French 101, Unit One, Lesson 1

I'm starting slow. Exposure to French during family gatherings has probably sunk in more than I give myself credit for, but I still want to start from scratch because there are basics that I'm certain I'm missing.

My Resources

It might surprise you to know that I'm not taking formal language lessons in a classroom full of students. I haven't the time or the money for that. If you're thinking of learning French but, like me, have neither the time nor the resources to do so, then this link is for you:

Livemocha.com

It's a fabulous website of language learners from all over the world. The basic lessons are free, though there is a subscription for about $100.00 (C.A.D.) a year that will grant you some lovely extras. I'm not sure what those extras are... I haven't purchased that service. I'm too poor to.

The format is much the same for every language they offer, I think. Basic French, for example, has four 'terms' with two or three units, each with approximately six lessons per term (French 101 and 102 have three units each, and French 201 and 202 have two units each).

They offer extra practice outside of lessons and the ability to create flashcards from your lessons.

The best part is, you will be graded by native speakers who are also on the site AND, should you choose, they offer live chat so you can practice speaking in real-life conversations.

Sold yet?

If you decide to sign on, and are a follower of this blog ('cause, you know, I have so many of them at the moment), look for me. I'm the cat named Linguiphilia.

I'm thoroughly excited about this website because, not only do they have French and the other stronger languages of the world, but they also offer Welsh and Occitan! How cool is that?!

I shall be using this site a great deal, methinks.

Plan of Attack

Alright, I don't really have one as yet.

I will be working through the lessons on the site. I'm hoping to get through a lesson a week, so it'll take me six weeks to get through Unit One. I want to get through French 101 entirely (that'll be sixteen weeks) and then I'll start picking up French children's books to read. I'll also be tuning in to French radio when ever I can. Thank goodness for online streaming!

End Game

I hope to be able to read, write and speak French fluently in a year. Yeah. A year is a very short time in which to learn a language, but I'm banking on my previous and continued exposure to French to help me out. Plus, my Dad speaks it, so I will be getting extra help if I need it.

The Road So Far

Yes, I did steal that from Supernatural. Ahem...

Last week I began working through the lessons on Livemocha.com. I found the first lesson, 'Introducations' actually quite tricky. If they're all this hard, it might take me a bit longer than a year... Still, it was fun.

The comments on my submissions have been, thus far, encouraging. Though, let's be honest, I've only got one comment on my written submission and nothing yet on my spoken. I'll report back if I have more.

The site offers game-based learning, so there are games such as picture-word match and so forth. They do this for reading and listening, and have exercises for writing as well. I'm quite enamoured.

I will be buying a French-English dictionary as soon as I get the extra funds and might be tackling books a little sooner than the completion of French 101. We'll see how Lesson 2 of Unit One goes first, I think.