Erica Stewart - French: One Week French Mastery

ONE WEEK FRENCH MASTERY

The Complete Beginners Guide to Learning French in just 1 Week!

Detailed Step by Step Process to Understand the Basics

By Erica Stewart and Chantal Abadie

Copyright 2015

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronically or mechanically, including photocopy, recording, or by and information storage or retrieval system, without the written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

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DISCLAIMER

The information provided herein is stated to be truthful and consistent, in that any liability, in terms of inattention or otherwise, by any usage or abusage of any policies, processes, or directions contained within is the solitary and utter responsibility of the recipient reader. Under no circumstances will any legal responsibility or blame be held against the publisher for any reparation, damages, or monetary loss due to the information herein, either directly or indirectly. Respective authors hold all rights not held by publisher.

Note from the Author

Learning a new language is such a challenge, but enriching on so many levels. Its not only an intellectual challenge, but imagine transforming your travel experiences, allowing you to connect with new and interesting people, or even live or study overseas. In essence, its a journey to become more open minded about the world, discovering amazing new people in the process.

As an educator for more than 20 years, Im a fan of teaching others. And there is no greater challenge than to learn a language. However, learning is not the obsessive command of structures and vocabulary, but the willingness to overcome our most basic fears and insecurities. Over the course of this book, I will convey enough knowledge of French so that you will be able to read, listen, and interact with people in this new language with the knowledge that will inspire confidence. From here, practice will take you to a new level of accomplishments and a lifetime of enjoyment!

In learning French, you will be facing 5 basic but important challenges; grammar, vocabulary, slang and colloquialism, pronunciation and variations of the language. In this book, I will lay out the fundamentals of each of these stepping stones in an easy to understand method.

I want to especially thank Chantal Abadie for her guidance and instruction in helping me put together this material. Its been such a privilege to have her as my French teacher and Ive learned so much about this fascinating culture and the wonderful history of France. Reading original masterpieces by Balzac, Flaubert, Voltaire and Dumas and traveling to Paris, Nice, Marseille or Lyon with the ability to interact with the locals in their own language has been a transformative experience! I invite you to read on and begin a fascinating learning experience.

Best,

Erica Stewart

Table of Contents

Introduction

This book contains the secrets to mastering the French language, along with easy-to-follow guidelines and lesson plans designed to get you on the road toward French fluency.

How great would it be to access the world of over one million native French speakers by sharing their beautiful language with them? In the United States, French is one of the most studied languages second to English. As a national standard in most American high schools, youve probably taken a two-year French language course. But how much vocabulary have you actually retained from the course after graduation? Chances are your French skills never actually came to life outside of the classroom.

Youve most likely never reached a level where you can actually communicate in French due to the elongated, slow pace of traditional language courses. Linguistic experts generally agree that intensity trumps length of study. This means that you learn more when you dive into a new language at full force rather than prolonging the learning process over the course of several monthsin some cases, years. In line with this notion, this book divides the French language into bite-sized portions designed for fast-paced learning. Believe it or not, crammed knowledge provided through crash courses promotes better retention.

Learning a new language calls for equal parts determination and commitment. But just because a language is new to you doesnt mean its entirely foreign. French is actually considered one of the easiest languages for native English speakers to adopt. Both languages are derived from Latin roots, thus giving them many similarities. In fact, if youre a fluent English speaker, you are already equipped with tons of French vocabulary. Thats the magic of romance languages. English and French share hundreds of words that have similar meanings and soundsalso known as cognates. French words like seconde and calendrier are translated to the English words second and calendar, respectively. Notice that the French cognates for these two English words remain nearly unchanged. To make matters easier, French grammar and sentence structure are of a simpler nature than English.

Learning French is great for travel, for living abroad, or for the sole purpose of brain training. It creates a bond and sets you apart as an American. Its almost like having a second soul. Whether your goal is to become a bilingual speaker or a polyglot, having a thorough knowledge of French opens doors to better work opportunities as well as other Romance languages like Spanish and Italian. Let this book serve as a guide for ultimately mastering the French language. The key is to delve deeply into the language and aim for a brain melt. Its the best way to retain lasting knowledge and reach a level of communication with native French speakers. After all, the best treasure is uncovered when you dig deep.

Chapter 1: Secrets to Learning French in Record Time

The Romance language of French belongs to the Indo-European family. It is the second most widespread language, owing to Frances overseas expansion over a span of several hundred years. French is the official language of 29 countries including France, Canada, Belgium, and Monaco. Currently, there are nearly 300 million French speakers worldwide, with a third of those being native speakers. This number is expected to rise by at least 50% by the year 2050. Considering the ease by which French can be picked up, this doubled increase of speakers seems feasible.

Before you begin the transition from monolingual to bilingual, its advisable to arm yourself with tips and tricks to simplify the learning process. This chapter lists ten hacks that will enable you to get in the right mind frame for learning French while also speeding up your progress.