Can you learn it yourself?

<p>So I talk spanish at school and I'm pretty good at it. I took spanish II online and went to spanish III this year. But ive always really wanted to learn French. do you guys think it would be really difficult to teach it myself? would it be better to just take classes at the local community college instead, if im really serious in doing this?</p>

<p>It's a good idea taking it at the local community college, but you can also learn it yourself. I've seen people self-learn many languages at the same time, so I don't think you should have a problem.</p>

<p>i love french but just learning it by yourself isnt a terrific idea. a textbook wont answer the many questions ull encounter. an instructor is essential im sorry.</p>

<p>No. French is a cakewalk after spanish. I took spanish 1, then french 1, then 2 more years of Spanish. I got a 100 in french 1, but like a B+ in spanish 1 (in middle school though). The concepts are VERY similar and I never really needed the teacher. I don't think it's hard at all.</p>

<p>w t f this is annoying people on this site act like u can learn any subject without any kind of instructor or anything. No no no no no no no. you need a teacher unless ur a prodigy. u need a curriculum. u need someone to ask questions to. maybe in french 1 its not that difficult but as u progress it is essential because there are lots of grammar rules that are not black and white that are complicated and u just need a teacher. my god.</p>

<p>Spanish and French are very similar because they are both Romance languages. I don't think it would be hard either.</p>

<p>GreenDay, if you have had high enough in spanish, higher levels in french aren't too bad. I feel math and science classes need instructors, but other classes can be self taught. French was not hard. If you have not had any forgein language previously, it may be hard, but taking French 1 after those years of spanish may make you crazy dealing with stupid people that don't know what it means to conjugate.</p>

<p>French is not difficult to teach yourself how to read and write, especially if you know Spanish. Speaking it on the other hand requires contacts. It is part of the reason that I stink at speaking Spanish and Chinese but can read and write to some level of proficiency in them. Any other school courses need no instruction, and that includes math and science; I think a school should consist of labs and foreign language classes, and the real work would be done at home.</p>

<p>that is true too kman, but you can get audio/cd-rom packages.</p>

<p>Um, it should be pretty easy to teach yourself almost any subject, except maybe foreign languages, without a teacher. I've self-taught all my math ever since 5th grade.</p>

<p>Or maybe I'm just a prodigy, like GreenDay said? I doubt it though.</p>

<p>Most people could probably be homeschooled and learn more...but then the social skills die rapidly.</p>

<p>I take French. The most important aspect of any language is conversation. If you learn French by yourself, you'll face some huge barriers. Who can you talk to, who can you learn pronunciation and proper grammar and usage? I'm familiar with Spanish, and, as far as speaking goes, the two languages are spoken entirely different. The accents have distinct differences. I know. I've tried speaking Spanish, self-learned, and my French accent interferes with any sort of speaking that I do. So, I advise you, be careful with such an undertaking. It's easy to read and write compared to having real, logical conversations with someone. You have to train your ear, your mind, and your tongue to pick up those syllables, understand them, and formulate an intelligent response. That's three body parts being utilized simultaneously. </p>

<p>Go with the cc classes, friend.</p>

<p>^^^^ excellent point.</p>

<p>well yes, but i did say cd-roms or audio works well</p>

<p>well, im no prodigy, but like shravas, ive basically self taught myself math, espcially in high school. im about a chapter ahead on syllabi teachers have given me. </p>

<p>but thanks guys, i appreciate it. =]</p>

<p>yes, well... the cds are a good idea. Practice is key. The real problem with learning a language on your own is pronunciation. Even with the tapes, you may only think you are saying it right. So unless you self-teach a language that requires no pronunciation (Latin!!!!) take a class for the first year, and you can do it on your own for the rest!</p>

<p>But even in classes, you don't do much speaking. You just LISTEN to the teacher and write/read.</p>

<p>oh...must depend on the class...we speak all the time in my german class (<3 german)<br>
or if you know someone who speaks french, that might even be better, just talk to them in french all the time</p>

<p>yes. in both the spanish and french classes ive had we might do one little skit the entire semsester and one or two speaking exercises, but it's mostly worksheets and busy work and when you do speak the teacher isn't there to critique it, it's with a partner who could be clueless</p>

<p>logisticslord: thats EXACTLY the way it is in my spanish classes. its lucky that a few of us can speak it well.</p>