Language is About Confidence!

I've been learning French for quite a while now. My French is still not great, but I'm continuously working. I think that French is truly a beautiful language (well, I guess every language is, but you get what I mean), and I'd love to "master" it one day.

Unfortunately, I started off on the wrong foot. I learned grammar before anything else. This, in my opinion, is one of the worst ways any student can learn a foreign language. Language is about communicating, listening, and most importantly, making mistakes. Leaning how to conjugate verbs and use proverbs before learning how to talk and pronounce is not the best idea.

For years and years I learned pure grammar. Holding a normal conversation or writing an essay was almost impossible. No matter how many years passed, my French skills did not improve. I was becoming one of those people that was learning without truly learning. Everything just seemed like a facade. I said "Oh, yeah, I speak a little French," but I was doubtful.

Last year or so, I met a teacher who changed the way I viewed French. While she did teach me grammar, she concentrated on speaking, listening, and writing. At first I was terrified. I was afraid of making mistakes. Would I sound ridiculous? Would she think that I'm stupid if I make this mistake? But there was a problem. My teacher only spoke French -- yes, she didn't speak English at all -- so I was forced to only use French (or Spanish).

We spent hours and hours just talking about our day, creating scenarios, and sharing amusing stories. She would correct me if I made a grammatical error, or when I pronounced something terribly. "Répète, mess-yeur," she would say whenever I said "Mon-sieur." Or whenever I said "exam," she would immediately say "examen." As time passed, I began to mold into someone else. I could hold conversations without stuttering. I could watch movies, listen to music, read books and articles...and understand!

So, what am I trying to say? Speak, listen, and write. Make mistakes! Don't be afraid to mispronounce for the fear of sounding ridiculous. The chances of others laughing at you/thinking that you're horrible are incredibly low. No one will judge you. Language should be learned naturally. It should be slowly integrated into your life, not forced into your system. Grammar will eventually come as well, so don't worry too much about that!