The Best French Learning Programs.

A baby growing up in France doesn’t know anything about French learning programs. He learns to talk by listening to his elders talk, and also by making noise. The parents, delighted that their child is trying to communicate, will talk back - but more importantly, they’ll correct the child’s pronunciation. For example, the baby, quite randomly, says “Puh-puh-puh.” The father will say, “He said Papa! Do you love Papa? Papa loves you too!” Eventually, after numerous interactions like this, the child will learn that it isn’t “Puh-puh-puh,” it’s Papa, and the sound refers to that nice man with the rough face who smells like shaving cream.

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When you speak to native-born French speakers, you’re doing the same thing, even though you’re doing it in a more intentional way. Having a vague idea of how to say hello, you smile and say “Bawn Choor.” The polite French-speaker replies, “Bonjour,” but inwardly he winces. When, he moans, will these silly foreigners learn to speak intelligible French? 

The problem with many French learning programs in the past is that they focused on teaching the student grammar and sentence structure and conjugations up front, failing to recognize the most important key to success - absorbing the way the language sounds. Fortunately, today’s best French learning programs, such as Rocket French and Pimsleur French 1, concentrate on sound recognition and pronunciation. In fact, Pimsleur French 1 does not even come with a book; it’s entirely audio-based. But there’s a good reason for this; when toddlers learn to speak, their “lessons” do not come with books either. The written word is secondary to the spoken word in Pimsleur, as it is in real life.

The approach of Rocket French is a bit different, although it is still very much grounded in speaking and understanding the language orally. The big difference here rests in the bonus materials that come with the full Rocket French course. A major component of this French learning program takes place interactively and online. There are addictive vocabulary-building games to play, as well as a helpful forum where you can post questions to be answered by Rocket French instructors, native speakers, and other students just like yourself. Because the forum and games utilize written as well as spoken French, it is a wonderful complement to the audio-based course. And the full Rocket French course also includes a series of 45 grammar lessons - invaluable when you get to the point of needing to understand the theory behind the language.

Certainly Pimsleur French 1 and Rocket French are not the only two products that focus on training the ear, nor is the conversational approach the only way to learn a foreign language. However, the success of either program in teaching people to speak French quickly and fluently is unparalleled. When choosing a French learning program, remember to take a cue from the babies - learn to speak by speaking, listening, and speaking some more. You’ll be amazed at how quickly you’ll pick up a new language!