All grammar rules will be explained to you in an understandable language, in simple examples. With vocabulary, you will also go from your native language, learning the meaning French words, equivalent to native ones. This path is much more psychologically comfortable than learning French with a native speaker, especially from scratch.

What are the downsides? In the vast majority of cases, having sat down with a Russian teacher for a long time, you will never part with a Russian. You will learn to constantly translate from Russian into French and vice versa, in writing and orally, instead of learning to automatically switch to French in communication situations.

Another problem is familiar to those who have already studied any language with a native speaker. Studying with a local teacher, in 99 cases out of 100 you will have to put up with the Russian pronunciation of French words. For some, this is acceptable, but for someone it hurts the ear so much that this option immediately disappears. In addition to the subjective factor of likes and dislikes, there is also an objective point here: while you are listening to the “Russian version” of the French language, your ear is not trained in the slightest. But without it, one cannot build either listening comprehension of the native speakers or pronunciation.

The uniqueness of the CLP method is that it combines a native speaker, a language environment and a domestic teaching system based on the native language. High-class domestic translators, teachers, methodologists, psychologists, on the one hand, and teachers, native speakers, on the other hand, were involved in the creation of CLP programs.

Native teachers edited the text of the dictionary so that the French speech would not sound like "tracing paper from Russian", but would be natural. The speaker-carrier carried out the voicing of the text. Therefore, in CLP programs you get a competent and natural French speech. This speech includes not only individual words, but most importantly - speech patterns (phrases, sentences, dialogues), based on which you can quickly begin to understand and speak French on your own.

With the CLP method, you are not just given voiced speech. It is organized in certain system, language environment. So that the language environment does not become stressful for you, you are tested to prepare the program, and we calculate the algorithm for presenting the material. As discussed above, stress defense mechanisms which, as a rule, contribute not to the assimilation of information, but to its rejection. AT individual programs CLP this option is excluded.

Why is the domestic teaching system taken as a basis? Because this is exactly the case when the Soviet meant the best. This teaching system also drew on previous experience and was honed to perfection in order to give quick and tangible French learning results to every student.

About what results are obtained when learning French in CLP programs, the best

How to start learning

Choose a program using the description of the programs on the site.
Pass the test to prepare the program: .
Discuss with a specialist all the questions you are interested in compiling your personal course.
We will send you a link for payment, and after receiving it, we will start preparing the program. Within 5 days your program will be ready and you will receive a link to download it.
If you have any questions, please contact: [email protected], Nina Bryantseva, linguistic psychologist at the Center for Language Psychology (CLP).

I dreamed of learning French at school. At some point, we were going to add a second language, but this did not happen. As a polyglot, I was disappointed.)) Well, okay. At the university, the dream came true - several French classes were added per week!

A strict teacher and constant training in pronunciation and reading helped to master this language with high quality. But there were problems with speaking. There was little practice, so we understood something, but to say.))

Thank you, practice can be done at any time. But today is not about that. And that French is worth learning no less than English. I have collected several important facts about him.

  1. French is the official language not only in France, but also in Monaco, Luxembourg, parts of Belgium and Switzerland, northern and central Africa, Madagascar, the Canadian province of Quebec and many other countries and even islands. Many of them are former French colonies.
  2. French is spoken on all continents in more than 50 countries, by about 250 million people. Of these, 80 million -.
  3. In French, only foreign words contain the letter "W".
  4. French is the second most popular language to learn in the world.
  5. From the 17th century until the middle of the 20th century, French was the most important language diplomacy and international relations. The ability to speak French is still considered prestigious among diplomats.
  6. Since the ballet era officially began in France, main part his terminology is in French. As a result, in the process of learning, dancers learn a few French words.)) By the way, many political terms also of French origin.
  7. Following the victory of the Normans and William the Conqueror over the English in 1066, French remained the official language in England for 300 years until 1362. That is why about 30-50% base words are of French origin. For example: surf, war, view, strive, challenge, pride.
  8. For the purity of the French language, grammar and vocabulary is watching official organization French Academy (Académie Française). There are strict rules about the introduction of anglicisms into the language.
  9. Among all languages Latin origin French developed the most. However, it is similar to other languages ​​of its group in terms of vocabulary and grammar. For example, as in other Romance languages, French has several options for referring to a person: "tu" - for you, "vous" - for you. If you are familiar with French, I assure you, you will enjoy learning Spanish, Italian, Portuguese or Catalan after it. Tested on myself!
  10. In France, when greeting, men shake hands. In an informal setting, women kiss on the cheek (sometimes it's just a cheek touch). The number of kisses even depends on the region!
  11. The modern French language that we now know was finally established in the 17th century by Molière, Descartes and other writers.
  12. At times french revolution in 1793, 75% of French citizens did not speak French as their first language. Each region had its own dialect and dialect.
  13. French - one of 6 official languages UN.
  14. The French word "salut" can be used in both greeting and farewell. That is both "hello" and "bye".
  15. Cinema, balloon, high-definition television, the saxophone, the snowmobile, and the Velcro were invented by French-speaking scientists and technicians.

If you are interested in French, read the article with voice acting

When it comes to learning French, many of us immediately try to figure out if it makes sense from a practical standpoint. To be honest, it’s hard to name the practical areas of its application just offhand. Yes, and at first glance it seems that nowhere except France and Canada you are not expected with this language. And at the same time, we see that the French language is quite popular, because along with English, German and Spanish, a lot of polyglots are interested in it.

So how many French speakers live among us? Which countries speak French? In which public organizations French is used as a working language? You will get answers to these questions below by reading about some facts related to the French language.

A reasonable question: how many people in the world speak French? However, it is not easy to give an exact answer. According to one ethnological study, in 1999 French was the eleventh most widely spoken language in the world, with 77 million speakers and 51 million foreign learners. French is currently the second most studied language (http://samogo.net/articles.php?id=2207).

In 33 states today French is recognized as the state language or one of the state languages. For comparison: English is recognized as an official language in 45 countries.

French is official language France and its former colonial territories. Here detailed list from 14 countries:

  1. Benin;
  2. Burkina Faso;
  3. Central African Republic;
  4. Democratic Republic of the Congo;
  5. Republic of the Congo;
  6. Côte d'Ivoire;
  7. Gabon;
  8. Guinea;
  9. Luxembourg;
  10. Mali;
  11. Monaco;
  12. Niger;
  13. Senegal;
  14. Togo.

French is also an official language in some regions of multilingual countries such as:

  1. Belgium (Walloon region);
  2. Canada (Provinces of Quebec and New Brunswick);
  3. Switzerland (Cantons Jura, Geneva, Neuchâtel and Vaud).

French recognized one of the official languages in the following countries:

  1. Belgium;
  2. Burundi;
  3. Cameroon;
  4. Canada;
  5. Channel Islands (Jersey and Guernsey);
  6. Comoros;
  7. Djibouti;
  8. Equatorial Guinea;
  9. Haiti;
  10. Madagascar;
  11. Rwanda;
  12. Seychelles;
  13. Switzerland;
  14. Vanuatu.

French is played in many countries important role as language international communication , as well as simply the language spoken by part of the population:

  1. Algeria;
  2. Andorra;
  3. Argentina;
  4. Brazil;
  5. Cambodia;
  6. Cape Verde;
  7. Dominica;
  8. Egypt;
  9. Greece;
  10. Grenada;
  11. Guinea-Bissau;
  12. India;
  13. Italy;
  14. Laos;
  15. Lebanon;
  16. Mauritania;
  17. Mauritius;
  18. Morocco;
  19. Poland;
  20. Saint Lucia;
  21. Syria;
  22. Trinidad and Tobago;
  23. Tunisia;
  24. USA (Louisiana, New England);
  25. Vatican;
  26. Vietnam.

The Canadian provinces of Ontario, Alberta, and Manitoba have significant French-speaking populations.

Although in many countries French is neither official nor too popular language, however, Albania, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Romania and Slovenia are members of the Francophone organization or have close ties to it.

French is considered international language not only because it is spoken in dozens of countries, but also because it is one of the working languages In many international organizations, such as:

  • African Union (AU);
  • Amnesty International;
  • Council of Europe;
  • European Commission;
  • Interpol;
  • International Criminal Court;
  • International Olympic Committee;
  • International Organization for Standardization (ISO);
  • International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement;
  • Doctors Without Borders;
  • North American Free Trade Area (NAFTA);
  • North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO);
  • Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD);
  • United Nations (UN);
  • World Health Organization (WHO);
  • World Trade Organization (WTO).

After all of the above, there is no doubt about the practicality of the French language. Its demand in many regions of the world and serves its wide popularity. On the other hand, many students of French admit that they were captivated by the beauty and melodiousness that is inherent in this poetic language. Well, it’s impossible to argue with this, it’s just another plus and another incentive to think about learning French.

Requirements of the modern world

Highly fast pace life, accelerated technical progress and the rapid globalization of the world are bringing their Additional requirements to the level of education of the younger generation.

This also applies to learning foreign languages. And if until quite recently, any person, even a senior official, had enough knowledge of a single foreign language, but now this is clearly not enough.

Modern society dictates its rather high demands to people who want to take a worthy place in any profession. Therefore, knowledge of French as a second foreign language will be very helpful.

Why is it necessary to learn French?

As mentioned above, one of the main reasons for learning French as a second additional language is the current pace of world development. This significantly increases the demand for a person in the labor market and increases his importance in modern society.

In addition, French is spoken in more than thirty countries around the world. And this greatly expands the boundaries of communication and professional activity any person. After all, it is one of the two official languages ​​used in international relations.

The whole world knows the melodiousness and beauty of the French language. Many famous writers and poets published their works on it. Therefore, possession of it makes it possible to read masterpieces of literature in the original.

And the beauty of the sound of French songs simply captivates the listeners. It is truly the language of love. Yes, and travelers will make their trips to French-speaking countries the most content-filled if they speak French.

They will be able to freely communicate with the local population, and this will allow them to immerse themselves as deeply as possible in their culture, customs, and way of life.

Many people prefer learning to him also because of the ease of assimilation. In a fairly short period of time, you can reach a sufficient level necessary to be able to communicate in this beautiful language.

Incidentally, studying foreign languages, a person also develops his memory, thinking. Which also plays only a positive role in his life.

Some interesting facts about French

Perhaps not everyone knows, but French is derived from Latin. And the sound of it in various francophone countries significantly different from literature. It may have some of its specific features in style, structure, pronunciation. And in the 19th century, it was generally considered the language of communication of representatives of the upper class.

Now this language, besides France, is also used in many African countries, in Switzerland, Belgium and Luxembourg, in Canada and many, many other states. About a quarter of the world's countries speak French. So the meaning of learning French is quite clear and understandable. It remains only to wish everyone good luck in this training.