zobia

watch Dora the Explorer (French Version)

NewBeginning

I remember some from my schooldays, but my French isn't great. I lived in France for a while, but I didn't have a lot of contact with French people because of my inlaws. So I didn't learn much French while living there either. But I did start to learn vocubularies and continued that when I moved back to Holland.

Then one day, I met a French lady living in Holland, that's when my French improved, because we talked a lot in French. When you talk French very often with someone, that's when you really learn the language. I could improve the French I had mostly known from books and the few sentences and words I had learnt while living in France.

You can't learn a language only from books, it's important to regularly talk in that language with someone who speaks it very well. My French is much better now, but I do have an accent and many grammar mistakes, I haven't really spoken it for a long time now, so I guess it's worse now than it was some years ago.

Another example, I've tried to learn Russian, but it's difficult. Pronounciation is difficult. Grammar is terrible. I don't have anyone to talk to in Russian, so I can't learn it better. I became intrigued by Russian culture when I was about 18. I also liked the way the language was written and wanted to learn to read and write it. And there are many great Russian books which would be nice to be able to be read in their own language. So over the years I've made some attempts to learn it. I can read some words and sentences, but that's about it.

While trying to learn Russian, there was nobody I could talk to in that language regularly, so I didn't learn it very well.

While trying to learn French, I had someone I talked to in French regularly, so I learnt that language much better.

Conclusion: learn from books, but most important, there should be someone who speaks that language with you very often if you really want to learn the language.

NewBeginning

Sometimes you even hate a language for a while, if you've had an awful experience in a place where people spoke that language, for example people who spoke French and Pakistani, then sometimes you don't even want to admit that you speak that language that you hate so much because it reminds you of the people who were awful to you. But then after a while you are over everything, then you think about the positive and nice people who also speak French and Pakistani and then you stop hating French and Pakistani.

Have you ever hated a language?

tt01

When I was younger I really didn't like Punjabi cause that's the language my mother would speak when she was really mad at us. Also, my parents fought in Punjabi and I really didn't like my parents fighting.
Pakistani? you mean Urdu?

NewBeginning

My family speaks Punjabi with some friends, Urdu with other friends, and Pahari with the rest of the Pakistani friends.

Mostly, our family language is Pahari and many family members speak Urdu more often with the children. My ex-inlaws spoke mostly both Pahari and French and I hated those languages for a while.

My parents also often fought in private, in Pahari language. As a child, you feel very unsafe when your parents fight.

tt01

pahari? mountain language?

NewBeginning

Urdu: main kapray khareedoon gee

Pahari: main kapray khareedsaa (keensa)

It's differences like these.

teggy

I believe that's Potohari, though i could be wrong.

Spoken around RWP/Islamabad/Azad Kashmir, and surrounding areas...

NewBeginning

Perhaps that's another name for it. Most of my family members have always called it pahari. My Mother used to become angry when I talked pahari, though most of my family members speak it, she always wanted me to only talk Urdu when I was growing up, she said Urdu was more 'neat'. But a lot of my cousins don't care about that and they just talked in pahari everywhere. Nowadays even both my brothers talk more pahari.

When I visited Kotli (Azad Kashmir) many more people talked pahari there and nobody minded. We have family in Rawal Pindi and Islamabad who also talked both Pahari and Urdu, mixed with a lot of show off unnecesary English.

smilly

Some tips: watch cartoon movies in frech, read bilingual books, try to find a frech student with whom you can spend an hour or two per week. 'arte' is on of the best French Tv channel, I don't know where you are? I used to watch it when i was in Pakistan so i am sure you ll find it. All the best

Tayyebeh

:P Je parle un peut du Francais, mais pour moi aussi il faut d'ameliorer ma connaissance en Francais parce que je choisisais Francais comme premiere major pour la prochaine anee scolaire. Inchallah j'aurai du succes.

tt01

^ bonne chance!

tt01

merci. I do try to watch the french channels but after I while it gets so boring, not being able to understand anything.

smilly

hmm try cartoons like "Oui Oui"

Tayyebeh

Merci beaucoup.

Arte est malheureusement en Allemand ici. :/Pas en francais. Ou peux-je trouver des films en francais? Quelq'un connait une site dans l'internet?

hitchki

i am tres jealous ;-) Have been taking lessons on and off for years now but words like that just dont stick in my head, no matter what I do. I'm also dying to learn Russian and Farsi too. I reckon after that it's cantonese/manderin and I can read pretty much all the worlds greatest literature in its native form. All sans Japanese. I don't care for it at all.

But yes, French. I just cant do it

BlushingRose

great thread...im losing my french and need to start practicing again. J'adore la langue! C'est tres belle

smilly

Dommage! nous avons une version Française en France que je trouve excellente. Voici un site sur lequel vous pouvez trouver des films traduit en Français : tous vous films en ligne

Bonne chance!

smilly

Effectivement, c'est une très belle langue. Pour ne pas la perdre, vous pouvez lire en Française, regarder les emissions ou des films en Française et venir en France de temps en temps

ou plus facile épouser un Française ou une Française

BlushingRose

^^Vous etes francaise???