Moving on with French

[lusan]

The feeling of getting there after a long fight! I have been studying Polish already for 3+ years. It is a very hard journey, but everything is as per my schedule. My routine, beside Anki review which I do at the gym, I read aloud 1 h -Novels- and I listen Audio books (while reading in English and Polish.) My year end target is listening Audio while reading in Polish. Yesterday I took book 1 of Harry Potter and I began listening the Audio. I shocked that I understood between 80-100 %. I was very happy! So I am already there. Since my native language is Spanish, Polish would be my third. So I feel that I am ready to start my fourth. Of course, I will keep going deeper into Polish using only native materials. -Which I already do. I really need to improve Polish listening skills.

I hesitate between German and French. German is attractive because sometimes I visit the place, but I do not see myself reading German books. French is more likely candidate since I love Rimbaud and Vailane's poetry. Also I see myself reading French literature. Speaking? I doubt it. I have not need. 40 years ago I used to speak some level of French and even today I could understand/read plenty because of French is a romance language.

After dealing with Polish, I am convinced that I prefer an oral way of learning language AND I hate Pismleur method -overly expensive. I think listening is essential from the very beginning and I do not want to create more than 3000 French Anki's cards. The point is to get to the basic and move on into books and poetry.

Objectives:

Speaking: A2
Listening: B1
Reading: B2+
Writing: No Interest

Study time: 30 min for 1 full year.
Method:
1. Assimil
2. Anki
3. Clozemaster ?

So I am thinking about getting Assimil New French With Ease and together with Anki (maybe 2500 more frequent words) target my objectives by 2019 year end. By the way I will dedicate no more of 30 min to French since really it now when I feel that Polish is happily cruising along. After all French is another Romance language. Am I dreaming? Possible? Too optimistic? Comments appreciated.

[StringerBell]

Since you specified that you like the auditory way of learning, check out Français Authentique on YT, to see if it might be your style. I haven't used it myself, but from my understanding it is very similar in concept to Italiano Automatico, which I did use myself and loved. I think with FA there is a paid program that probably has everything subtitled, but there are a lot of free videos on the YT channel so you can get a feel for whether it interests you or not.

I know your question isn't about Polish, but since you also mentioned improving your Polish listening comprehension, I'll throw out a few suggestions in case you don't know about them. Have you tried Easy Polish on YT? Twice a month they conduct street interviews in Poland on various topics. The videos are duel subtitles with Polish/English, but if you support them with Patreon, you can download episodes as MP3s and I think download or remove the subtitles (which I haven't done yet myself, so I might be misremembering). I watch these videos periodically to get myself accustomed to faster speech. There are also some really interesting and fun YT channels like: Nieprzeciętne Życie (short 5 minute videos on interesting topics with illustrations that help concentration and attention) and 7 metrów pod ziemią which was recommended to me by my Polish language partner.

*My husband is a huge fan of Rimbaud, Verlaine and D'Anunzio - he has all their works (of course, in Italian) and I secretly hope that one day my Italian will get to a point where I can read them.

[Lawyer&Mom]

I was able to jump (akwardly) into native materials after Assimil French, and you are a native speaker of a Romance language! This is very, very doable! I also did the first 1500 words on Memrise, then 20,000 sentences on Clozemaster, with simultaneous immersive reading... 2.5 years later I can easily read mainstream fiction. I think you will progress faster!

[Skynet]

1. Welcome to the forum!
2. I have family in Greensboro and I will be visiting them again next summer. They stay in Irving Park. I pray that you were safe during the tornados that hit the county?
3. Assimil French + Spanish native = French mastery with minimum effort. You'll be teaching me French by the time you are done!
4. Can I entice you with [url]Assimil French Without Toil offered by the University of Waterloo[/url] instead of splurging on Assimil New French With Ease?

[lusan]

1. Welcome to the forum!
2. I have family in Greensboro and I will be visiting them again next summer. They stay in Irving Park. I pray that you were safe during the tornados that hit the county?
3. Assimil French + Spanish native = French mastery with minimum effort. You'll be teaching me French by the time you are done!
4. Can I entice you with [url]Assimil French Without Toil offered by the University of Waterloo[/url] instead of splurging on Assimil New French With Ease?

I did not have problem with the tornado but the hurricane was scary. Irving Park is not so far away from house. Just a couple miles, I guess. If you visit again, I take you for coffee.

The bar is not really low. I just want to make sure that I do not screw up Polish. The learning curve is very stiff for Polish and I do not want to lose ground.

French reading should be easy, but colloquial listening hard. So I will see how this move and adjust as needed.

Thanks for the link.

[lusan]

I was able to jump (akwardly) into native materials after Assimil French, and you are a native speaker of a Romance language! This is very, very doable! I also did the first 1500 words on Memrise, then 20,000 sentences on Clozemaster, with simultaneous immersive reading... 2.5 years later I can easily read mainstream fiction. I think you will progress faster!

This is pretty much what I have in mind. I just checked myself with wiki in French and I find it very easy. It feels like a Spanish dialect. Oop! I hope I did not insult anyone.

[lusan]

I know your question isn't about Polish, but since you also mentioned improving your Polish listening comprehension, I'll throw out a few suggestions in case you don't know about them. Have you tried Easy Polish on YT? Twice a month they conduct street interviews in Poland on various topics. The videos are duel subtitles with Polish/English, but if you support them with Patreon, you can download episodes as MP3s and I think download or remove the subtitles (which I haven't done yet myself, so I might be misremembering). I watch these videos periodically to get myself accustomed to faster speech. There are also some really interesting and fun YT channels like: Nieprzeciętne Życie (short 5 minute videos on interesting topics with illustrations that help concentration and attention) and 7 metrów pod ziemią which was recommended to me by my Polish language partner.

Thanks. I will look into it.

*My husband is a huge fan of Rimbaud, Verlaine and D'Anunzio - he has all their works (of course, in Italian) and I secretly hope that one day my Italian will get to a point where I can read them.

Yes. The symbolists and decadents of the late 1800. One of me wishes is to be borne again and be part of that French period. Fantastic! I read them 45 years ago in Spanish. Maybe it is time to read them in French!

[Skynet]

I did not have problem with the tornado but the hurricane was scary. Irving Park is not so far away from house. Just a couple miles, I guess. If you visit again, I take you for coffee.

The bar is not really low. I just want to make sure that I do not screw up Polish. The learning curve is very stiff for Polish and I do not want to lose ground.

French reading should be easy, but colloquial listening hard. So I will see how this move and adjust as needed.

Thanks for the link.

Oh dear. I wonder which areas experienced flooding there. I hope that you have recovered from the devastation and are back on your feet. I have experienced cyclones and typhoons (Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean equivalents of Atlantic hurricanes) before and can confirm that those are terrifying events. I was beyond ecstatic that the Duke Energy nuclear and thermal power plants held up well during Florence.

Well, call me old-fashioned, but last I checked, I should be the one taking out the southern belle out for coffee. Coffee is on only if we speak in French. (Apologies for incorrectly assuming your sex.)

In all honesty, I struggle with overly colloquial speech in any language, so don't be too harsh on yourself. I really wonder how easy Spanish will be for me after my B2 French and German next year. Hmmm...

If I may ask, why Polish?

[lusan]

If I may ask, why Polish?

Sure. My wife is Polish and German. I began with German but I realized that they prefer to talk to each other in Polish. So I ended up with an Slavic language. I would have prefer German since there is better and more learning material. Any way, here we are. Now I can talk to them and understand each other.

[Skynet]

Sure. My wife is Polish and German. I began with German but I realized that they prefer to talk to each other in Polish. So I ended up with an Slavic language. I would have prefer German since there is better and more learning material. Any way, here we are. Now I can talk to them and understand each other.

Aaaawww, the things we do for love! Wherever my future will will be from, our children are definitely going to learn our native languages, plus any other languages we will pick up along the way. Now that I think of it, wouldn't it be incredible if she was signed up here already? Girls, any takers?