Completed Assimil French

[siouxchief]

Thanks Joe. I've started on Using French and I'm on lesson 14 but I'm getting a bit selective on what I choose to focus on the more I progress. Like yesterday there was a lesson on lots of expressions and I just skipped it. I don't mind the odd idiom but a whole lesson on them I'll focus on another time.

I will start pimsleur 3 soon but at the moment I rarely have time to speak out loud but I have lots to just listen. Using French is a step up but not insurmountable. One thing I realise about language learning is there is no gotcha moment and it's all very gradual. I can now listen to intermediate podcasts like Inner French relatively easy which I couldn't do before. Kinda like a fog lifting gradually the longer you go on.

Keep at it is the motto!

[bedtime]

Thanks Joe. I've started on Using French and I'm on lesson 14 but I'm getting a bit selective on what I choose to focus on the more I progress. Like yesterday there was a lesson on lots of expressions and I just skipped it. I don't mind the odd idiom but a whole lesson on them I'll focus on another time.

How about doing one or two sentences each day in addition to your other lessons? That way it's at least a little spread out. I can understand not wanting to do the exercise though; idioms are much more difficult to remember.

I'd rather not start another thread if the one is the very topic I'd like to discuss and you guys seem to have some experience...

I've done about 3 months of French grammar. And I'd say my grammar is quite decent for little time I've been learning the language. I'm able to watch movie and understand at least half of the subtitles perfectly. My issue is speaking French and actually thinking of how to construct those sentences in the moment, such as when I'm talking to someone.

That said, I bought Assimil with Ease, the book, and I have the audio recordings. I use the book a little differently: I listen to the audio and read along with the French text, interpreting as I go. Then I shut the audio off and read the main English sentences and translate them to French. It seems much more efficient this way. I just hope I can keep it up, as I'm only on the fourth lesson, and I can Imagine they get more lengthy and difficult as one goes on.

Anyway, I thought I'd join in on the learning voyage if that's okay.

[siouxchief]

Yeah I guess that could work in regards taking a few idioms a day. I just feel my immediate goal of being able to converse when ordering dinner in France in July is better achieved tackling regular chat.

I read on the old forum people much preferring Assimil business French for that very reason too so looking forward to that after I finish this.

@bedtime with your translation approach at the end of studying a lesson are you fully happy when you can write out the French from the English or just be able to listen to the French and understand it fully without the book or both?

[bedtime]

@bedtime with your translation approach at the end of studying a lesson are you fully happy when you can write out the French from the English or just be able to listen to the French and understand it fully without the book or both?

I translate the English to French simply by speaking aloud the French and thinking of the spelling of the words in my head and checking after if I was correct. I must match the original French 100%. I think that writing it down would enhance the process even more, but I like to lay back on my chaise longue and be a little lazy.

I found that just translating the French to English allows me recall and recognize the words but not to use and access them for purposes of talking. This has been the crux of my inability to speak French—too much reading but not enough producing.

Do you write it down?

[siouxchief]

I did write out the first 24 then stopped but I could see what you would gain. I realise Assimil can help multiple things at once if used fully but I'm using it to primarily increase my vocab and listening abilities. Like you, my production abilities need work but soon I'll continue with Pimsleur 3 and take italki lessons to improve that aspect.

I guess you could call this a much debated silent period I'm going through where it's all input. Does keep things moving quickly and I'm enjoying it which is the main thing.

[bedtime]

Still going on with the lessons. Not really sure what a poster meant about lesson 14 having expressions as lesson 14 was really only a review of what was learned...

So, I'm on lesson 15. Everyday I am dedicating, maybe, 1.5 hrs to these lessons, in small segments throughout the day. Generally I'll do a review of the past 5 or 6 lessons as well to maintain them. I'm translating all English to French, both main text and practice text. I listen to a lesson on the way to work over and over.

I decided that this weekend I'd just do a review of what I've learned so far and not any new lessons What a difference it makes! Just reviewing, over and over, has made my recall and translation so much faster and more natural. It's really added to my confidence. I'm telling you that I feel much better having taken that time perfect what I know.

At the same time, after having paused my grammar lessons for about a week or two (to start Assimil), I forged ahead on them, learning new things. Anyways, the change of pace was very welcome. On Monday, I'll go onto lesson 16 and storm ahead.

This, to me, has really emphasized the importance of taking ones time and putting quality before quantity. My confidence is much higher now. I feel more natural and more French.

Anyways, still living life as much as I can as a French man, and loving it. I just ate some bread sticks and enjoyed some French brandy today for dinner.

Never thought I'd make it this far. We can all do this with a little persistence and perhaps a little stubbornness.

[bedtime]

Still pushing on—I'm a glutton for punishment!

I'm on lesson 29. Still putting in 1-2 hours a day, everyday. Still reading the English in both exercises and translating to French. I found lessons 22, 23, 24 quite challenging to translate to French. A big reason is perhaps that the topic is gambling for all three of those lessons, and I'm not at all into that sort of thing, so the motivation really wasn't there. In any event, I ended up pausing new lessons to review these ones and perfect them and go over all the other previous lessons. I'd say I'm about 98% correct.

But at times I have to admit that studying this book is quite tiring. I've just translated to French the past 22 lessons so far today and my head has the 'brain sponge' feeling.

Anyway, I might post back in a month to update on progress.

[siouxchief]

Still going on with the lessons. Not really sure what a poster meant about lesson 14 having expressions as lesson 14 was really only a review of what was learned...

I said in my post that I was on 14 that day but yesterday I skipped the expressions so lesson 13 is where they were.

I've stopped Using French at lesson 40. I felt it got too frustrating for me and the new language very specific on topics I may never use. I read someone else on the old forum say they did the same actually.

I'm back doing Pimsleur 3 to improve my speaking and to drill the basics and my motivation is back which was definitely fading with Using French. In time I'll go and start Business French.

[bedtime]

Still going on with the lessons. Not really sure what a poster meant about lesson 14 having expressions as lesson 14 was really only a review of what was learned...

I said in my post that I was on 14 that day but yesterday I skipped the expressions so lesson 13 is where they were.

I've stopped Using French at lesson 40. I felt it got too frustrating for me and the new language very specific on topics I may never use. I read someone else on the old forum say they did the same actually.

I'm back doing Pimsleur 3 to improve my speaking and to drill the basics and my motivation is back which was definitely fading with Using French. In time I'll go and start Business French.

Oh, this is Using French that you're talking about. My mistake.

I was going to buy Using French, but after hearing this, I'll have to take a close look at the PDF to consider if it's worth it for me.

Glad to see the motivation is back. No use torturing yourself.

[Speakeasy]

There are few, if any, genuine “intermediate-ish” self-instructional language courses; the Assimil “Perfectionnement” (Using) series represents this publisher’s effort at providing such materials.

If you find that the Assimil Using French course (the “Advanced” characterization should be taken with a huge grain of salt) is not to your taste, you might consider using the Living Language Ultimate Advanced French course as an alternative. Although Random House ceased publishing this series circa 2012, new/used copies can still be found on the internet. These courses are comprised of 20 lessons in which the L2’s grammar is reviewed through the device of situational dialogues which are also designed expand the student’s vocabulary. The dialogues are recorded twice: once without pauses, once with pauses. Very good notes plus an English translation round out the course. A little dry, but effective.

The only other genuinely intermediate-ish self-instructional language courses are the Linguaphone Second Stage series which are 100% in the target language (L2 dialogues, L2 notes, no L1 translations). Then again, you could complete both courses.

A final possibility would be Hugo Advanced French which, although they have been out-of-print for almost two decades, can still be found on the internet. However, IMHO, although this publisher’s intermediate-ish courses were technically correct in that they provided a review of the target language’s grammar and introduced new vocabulary up to the CEFR B1+ level, they remained more of a demonstration of the L2 than a vehicle for practising the language and thus did not match the efficacy of those of their competitors.

Them’s the berries!

EDITED:
Insertion of a comment on Hugo Advanced French.
Paragraphing.