Pro Tips for Improving Your French

If you clicked on this article, chances are you want to improve your French. But do you know which aspects of the language you need to work on? By pinpointing your weaknesses, you will know what to watch out for and can target your efforts to ensure progress.

There are a few ways to identify your trouble spots:

• If you have already received one or more report cards, look at your results to confirm which area you struggle with most: reading, writing, or oral communication. Then check out our study tips for the corresponding skill.

• Another approach is to ask yourself why you want to improve your French.

  • Is it to become more comfortable speaking or writing in French?

  • Maybe you want to become a journalist, author, or copywriter, and think you need to sharpen your writing skills.

  • Or perhaps you want better grades to impress your friends or live up to your parents’ expectations.

  • Your motivation could also be to better understand a concept that you are struggling with.

Whatever the reason, understanding your motivation is a good way to help focus your energy where it is most needed. If you are struggling with all aspects of French, taking things one small task at a time will be easier and keep you from becoming discouraged.

Grammar and spelling are the building blocks of your sentences, but when you struggle to understand all the different rules, it can be overwhelming. Here are a few things that can help:

• Make sure you understand the basic rules. Alloprof has a wealth of concept sheets and videos to help you learn the fundamentals.

• Have fun learning as you play. Try some of our games—like PP l’archer, Gommophone, and Conjugo—or work on our interactive exercises, depending on the areas you want to improve.

• Read as much as you can and pay attention to sentence structure, verb conjugation, and word agreement.

• Write often, edit your work, and apply the rules of self-revision. Watch this TikTok video to get you started. Over time, you may notice that you tend to repeat a certain type of mistake that can be worked on.

• Keep any helpful resources within reach of your study or work space. For example, you can print out this poster on past participle agreement. We also recommend keeping a dictionary, grammar reference, and conjugation guide nearby.

The more words you know, the better you will understand what you read, and the more accurately you will be able to express your ideas. There are several ways to enrich your vocabulary and learn new words:

• Reading is the best way to build your vocabulary. Read all kinds of texts to learn a wide variety of words. Recommended French reading for high school students.

• When you come across a word you don’t know, try different strategies to understand its meaning and add it to your vocabulary list.

• Using figures of speech is a good way to add a personal and colourful touch to your writing. Learn to master them with this exercise and keep this checklist handy.

In order for others to understand what you are trying to say, it is important to organize your thoughts in a logical and coherent manner. If you find yourself struggling to prepare an oral presentation or write a text, here is a method to get you started:

• Ask yourself these three questions:

  • Who is my message for? People my age, a government official, a company, or another audience?

  • What is the objective? Is it to inform, entertain, or defend an idea?

  • What is the context? Is the oral presentation two or ten minutes long? Is the text 250 or 1000 words?

• Define your main idea and write down the key points you want to cover.

• Start by creating an outline or mind map to organize your ideas. You can also explore Alloprof’s French vocabulary list related to your topic.

• Alloprof also has specific tips for oral presentations, whether you need help finding your topic, understanding how oral presentations are evaluated, or effectively conveying your message. We also have tips on how to speak to an audience.

When it comes to writing, Alloprof has a wealth of French-language resources. Try using the search feature to find what you need. Here are a few more tools:

• Start here to learn about various writing tips and strategies.

• We offer concept sheets on the different types of expository and literary texts, text structure, and tips for writing a strong conclusion.

• Depending on the type of text you need to write, you can also use Alloprof’s posters to remind you of the various explanatory techniques and strategies for making an argument.

Do you love reading and want to read more in French, but struggle to understand the text at times? The ideas expressed in a text can be complex and implicit, forcing you to read between the lines. Luckily, all it takes is a little practice and a few strategies to improve your comprehension skills:

• Try using a finger, pencil, or bookmark to follow along as you read and help you stay focused.

• You can always take a break to think about what you just read. If you struggled to understand the last sentence or paragraph, try reading the passage again, look up unfamiliar words in the dictionary, or simply reflect on what the author is trying to say.

• If you own the text or book, you can also use a pencil or highlighter to highlight important words or phrases, and add notes in the margins. This will help you see and remember important ideas.

• Once you are ready to go more in-depth in your reading, check out our reading tips and tools, and print out our posters for ideas on the questions to ask yourself when reading an expository or narrative text.

• For more practice, Alloprof’s Grimoire game is a fun way to work on texts of various levels.

Although you may not need these tips now, additional learning resources are available:

• If you have a specific question about a concept or assignment, the Help Zone is open 24/7. During our business hours, you can also ask a teacher your question.

• If you are failing a subject, living with ADHD, experiencing a lot of stress, or dealing with other worries that stand between you and success, check out our other study tips.

• If your challenges are too big to handle on your own, remember that you can always seek professional help at your school or elsewhere.