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Self-study in French . . Is there a chance to learn it without a teacher

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Self-study in French . . Is there a chance to learn it without a teacher
It is no secret that the Internet gives us almost unlimited access to information of any kind. We have repeatedly written about how to use it most rationally to improve your knowledge and skills in foreign languages. Thanks to this, many people have decided to bet on self-study. Of course, a different type of paper tools can also enter the learning process, the main thing is that if you have plenty of information and educational content, it seems easy to avoid spending on a teacher or course. However, whether this is possible and effective and what we should know in particular if we want to learn French ourselves. 

Determine the ultimate goal

This is always the first step when you start learning a foreign language. There is a huge difference whether you want to learn for fun, so that you can say and understand several phrases while travelling or want to learn the language at a level that will give you access to work and education. 

How hard is French?

When determining the degree of difficulty in a language, we must bear in mind first of all what our native language is and how close it is to the foreign one, learning which we have set ourselves as an objective. From this perspective, perhaps French is not the most difficult foreign language for us Bulgarians but definitely not in the "Easy" or "Requirement." Here are some. similaritieswhich definitely help:
  • The presence of a grammatical genus - and unlike the Bulgarian, there are only two families here - male and female. Many of the words coincide by genus, but they are quite different, so you cannot rely on your Bulgarian knowledge only;
    • Lack of maturity - just like in Bulgarian;
    • Indicator pronouns - which, unlike our language, are coordinated by line and number only with the word that they clarify;
    • Alphabet is Latin. - it's already well known to us, so it won't be hard to recognize the letters;
    • Multiple Lexical Loans from French - but be careful, often in Bulgarian the word has come with only one of its meanings. 
 Perhaps with a more careful look at the language you will find other similarities. And yet remember, he has a lot of Specificities, e.g.:
    • Previous membership - you have to get used to it;
    • Liazones - I mean, the merger of words or words and articles for the purpose of sound and easier pronouncement. This leads to certain difficulties in distinguishing words when you are a beginner;
    • The voices. - often two or three vowels are written for one sound;
    • Ropes - yes, in French they exist and it is important to master their pronouncement;
    • The Pronunciation - here the main difficulty is vowels again, because often only by the difference in pronounced, for example, open and closed E, you can distinguish two verb forms;
    • Speech - It is quite complicated when what you hear is written in a completely different way;
    • Prepositions - They are one of the most difficult things in any foreign language, and French will not make it easy for you in this regard. And, attention, here it can even become dangerous because there are verbs that change their meaning when used with one or another preposition. Our list is definitely not comprehensive. But our goal is only to identify the key points that can help you or become an obstacle in your training. As we have already said, there is enough information you can use in your own research.

Do you really need a teacher?

This is the third step of your pre-prep. After you have set your goal and have realized the degree of difficulty in the language, you can decide whether you will handle it yourself or not. It is logical that if your goals do not include high levels, but only basic knowledge, self-preparation will be a convenient and easy option for you. However, if your goals are higher, our professional advice is to trust a teacher. What type of lessons you choose depends entirely on your preferences and opportunities. But it is extremely important that you have a systematic approach to language and access to a teacher who supports and guides you in the learning process. However well a textbook is written, however much video lesson you watch, it can always be that there are uncertainties or just grammar that is difficult for you. And the teacher's job is not only to teach you the material, but also to explain if it takes more than once and in a different way so that you eventually understand and learn. 

How long does it take to learn French on our own?

This question is almost impossible to answer because we do not know:
  • what is your goal;
  • what system or set of systems and auxiliary materials have you selected;
  • how much time you spend on day/week/month learning;
  • what is your personal pace of learning and remembering?
In general, self-preparation is a kind of individual training. If it is under the guidance of a teacher, after a certain time working with you he will be able to give an approximate guide for how long you will reach your final goal. But when you do this alone, it will be much harder for several reasons:
  • you do not have pedagogical experience and practice to make a reasonable assumption;
  • you do not have a tool to determine progress. Even if you do a written grammatical test, remember that language is a system of knowledge and skills that can be found at a very different level;
  • You have no sense of obligation, you lose motivation, you get distracted. This may prolong the process in an unpredictable way.
How much is needed with a teacher Here are two options:
  • If you study individually
The preliminary calculation of time is impossible, but after working together, the teacher will be able to adequately guess how long you will need until the end goal. See page with individual French training for more details. 
  • If you study in a group
The bills are much easier here. When you set your desired level, based on how long the courses are for each level, you can draw up your own plan. For example:  In Language School . .Omega online groups have a duration of 2 months and each level is divided into two. So if your goal is B1 and you start training in January, you can complete your training for about a year and a half. Of course, the weather is still approximately due to holiday days, holidays between levels, but you can generally have a pretty clear plan.  Look at this. French group courses for further details. In any case, the higher your goal, the more time it will be to achieve. Whether you study alone or with a teacher - it's your choice. Our advice is - take full advantage of every opportunity you have! If you started with a teacher, but need to slow down - switch to self-preparation that will strengthen what you learned here before you continue with new material.  If you have started studying alone, but get to the point where you need professional help - seek a teacher. The least you'll get is an interlocutor who will help you overcome the language barrier and practice your speaking while clearing pronunciation. And it is, as we have said before, of great importance in French.  And if you are still hesitant and cannot decide on your own how to approach it - make an appointment for consultation at the Language School .
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