compilerbitch (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
compilerbitch) wrote2005-10-21 12:01 pm
compilerbitch) wrote2005-10-21 12:01 pm
Comment dit-on «bungee jumping» en français?
I had my first French lesson at the language centre last night.
For some reason, I got put into the Intermediate II group, which seems to be the most hardcore taught course that they currently run. To my considerable shock (and I wasn't alone), the teaching was entirely in French, with no English used at all. I amazed myself by actually managing to keep up, but by the end of two hours I was a nervous wreck. Being picked on first to describe my conversation partner in French scared the living bejeesus out of me, it having been the first time anyone had made me do that since 1983. Yep, 22 years ago. I have been working at de-rustifying myself for the last month or two, with some moderate success. 2 months ago, I was hazy on the difference between avoir and être, so to already be (just about) coping at this level is rather more than I'd have expected.
To be honest, the material covered in the lesson was pretty basic, but the fact that it was covered entirely in French meant that I had to go into concentration super-overdrive. If you're a Dragonball Z fan, imagine Goku powering up into Super-Saiyan mode. I don't think I went blonde (although I probably came across that way, albeit in deed rather than actuality), and I'm farly sure my eyes weren't glowing, but that was me.
I am officially the Worst In Class. And it gives me a buzz like bungee jumping. Or, at least, like the buzz that I'd imagine I'd probably, in theory, get if I did attempt bungee jumping in an ideal world. A more likely reality would be being terrified out of my mind, shaking in a corner for several days. Thinking about it, I think that would have been a more sensible response to the French class too, but one does what one must.
For some reason, I got put into the Intermediate II group, which seems to be the most hardcore taught course that they currently run. To my considerable shock (and I wasn't alone), the teaching was entirely in French, with no English used at all. I amazed myself by actually managing to keep up, but by the end of two hours I was a nervous wreck. Being picked on first to describe my conversation partner in French scared the living bejeesus out of me, it having been the first time anyone had made me do that since 1983. Yep, 22 years ago. I have been working at de-rustifying myself for the last month or two, with some moderate success. 2 months ago, I was hazy on the difference between avoir and être, so to already be (just about) coping at this level is rather more than I'd have expected.
To be honest, the material covered in the lesson was pretty basic, but the fact that it was covered entirely in French meant that I had to go into concentration super-overdrive. If you're a Dragonball Z fan, imagine Goku powering up into Super-Saiyan mode. I don't think I went blonde (although I probably came across that way, albeit in deed rather than actuality), and I'm farly sure my eyes weren't glowing, but that was me.
I am officially the Worst In Class. And it gives me a buzz like bungee jumping. Or, at least, like the buzz that I'd imagine I'd probably, in theory, get if I did attempt bungee jumping in an ideal world. A more likely reality would be being terrified out of my mind, shaking in a corner for several days. Thinking about it, I think that would have been a more sensible response to the French class too, but one does what one must.
no subject
no subject
It's a bit like my experience of Russian Basic last year. I joined three weeks late when a place became available after someone dropped out. I was way, way behind at the start, but managed to pull through to be fine toward the end. I hope I can pull off the same trick again -- I am, if anything, even further behind this time. Other people seem to be able to chatter away in French without any trouble, and even though I can understand them fine, I am not practiced enough to be able to find the words myself. French is definitely much easier than Russian for an English speaker, however, and I do seem to be learning fast. But then, I hope I can learn fast enough not to be chucked out.
The other problem is that there seems to be a mandatory listening comprehension test at the end of term that we're supposed to turn up for on pain of death, but it clashes with me visiting NASA and the US airforce space research group, so I'm not going to be there. I'm also going to miss the second lesson, but since my excuse is that I'm going to Paris anyway to give a lecture at ENS, she let me off! I am lecturing in English, of course, but maybe one day I'll be able to manage French. We shall see.
no subject
You probably haven't been reading my moaning about being in an immersive Japanese class 6 hours a day, but you might want to go back through and see if there's anything useful in the study techniques I've mentioned. The Leitner-based word-card system is working very well for memorizing vocabulary (and kanji, but you won't need that).
After four months of classes I still wasn't really talking. Recently I've managed to set up one-to-one language exchanges, and it has worked wonders. I don't know if you'll have any luck finding a French person who wants to exchange with you, but if you can do it then it's really great. Perhaps mylanguageexchange.com is worth a shot. I'd be interested to hear about it if you give it a try.
no subject
no subject
Whilst being a constant source of studyable vocabulary, it has the advantage of staying up to date, whilst also guarateeing to teach the most useful words first (i.e. the minimum words necessary to understand the greatest amount of news content). It may help to upgrade the weighting of unknown words that appear on their own in sentences, but that is something that could be figured out. Hmm... Maybe I'll do some CGI hacking at the weekend and see what falls out.
no subject
Recalling words in real conversations has a really strong effect, which is one of the reasons that language exchanges are great.
no subject
and I've always been right!
no subject
C'est vrai que tu as déjà écrit les deux tiers de ta thèse? Ton truc ne ment pas? Je ne m'en reviens pas!
no subject
Courage? Moi? Vraiment, c'est peur de postdoc a ENS! Mais je vais travailler a NASA Ames au lieu de Paris... Alors, je dois etre insane!
J'ai déjà écrits trois tiers, mais j'ai dois faire beaucoup de écriture toujours. Il y a six mois... pas de probleme. Je sais... je ésperers!
(Corrigez mon francais s'il te plait?)
Corrections...
mon amie [amie: fs, rather than amis: mp. And even though amie is f, the possessive pronoun becomes mon so you don't have two vowel sounds together, something which French generally hates.]
être [needs cirumflex as the original form was estre]
folle [mad = fou / folle]
écrit [past participle of écrire]
trois tiers = tout! [un tiers means one third, not one chapter.]
je dois faire [present tense, not past]
d'écriture [French still hates two vowel sounds together, so de elides to d'.]
encore [toujours = always; encore = still, in this context]
Il me reste six mois [il y a + duration means that length of time ago. il reste means there is whatever left]
j'éspère [je + vowel elides; also you need the ordinary present tense.]
Corrige [If you're calling me tu you should use the second person singular of the imperative, not the second person plural.]
français [cedilla to make the c soft]
plaît [out of sheer pedantry, circumflex on the i there.]
bungee jumping
En véritè, l'on dit plus souvent le benji, à ce que je crois.
no subject
I always learned most in the classes which were taught entirely in French with no use of English. It helps if the teacher uses body language and diagrams and so on as well, though.
I also found a beginner's Spanish course taught the same way was very easy to grasp - of course at that point my French was very advanced and Spanish is not all that far away, so I suspect I relied heavily on my French skills for that.
I have similar problems with 'in' and 'out' channels, now - when I'd been studying 12 years in a row I could think in French, conversation wasn't a problem even when I didn't know all the vocabulary because I always knew enough to explain what I meant using other words. Now I can understand a lot of spoken French and even more written French, but speaking it and writing it are very, very difficult. I can't access the vocabulary in the opposite direction, and I go into 'thinking-in-French' mode and can't think because I don't have any words. It's difficult to explain to anyone who hasn't experienced it.
I ought to find some French blogs and add them just to get back into the habit of reading the language frequently.
no subject
no subject
My Russian classes have been the same in the past.
Ouch is all I can say :)