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Re: Carmody's Log for French

Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2016 4:55 pm
by jennybenny25
Bonjour Carmody :)

I too learning french and i too am impressed with the effort people go to for studying (puts me to shame)

Look forward to reading your log journey

xx

Re: Carmody's Log for French

Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2016 5:12 pm
by Mohave
Bonjour Carmondy!

Welcome to the forum! I look forward to reading your log! I am also retired and I have been learning French for about 2 1/2 years now. With the help of the members at this forum (and over at HTLAL), I am pleased with my progress! President Holland was also one of the very first that I understand! You will find in general the politicians speaks very slowly and enunciate clearly! I used Assimil (French Without Toil) and found it very helpful. I also really got a lot of mileage out of Pimsleur. It really helped me with pronunciation,mellow and spontaneity. PImsleur I and II can be a little rote, but many of us found that Pimsleur IV and V were worth their weight in gold. It's expensive so see if you can borrow it from your library. Also, in retrospect, I wish I would have completed the FSI Basic Phonology course upfront!

Bon Courage!

Re: Carmody's Log for French

Posted: Thu Jan 21, 2016 3:39 am
by Carmody
Many thanks for your time and guidance.

Current status is:

Assimil-NFWE: 95 / 113.

Hours Listening to French News: 35 / 200Goal of 200.

Hours Reading French Newspapers: 35 / 200Goal of 200.

Hours Review of Grammar: 25 / 200Goal of 200.

Hours Review of Vocabulary: 25 / 200Goal of 200

Re: Carmody's Log for French

Posted: Mon Jan 25, 2016 2:45 am
by Carmody
Report as of January 24, 2016

Hello all,

Assimil-NFWE: 100 / 113.

Hours Listening to French News: 40 / 200Goal of 200.

Hours Reading French Newspapers: 40 / 200Goal of 200.

Hours Review of Grammar: 25 / 200Goal of 200.

Hours Review of Vocabulary: 25 / 200Goal of 200.

Re: Carmody's Log for French

Posted: Mon Jan 25, 2016 4:41 am
by Cavesa
Hi Carmody, nice log, I am looking forward to following your progress!
Is your wife joining our community too? :-)
You might want to take a higher course than the beginner one in March, as you're likely to be a bit more advanced by then and the courses at Alliance Française tend to be a bit slow.

Re: Carmody's Log for French

Posted: Mon Jan 25, 2016 10:34 pm
by Carmody
Thanks for your kind thoughts.

1-I always heard that Alliance Française was tough going, that is why I chose A2 level; am I wrong?

2-The Assimil-NFWE book has B2 level-Common European Framework Level on the on the front cover. Are they correct?

Thanks.

Re: Carmody's Log for French

Posted: Mon Jan 25, 2016 10:53 pm
by tomgosse
Carmody wrote:Thanks for your kind thoughts.

1-I always heard that Alliance Française was tough going, that is why I chose A2 level; am I wrong?

When you applied to the AF course did they ask you to take a French test first. They asked me to take on in Boston, but I ended up not applying.
2-The Assimil-NFWE book has B2 level-Common European Framework Level on the on the front cover. Are they correct?

Thanks.

Here are two discussion on Assimil bringing you to B2 from the old forum:
B2 realistic with Assimil?
Assimil French w/Ease = B2
Even though I own a copy, I haven't used it.

Re: Carmody's Log for French

Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2016 2:52 am
by Carmody
Tom, thanks very much for the answers to my questions; greatly appreciated and very much along the lines of what I expected to hear.

My wife and I plan to visit the AF school next month and at some point take their written and oral exams for the sake of placement.

Thanks again.

Re: Carmody's Log for French

Posted: Thu Feb 11, 2016 2:38 am
by Carmody
I have been consistent in my discipline but find that after 2 1/2 months I have hit a plateau and can not get off it. I continue the study but don't see the progress.

Many thanks for your time and guidance.

Assimil-NFWE: 105 / 113.

Hours Listening to French News: 35 / 200Goal of 200.

Hours Reading French Newspapers: 35 / 200Goal of 200.

Hours Review of Grammar: 35 / 200Goal of 200.

Hours Review of Vocabulary: 35 / 200Goal of 200.

Re: Carmody's Log for French

Posted: Thu Feb 11, 2016 11:12 am
by tomgosse
Progress can be slow and hard to measure. Ask yourself, "How much more do I know now than I did two months ago?" Then ask yourself the same question in two months, six months and a year from now.

The best advice that I have been given is, when stuck, start using what you learned. Now, that's easier said than done. I know that I am having a very hard time putting it into practice. I have learned a good bit of grammar, expressions, and idioms, yet I still face what seems to be an insurmountable wall of writer's block.

Hang in there. Do something every day (I should take my own advice.) :roll: