How to Make Learning French Easier

With over 25 years experience in corporate law and M&A, Dyan Gershman is the founder of Gershman Law, PLLC, a boutique corporate law firm based in New York City. Dyan Gershman provides legal advice and support in a broad range of corporate matters to her U.S. and international clients. In addition to being an experienced professional in corporate law, Dyan Gershman is also fluent in French, and uses it in her practice with French-speaking clients. 

More and more people around the world desire to learn how to speak French. It may seem difficult for beginners, but experts in teaching the French language point to certain simple steps that make the learning process easy and fun. 

First, learning French (or any language) becomes easier when one enjoys the challenge of it and ideally has a reason why they want to pursue it. An important reason why many are choosing to study French is that it is the official language in more than 25 countries and is spoken in many others. Over 275 million people around the world speak French. It is also an official language of many international organizations, including the United Nations, UNESCO, and the International Court of Justice. So whether it is for professional reasons, or for use while traveling, or simply to enjoy French films without needing to read subtitles, French is a very useful language to learn. 

There are many beginners’ classes available to the public to learn French. Learning a language in a group setting is often easier and more enjoyable than trying to learn on one’s own. 

There are also many modern-day tools for learning French. For example, there are numerous apps that are both effective and fun available for smartphone users that require only a few minutes a day to begin learning French. The apps provide exercises based on the user’s capabilities. Often grades or other feedback are immediately provided so that a learner can gauge their progress. 

Many people find the use of a personalized phrase book is also very effective. By collecting the most relevant French words and phrases into their personal phrase book, users can quickly learn common conversational words and phrases and the book can then to serve as a guide when traveling, or in speaking the language.