Hi Tom! Just want to say thank you for your honest comments. In fact I'm searching desperately for language schools in Lyon with a reasonable price but nearly all schools here are so expensive. I plan to go to EIEF at first, and yet your video has cleared my mind. Then I came to this video so I decide to go for Alliance Francaise in Lyon at last. Actually 525 euro pro month is a reasonable price in France (many language schools are more expensive than this and can cost 100 - 200 euro pro month). Hope I can learn good French there
My view for learning a foreign language is that it’s best to choose a tutor who is native to you, has a teaching qualification and, of course, graduate level qualification in the language to be taught. The problem with teachers who are native of the language to be taught is that a career teaching your own language to foreigners is not an attractive option for graduates of that nationality. It’s pretty well bottom of the list. Donc the individuals working as teachers of their own language to foreigners tend to be of extremely poor calibre - lacking self-discipline, poor communicators, and lazy.
I would like an advice: I need to learn French quickly, but I am really beginner. I’ve just moved to Toulouse, so was thinking to do 1 month French classes at Alliance, but is 550 euros for 3 hours - Monday to Friday. Do you think it’s worth it and at least would speak and learn it fast? I can understand and read because I speak Portuguese, Italian and Spanish.
Hey there! I'm afraid I never studied in Montpellier, so I can't say too much on that. I can certainly recommend Alliance Français though - in all my experiences (I went to three of their schools) they were consistently good schools with consistently good teaching / facilities. In order of how impressed I was with them: Toulouse, Bordeaux, Strasbourg. Hope that helps a bit!
tom, I realize you have addressed one of my earlier questions in an earlier video, thanks. So, I read the discussions in Duolingo often enough to tire me out and my progress is slower, however I want you to address a frequent comment, "You do not learn a language by translating word for word." My hypothesis is that this is a stage of learning, but it is a lingering one, and one which we realize and want to move out of but can't quite seem to. There are certain question idioms which it is easier to simply memorize rather than think of word for word, But for me, this is the exception. I am assuming that you have/are moving out of the "one to one translation state" . So I want to know what do you think is the amount of classroom hours which this is noticeably occurring. I realize you are in an immersion program but I am not.
Hey! In general I think it's preferable to avoid the idea of 'translating' in your head word-for-word. Instead you want to try to be 'thinking' in your target language as soon as possible. You're right that this is much easier in an immersion programme, but you can try to work on it at home by watching films and reading books. For me, I also tried to only use French dictionaries rather than French>English ones. This means that you pick up the *meaning* of words when you learn them, rather than the *translation*, which is stored slightly differently in your head. Try searching google for 'learn definitions not translations' to read more about the idea.
Tom Crewther I’ve learnt the Italian this way, reading dictionary in Italian, singing eclectic Italian songs. Can you recommend some French singers to search to maybe start? (I already know Edith Piaf) :D
What do you think about institut Lyonnais? There's not much info on the internet about it? Is it part of a public university? Is public better or private? Is it accredited?
Hi Tom, Tom here. plodding along with Durolingo, still at 47%. I think it would be a good idea for ypu to prevview what as specifically as you can (or why you can't) you will be doing next. So that some of us, some of the time, can make our own preparations to better anticipate your opinions and options. 2. I have been for the whole time I have been studying French, almost ignorining the diacritical marks or extra marks above letters in French, because I believed that just by listening and trying to copy the corrected answers it was sufficient. I am wondering, now that I have gained a respect for your work, have you found that memorizing them and practicing them helped your memory or have you done a kind of 1/2/ and 1/2 so that it seemed not to matter much. I asked on Duoligo in a survey but the participation was only like 5-8 replies. So I gather that it isn't much of matter to be concerned about.
Hi Tom! Just want to say thank you for your honest comments. In fact I'm searching desperately for language schools in Lyon with a reasonable price but nearly all schools here are so expensive. I plan to go to EIEF at first, and yet your video has cleared my mind. Then I came to this video so I decide to go for Alliance Francaise in Lyon at last. Actually 525 euro pro month is a reasonable price in France (many language schools are more expensive than this and can cost 100 - 200 euro pro month). Hope I can learn good French there
My view for learning a foreign language is that it’s best to choose a tutor who is native to you, has a teaching qualification and, of course, graduate level qualification in the language to be taught. The problem with teachers who are native of the language to be taught is that a career teaching your own language to foreigners is not an attractive option for graduates of that nationality. It’s pretty well bottom of the list. Donc the individuals working as teachers of their own language to foreigners tend to be of extremely poor calibre - lacking self-discipline, poor communicators, and lazy.
I am a older student. Do they cater to someone who may be slow to start with. Love the info you gave at any rate
Merci beaucoup pour votre intéressante vidéo
that sounds very cool! I am planing to take the classes from there,
Hi ! Nice video ! Next time you can try Newdeal Institut in Bordeaux ! It's like a family school !
I heard their program is tough but it gets results.
I would like an advice: I need to learn French quickly, but I am really beginner. I’ve just moved to Toulouse, so was thinking to do 1 month French classes at Alliance, but is 550 euros for 3 hours - Monday to Friday. Do you think it’s worth it and at least would speak and learn it fast? I can understand and read because I speak Portuguese, Italian and Spanish.
Thanks for the information!!!
Hey this video is extremely helpful. I was wondering if you can compare alliance and accent Francais in Montpellier? Or have an opinion on the two vs?
Hey there! I'm afraid I never studied in Montpellier, so I can't say too much on that. I can certainly recommend Alliance Français though - in all my experiences (I went to three of their schools) they were consistently good schools with consistently good teaching / facilities. In order of how impressed I was with them: Toulouse, Bordeaux, Strasbourg.
Hope that helps a bit!
Thank you so so much. You did help.
Accent français is more expensive
tom, I realize you have addressed one of my earlier questions in an earlier video, thanks.
So, I read the discussions in Duolingo often enough to tire me out and my progress is slower, however I want you to address a frequent comment, "You do not learn a language by translating word for word." My hypothesis is that this is a stage of learning, but it is a lingering one, and one which we realize and want to move out of but can't quite seem to. There are certain question idioms which it is easier to simply memorize rather than think of word for word, But for me, this is the exception. I am assuming that you have/are moving out of the "one to one translation state" . So I want to know what do you think is the amount of classroom hours which this is noticeably occurring. I realize you are in an immersion program but I am not.
Hey! In general I think it's preferable to avoid the idea of 'translating' in your head word-for-word. Instead you want to try to be 'thinking' in your target language as soon as possible. You're right that this is much easier in an immersion programme, but you can try to work on it at home by watching films and reading books.
For me, I also tried to only use French dictionaries rather than French>English ones. This means that you pick up the *meaning* of words when you learn them, rather than the *translation*, which is stored slightly differently in your head.
Try searching google for 'learn definitions not translations' to read more about the idea.
Tom Crewther I’ve learnt the Italian this way, reading dictionary in Italian, singing eclectic Italian songs. Can you recommend some French singers to search to maybe start? (I already know Edith Piaf) :D
This is a great video. What is the minimum number of weeks that a person should attend this school to make it worthwhile to visit France from America?
Hi! I wondering on studying at Alliance Francaise in Lyon, can you say what is your opinion on that school?
What do you think about institut Lyonnais? There's not much info on the internet about it? Is it part of a public university? Is public better or private? Is it accredited?
Review Toulouse
Hi Tom, Tom here. plodding along with Durolingo, still at 47%. I think it would be a good idea for ypu to prevview what as specifically as you can (or why you can't) you will be doing next. So that some of us, some of the time, can make our own preparations to better anticipate your opinions and options.
2. I have been for the whole time I have been studying French, almost ignorining the diacritical marks or extra marks above letters in French, because I believed that just by listening and trying to copy the corrected answers it was sufficient. I am wondering, now that I have gained a respect for your work, have you found that memorizing them and practicing them helped your memory or have you done a kind of 1/2/ and 1/2 so that it seemed not to matter much. I asked on Duoligo in a survey but the participation was only like 5-8 replies. So I gather that it isn't much of matter to be concerned about.
Can you tell me which level you did from alliance parce que i am doing my b2 now n i would like to know about any workshops or such things
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