Maybe you’ve already made some attempts to speak French confidence. You tried joining French speakers groups, listening to podcasts or imitating movie scenes? 👀 But the result was disappointing… And it discouraged you. You even said to yourself: « Naaaah leave it, it’s not for me. » 😔
Why aren't you speaking French with confidence?
As a French teacher and a polyglot, I’ve heard many people telling me about their stress and fear of conversation in French.
Friendly reminder : There’s no such thing as the perfect moment to have a conversation. But, there are simple things you can do to be comfortable orally and be less nervous for your next conversation.
A little bird tells me that your limiting beliefs have nothing to do with this matter…
To succeed in making progress orally, it is essential that you overcome these 3 injunctions:
❌ You must work on oral comprehension above all
Oral comprehension is good, yes. But that’s not all !
You are probably not making progress in speaking because your learning method is too passive. It needs to be active now.
It means that it’s time for you to use everything you know in conversation. I highly suggest you to speak to yourself first, and then to your teacher, to your friends or any language partners. Do that as often as possible!
You will see that you will gain fluency, expand your vocabulary and even make progress in choosing the correct grammar and tenses ✨
If you want to take your French to the next level, I have something for you! I created a workbook based on artworks including movie, song, paintings and so on. Thanks to more than 10 challenges you’ll be immersed in French language and culture ✨
❌ Grammar is the key
Sorry to break it to you, but no. It isn’t. Grammar is a tool and not the key to speak French with confidence!
I’ll give you a personal example: when I learned Korean at university, we worked on grammar a loooooot. The only occasion I had to « work » on oral expression was when we read our grammar book…
What’s the result of this method ? Well, I have a good knowledge of grammar and I write without difficulties but I get stressed as soon as I have to speak spontaneously. Do you recognize yourself ?
If yes, then it’s time to close your book and SPEAK! 🔥
❌ I need to get rid of my accent
Amy Chua said it better than me : « Do you know what a foreign accent is? It’s a sign of bravery. ».
Having a good pronunciation is important but it doesn’t mean you have to get rid of your accent. You shouldn’t be ashamed of it. It’s part of you and your identity, so be proud of it.
I know it easier said than done. But as a French teacher, I don’t correct my students on every words they might say wrong. We work together on correctly pronouncing words in order to avoid any confusion when speaking.
Did you recognize yourself in this article?
I hope this article helped you understand why you don’t make progress orally and what you can do to FINALLY achieve your goal.
