Re: PM’s French Re-entry into the Matrix - Phase 1: 500 Hours Extensive Reading

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blaurebell
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Re: PM's French Courses Mission

Postby blaurebell » Sun Apr 16, 2017 11:27 am

Snow wrote:Anyway, according to my C2 friend who also took the B2 exam, he failed and so did his other friend who was taking B2~ classes in IC. Also, one of the IC students chatting before the exam, eventually became my office mate and said he also failed the DELE. They took/were taking expensive classes yet they still failed while a mediocre student aka me passed.


Speaking fluently doesn't mean that they were speaking correctly, and here is probably why someone who seemed way ahead of you failed, Snow! Such tests usually place a higher emphasis on producing correct language rather than producing it fluently.

Peter: This is actually the reason why I think you should take the test as soon as possible. You've been over-learning the grammar, so you will already do well because of that. For the skills where you have doubts: I think you have enough time to prepare. Just read one text of the style that you find in the exams every day until May and you'll do brilliantly. Novels require different skills, so having read many of those might not even help you with the B2 type texts in the exam at all. Same goes for the writing activities, just focus on producing the exact kind of texts they want and you'll get plenty of practice, ideally working with a tutor for feedback. For the listening part - binge watching a single series is about 100-120h. I don't know whether you have time for it or not in your schedule, but if you do, I think even watching cartoons would be already enough to ace the listening part and this way you can easily integrate it with your family time! And from reading your log I don't think you need to focus on speaking in your exam prep, since you seem well on track with it!

Seriously, don't be scared, after all the courses you've done, you're better prepared than most!
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Carmody
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Re: PM's French Courses Mission

Postby Carmody » Sun Apr 16, 2017 1:52 pm

Peter

I am going to make a revolutionary suggestion and that is to not take the test with this great need to pass. Just forget that. Rather take the test because you want to use it to find out what you do and don’t know of the French language.

My wife is a totally brilliant student who actually aces all tests. I do not. But I was in a French night class we took together about 2 years ago for 10 weeks and she did fabulously and then just dropped the subject. However I learned a very important thing in the class and that was that she was totally relaxed…like totally. And I was not; I was tense.

It is very possible that you get tense in testing situations and never thought of relaxing. So maybe if you took it as an experiment to see what you know and don’t know re the French language, then, you might do better than you thought.

But if you are going to try this, you have to be honest and really let go of any need to get great marks. Whatever the results of the test, you will still have your love of French. Just don’t let them take that away from you. Rather use them to find out what you know and don’t know..and relax…….

Like I said, it is a revolutionary concept. I am not so relaxed a person myself, but it might be a good strategy for me to adopt as well.

Good luck and thanks, whichever way you choose.
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Re: PM's French Courses Mission

Postby PeterMollenburg » Fri Apr 28, 2017 10:28 am

The final push to B2

I paid for my B2 exam today.

I decided to lay low for a little and get my act together in the last week or so- which I have done for the most part. Still, i've not covered anywhere near as much ground as I would've liked to date (not a surprise), but I'm pushing forward towards the B2, paid for it now, so May 18th it is!

• Got into a better routine in the last week.
• Last couple of days I have lost the plot somewhat again (not entirely). I want to be back in full swing of my routine come 1st May.
• Next 2.5 weeks I will make the final push and try to stick to my routine even better.
• Have further identified my weakness-
* Listening could be better
* Speaking requires more regular practise post
exam I believe but likely good enough to pass.
* Speed is still an issue - I've always been
thorough as opposed to fast and this is
something I ought to be acutely aware of during
this exam - i'm still not great on how much time I
need to respond to each section of the exam and
I need to know this better.

• I did request, ~2 weeks ago now, -even had the cash set aside- private tutoring with the Alliance Française, they didn't get back to me until today. I'm not going to use them now. I went with iTalki instead. I had paid for 7 lessons up front on iTalki (already had 2) and still have more to book in the lead up to the exam.
• My confidence rises and falls in general but on the whole I really should be able to pass this exam (can you tell confidence is currently up a bit).
• My 2 lessons so far on iTalki (via Skype) have gone rather well and I seem to be able to respond not flawlessly but rather well to the B2 style questions expected of me and put to me via my tutor.
• Tried out listening with waterproof headset and ipod while kayaking up the river. Still not a big fan of audio while exercising. It feels like too much of a distraction from focusing on the exercise itself. I will try some more before I give up on that idea. It might come through in the end, or at least when i'm casually kayaking as opposed to pushing the limit, but while I tried it, I was longing for the podcast to shut up so I could be with nature and listen to the water, trees and my breathing, even if my mind wanders while doing so.
---------------------------------------

Plans post exam

I've been thinking a lot about introducing Dutch on a equal footing with French (ie equal amount of allocated learning time), but i'm beginning change my opinion again. You see, having done over 3000 hours of French, I ought to able to pass a C2 exam, but i've often said that i've really hammered the pronunciation and general basics and taken twice as long or more on much of my learning compared to what Mr or Mrs Usual Person may do. Let's say then that i've done the equivalent of 1000 hours study, but with better than average pronunciation. In that case, it's not that much of a stretch that I could aim for a C1 exam in November or May next year when the next exam periods are. However, I need to do a lot more reading and watching/listening. So that's my rough plan. Pass the B2 (fingers crossed) and target the C levels. I feel like there's a LOT tied up in my memory banks that is simply not being activated fully. If I can pass the B2, then work on activating via consolidation through extensive exposure then surely 4000 hours should get me over a C1 line at least? I could be drastically wrong of course. One could go running every day for 10 years and still not be able to run 5km in under 20 minutes.

I keep reading that if you can take your level of language to the C-levels you're much less likely to forget what you learn or you will at least find it much easier to maintain that language and it will take more for it to rust if you don't use it much/at all (that's not my plan). This is my motivation. I could be dreaming, but this is the carrot I'm currently chasing.

So, post exam I will rotate my 3 hours. One hour course study (still- it works for me), one hour watching, one hour reading. I will aim to build my listening skills up in a more gradual manner- I bought Buffy today (the box-set). I couldn't help myself but to buy some more French books too (conpiracies if you will- or 'reality' really). My reading hours will be 66% extensive, 33% intensive, similar for watching- emphasis on extensive. And as for courses I will attempt to complete French in Action once and for all without any translating (via dictionnaries)- use it as it's designed (no English). Later I'd like to complete FSI Basic French and Mauger's course. Afterwards the CLE courses. All these courses are almost (ex FSI perhaps) entirely in French- a good move, I believe.

I'm not sure what to do with flashcards. I need to step away I think, or at least from reliance on English, so I may ditch them for a time and see how I go, or I will switch to French only flash cards (now my clues for cloze cards- the only style cards I use - are in English). I need to gain confidence in leaving such training wheels behind, but am scared of not understanding words without them. Still, I do often think back to times when I used FIA when I wasn't in my 'serious French period' which began in 2013 and I seemed to have had a more natural feel for French back then at times- the difference I think, is I still use too much English! We'll see.
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Re: PM's French Courses Mission

Postby smallwhite » Fri Apr 28, 2017 10:46 am

PeterMollenburg wrote:I paid for my B2 exam today.

Yay!

Now where have I put my pom-poms... :roll:
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Re: PM's French Courses Mission

Postby PeterMollenburg » Fri Apr 28, 2017 11:09 am

smallwhite wrote:
PeterMollenburg wrote:I paid for my B2 exam today.

Yay!

Now where have I put my pom-poms... :roll:


;) Over there! (points while you are looking the other way). You see?! :)
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Re: PM's French Courses Mission

Postby Carmody » Fri Apr 28, 2017 11:21 am

"May 18th it is!" Congratulations!

Peter we are all rooting for you!

If you are in anyway like me, one of the real challenges will be to just relax. I think that is harder than most people think.
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Re: PM's French Courses Mission

Postby Snow » Fri Apr 28, 2017 11:29 am

Step 1: registering and paying for the exam - DONE! Congrats, PM! Now there's only one step left, which is Step 2: Show up on exam date! You can do it!

Re: listening, try to practice some exam listening drills without a headset because in the exam room, I don't think they would let you use one. It's a bit harder to focus on listening to the audio blasted by a pair of speakers. Aside from that, just continue whatever works for you! I also hope you take the time to familiarize yourself with the exam (structure, time per section, instructions, etc) as I've written in my long post here.
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Re: PM's French Courses Mission

Postby shandra » Fri Apr 28, 2017 1:55 pm

So glad to read about you again! :)
Pompoms for everyone, let's cheer for PM!
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Re: PM's French Courses Mission

Postby PeterMollenburg » Fri Apr 28, 2017 9:07 pm

Thanks peolples for yours support! I really do appreciate it :)

Had to drop another quick line to express my excitement. I had another italki session this morning. This time with a Québécoise, since at this level I ought to be able to cope with all kinds of accents. Her accent I must say was not that strong. Nevertheless it was a non-Parisian accent. Without prompting her at the end of the session she said she felt I had an excellent level of French and would have no issue passing the B2 in her opinion, as I made very few errors. She simply encouraged to do more listening and speaking in the lead up to the exam. Woohoo!

And since she was offering her opinion and seemed to know exactly what I was in for (she was straight into B2 style exercises from the beginning of the session), I asked her what my chances were of passing a C1 at the end of the year. She felt that I ought to be able to do so without much trouble and that I could be C1 now. So again, that's my target, B2 now, C1 à la fin de cette année ou mai 2018 au plus tard. À la prochaine peoples.

Dans sa maison un grand cerf
Regardait par la fenêtre
Un lapin venir à lui
Et frapper ainsi
Cerf, cerf, ouvre-moi ou le chasseur me tuera
Lapin, lapin, entre et viens
Me serrer la main


(really enjoying little songs like this lately- singing them with my daughter, great fun! If you don't know it, search it on Youtube for the fun of it)
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Re: PM's French Courses Mission

Postby Ani » Fri Apr 28, 2017 9:34 pm

Petit escargot
Porte sur son dos
Sa maisonnette.
Aussitôt qu’il pleut
Il est tout heureux
Il sort sa tête.


Tout se passera bien, j'en suis sûre. :)
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But there's no sense crying over every mistake. You just keep on trying till you run out of cake.


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