I recently saw a poll in an expat group on Facebook asking: what’s the best way to quickly level up to a level of fluency. While all the comments are anecdotal, it was pretty telling.
A vast majority either in both a serious or joking nature mentioned getting a significant other who doesn’t want to speak English. Or getting out into the mix, a job, forcing yourself into situations without English.
These are all great, of course, if you live in France. The audience of the post was the expat group, after all, so they are already in France.
But the thinking was common throughout all of the nearly 300 comments: immersion had to happen in France.
And what if you don’t live in France?
What’s the best way to immerse and quickly level up your French?
You may already be married to a non-French speaker. And you’re not looking for a secret French lover to improve your French, I assume.
You might already have other work or are retired, so you’re not going to change your career to something that forces you to speak French.
What can we do today to immerse, without leaving your home country?
Years and years ago, when I first went to Beijing. I was there for a summer program and I met a guy from Kentucky who had taken a language pledge. He was only going to speak Chinese for 30 days.
He decided he didn’t even need to talk to family. And this was also a convenient way for him to break up with his girlfriend in Lexington. He had started the language pledge before he even left for Beijing. Harsh.
While that’s certainly quite intense, it is always an option. We could call this the Nuclear Option.
So, you’re in your home in San Diego, CA and you decide: alright, for 30 days I will only speak French. This is certainly going to pose some problems when you do your morning Starbucks run. And when you interact with your spouse and kids. I assume, too, your boss might not have the same patience for your speaking French that you do…
Things that work in France just don’t fly in real life in your home country.
But that doesn’t mean immersion is impossible at home. The best thing you can do is begin to create moments of immersion throughout your day.
Kickstart moments of immersion with these ideas:
First and foremost, you’re going to want to use your planner or calendar. This lets you make it real. Set up short “immersion” blocks throughout the day where you know you’ll have to use only French. I prefer 15-minute blocks, and that’s what exists on my calendar.
For the daily quiz on this site, I also plan on about 15 minutes. I start with the easiest level (least amount of blanks) and I work up to 100% blank. I’ve designed the project around a short amount of time every day for listening practice. And this process with the short clips can be completed in under 15 minutes.
Some ideas to consider:
Journal.
This is a fun one because you don’t have to share it with anyone. It’s just for you.
You can write using your computer or write it out by hand. I prefer handwriting because when I type into Google Docs there is an autocorrect feature that highlights my errors in French.
By writing it down by hand, I really have to think about how I’d say it with the words and expressions I know. I need to think about spelling. And I’m forced into really using my memory and full brain to create what I’m writing.
Pick a topic: maybe narrate what you did the day before. What you had for dinner. Or describe something as vividly as possible. A recent airplane ride, your first car, your childhood bedroom. You can write it all in the present or in the past or in the future, the tense isn’t important.
The important thing with this exercise is to have your brain working in French. Write out what you think. Keep the inner dialogue in French, even if you slip into English, just switch back. Avoid translating what you think.
A good way to practice is when you hear yourself start going “how do I say that in French?” then try “circumlocution”. Describe and write around the word you want to say. You’ll get to the same endpoint, while not using the word. This practice will get you thinking in French. It will get easier.
At the start it is easier said than done, for sure, and you only need to take 15 minutes.
Listen.
I’m biased, I recommend using the daily quiz on this site. As mentioned, when I created this project my goal was that someone would invest 15 minutes of time daily for a few months and then self-graduate to more advanced listening. More advanced listening, might be full podcasts or turning on the radio on their Alexa or Sonos at home.
Making it 15 minutes helps keep you sharp. It can be overwhelming to tune into a podcast and see 48 minutes of audio coming your way. Breaking it up into manageable clips and using active listening, where you’re trying to pick up what is actually said will make a big difference.
Another one of my favorite listening practices is RFI’s Revue de Presse. This is far more advanced listening practice. I love this one as it’s two guys reading headlines and giving an abstract of the news. It’s fast paced, journalism-French, so it’s difficult French, for sure. There is also music in the background, heavy topics, and some light editorialism from the narrators. You can find a couple from earlier here.
Watch.
Watching TV in French is also another great way to immerse when you’re not in France. Netflix has French movies and shows. I know Disney+ content has many, many languages, however sometimes they block French from view.
There is the method of watching something you already know from the USA in French. EG: trying Friends in French. I like this idea as you’re doing a couple of things to keep it accessible:
- It might be something you’ve seen before, so you’re familiar with it.
- It is couched in the culture you know, so any nuance or humor is familiar
- The translators still use colloquial, natural expressions in French
That said, for ultimate immersion, I recommend going for French native content. A great source is Youtube. For Youtube, I use the Woodpecker Learning app to filter Youtube for French content with accurate subtitles. Check it out free here: https://www.woodpeckerlearning.com/
Avoid Youtube channels for language learners. These often include some English or are slower paced than our goals for “moments of immersion”. Aim for French channels that target French. Comedy, travel, social commentary, news, kids/baby, food, cars… Youtube is full of creators and finding what interests you will make the 15 minutes fly by.
To discover Youtubers in French, search a topic your interested, say “sac a dos” for travel, hunt for creators with several hundred thousand to millions of subs and try out a video. It will take some hunting as there is just so much content available. Again, spend at least 15 minutes watching. Or break it up 7 minutes with subtitles, 7 without.
IRL (in real life).
There are ways to create moments of immersion in real life, even in your home country.
When I lived in Taipei, each week I was attending coffee meetups for English, French, Spanish, and Chinese. Language roundtables where only that language is spoken. It’s a great way to create real immersion and connect with other speakers, without getting on an airplane.
Use meetup or Facebook to find language tables. These could be events around town or at your local AF, or set up something like a dinner or coffee meetup where everyone will speak French. This is a great way to create the immersive environment, even if you’re not in France.
If your town doesn’t have an AF or anything like this. put it out there with your area colleges/universities, or even area high school’s French teacher.
Final recommendations:
These are just some ideas to get you started. How you actually create your immersive environment is up to you.
Remember to set a timer to make sure you fulfill on the 15 minutes. 15 minutes a couple times a day for 30 days will make a significant difference. Use your calendar to make sure you stick with the practice you set out to create. Even if you miss one, get right back on the bike for the next calendar reminder. Make it a priority and share what you’re up to with your friends, family, or significant other. And ask them to support you in your goal.
Not being in France is no excuse not immerse. It is available and you can take it on today. Get started. What are you starting first?
