How to choose books in French for beginners?

2024 Author: Sierra Becker | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-26 03:46

Starting to learn any foreign language, you need to set yourself up for constant replenishment of vocabulary and training of speech, hearing and graphic skills. Ideally, it is better to start learning in early childhood, when the absorption of lexical and grammatical foundations occurs as if by itself. For psychologists, childhood is considered a sensitive period, that is, favorable for the perception of various information, including foreign languages. But what about a situation where, for example, French is needed in adulthood, but there is no opportunity to immerse yourself in the language environment? Tutorials and books in French for beginners come to the rescue.

Difficulties in French sentences

Having de alt with the peculiarities of endings and conjugations, many are faced with an illogical arrangement of words within phrases and entire sentences. So, some adjectives come before the noun, while most of them come after the word they define. Memorize the formula of interrogative sentences on the go, with its permutations, repetitions and intonations -sometimes a daunting task. Without using these constructions in speech, the student runs the risk of remaining at the initial language level for a long time.

To clarify all controversial points, to practice using tenses, interrogative and negative sentences, a self-instruction manual in French for beginners will help. The book and CD, usually included in the kit, will help to remove grammatical errors from speech, teach you to hear the most used phrases, and lay the necessary foundation for further study.

The importance of reading when learning languages

All linguists and polyglots read a lot. Why? Firstly, reading helps to keep in memory and constantly repeat the material already studied. Secondly, there is an enrichment with new vocabulary and grammar. Thirdly, reading even adapted books in French for beginners, a person feels the rhythm of the language, captures its pace and style. Accordingly, he begins to speak correctly, and not as the translator program suggested.

Vocabulary is an important step in learning

So, if the goal of learning a language is to have a good level, you will need fiction. At first, these will be books in French for beginners. Many school and university teachers advise starting with simple, even children's manuals with short sentences, an understandable plot and funny pictures. Such are, for example, series about baby Nicolas (Le petit Nicolas) by Rene Goscinny and Jean-Jacques Sempe. This cheerful and mischievousthe boy is loved all over the world, and books about his adventures have been translated into 37 languages. Another option would be short stories by classics and modern authors, in which there are not very many unfamiliar words and translators' comments are given.

What words and expressions can be learned from a book in French for beginners? First, the most commonly used expressions of greeting, farewell and gratitude. Secondly, the names of many items, such as food, household utensils, clothing, weather, and more. Depending on the plot of the book for initial reading in French, there will be signs of emotions, professions, a description of the area or appearance. All this is very useful for the development of vocabulary and can be useful in any situation.

Adapted Literature

In addition to children's stories, you can start with the so-called adapted books - those whose language has been deliberately simplified or changed to suit the level of readers. The plot and style of the author remain the same. As a result of adaptations, obsolete words and phrases usually disappear, grammatical constructions are simplified, the syllable becomes lighter and more modern. Accordingly, even at the initial stage of mastering French, you can get acquainted with the work of Jules Verne, Alexandre Dumas, Francoise Sagan, Antoine de Saint-Exupery and others.

The author's method of reading Ilya Frank

Ilya Mikhailovich Frank, Russian philologist, fluent inseveral languages, created a method that helps to read foreign books with full understanding. To do this, a translation and explanations are inserted into the adapted part of the original text after each phrase or complete thought. The next paragraph repeats the original text, but without explanation. Reading books in French for beginners in this way, the student learns to divide sentences into semantic groups, pause where necessary and highlight key words. To practice skills, work with both paragraphs in turn.

Tips for effective learning

Only beginning students of the language are forced to look into the dictionary often. In order not to lose or forget a useful word, you can use programs with spaced repetition, such as Anki. If you enter several cards with phrases or individual words into its memory, the program will regularly suggest repeating them until they are learned.

When buying or downloading, you should pay attention to the mark "French for Beginners". The list of books in this section includes children's books, adapted literature, simple poems and fairy tales. Do not immediately take on serious works. As a rule, in children's literature there is a lot of useful everyday vocabulary, which can be used in any situation.

In addition to the printed edition, you can find its audio version. Practicing reading and listening at the same time will lead to faster language acquisition.