Is Learning French Difficult: Can You Master the Language in 6 Months or Less?

by Natalie Worden

The Quebec government has stated that mastering the French language in 6 months is "impossible," according to the CBC. This led us to consider the phenomenon of polyglots who are able to master new languages in a short time frame. One of the most renowned polyglots was Dr. Jose Rizal, who was said to be able to speak 22 languages. He was known to learn the language of every country he planned to visit.

In this article, we will explore ways to quickly master the French language and some unconventional methods to achieve fluency. Keep reading to learn more!

How Long Does It Take to Master Another Language on Average?

The time it takes to become fluent in a language varies greatly. Some people can speak, write, and read in another language in as little as three months. For others, it can take as long as two years. And some people might never get the hang of a language, even if they are surrounded by it all their life. It is important to understand that everyone moves at their own pace and the idea of fluency itself is subjective. Even if you have full proficiency in a language, if you haven't learned it before a certain age, you are likely always going to have an accent.

Several factors could affect your ability to learn a new language:

Motivation - It might not come as a surprise that your motivation to learn another language will greatly impact how well you will perform in it. Let's say you just got a job in France and are going to move there in a couple months. You're more likely to feel the urgency to learn French than college students required to take up French classes as part of their curriculum.
Mindset - You might have heard the saying, "Your greatest enemy is yourself." The same can be said when it comes to learning a new language. If you don't have a positive outlook on learning a new language, it could negatively affect your learning experience and ability to master it.
Supportive environment - Having friends and family who support your goal of learning a new language will help you in the long run. Studies have shown that families who prioritize language learning lead to children who are more apt to picking up a language quickly. Having friends who share your passion for language learning doesn't hurt, either.
Prior experience with the language - How fast you learn a language will also depend on how similar it is to your native tongue. For example, if you're a native Italian speaker, learning French will be much easier for you, since Italian and French are both Romance languages, which means they come from the same language family (Latin). But don't be discouraged if your native language does not share roots with the language you want to learn.
Learning strategy - How you achieve your goal depends greatly on how you go about accomplishing it. If you're not getting the desired results, it's time to restructure your strategy and rethink your goals. Finding the right technique to master a language will take some time, but once you find what works for you, it will make learning a new language much quicker.
Personality type - Surprisingly, being an introvert or extrovert can affect how fast you pick up a new language. Whitby reported that extroverted students are likely to go all out in learning a new language. Introverts, on the other hand, have a harder time because they are hesitant to make mistakes, which is a natural part of the language-learning process. Therefore, making individuals of any personality type feel comfortable in their learning environment will improve their language acquisition.

Three Reasons Why You Should Learn French

Now that we've discussed the different factors that might affect your ability to quickly learn another language, let's take a look at three reasons why learning the French language could be beneficial to you.

Broadening Your Cultural Knowledge

When learning another language, you will have to get in touch with its culture and way of interacting. Unfortunately, the cultural aspect of learning a new language is often neglected. But broadening your cultural knowledge will help you better understand the world around you and give you a better idea on how culture intricately affects our behaviors and social expectations.

Most of the time, we travel around the world just to immerse ourselves in another culture. If you love culture and the arts, France is a great country to visit because it's considered the center of fashion and has a rich art history. By understanding the language, you will be able to appreciate the culture on an even deeper level during your travels. But even if you're not planning to go to France, learning the language has its benefits. Many study the language because they want to read novels and watch films without relying on translations. This is another way to become immersed in the culture and understand it on another level.

Job Opportunities in French Translation

Another reason why you might want to study French is to break into the translation industry. According to Verified Market Research, the global translation sector is reported to have a market value of $46.22 billion by 2028. Learning French is a great way to expand your professional reach or pivot into a new career altogether.

Translation services provide support to businesses that seek to enter the global market by bridging language barriers. French translation itself caters to 29 countries that have made French their official language - that's around 274 million French speakers. And with how interconnected our global market has become, the demand for bilingual workers and translation services will only increase.

Enhancing Your Self-Esteem and Mental Capabilities

There's no doubt about it: learning a new language is not an easy thing. It takes a lot of motivation and self-discipline to accomplish your goal. But with continued effort and practice, you can achieve what you set out to do. And once you finally reach your aims of fluency in the language, you can really feel proud of yourself. This will boost your self-esteem and give you the confidence to take on new challenges and set for yourself new objectives.

There have also been several studies pointing out that learning another language, like French, can enhance your cognitive abilities and help grow new neuronal connections. This improves decision-making, unleashes creative potential, promotes deep thinking and multitasking, and boosts overall attention.

Ways You Can Speed Up Learning the French Language

But how can you achieve your goal of learning French? Creating a strategy and finding the techniques that work for you requires time, patience, and flexibility. However, here are a few tips and tricks that can help:

Having a language partner - They say two heads are better than one, and the same goes for those wanting to learn French. Having someone with you as you learn another language makes you more accountable when trying to reach your goals. You might also want to pair up with a native French speaker who is interested in learning your native tongue. When you teach your own language, you learn to look at it from a different perspective, which can help you learn the grammatical intricacies and syntactical structure of a foreign language such as French.
Making the language part of your daily life - One of the quickest ways to learn another language is by reading and writing in French in almost all activities. Start with children's books and write down the words you do not know in a notebook. Look up their definitions in French or the equivalent in English to create your own personal glossary. Then, move up from there and take on more difficult texts to develop your vocabulary and improve your understanding of the language.
Listening to French podcasts and watching French cinema - Another way you can practice French is by listening to and watching French content. There are tons of movies and TV shows available today to help make this possible. And even if you begin with subtitles in your native tongue, you can always move on to having these eventually in French, and then, when you are ready, you can remove them all together.

Conclusion

The Quebec government's statement that mastering the French language in 6 months is challenging is understandable. Language mastery requires time and effort, and not everyone can achieve it quickly. In the meantime, translation services may be needed to help bridge language barriers for individuals and businesses alike.

However, with the right approach and a motivated mindset, it is possible to achieve French language mastery in a short period of time. It is important to remain focused on your goals and not give up on your pursuit of fluency in French.

About the writer

Natalie Worden is a French to English translator and copywriter specialized in the marketing, academic, and literary domains. She has a master's degree in professional and literary translation from the Institut de Traducteurs, d'Interprètes et de Relations Internationales at the University of Strasbourg. She currently works as a content strategist for Tomedes, a translation company that offers French translations and 120+ language translation solutions to businesses worldwide. To learn more about the various French translation services that Tomedes offers, you can visit their website here.

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