Learn French Software

So, what is the absolute best learn French software? There is a lot of hype out there about Rosetta Stone, but when you look closer you’ll see that not only is it very basic and repetitive, it’s prohibitively expensive. What really convinced me that Rosetta Stone was good is that it’s what the CIA uses to train their operatives. BUT… it turns out that’s a myth; the government has their own in-house programs and don’t use Rosetta Stone at all.

My boyfriend is French and I am fluent, so we have a pretty good idea what it takes to learn French. Learn more about our top pick here. Here are some of the particular difficulties of French for English speakers:

• Pronunciation, especially the “r” sound and some “ou” and “u” sounds. Any good software will have you practice these sounds frequently.
• Every object has a gender, for example la chaise (the chair) and le bureau (the desk). Unlike Spanish, you can’t always tell the gender of the word by its ending. The best software uses mnemonic techniques to help you remember the gender of each word.
• Verbs, verbs, verbs: each tense is conjugated differently for six “persons.” For example, the present tense of aller (to go) would be: je vais, tu vas, il va, nous allons, vous allez, ils vont. In elementary school, French students memorize a dozen different tenses of each verb. Fortunately, you can get by with three or four- only the best software will show you how.

Rocket French is the only program I have found that really addresses all these problem areas. It incorporates a lot of games and quizzes to keep things fun so you’ll want to keep learning, and they have tons of happy customers to prove it. The editors of PC magazine even made it their number one pick for language learning.

Not every program is for everyone, but Rocket French has a 60-day money back guarantee. Basically, you get to try it for two months, and if you’re not completely happy you will be refunded 100% of the purchase price. You get lifetime access to the software and get all the future upgrades for free. Oh, and it’s hundreds of dollars less than Rosetta Stone. Try Rocket French for free right now.

For anyone who really wants to learn French software is, without question, the way to go. Unfortunately, the task of choosing between programs may be enough to make you forget why you wanted to learn in the first place. So, to keep your spirits up, I have assembled this short list of factoids about the most romantic language in the world.

• English speakers may say that French is the laguage of love, but the French say that French is the language of diplomacy. Here’s the proof: French, not English, is the official language of the United Nations, the International Red Cross, NATO, and the International Olympic Committee. Not bad!
• The French word “hotel” doesn’t just mean a place where you sleep, it’s also any big building. Tourists sometimes try to book a room at town hall because they see the sign that says “hotel de ville”. The locals think it’s hilarious!
• Since 1945, the number of francophones (that is, people who speak French) worldwide has tripled. This is partly because old French and Belgian colonies chose to keep the language even after winning their independence.
• In France, beer is served at McDonald’s, but wine is not. Also, portions are smaller in France than in North America, even the size of a medium softdrink ar a BigMac. But don’t take my word for it- plan a trip and check it out for yourself!
• French fries are actually from Belgium.
• In English, we think it’s oh-so-chic to borrow French words like carte-blanche, faux pas and laissez-faire. Oh, and the word chic! For a French speaker to sprinkle his French with English words is sarcastically called Franglais, and is considered a form of slang. Slang from Quebec is called “joile” and the slang used in France is called “argaud”.
• A recent survey revealed that 72% of the adult population of France found French wine labels difficult to understand. Ah, we’re not alone!
• Over one thousand kinds of cheese are made in France.
• Of the eight countries bordering France, France has invaded them all at one time or another. Belgium has been invaded so many times that it is referred to as Europe’s Battleground. Today, part of Belgium speaks mostly French, the rest speaks Flemmish, a dialect of Dutch.
• The letter W is only used in foreign words, such as “wagon” (pronounced va-GON with a nice nasal “on”), which comes from German. Otherwise, the French and English alphabets are identical, except a few French letters can have accents.
• The Eiffel tower was once very controversial- at the time of construction, there were petitions to stop building such a monstrosity. It was originally planned to destroy it after the Universal Exhibition. I hope they built it to last!
• Many of the old boulevards in France are lined with rows of straight, tall trees. Napoleon I ordered these trees to be planted so that when his troops needed to cross the country quickly (usually to invade another country) they could march in the shade. The government is now cutting down these trees because they increase the chance of fatalities in case of a car crash.

I hope you enjoyed the distraction. Now, get back to work and choose your learn French software!

Ok, so you want to learn French? Awesome, you’ve made a decision that can change your life. Learning a language is more than just a travel tool, it’s gymnastics for your brain. I remember speaking to my Mom on the phone once, telling her that I had started learning German. She asked “Why, are you planning to go to Germany?”. Well… not really. I assumed I would pass through Germany sometime in the future, but I hadn’t really thought of that as a reason to learn German. (I know, this does seems really obvious.)

Here is what I was thinking when I decided to learn German:

• I spent 3 days in Munich once, and spoke absolutely zero German. If I wanted a sandwich, I would say “one, please” (I was usually using the wrong gender, but that’s a longer story) and point. I did this all over Eastern Europe without too much embarrassment, but in Germany, practically everyone spoke perfect English. I felt like a big oaf- that I was lacking general culture, like those people who think Africa is a country. So, learning some German was like brushing up on my general knowledge.
• At the time, I was working 9 to 5, and felt like my brain was about to atrophy. I was bored, unhappy because of my job, and needed a project to save my sanity.
• I had this “learn German in 30 days” course that I had bought before the trip to Munich… nearly five years ago. I had barely touched it. I was starting to notice that this (not following through with things I started, or not starting things I might fail at) was starting to become a pattern in my life.

Anyway, when you decide to learn a language, there’s a crossroads. You can either go down the path of “I’d like to, but…” where you give up early, which is where 95% of us end up. Or, you can actually commit to learning it, invest in some quality tools, and follow through. I would guess that the main reasons we give up are these:

• It’s boring
• It’s too hard/we feel like we’re not making any progress
• No one is holding us accountable

Really, the three are all linked- if someone was holding you accountable, you would keep at it and make progress. If you felt like you were making progress, you wouldn’t be bored.

So, how do we get around this? First, you have to really commit- tell your friends and family that you are learning French, tweet it, post it, whatever. Next, invest in some quality tools that will really help you get results. The best software will have a combination of video, audio, text, and games. Not only does this help you learn in different ways, it keeps things fun and keeps you interested. If you’re interested, you’ll stick with it, make progress, and want to continue.

If you want to learn French software is an important consideration: it’s better to invest a little more in a quality program than to spend money on a mediocre one you won’t use.

If you want to learn French, software and practice are the keys.

Information on how to learn French fast and the best software coming soon!