French Learning Update: 3 Months In

Here I am, three months into my study abroad experience. I wrote a post after my first week about my initial experiences trying to use French in France. I hadn’t even started school yet then, so an update is definitely in order. One semester is nearly gone and already so much has changed. 

To begin with, the semester had a rocky start. At the orientation events the first weekend, I received many compliments from other students and native speakers which gave me a healthy confidence boost. The next day, however, I completed a timed essay to determine my level. I must have written a terrible essay because I got placed two levels below where I was usually placed! I was shocked and more than a little abashed. Gone went my confidence from the weekend.

Honestly, my first week of classes was pretty miserable. The classes were so easy that I wanted to tear my hair out. Whenever I opened my mouth, the professors were just as confused as I was regarding my assigned level. Desperate, I asked enough professors to be moved up to B2, the advanced level.

From my first day in B2 the following week, I knew I was where I needed to be. I could understand the professors despite their speed and vocabulary (that alone made my heart skip in excitement) but the discussions, homework, and tests were enough to stretch my skills to the max.  

Recently, I got frustrated because I still struggle to remember words or grammatical details. Example A: this morning I basically forgot French at two separate stores. Beet-red and sweating, I apologized to the cashier, saying, “Désolée, j’apprends toujours la langue” (Sorry, I’m still learning the language). In my classes, I still get essays back covered in red because of spelling or gender mistakes.

But when I compare my current level to the sort of things I found challenging before I left for France…the difference is staggering. Just last semester, I got stressed about a 10 minute oral exam, a short at-home essay, or a five minute presentation. Here I am a few months later getting good scores on lengthy, timed essay exams and 20 minute presentations! And of course, every day and every class period is an “oral exam.”

Overall, I think the biggest change is probably my mindset. Even if I still make plenty of mistakes, I don’t stop to think before going somewhere about the fact that I will have to speak French. When you’re learning a language in a class, your usage of that language is compartmentalized. You only engage that part of your brain during limited, planned moments in the week, such as during class period or when you complete homework assignments.

The glory of immersion is that you have to be ready to use the language anytime, anyplace. Not only do I speak French in class, but I have to be ready to speak to the bus driver, to the cashier, to my coworkers at my job, and even at home with my host family.

Before, I felt restless and stuck in a mid-intermediate level. For me, the only way to get out of that slump was to force myself to use French in every aspect of daily life. And I sure got my wish. 

The primary challenge that remains is native French speakers outside of class. At first, the problem was finding anyone to interact with. After all, my classmates are only international students. In addition to my host family, I have also found a weekly Bible study and a monthly youth meeting at my host family’s catholic church. Both of these events are by far the most difficult and draining French practice in my week.

Young French people speak with a frightening rapidity, slurring words and tossing in all sorts of slang that goes right over my head. As a general rule, if they laugh I laugh, but their humor is beyond me. Nevertheless, I am ecstatic. This is why I am here. Understanding a class is one thing, but speaking like a French person is entirely different.

In conclusion, I’m becoming more and more comfortable communicating spontaneously in any circumstance in my daily life. I’m growing my proficiency in both casual French and academic French which are entirely separate ballgames. Ordinarily, I struggle to see my own achievements. But frankly, I’m proud of what I have achieved so far. No matter how many mistakes I make every day, I feel confident knowing how far I’ve already come and how far I will grow by the end of the second semester.