French was my first foreign language too, got me a degree, profession, stepping stone to 2 other languages, and got it to a level where my university French teacher only realised I wasn't French when I told her, after the first semester 😅 Love the channel, Olly, an inspiration x
@@storylearning Thanks for the reply, Olly :) I hope one day maybe our paths will cross, as an avid traveler and language learner, I'd love to break bread or sip a coffee with you and talk tongues
Hey I’m doing a french degree at uni too. Has it helped u at all ? I kind’ve fear that I’m wasting my life with a useless degree even though languages is definitely what I want to do
Wouldn't it be great if you said, "Hi everyone, I have learnt French by having been born and raised in France" and then just played accordeon for twelve minutes
Congratulations on achieving your goals. I wish you good fortune on wherever your journey leads. Focus on what you want and don’t listen to some of these people in your comment thread. Good day!
@@aeganratheesh Yes. And some are already polyglots. My best friend speaks 4 languages (Bodo, Assamese, Hindi, English). BTW I'm trilingual (Assamese, Hindi, English).
@@JamesCondone Oui, l'ami. Tu l'as bien écrit. Du courage pour la suite. I am just one of the lucky ones. Coming from Cameroon, a country once colonized by Britain and France, I grew up in a family with an English-speaking father and a French-speaking mother who both wanted to learn the opposite language from their counterpart, and as a result... we.
It's interesting, Steve Kaufman just put out a video specifically speaking about the "Loneliness in Language Learning" as well. I really think your story of that struggle in Paris is something that not many language learners talk about. There is a mental strain that exists with learning a language and spending hours and hours not understanding or being understood... and that strain is enhanced if you are immersed in a foreign country. That, coupled with homesickness, can put you in a pretty rough place if you aren't prepared for it. Then, even after you get to the point that you can understand and can make yourself understood... there is still another period of time where you still have to acquire enough vocabulary to feel like you are able to speak your mind and really be understood at a deeper, more personal level. There are a lot of jokes that will fly over your head, double-entendres that miss their mark, cultural things that you misstep, etc. I served an LDS mission to France and it was enormously taxing for a long time. It was something that I was completely unprepared for socially. While I'm really happy that I had that experience, it's not something I look to replicate in my life any time soon. Thanks for sharing your story, and for all the work you do :)
It's really that combination of a first experience living abroad while being young and not knowing the language much. This is the story of me and Sydney, Australia. I was utterly miserable trying to pull it all off at the time. Since then I have lived in several other countries (and in several languages) for years at a time and it has been *a lot* easier.
You really explained the struggle pretty well. Sometimes, you reach that level where you can communicate and exchange information with people, but you cannot connect with them personally. It is really a frustrating experience. However, one day, you get past that level and feel super proud of yourself.
Wow thats crazy you hit the nail on the head with how ive felt rn. Ive been going to school here in Puerto Rico and now i can confidently say i can speak spanish good. My big problem is that when im in social groups i get lost sometimes and have to focus really hard to understand whats going on and even tho i understand 80 to 90 perecent of what is being said, im more quiet than i would in English. Its affected my personality even in English social enviornments and has made me more quiet than i used to be. Im trying to get better in group situations and trying to fully be myself, is there any advice that anyone can give me that has experienced or is experiencing the same thing that can help with this type of situation
I have been studying in Lyon for this summer and the mental strain is real. I do sleep more than I used to. It also helps to make friends. I have two friends for life here......one is the house mother who has a lot of experience with hosting language students....the other was my first teacher here who became my friend when switched classes. He and I share a love for the old fashioned food traditions in France and he also speaks perfect English...so that helps. I knew it would be hard, but its the only way and next time....it will be easier. B1 is a hard place to be.
tu dois ajouter le sous-titres, si tu veux que les autres puissent apprendre anglais au moins. Mais selon moi tes videos m'ont aidé beaucoup avec mon desir d'être polyglotte. Du fond du cœur, merci.
I’ve only just realised that you wrote the short stories in french book I have been enjoying. Great book and great videos, I’d love to see more of you talking in french. If you could have a video call with one or many of your french speaking friends just for general conversations and broadcast it, that would be awesome!
Fabulous story. I lived with French co workers at the hotel I was working at and that helped me learn a lot of French plus working in French restaurants. I now would like to learn more than just the basics.
The lesson I take from this story is that you can make dumb decisions and put yourself in a lousy situation but if you have drive, willingness and maybe a little luck you can turn them into positive experiences that help you grow as a person. Thanks for sharing.
Hey Olly, I've been learning French for more than a year now and I think I've noticed something. French speakers say "for example" way more often than English speakers. When we English speakers give examples, we usually just give examples without saying actually the words "for example." But I regularly hear "par exemple" in French, so often that I could probably make a drinking game out of it.
Currently trying to learn french because my dream school is on Montreal. I'm thinking once I'm done my undergrad to move there for half a year and just get immersion in the language
Check out maprofdefrancais and Wandering French on TH-cam because spoken Quebec French is as different from Paris French as Cuban Spanish is from European Spanish. Also, you may have to make a little effort in the beginning because too many people speak English fluently and don't want to burden non-native speakers of French. Just keep on talking in French if they answer you in English and they'll switch back. Also, plan some getaways to Quebec City and smaller cities in towns in the province as people there are not as well-versed in English and will be happy to have conversations in French
@@lochlandean7518 @Limemill has solid tips. I'd add: when you come to Montreal, if you want to continue in French, just let people know. A lot of us native French speakers switch to English when someone doesn't seem at ease in French. It's just a reflex to be helpful, but if you let us know you'd rather speak French, especially "practice" French, people will be overjoyed. We love when people come to Quebec and make an effort to learn French.
@@quentinultramegadroiteradi7345 Mieux parler ou mieux écrire ? En tant qu'étudiant, il est moins difficile d'écrire un commentaire sur YT que p ex. faire la jasette avec quelqu'un d'inconnu dans un train; on a assez de temps pour y réfléchir. Lorsqu'une langue particulière est notre moyen de communication quotidien elle se sépare radicalement de la version livre, la version 'officielle' .C'est déjà le cas du français en temps normal ! Cette idée que beaucoup de gens parlent maintenant du 'mauvais français' ou du mauvais anglais, mauvais espagnol n'est pas vraie à cent pour cent. Il y a toujours eu un discours informel.
Bah après t'as dit "parlent", ça prête à confusion Mais c'est vrai, et je pense qu'au final c'est pas si étonnant : les étrangers qui apprennent le français l'apprennent de leur propre volonté, donc ils font en sorte de bien écrire, bien parler et de ne pas faire de fautes, ce qui est le but de toute personne voulant apprendre une langue Un français natif, lui, n'aura pas appris le français par choix. C'est sa langue natale, il a les clés pour la parler et se faire comprendre par le plus grand nombre, alors à moins qu'il ne soit passionné par sa propre langue, il n'aura pas comme but de la parler/écrire parfaitement. Alors si personne n'est derrière lui pour l'encourager à s'améliorer, sa qualité de langage va se détériorer. C'est simplement une question de motivation, de but et de raison de l'apprentissage
I took two years of french in the early 90s. After that I wanted to learn more. The problem of being in the center of the US was lack of materials. All you could get was maybe a 60 minute cassette tape with a "learn french" book. To get good at listening comprehension you need hundreds of hours of different types of audio. I tackled it off and on for 15 years. Mostly off. Then in 2015 I realized "well there is TH-cam now". A total game changer. So I basically started from scratch. My french comprehension is so much better now.
If you tell me that you used your 5 minutes break from your job to revise words in French, I can do nothing but admire your commitment to the language.
For real!! If I don't have 30mins to 1hr available, I don't practice my target language, cuz I don't want to have to stop abruptly when it gets interesting.
Hi Olly, loving the French Uncovered course, on chapter 5 right now. Do you recommend doing chapter after chapter continuously or taking day break every few chapters? And using a podcast to get an hour of immersion on a break day. Many thanks, keep up the great content.
Everyone does it differently. I'd say trust your gut. Success at language learning comes from keeping it up over the longer term, so do whatever feels most sustainable.
French has been my first foreign language too and it has changed my life and began my journey of polyglot-hood, so did your podcast and blogs all the way back so many years ago. So glad to see that it has all grown into such a huge and well-loved language learning course and book series, who have been helping language learners all over the world. Recently I made friend with a fellow language learner who lives way across the globe and guess what, she and I are both big fans of your work! Anyway, thanks for sharing a more detailed version of this part of your life, I thought I knew all already but apparently I didn't! Somehow it has given me some reflection and insights on mine too. Thank you so much, as always.
One of the challenges of learning French, Spanish or Portuguese is its diversity of regional accents, argots and grammar. This is of course very pronounced in French as even within France there is a cacophony of local dialects. A Parisian for example can hardly understand a Marseillais let alone a Corsican. Some of us are too enamored of the variety from l'île de France to appreciate the other types. Then we go to Quebec, Acadia (New Brunswick), Martinique, Haïti, Louisiana (Cajun) and are bewildered by how their versions of French have acquired unique vocabularies and quirks that reflect their histories and experiences. Simply Parisian French is not the one and only. I recommend that we watch les Carnets de Julie wherein la présentatrice gives us glimpses, cadences and tastes that in sum is France in its entirety. Bonne journée.
@@jazmine9570 Not to understate le snobisme that permeates la classe patricienne parigote which belittles cruelly les provinciaux. The leader of la France insoumise, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who snickered (a ricané) at a reporter from Marseille heavy with the accent phocéen. Of course Mélenchon would have understood what said the journalist if he had been patient.
"doing a degree in jazz piano..completely unrelated to languages..." I would respectfully disagree and say that jazz piano is intimately related to languages. A fabulous foundation in fact. When you sit at a piano, you can hear the sound and see the grammar - of the language you're playing at that moment. Vocab is vocab, it must be acquired regardless of idiom. And what type of Western music relies on fluid, impromptu conversational skills more than jazz?
As a native french person, I'm always surprised to see how many people are learning french out there. Males me happy :) I had problems learning english back in middle school, and I had to take extra class. Translatinf the resume of books I was waiting to come in french helped me a lot, and I'm very proud of my level now. I'm currently working on my rusted spanish while trying to learn italian. Fortunately, they have a lot in common ^^ German, on the other hand, even if it's close to english, is a whole different thing x) And I learning japanese too, already able to read hiragana and strating katakana. Doesn't mean I'll be able to speak them all properly, but I would at least be able to understand them a little ^^
Hey Olly, thanks for the interesting story. I was a bit like you when I was 24 years old. I thought the same about England as you did about France but ended up coming back to my country after a year in UK. The only difference was that I was already fluent in English before I went to UK. But I had never lived abroad before that, so I kind of went there blindfolded and not really sure what to expect. I had high expectations but I realized soon that the life there wasn't what I expected it to be, and it was really hard to be honest. But I had still a great time, like an adventure and a really good life lesson which I had to learn to realize what I have and to appreciate it. The grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence, although we often think it is. Also my English improved a lot while working with native speakers for almost a year. Cheers Olly from Finland😃.
I really appreciated this. I studied abroad when I was at a terrible point in my life but it was my only opportunity in school to do it and I’d been wanting it since I was so little. But I was miserable. I got the cute diaries to chronicle everything and I ended up just writing how much I wanted to go home everyday. It was really weird because I didn’t know how out I could or couldn’t be, I got kicked out of my first host family because I’m gay and my school was all American exchange students so I only spoke French at home and in the streets. I really want to go back and do it my way on my terms
I’m Dutch and English is my first foreign language. I’ve learned a little bit of Spanish, but French is a language I want to become fluent at. Just because it’s so beautiful :)
Being in a foreign country can be incredibly difficult if you don't make connections with people. After I did an exchange in Spain, my biggest regret was not talking to people. I was so shy; people thought I couldn't speak Spanish. I didn't really make friends. So, my language learning advice is to not be afraid to make a fool of yourself! Speak! Be ridiculous! Make mistakes! It's hard, but people are forgiving. It's amazing the connection you can make with someone just by talking with them. When I did speak with people, it was extremely rewarding.
No ... Listen and read a lot...books of interest.. songs.. Lessen the words...Videos of interest with subtitles in the language. The speaking will appear on its own.
@@Kitiwake I agree that those are good techniques to learn, but I think you misunderstood. I knew perfectly well how to speak Spanish-- certainly enough to get by. I could have spoken-- I just didn't. I would have learned a lot more if I had started conversations and interacted with people more.
I come from Poland so I understand this price is not high but for me now, as I have lived and worked in Thailand for the last few years, it is expensive. I would need to learn more about the course and think well if I can afford it :) hope so haha
I will revive my French studies (after 10 years!!!) on Wednesday. Looking forward to read your short stories once I'm done with the LingQ mini stories. BTW what about the short stories for Polish? 👀
@@AfroLinguo I actually understand quite a lot of the Mini stories and I don't struggle at building easy sentences. French is such a beautiful and intuitive language. School just spoiled it for me.
@@amstabomitdembabo5984 I was learning chinese at my Uni before and it was so boring for me. When I started taking online classes with teachers I chose, I loved it a lot more. I feel you
I'm French, following your channel and I find your story amazing ✨ I actually speak 3 languages at native level but since I'm not living anymore in the country where one of those language is spoken, one of my biggest concern is how to maintain the level. And as you mentioned it at the end of your video, I would be very interested to have a deeper point of view of how you can keep it for life. Thanks for your very fascinating videos 🤗
Excellent vidéo. J'adore et tu donnes vraiment le goût d'apprendre d'autres langues. I teach FSL and I will use some of your videos this school year to show my students how fun it can be to learn new languages. Thank you and Hello from Ottawa, Canada.
New subscriber here... I took French in high school many years ago and was lucky to have an excellent teacher, so I was able to retain much of it when I visited France at age 23. Now it's a couple decades later and I decided to try relearning and have been doing Duo Lingo for almost a year but I don't feel like I'm getting anywhere with it 🙁 I think I'm ready to try a new method! I might just have to jump on that sale! Thank you!
Pretty sure Olly has a video that would tell you what he thinks of the owl. Duolingo can be fun but it's not really going to teach you a language, IMO.
I'm Judy from Philippines and I'm excited learning French since I'm moving to Quebec Canada probably nextyear .Canadian French will be my 5th language since I'm here in Taiwan Chinese mandarin is my 4th(tagalog, English, Spanish )..French seems so hard to.learn but I'm determined and willing to learn it😊
I remember many years ago I spent my life reading books but I read just in Spanish. I wanted to experience the literature and poetry world in different languages like my favorite writers because every time I read a biography about one poet I always found "that poet knew Spanish, French, Italian, English, Russian... etc". So I decided to learn another language, and everyone said to me that I had to learn English, that English is mandatory. But I don't like to be obliged, I wanted to learn not for money and nothing socially useful. In the end, I chose French and I read writers such as "Maupassant, Baudelaire, Verlaine, Victor Hugo, Maurice Leblanc, Alexandre Dumas... Etc" Right now, I'm learning English.
I love hearing people's stories. I like your story and I must admit I can relate to it. I think when I was in a bad place, that gave me an opportunity to go abroad and look for a different life. It was also good for my language learning as well.
What an amazing story. Thank you for sharing. I'm learning French just because I was curious if I could learn it. French, for me, looked like a fancy language that I would never have the opportunity to learn. Even though it's a Romance language, it sounded so different and I was easily intimidated. Many people have said that it is one of the most beautiful languages but it didn't sound like that to me, to be honest, haha. So, I just give it a try to learn it see what the language is really like. It was really hard at first, quite frustrating. My motivation was weak so it was hard for me to keep studying. It took time, but after some time, it was finally making sense. All the puzzle pieces starting to take form (I love this part of language acquisition the most). And after that, it has been a complete joy to learn. What an interesting language. My Spanish knowledge did help to a certain extent, too. Still the beginner level, but I would definitely keep studying to a certain level.
The great thing is that it is so like English due to so many shared words, and similar sentence structure. It is hard to understand spoken French, and that will take a lot of hard work.
Olly, I really enjoy your videos. I too love languages and have studied French and German. Unfortunately, I am not fluent in either. I went to Buenos Aires, my first trip to South America, in 2019. After making many trips to Europe over the years, I was expecting to find many people in BA speaking English as you do across Europe. I found the total opposite, and I don’t speak any Spanish. I would love to return to BA and visit other countries in South America; however, it is a struggle not speaking any Spanish. I am curious, what is your favorite language to converse in, and which language do you get the most use of - outside of English.
I like all your epsiodes but this one is exceptional. I'm 41 and about to move to Germany by myself (after learning German in the UK for a couple of years), so your experience is very motivating! I also agree with your story learning method, I'm reading a lot of native German texts (like Heinrich Harrer's '7 Years in Tibet') and find it has a huge impact on vocabulary.
So it wasn't reading that developed your French? I learned Dutch a similar way, I lost my job and ended up in a homeless hostel for a year. I already spoke rudimentary Dutch, but being there skyrocketed it because I was among people who didn't default to English (many spoke no English or only basic - the 'all Dutch people speak English' trope is a myth or was then). I also learned lots of the vocabulary and phrases people actually use. Two things happen in this scenario: forced, constant input of things you actually use and forced speaking.
@@AfroLinguo Yes, that works well here now that French is hardly spoken (I do actually speak French!). Originally I said I only spoke Polish (I don't), but then they found a Polish person to translate for me, so that was embarrassing!
@@AfroLinguo Unfortunately I had to own up and look like a fool. I decided not to say a different language in case they found someone else. If I'd said Latin they'd have probably found a speaker.
Your story was quite similar to mine. Back in 2015 when I was native in russian and armenian ( and fluent in eng.) I was wondering if it was even possible for me to achieve the same level in French ? My father even told me " Won't discourage you, but native lvl requires a lot of study and practice" And the first year in France I couldn't imagine myself speaking fr, didn't like it at all, the affection towards the language came later, my first job that I found was vital for my documents so I was desperately trying find a job but obviously was getting refused for any post, and finally got recruited in music store they didn't care much about my French, they helped me out and probably even saved my life.... And now I have native lvl in fr, only few people could make the difference between my French and a native speaker, it really makes me proud, of course having an accent is charming but having native pronunciation is more impressive in my opinion. Your Chanel is amazing, wondering if you got any tips for learning Asian languages ?
Hello .... obviously, when learning French, you did not spend lots of time learning noun paradigms like "le marin, les marins" ... you noted "le" and "les" differ in sound, while "marin, marins" is same in sound unless coming before a word beginning with a vowel. N o w ... have you ever learned a language with actual cases, like German or Polish or Russian, or one with several cases having different endings, like Lithuanian, Ancient Greek, Latin?
Hey Olly, thought it was so cool that you studied jazz piano, just starting to (re)learn French to continue my jazz studies in a French speaking city. Thanks for the great content!
Your story really resonates with me. I think it's so important to stress that going abroad won't solve all your problems and how difficult it can be as a young guy on your own! You are so right about how once you get to B2/C1 you pretty much don't look back. I am currently on a quest to get proficiency in another language having got to an advanced level in German. Great honest content, thanks :)
Thanks Olly. I’m curious to try your products. I’ve just started to learn Spanish. So, I’ll give the story telling method a go. In hindsight this seems to be what i did with French and German.
Wow i have the same situation in Georgia. But not only i don't like where we live but also i really don't like the language at all. Even if I know something in Georgian , I really can't say it and speak in English in the end. But my only motivation is my baby now. I try to read her books or talk to her in Georgian but I still can't speak it. I think the feeling is blocking me and all the bad experiences.
I did French A Level...forgot most of it, esp the grammar. In 2004, I did a one eve a week improvers course at the local college. I picked quite a bit up once more. However, I didn't use it so forgot it all over again !
There's another video I've seen where the guy said "If you care enough, part of you becomes a member of the tribe to which the language belongs." I feel like that describes my experience learning Finnish. I'm not really confident in speaking it yet, due to not having any native speakers around me to practice with, but I've visited Finland twice, and consider it my second home. I also have a question: how would you go about learning a language that your family speaks but never really taught you, but hardly has anything written?
You look so young. LOL now I know you’ll read my comment. I’m doing my “gap year” now at almost 60! Been speaking crappy Spanish since high school. In about 2 weeks I’m off to Spain as a language and cultural assistant at an elementary school. Subscribed as ur so close to that magic #. Thanks for all ur advice. I’ll get ur book and borrow some from my school. Your knowledge is indispensable!
👌🏼 Thank you Olly for sharing your story! My hometown language is Spanish. I can understand 98% of what I hear in English, I can read but write, and specifically, talk in English is a litter more complicated for me. I always say that is because I need to study more grammar but the truth is that I hate grammar. I feel like I'm a step back each time I try to learn grammar.. 😪 Do you have any advice or suggestion? Thank you! 😊
@@PuffPuff279 Thank you so much! The main problem is when I try to talk, I start a conversation but then I forget how to use verbs, my mind doesn't respond fast even when I understand everything I heard. Always that I ask about how to improve my talk, the advice often is the same: you need to study grammar, grammar rules. 😓
@@loarmesl69 is it specific verbs or verbs in general? Give examples if you want. :) perhaps in your case, consuming media which uses those verbs that you struggle with frequently, you may improve.
Going to another country will help if you are at the intermediate level in a language. I think you will have to have a system in place before moving to another country to learn another language.
I invite you to the religion of Islam, the religion of God who created us, the religion of Muhammad, the religion of Jesus, the religion of Moses, the religion of Abraham, and the religion of all the prophets, peace be upon them
That's interesting what you said about reaching a good B2 level and you'll never lose it. I lived in Barcelona for 6 years and got pretty goid at Spanish and Catalan and even if i don't practice, my level never falls too much. I already spoke French before living in Barcelona and i've subsequently taught myself Italian, Polish, Portuguese and Romanian.
j'ai 16 ans,mais je viens de Myanmar,j'ai apprendre le fraicais depuis cinq mois parce que mon cheri est francais and il n'est comprend pas l'anglais et mon langue.Je peux parler mon langue (Burmese) et l'anglais mais maintenant,je peux parler un peu le francais et je suis tres contente pour ca.le francais est le promere langue pour moi que je etudie.
Good story. Did the hostel owner not interview you though - I'd suppose he'd be pretty aware you didn't have much french, and gave you the job anyway? Or do you feel like you pulled one over on him? I Guess he was being generous and thought you could figure out the basics - and was correct.
He said the owner kept asking "Tu comprends?", and he kept nodding in response. I feel for the guests that had to endure poor service at the front desk while he was figuring out the basics. :P I'd say that manager is not very good at managering, honestly! :D
French is a important language - and more: a MOST beautiful language, indeed! 💕 HOWEVER- this guy has a GIFT for learning languages!🏆.... which is a gift to be very grateful for🙏🏻 (And NO! "Hard work" is NOT enough!!!) In Heaven, we can all be fluent in any/every language we choose... however, on earth, very few achieve real fluency. That is just the way things are😢 - for the present!!! 💝
Hi Olly! I stumbled upon your channel found this video. Thank you for sharing your story in France, I could really relate to this. After I graduated college I moved to Spain to teach English and learn Spanish (on my own). I started seeking out language exchanges and was trying to meet people in the small town I was in. It definitely wasn’t easy and struggled for about a year as a young, curious introvert in a foreign space with no real plan for the future. Just like you, I was also fortunate to meet some amazing, patient people who wanted to help. After about 2 and a half years abroad I was able to get to a C1 and sometimes I can’t believe it. I fell in love with the language and now I’m currently learning French! Thank you for sharing your story, just subscribed!
I had a similar experience with blind confidence at 19. I left for the summer to spain and joined a course. The first week was so painful, but i believe this pain of dumb experience forces you to aquire the language much quicker. Totally agree that you need to have people to talk to! I would go for haircuts i didnt need, walk into stores i had no interest in and ask questions in restaurants that had no relevance, just to practice. Im about to try the same in France after getting my Spanish to about a B2/C1 level and having lived and worked in Mexico. Im hoping for a similar result, just a bit quicker this time!
I learned Spanish as my 2nd language. I used it as my cheat sheet. Although I spent most of my days in Canada 🇨🇦 in the Lower Mainland, many of the minorities spoke French 🇫🇷 I did not understand them in my 1st and 2nd trips. Eventually, I did in future trips. 😃
I spent 9 months in England for my MA. Lucky me I was already fluent because the interaction I had with "native" speakers was rather limited - actually the most fruitful were a half-drunken digression in the tube one early morning, and a break in a bus following massive strikes... I made the most progress re-translating the subtiles of my favorite show, followed by real-time translating philosophy classes to an exchange student from Canada... While in France.
French was my second foreign language, our French teacher was horrible, introducey us to some good French music, though, when I read Gide in my mother tongue I swore I will read this in the original one day and I did, love the language to this day!!! Never give up because of bad teachers!!😊 Olly was very brave and it was valued by a French girl 😂
Help!! I bought the beginners French stories book and really enjoyed reading. BUT I can’t get the text to speech working within my Kindle app on my iPhone. I’ve googled and tried all the advice, turning all the options on in settings etc. still not working!! Any clues?
Olly, please let me tell you.... that was a fascinating story of how things happened for you in France... part by fortune, part by luck and part by your determination. Wonderful to listen to... that small opportunity to learn French opened masses of future doors for you, and all credit to you.
How he learned French: The same way he learned Spanish and Portuguese. By faking fluency, by pretending he knows and comprehends far more than he actually does. His fluency extends from the first floor, to the third floor, inside a 100 story non-fluent building. I've been a foreign language teacher.
L'aisance dans les langues étrangères ? Cette fluidité vient à ceux-là qui l'aspirent par nécessité de la survie quotidienne. La tienne -- pour t'en débrouiller seul à Paris par immersion -- était l'urgence à quitter ta ville de berceau, Londres, et esquiver des mémoires tiraillées. Quant à moi, le français était un idiome obligatoire lycéen auquel j'avais appris pour poursuivre une haute éducation sans conscience initiale qu'il me change dès et à la profondeur de mon âme. J'ai depuis maîtrisé d'autres langues acquises aux racines latines -- espagnol (castellano), portugais brésilien, italien -- mais c'est encore au français que je me ressens plus connecté et galvanisé. Encore je pense invariablement en français sur des sujets cérébraux et abstraits car cette langue est taillée à servir ce but depuis Montesquieu dont le buste en laiton se trouve à la périphérie de la Sorbonne pour m'impressionner du fait. Bonne journée, mon pote, et je jouis autant ton discours pour aiguiser la passion soit francophone, hispanophone, lusophone, italienne.
I preferred the friendlier folk of southern France - Parisian are arrogant and prejudiced. Very discouraging to try to communicate with them because while tjey truly understood you - they just "didn't" understand you -- hahahahahaha.
Also, I wanna say that it's important for learning French to have a Latin language background (I'm Romanian and some French words are easy to understand by Romanians)
I just want to say that age has nothing to with it!. I am 60 and left a couple of years ago to France, rented out my apartment and left in my Mini!…😊 Like Nike says….Just do it…😉
Je regarde tes vidéos par curiosité, je suis Français et j’aime bien voir comment on apprend notre langue. Il y a énormément d’expressions qui sont propres à chaque régions, certaines personnes ne connaissent pas certains mots venant d’une autre région. Nous avons aussi beaucoup de verlan, " tu es fou " / " t’es un ouf " par exemple. Ou les compressions " il y a " / " y’a " Bon courage à tous 😬
Hi bro,listening to your story is so similar to mine mid sixties to mid seventies in New Caledonia no French and no local or native tongue and no friends but guys you work with,who had no interest in you except at work,and like you said at 19yrs old ,after work everyone disappears and there you are thinking to yourself now what?tried following the guys to their favourite bars and clubs with out conversations is not good.so started my drive to learn the language which ever works.what was that?repeat please what does it mean?so on and so forth.with in 3months I started to converse with the guys and that was my introduction to the French language.left there 7yrs later so was my French.living in New Zealand now many years past no French, but you just gave me a fresh idea,cheers.God bless.never too late as they say.
French was my first foreign language too, got me a degree, profession, stepping stone to 2 other languages, and got it to a level where my university French teacher only realised I wasn't French when I told her, after the first semester 😅 Love the channel, Olly, an inspiration x
What a fantastic achievement!
@@storylearning Thanks for the reply, Olly :) I hope one day maybe our paths will cross, as an avid traveler and language learner, I'd love to break bread or sip a coffee with you and talk tongues
Hey I’m doing a french degree at uni too. Has it helped u at all ? I kind’ve fear that I’m wasting my life with a useless degree even though languages is definitely what I want to do
@@tobybromfield3664 any time. Drop me an email if you’re ever in London
le français c'est pas si compliqué
Wouldn't it be great if you said, "Hi everyone, I have learnt French by having been born and raised in France" and then just played accordeon for twelve minutes
😂😂😂
@@mansionbookerstudios9629 no
Jazz accordian
Finally I am trilingual now,English, Hindi and Spanish at native level.
@Panda Angry you do know some places in india only have hindi? ya know, the part where hindi came from? any language learnt is impressive
@Panda Angry Most Indians are already trilingual regardless
How long will take you to learn two foreign languages to pretty good level?
Congratulations on achieving your goals. I wish you good fortune on wherever your journey leads. Focus on what you want and don’t listen to some of these people in your comment thread. Good day!
@@aeganratheesh Yes. And some are already polyglots. My best friend speaks 4 languages (Bodo, Assamese, Hindi, English).
BTW I'm trilingual (Assamese, Hindi, English).
Bon courage à tous ceux qui apprennent le français! Ce n'est pas facile mais avec de la patience et de la détermination, vous pouvez le faire!
Merci
merci beaucoup ( idk if i spelled that right)
merci beaucoup ( idk if i spelled that right)
@@JamesCondone Oui, l'ami. Tu l'as bien écrit. Du courage pour la suite. I am just one of the lucky ones. Coming from Cameroon, a country once colonized by Britain and France, I grew up in a family with an English-speaking father and a French-speaking mother who both wanted to learn the opposite language from their counterpart, and as a result... we.
I'm italian, i don't know anything in French but I understood what you wrote. Our languages are so similar frére😂🤟🏼 @French With Arno
It's interesting, Steve Kaufman just put out a video specifically speaking about the "Loneliness in Language Learning" as well. I really think your story of that struggle in Paris is something that not many language learners talk about.
There is a mental strain that exists with learning a language and spending hours and hours not understanding or being understood... and that strain is enhanced if you are immersed in a foreign country. That, coupled with homesickness, can put you in a pretty rough place if you aren't prepared for it. Then, even after you get to the point that you can understand and can make yourself understood... there is still another period of time where you still have to acquire enough vocabulary to feel like you are able to speak your mind and really be understood at a deeper, more personal level. There are a lot of jokes that will fly over your head, double-entendres that miss their mark, cultural things that you misstep, etc.
I served an LDS mission to France and it was enormously taxing for a long time. It was something that I was completely unprepared for socially. While I'm really happy that I had that experience, it's not something I look to replicate in my life any time soon.
Thanks for sharing your story, and for all the work you do :)
It's really that combination of a first experience living abroad while being young and not knowing the language much. This is the story of me and Sydney, Australia. I was utterly miserable trying to pull it all off at the time. Since then I have lived in several other countries (and in several languages) for years at a time and it has been *a lot* easier.
You really explained the struggle pretty well. Sometimes, you reach that level where you can communicate and exchange information with people, but you cannot connect with them personally. It is really a frustrating experience. However, one day, you get past that level and feel super proud of yourself.
Wow thats crazy you hit the nail on the head with how ive felt rn. Ive been going to school here in Puerto Rico and now i can confidently say i can speak spanish good. My big problem is that when im in social groups i get lost sometimes and have to focus really hard to understand whats going on and even tho i understand 80 to 90 perecent of what is being said, im more quiet than i would in English. Its affected my personality even in English social enviornments and has made me more quiet than i used to be. Im trying to get better in group situations and trying to fully be myself, is there any advice that anyone can give me that has experienced or is experiencing the same thing that can help with this type of situation
I have been studying in Lyon for this summer and the mental strain is real. I do sleep more than I used to. It also helps to make friends. I have two friends for life here......one is the house mother who has a lot of experience with hosting language students....the other was my first teacher here who became my friend when switched classes. He and I share a love for the old fashioned food traditions in France and he also speaks perfect English...so that helps. I knew it would be hard, but its the only way and next time....it will be easier. B1 is a hard place to be.
Reading this while sitting here in Paris, as an international student. You've explained what I go through everyday 😅😅
tu dois ajouter le sous-titres, si tu veux que les autres puissent apprendre anglais au moins. Mais selon moi tes videos m'ont aidé beaucoup avec mon desir d'être polyglotte. Du fond du cœur, merci.
J'ai acheté votre livre à la librairie. Ça m'aide beaucoup. Tu devrais faire une vidéo en français. J'aimerais voir ça.
le niveau de respect au début dégringole vers la fin c'est assez drôle à voir
@@Dart.QuantumLeague Qu'est ce que tu veux dire?
@@rebeccamcfarlin8199 il parle des histoires du livre
@@Kebbab.213 Merci! Je suis débutante en français et parfois c'est dur pour moi à comprendre certaines choses.
@@rebeccamcfarlin8199 pas de soucis ;) tu y arriveras. C'est dur mais c'est faisable
I’ve only just realised that you wrote the short stories in french book I have been enjoying. Great book and great videos, I’d love to see more of you talking in french. If you could have a video call with one or many of your french speaking friends just for general conversations and broadcast it, that would be awesome!
Fabulous story. I lived with French co workers at the hotel I was working at and that helped me learn a lot of French plus working in French restaurants. I now would like to learn more than just the basics.
That’s great. You probably have more of a foundation than you realise, with all that contract with native speakers. You’ll be fluent in no time!
I'm reading your short stories in French at the moment. Really enjoying it and learning lots.
wow, very close to 100k subs. congratulates!
The lesson I take from this story is that you can make dumb decisions and put yourself in a lousy situation but if you have drive, willingness and maybe a little luck you can turn them into positive experiences that help you grow as a person. Thanks for sharing.
👍
If they ask me " Who is the person you know that doesn't change as he gets older?" I prolly give your name Olly :D
Oh man... have you seen my videos from 7 years ago? 🤣
You say Dorian Gray ?
Hey Olly, I've been learning French for more than a year now and I think I've noticed something. French speakers say "for example" way more often than English speakers. When we English speakers give examples, we usually just give examples without saying actually the words "for example." But I regularly hear "par exemple" in French, so often that I could probably make a drinking game out of it.
Thanks for the tip. I'm learning that there is a huge difference between spoken French and the formal stuff of "school French".
I notice that in Norwegian too!
I think that that in the english speakers they just use the word "like"
Currently trying to learn french because my dream school is on Montreal. I'm thinking once I'm done my undergrad to move there for half a year and just get immersion in the language
McGill ?
@@journeyofafox ya that is the one! I am trying hard to get into their medical school program
Check out maprofdefrancais and Wandering French on TH-cam because spoken Quebec French is as different from Paris French as Cuban Spanish is from European Spanish. Also, you may have to make a little effort in the beginning because too many people speak English fluently and don't want to burden non-native speakers of French. Just keep on talking in French if they answer you in English and they'll switch back. Also, plan some getaways to Quebec City and smaller cities in towns in the province as people there are not as well-versed in English and will be happy to have conversations in French
@@lochlandean7518 @Limemill has solid tips.
I'd add: when you come to Montreal, if you want to continue in French, just let people know. A lot of us native French speakers switch to English when someone doesn't seem at ease in French. It's just a reflex to be helpful, but if you let us know you'd rather speak French, especially "practice" French, people will be overjoyed. We love when people come to Quebec and make an effort to learn French.
@@MrLuchenkov . I never do it , unless i think he is a tourist.
Quelle histoire inspirante, Olly ! J'ai dû regarder cette vidéo deux fois. Tu es une vraie motivation.
C’est étonnant à quel point les étrangers parlent mieux que la plupart des natifs 😅
@@quentinultramegadroiteradi7345 Mieux parler ou mieux écrire ? En tant qu'étudiant, il est moins difficile d'écrire un commentaire sur YT que p ex. faire la jasette avec quelqu'un d'inconnu dans un train; on a assez de temps pour y réfléchir. Lorsqu'une langue particulière est notre moyen de communication quotidien elle se sépare radicalement de la version livre, la version 'officielle' .C'est déjà le cas du français en temps normal ! Cette idée que beaucoup de gens parlent maintenant du 'mauvais français' ou du mauvais anglais, mauvais espagnol n'est pas vraie à cent pour cent. Il y a toujours eu un discours informel.
@@baronmeduse Oui oui évidemment, je faisais référence au côté orthographe.
Bah après t'as dit "parlent", ça prête à confusion
Mais c'est vrai, et je pense qu'au final c'est pas si étonnant : les étrangers qui apprennent le français l'apprennent de leur propre volonté, donc ils font en sorte de bien écrire, bien parler et de ne pas faire de fautes, ce qui est le but de toute personne voulant apprendre une langue
Un français natif, lui, n'aura pas appris le français par choix. C'est sa langue natale, il a les clés pour la parler et se faire comprendre par le plus grand nombre, alors à moins qu'il ne soit passionné par sa propre langue, il n'aura pas comme but de la parler/écrire parfaitement. Alors si personne n'est derrière lui pour l'encourager à s'améliorer, sa qualité de langage va se détériorer. C'est simplement une question de motivation, de but et de raison de l'apprentissage
@@Fuyu_ImpactTV oui c’est sûr. Si on regarde ça d’un œil rationnel c’est normal mais ça fait toujours le même effet quand t’es natif et que tu vois ça
Great story, Olly! French was early in my journey as well and holds a special place in my heart.
I am using the story learning method and it feels like it’s working. Thank you ❤️💪👍🏼
That's fantastic... now you just have to keep it up!
I was always confident that I would never be able to talk in French, and after 5 years of learning it in school I am proud to say that it's true.
Small, measurable goals! Congratulations!
That's funny and sad at the same time.
The best way to kill interest in a language is to attend language classes at school.
I took two years of french in the early 90s. After that I wanted to learn more. The problem of being in the center of the US was lack of materials. All you could get was maybe a 60 minute cassette tape with a "learn french" book. To get good at listening comprehension you need hundreds of hours of different types of audio. I tackled it off and on for 15 years. Mostly off. Then in 2015 I realized "well there is TH-cam now". A total game changer. So I basically started from scratch. My french comprehension is so much better now.
If you tell me that you used your 5 minutes break from your job to revise words in French, I can do nothing but admire your commitment to the language.
For real!! If I don't have 30mins to 1hr available, I don't practice my target language, cuz I don't want to have to stop abruptly when it gets interesting.
Hi Olly, loving the French Uncovered course, on chapter 5 right now. Do you recommend doing chapter after chapter continuously or taking day break every few chapters? And using a podcast to get an hour of immersion on a break day. Many thanks, keep up the great content.
Everyone does it differently. I'd say trust your gut. Success at language learning comes from keeping it up over the longer term, so do whatever feels most sustainable.
I'd like to take part in language exchanges here in my city. You're my inspiration Olly.
Lovely to hear your experience learning the language. Would love to hear how you learn Cantonese and your experience with it.
Vous êtes vraiment ma inspiration, Olly! Je suis Tamoul (Indien) et j'apprends le français.
"Inspiration" est bien un nom féminin, cependant, puisqu'il commence par une voyelle, nous disons plutôt "mon inspiration" 😀
J’apprends* le français » or « j’ai appris » le français
@@quentinultramegadroiteradi7345 merci👍
@@charlesleninja Ah! D'accord. Merci pour cette astuce😊
@@quentinultramegadroiteradi7345 2 differant things,I am learning French and I have learnt French.
French has been my first foreign language too and it has changed my life and began my journey of polyglot-hood, so did your podcast and blogs all the way back so many years ago. So glad to see that it has all grown into such a huge and well-loved language learning course and book series, who have been helping language learners all over the world. Recently I made friend with a fellow language learner who lives way across the globe and guess what, she and I are both big fans of your work!
Anyway, thanks for sharing a more detailed version of this part of your life, I thought I knew all already but apparently I didn't! Somehow it has given me some reflection and insights on mine too. Thank you so much, as always.
That's great to hear... I'll have to make more of these videos! Love having you in the community Nora!
One of the challenges of learning French, Spanish or Portuguese is its diversity of regional accents, argots and grammar. This is of course very pronounced in French as even within France there is a cacophony of local dialects. A Parisian for example can hardly understand a Marseillais let alone a Corsican. Some of us are too enamored of the variety from l'île de France to appreciate the other types. Then we go to Quebec, Acadia (New Brunswick), Martinique, Haïti, Louisiana (Cajun) and are bewildered by how their versions of French have acquired unique vocabularies and quirks that reflect their histories and experiences. Simply Parisian French is not the one and only. I recommend that we watch les Carnets de Julie wherein la présentatrice gives us glimpses, cadences and tastes that in sum is France in its entirety. Bonne journée.
@@jazmine9570 Not to understate le snobisme that permeates la classe patricienne parigote which belittles cruelly les provinciaux. The leader of la France insoumise, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who snickered (a ricané) at a reporter from Marseille heavy with the accent phocéen. Of course Mélenchon would have understood what said the journalist if he had been patient.
"doing a degree in jazz piano..completely unrelated to languages..."
I would respectfully disagree and say that jazz piano is intimately related to languages. A fabulous foundation in fact.
When you sit at a piano, you can hear the sound and see the grammar - of the language you're playing at that moment.
Vocab is vocab, it must be acquired regardless of idiom. And what type of Western music relies on fluid, impromptu conversational skills more than jazz?
Bon courage à tous ceux qui apprennent le Français ! Même pour les natifs cela peut-être difficile, ne vous découragez pas.
As a native french person, I'm always surprised to see how many people are learning french out there. Males me happy :)
I had problems learning english back in middle school, and I had to take extra class. Translatinf the resume of books I was waiting to come in french helped me a lot, and I'm very proud of my level now.
I'm currently working on my rusted spanish while trying to learn italian. Fortunately, they have a lot in common ^^ German, on the other hand, even if it's close to english, is a whole different thing x) And I learning japanese too, already able to read hiragana and strating katakana. Doesn't mean I'll be able to speak them all properly, but I would at least be able to understand them a little ^^
Trust me, German is difficult for English speakers as well. It's actually rated more difficult than French or Spanish for native English speakers.
Hey Olly, thanks for the interesting story. I was a bit like you when I was 24 years old. I thought the same about England as you did about France but ended up coming back to my country after a year in UK. The only difference was that I was already fluent in English before I went to UK. But I had never lived abroad before that, so I kind of went there blindfolded and not really sure what to expect. I had high expectations but I realized soon that the life there wasn't what I expected it to be, and it was really hard to be honest. But I had still a great time, like an adventure and a really good life lesson which I had to learn to realize what I have and to appreciate it. The grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence, although we often think it is. Also my English improved a lot while working with native speakers for almost a year. Cheers Olly from Finland😃.
been in montreal for 6 years and dont speak french. I must learn!
can you post a video where you speak it?
I really appreciated this. I studied abroad when I was at a terrible point in my life but it was my only opportunity in school to do it and I’d been wanting it since I was so little. But I was miserable. I got the cute diaries to chronicle everything and I ended up just writing how much I wanted to go home everyday. It was really weird because I didn’t know how out I could or couldn’t be, I got kicked out of my first host family because I’m gay and my school was all American exchange students so I only spoke French at home and in the streets. I really want to go back and do it my way on my terms
The best way to learn a language? Immersion.
Agree
I’m Dutch and English is my first foreign language. I’ve learned a little bit of Spanish, but French is a language I want to become fluent at. Just because it’s so beautiful :)
I'm learning Dutch and French at the same time 😆. It's so fun. Dutch is a cool and cute language while French is a very beautiful language. ❤️🇫🇷🇳🇱
Being in a foreign country can be incredibly difficult if you don't make connections with people. After I did an exchange in Spain, my biggest regret was not talking to people. I was so shy; people thought I couldn't speak Spanish. I didn't really make friends.
So, my language learning advice is to not be afraid to make a fool of yourself! Speak! Be ridiculous! Make mistakes! It's hard, but people are forgiving. It's amazing the connection you can make with someone just by talking with them. When I did speak with people, it was extremely rewarding.
No ...
Listen and read a lot...books of interest.. songs.. Lessen the words...Videos of interest with subtitles in the language.
The speaking will appear on its own.
@@Kitiwake I agree that those are good techniques to learn, but I think you misunderstood. I knew perfectly well how to speak Spanish-- certainly enough to get by. I could have spoken-- I just didn't. I would have learned a lot more if I had started conversations and interacted with people more.
This is one hell of a story. You should make this into a movie😂😂.
My respects from South Africa🇿🇦🇿🇦.
I come from Poland so I understand this price is not high but for me now, as I have lived and worked in Thailand for the last few years, it is expensive. I would need to learn more about the course and think well if I can afford it :) hope so haha
I will revive my French studies (after 10 years!!!) on Wednesday. Looking forward to read your short stories once I'm done with the LingQ mini stories.
BTW what about the short stories for Polish? 👀
Damn!! 10 years is a long time. Hope you can remember the knowledge of French you had before
@@AfroLinguo I actually understand quite a lot of the Mini stories and I don't struggle at building easy sentences. French is such a beautiful and intuitive language. School just spoiled it for me.
@@amstabomitdembabo5984 I was learning chinese at my Uni before and it was so boring for me. When I started taking online classes with teachers I chose, I loved it a lot more. I feel you
I'm French, following your channel and I find your story amazing ✨
I actually speak 3 languages at native level but since I'm not living anymore in the country where one of those language is spoken, one of my biggest concern is how to maintain the level. And as you mentioned it at the end of your video, I would be very interested to have a deeper point of view of how you can keep it for life. Thanks for your very fascinating videos 🤗
My first language was Japanese 💀 now I’m starting French to take it easy 🤣
Excellent vidéo. J'adore et tu donnes vraiment le goût d'apprendre d'autres langues. I teach FSL and I will use some of your videos this school year to show my students how fun it can be to learn new languages. Thank you and Hello from Ottawa, Canada.
New subscriber here... I took French in high school many years ago and was lucky to have an excellent teacher, so I was able to retain much of it when I visited France at age 23. Now it's a couple decades later and I decided to try relearning and have been doing Duo Lingo for almost a year but I don't feel like I'm getting anywhere with it 🙁 I think I'm ready to try a new method! I might just have to jump on that sale! Thank you!
Pretty sure Olly has a video that would tell you what he thinks of the owl. Duolingo can be fun but it's not really going to teach you a language, IMO.
@@keithkannenberg7414 glad I've only used the free version!
Also try Michel Thomas language lesson🙂
I'm Judy from Philippines and I'm excited learning French since I'm moving to Quebec Canada probably nextyear .Canadian French will be my 5th language since I'm here in Taiwan Chinese mandarin is my 4th(tagalog, English, Spanish )..French seems so hard to.learn but I'm determined and willing to learn it😊
BTW, you were one gorgeous 19-year-old. Your ex made a big mistake!
😱
I remember many years ago I spent my life reading books but I read just in Spanish. I wanted to experience the literature and poetry world in different languages like my favorite writers because every time I read a biography about one poet I always found "that poet knew Spanish, French, Italian, English, Russian... etc". So I decided to learn another language, and everyone said to me that I had to learn English, that English is mandatory. But I don't like to be obliged, I wanted to learn not for money and nothing socially useful. In the end, I chose French and I read writers such as "Maupassant, Baudelaire, Verlaine, Victor Hugo, Maurice Leblanc, Alexandre Dumas... Etc" Right now, I'm learning English.
So no video samples of how the course works???? really?
I love hearing people's stories. I like your story and I must admit I can relate to it. I think when I was in a bad place, that gave me an opportunity to go abroad and look for a different life. It was also good for my language learning as well.
French is the second language I'm currently studying
In my case, Spanish is what led me to language learning.
What an amazing story. Thank you for sharing. I'm learning French just because I was curious if I could learn it. French, for me, looked like a fancy language that I would never have the opportunity to learn. Even though it's a Romance language, it sounded so different and I was easily intimidated. Many people have said that it is one of the most beautiful languages but it didn't sound like that to me, to be honest, haha. So, I just give it a try to learn it see what the language is really like. It was really hard at first, quite frustrating. My motivation was weak so it was hard for me to keep studying. It took time, but after some time, it was finally making sense. All the puzzle pieces starting to take form (I love this part of language acquisition the most). And after that, it has been a complete joy to learn. What an interesting language. My Spanish knowledge did help to a certain extent, too. Still the beginner level, but I would definitely keep studying to a certain level.
The great thing is that it is so like English due to so many shared words, and similar sentence structure. It is hard to understand spoken French, and that will take a lot of hard work.
Olly, I really enjoy your videos. I too love languages and have studied French and German. Unfortunately, I am not fluent in either. I went to Buenos Aires, my first trip to South America, in 2019. After making many trips to Europe over the years, I was expecting to find many people in BA speaking English as you do across Europe. I found the total opposite, and I don’t speak any Spanish. I would love to return to BA and visit other countries in South America; however, it is a struggle not speaking any Spanish. I am curious, what is your favorite language to converse in, and which language do you get the most use of - outside of English.
Is French hard to learn? 👉🏼 th-cam.com/video/s3DEvsiW28k/w-d-xo.html
Thank you so much, Olly. I’m on my second book now learning Spanish. I am enjoying the stories so much. ❤️
So good to hear!
I like all your epsiodes but this one is exceptional. I'm 41 and about to move to Germany by myself (after learning German in the UK for a couple of years), so your experience is very motivating!
I also agree with your story learning method, I'm reading a lot of native German texts (like Heinrich Harrer's '7 Years in Tibet') and find it has a huge impact on vocabulary.
Being able to understand French is like having a superpower for me.
It's my second language I learn after English.
Salut d'Indonésie :).
So it wasn't reading that developed your French? I learned Dutch a similar way, I lost my job and ended up in a homeless hostel for a year. I already spoke rudimentary Dutch, but being there skyrocketed it because I was among people who didn't default to English (many spoke no English or only basic - the 'all Dutch people speak English' trope is a myth or was then). I also learned lots of the vocabulary and phrases people actually use. Two things happen in this scenario: forced, constant input of things you actually use and forced speaking.
Do you know what I do, when natives try to default to English with me, I tell them I can only speak French. That always works
@@AfroLinguo Yes, that works well here now that French is hardly spoken (I do actually speak French!). Originally I said I only spoke Polish (I don't), but then they found a Polish person to translate for me, so that was embarrassing!
@@baronmeduse 😅😅 How did you react when they brought a polish speaker?
@@AfroLinguo Unfortunately I had to own up and look like a fool. I decided not to say a different language in case they found someone else. If I'd said Latin they'd have probably found a speaker.
@@baronmeduse 😂😂
It would be interesting to know your take on how learning music helps in your ability to learn other languages.
Your story was quite similar to mine.
Back in 2015 when I was native in russian and armenian ( and fluent in eng.)
I was wondering if it was even possible for me to achieve the same level in French ? My father even told me
" Won't discourage you, but native lvl requires a lot of study and practice"
And the first year in France I couldn't imagine myself speaking fr, didn't like it at all, the affection towards the language came later, my first job that I found was vital for my documents so I was desperately trying find a job but obviously was getting refused for any post, and finally got recruited in music store they didn't care much about my French, they helped me out and probably even saved my life....
And now I have native lvl in fr, only few people could make the difference between my French and a native speaker, it really makes me proud, of course having an accent is charming but having native pronunciation is more impressive in my opinion.
Your Chanel is amazing, wondering if you got any tips for learning Asian languages ?
Hello .... obviously, when learning French, you did not spend lots of time learning noun paradigms like "le marin, les marins" ... you noted "le" and "les" differ in sound, while "marin, marins" is same in sound unless coming before a word beginning with a vowel.
N o w ... have you ever learned a language with actual cases, like German or Polish or Russian, or one with several cases having different endings, like Lithuanian, Ancient Greek, Latin?
Hey Olly, thought it was so cool that you studied jazz piano, just starting to (re)learn French to continue my jazz studies in a French speaking city. Thanks for the great content!
Your story really resonates with me. I think it's so important to stress that going abroad won't solve all your problems and how difficult it can be as a young guy on your own! You are so right about how once you get to B2/C1 you pretty much don't look back. I am currently on a quest to get proficiency in another language having got to an advanced level in German. Great honest content, thanks :)
Thanks Olly. I’m curious to try your products. I’ve just started to learn Spanish. So, I’ll give the story telling method a go. In hindsight this seems to be what i did with French and German.
Thanks bro, I wanna study french, 'cause the french is American league.
I have 3 of your books. I enjoyed this storytelling of how you came to learn French, also my first foreign language. fascinating!
Wow i have the same situation in Georgia. But not only i don't like where we live but also i really don't like the language at all. Even if I know something in Georgian , I really can't say it and speak in English in the end. But my only motivation is my baby now. I try to read her books or talk to her in Georgian but I still can't speak it. I think the feeling is blocking me and all the bad experiences.
No aspetta un attimo, sei anche pianista?!! grandissimo 🔥
I did French A Level...forgot most of it, esp the grammar. In 2004, I did a one eve a week improvers course at the local college. I picked quite a bit up once more. However, I didn't use it so forgot it all over again !
There's another video I've seen where the guy said "If you care enough, part of you becomes a member of the tribe to which the language belongs." I feel like that describes my experience learning Finnish. I'm not really confident in speaking it yet, due to not having any native speakers around me to practice with, but I've visited Finland twice, and consider it my second home.
I also have a question: how would you go about learning a language that your family speaks but never really taught you, but hardly has anything written?
You look so young. LOL now I know you’ll read my comment. I’m doing my “gap year” now at almost 60! Been speaking crappy Spanish since high school. In about 2 weeks I’m off to Spain as a language and cultural assistant at an elementary school. Subscribed as ur so close to that magic #. Thanks for all ur advice. I’ll get ur book and borrow some from my school. Your knowledge is indispensable!
2:28 @OllyRichards To be fair, Music is a language in itself.
👌🏼 Thank you Olly for sharing your story! My hometown language is Spanish. I can understand 98% of what I hear in English, I can read but write, and specifically, talk in English is a litter more complicated for me. I always say that is because I need to study more grammar but the truth is that I hate grammar. I feel like I'm a step back each time I try to learn grammar.. 😪
Do you have any advice or suggestion?
Thank you! 😊
What is it specifically that you struggle with, in relation to English grammar? I'll try to help.
@@PuffPuff279 Thank you so much!
The main problem is when I try to talk, I start a conversation but then I forget how to use verbs, my mind doesn't respond fast even when I understand everything I heard. Always that I ask about how to improve my talk, the advice often is the same: you need to study grammar, grammar rules. 😓
@@loarmesl69 is it specific verbs or verbs in general? Give examples if you want. :) perhaps in your case, consuming media which uses those verbs that you struggle with frequently, you may improve.
Your doing fine just practice speaking and listening to English. Your doing just fine!
Going to another country will help if you are at the intermediate level in a language. I think you will have to have a system in place before moving to another country to learn another language.
I invite you to the religion of Islam, the religion of God who created us, the religion of Muhammad, the religion of Jesus, the religion of Moses, the religion of Abraham, and the religion of all the prophets, peace be upon them
That's interesting what you said about reaching a good B2 level and you'll never lose it. I lived in Barcelona for 6 years and got pretty goid at Spanish and Catalan and even if i don't practice, my level never falls too much. I already spoke French before living in Barcelona and i've subsequently taught myself Italian, Polish, Portuguese and Romanian.
j'ai 16 ans,mais je viens de Myanmar,j'ai apprendre le fraicais depuis cinq mois parce que mon cheri est francais and il n'est comprend pas l'anglais et mon langue.Je peux parler mon langue (Burmese) et l'anglais mais maintenant,je peux parler un peu le francais et je suis tres contente pour ca.le francais est le promere langue pour moi que je etudie.
Seulement cinq mois? Bravo!! Très bon niveau. 👍
@@MrPictor Oui cinq mois,merci beaucoup,En fact,j'etudie beaucoup le francais tous les jours. :)
Bravo ! Continu comme ça 🙂
@@biiiiiimm Oui,merci beaucoup.
Good story. Did the hostel owner not interview you though - I'd suppose he'd be pretty aware you didn't have much french, and gave you the job anyway? Or do you feel like you pulled one over on him? I Guess he was being generous and thought you could figure out the basics - and was correct.
He said the owner kept asking "Tu comprends?", and he kept nodding in response. I feel for the guests that had to endure poor service at the front desk while he was figuring out the basics. :P I'd say that manager is not very good at managering, honestly! :D
@@brenobacci Yeah, that's the other (likely) option - if that's all he did then it wasn't much of an interview - but the sort I tend to hope for.
French is a important language - and more: a MOST beautiful language, indeed! 💕
HOWEVER- this guy has a GIFT for learning languages!🏆.... which is a gift to be very grateful for🙏🏻
(And NO! "Hard work" is NOT enough!!!)
In Heaven, we can all be fluent in any/every language we choose... however, on earth, very few achieve real fluency. That is just the way things are😢 -
for the present!!! 💝
it was great video. i'm brazilian and i'm getting more comfortable with the learn languages, thank you.
Hi Olly! I stumbled upon your channel found this video. Thank you for sharing your story in France, I could really relate to this. After I graduated college I moved to Spain to teach English and learn Spanish (on my own). I started seeking out language exchanges and was trying to meet people in the small town I was in. It definitely wasn’t easy and struggled for about a year as a young, curious introvert in a foreign space with no real plan for the future. Just like you, I was also fortunate to meet some amazing, patient people who wanted to help. After about 2 and a half years abroad I was able to get to a C1 and sometimes I can’t believe it. I fell in love with the language and now I’m currently learning French! Thank you for sharing your story, just subscribed!
This is so encouraging, thanku for making content from us!
I had a similar experience with blind confidence at 19. I left for the summer to spain and joined a course. The first week was so painful, but i believe this pain of dumb experience forces you to aquire the language much quicker. Totally agree that you need to have people to talk to! I would go for haircuts i didnt need, walk into stores i had no interest in and ask questions in restaurants that had no relevance, just to practice. Im about to try the same in France after getting my Spanish to about a B2/C1 level and having lived and worked in Mexico. Im hoping for a similar result, just a bit quicker this time!
I learned Spanish as my 2nd language. I used it as my cheat sheet.
Although I spent most of my days in Canada 🇨🇦 in the Lower Mainland, many of the minorities spoke French 🇫🇷 I did not understand them in my 1st and 2nd trips. Eventually, I did in future trips. 😃
I spent 9 months in England for my MA. Lucky me I was already fluent because the interaction I had with "native" speakers was rather limited - actually the most fruitful were a half-drunken digression in the tube one early morning, and a break in a bus following massive strikes...
I made the most progress re-translating the subtiles of my favorite show, followed by real-time translating philosophy classes to an exchange student from Canada... While in France.
French was my second foreign language, our French teacher was horrible, introducey us to some good French music, though, when I read Gide in my mother tongue I swore I will read this in the original one day and I did, love the language to this day!!!
Never give up because of bad teachers!!😊
Olly was very brave and it was valued by a French girl 😂
Help!! I bought the beginners French stories book and really enjoyed reading. BUT I can’t get the text to speech working within my Kindle app on my iPhone. I’ve googled and tried all the advice, turning all the options on in settings etc. still not working!! Any clues?
Olly, please let me tell you.... that was a fascinating story of how things happened for you in France... part by fortune, part by luck and part by your determination. Wonderful to listen to... that small opportunity to learn French opened masses of future doors for you, and all credit to you.
How he learned French: The same way he learned Spanish and Portuguese.
By faking fluency, by pretending he knows and comprehends far more than he actually does.
His fluency extends from the first floor, to the third floor, inside a 100 story non-fluent building. I've been a foreign language teacher.
L'aisance dans les langues étrangères ? Cette fluidité vient à ceux-là qui l'aspirent par nécessité de la survie quotidienne. La tienne -- pour t'en débrouiller seul à Paris par immersion -- était l'urgence à quitter ta ville de berceau, Londres, et esquiver des mémoires tiraillées. Quant à moi, le français était un idiome obligatoire lycéen auquel j'avais appris pour poursuivre une haute éducation sans conscience initiale qu'il me change dès et à la profondeur de mon âme. J'ai depuis maîtrisé d'autres langues acquises aux racines latines -- espagnol (castellano), portugais brésilien, italien -- mais c'est encore au français que je me ressens plus connecté et galvanisé. Encore je pense invariablement en français sur des sujets cérébraux et abstraits car cette langue est taillée à servir ce but depuis Montesquieu dont le buste en laiton se trouve à la périphérie de la Sorbonne pour m'impressionner du fait. Bonne journée, mon pote, et je jouis autant ton discours pour aiguiser la passion soit francophone, hispanophone, lusophone, italienne.
I preferred the friendlier folk of southern France - Parisian are arrogant and prejudiced. Very discouraging to try to communicate with them because while tjey truly understood you - they just "didn't" understand you -- hahahahahaha.
Also, I wanna say that it's important for learning French to have a Latin language background (I'm Romanian and some French words are easy to understand by Romanians)
I just want to say that age has nothing to with it!. I am 60 and left a couple of years ago to France, rented out my apartment and left in my Mini!…😊 Like Nike says….Just do it…😉
Je regarde tes vidéos par curiosité, je suis Français et j’aime bien voir comment on apprend notre langue. Il y a énormément d’expressions qui sont propres à chaque régions, certaines personnes ne connaissent pas certains mots venant d’une autre région. Nous avons aussi beaucoup de verlan, " tu es fou " / " t’es un ouf " par exemple. Ou les compressions " il y a " / " y’a "
Bon courage à tous 😬
Imagine if your girlfriend hasn’t ditch you back in 2000. What would have became of you?!😃
Hi bro,listening to your story is so similar to mine mid sixties to mid seventies in New Caledonia no French and no local or native tongue and no friends but guys you work with,who had no interest in you except at work,and like you said at 19yrs old ,after work everyone disappears and there you are thinking to yourself now what?tried following the guys to their favourite bars and clubs with out conversations is not good.so started my drive to learn the language which ever works.what was that?repeat please what does it mean?so on and so forth.with in 3months I started to converse with the guys and that was my introduction to the French language.left there 7yrs later so was my French.living in New Zealand now many years past no French, but you just gave me a fresh idea,cheers.God bless.never too late as they say.
This is such a beautiful video, thank you for all the advice, support and encouragement.
Haha… I just can’t get the image out of my mind of mr faulty and Manuel in faulty towers…. “I speak English good “ haha
Do a Video about French Kwéyòl
This guy speaking Mandarin with some american accent is always hilarious.