Rosetta Stone! I'm currently learning 3 languages (German, French & Dutch) using Rosetta Stone & it works really well!

Do you drive? If so, listen/interact with conversation CDs in the car.

What exciting news! I am a bit dense when it comes to learning new languages and find it easiest when I am fully immersed/ in country.

I do have a good friend that has learned multiple languages fluently and recommends laddering your languages. So, if you remember Portugese, try and learn French through Portugese instead of English. Supposedly it helps.

Best of luck!

my daughter has tried rosetta stone (meh) and mango languages (much better) for free through our county library website. she now loves 'my french coach' the game for her nintendo ds, which is suprisingly impressive.

Conversational French would be a good place to begin (the Alliance Francaise offers different levels-writing, conversational, etc)

I did a self immersion many, many years ago–I do remember many people wanted to speak English with me so that they could also ask people to only speak French to me (the corner store, the magazine kioske, the post office, etc)

Also I was in an environment where there were children and I must say speaking/trying to speak/learn French with kids is easier–they are more forgiving. And while they will not necessarily correct you or your grammar, my experience has been that you will gain confidence to speak. I often find children speak slower too–that helped me.

Perhaps there is a play group in your area where there may be other mothers who speak different languages and they may want to meet up?

Perhaps post a notice to exchange French lessons for letterpress classes?

Perhaps look for notices at the local library.

…just a few suggestions.

Janice

I studied spanish for a couple years before I lived in south america and I was still totally confused. But I immersed myself totally when I was there, no english speaking at all and I quickly figured things out. Do what you can now for the basics but when you get there make sure you make friends with natives and immerse yourself as soon as you can. It's frustratingly hard but totally worth it.

Rosetta Stone is amazing and easy as pie. It's the program the military used to teach soldiers and now it's on the market for anyone. Kind of pricey, but check your library.

I like livemocha.com, it's free and its great! It is like a social networking Rosetta stone

oi Jordan.
(já que seu português está bom, vou aproveitar – pois meu inglês é meio limitado).
sempre recomendo a quem quer aprender francês a escutar France Culture, uma rádio pública com uma programação ótima (de radionovelas a documentários sonoros ótimos, passando por entrevistas, um jornal bem legal…).
Eles têm programação acessível online em
http://www.franceculture.com/
e podcasts.
Ouvir rádio é sempre útil pra aprender uma língua. E esta é uma das melhores rádios que conheço.
Boa sorte em sua jornada!

I also used Pimsleur's CDs before I moved to Paris and they were super helpful.

I'm a fan of Pimsleur. You just listen to the cd for thirty minutes a day, and it'll have you well on your way.

Pimsleur is quite expensive, but I have found that most libraries carry it, so you can always check it out from them.

Good luck! France sounds like so much fun!

I live in Paris. We just moved about a month ago. My husband is French so I have taken classes (University setting) for 3 years prior to our marriage (been out of classes for 2 years).

I can speak basic French. Grammar is the hard part for me.

I am planning on taking courses at the Alliance Francaise here in Paris as soon as we are settled (we just moved into our apartment last week). I need to set up the baby at the Haute Gardeire (which is a daycare – which is more like a babysitter – by the hour).

I would recommend you immerse yourself in French now as it will be a culture shock. If you are coming to Paris you will find a lot of people speak English.

Let me know if you have questions.

I have a blog I have been keeping since arriving check it out for some ideas. Right now it is mostly about our remodeling but I am going to add some info on living in Paris. http://www.fromoneswamptoanother.blogspot.com

I learned Korean. The best way to learn any language is to talk to people in that language. If you look up Meetup groups in your area, you might find one that is geared towards French…? Good luck!

my mother lived in spain for near on twenty years and when she went there she was 18 and by herself, no knowledge of the language what so ever.
she learnt spanish through a typical verb and dictionary book and constantly speaking with the locals.
now she speaks all dialects of the spanish language.
i think maybe if you had someone who could constantly talk to you in french that would help? learning just by book/software alone, i find isn't enough.

although, itunes have a good range for spanish/french learning podcasts. i'm trying to teach myself german using that (i have no one to teach me german.)

if it helps – i use the same method as my mother as a general rule. a handy verb book, a dictionary, a notepad and pen plus a speaker of the language really helps.

i hope this helps and doesn't confuse! good luck!

i used rosetta stone for indonesian, but i would not recommend it. i used to tell my english students in switzerland to listen to the radio (very easy nowadays with the internet) and to watch tv. and don't forget audiobooks and podcasts!

i found buying french magazines was an indulgence well worth it. shows a playful use of language and its like a grown up picture book.

we spent last summer and this summer in france. we also lived in paris for a little bit several years ago– and what i've found is that you can sit and study at home all day long and never really get anywhere, if the only time you use it is in the patisserie. you've got to (and i've got to!) figure out how to really USE it on a regular basis. whether it's clubs, or church groups or classes or even that tutor. . . you just don't get enough practice otherwise.

i live in russia and have learned russian. one, i'm loving french because it's so dang easy compared to russian. but two, i have only really learned it by being forced to use it all the time.

good luck to you in the adventures!

I moved abroad cold turkey to Germany so I did a combo of immersion and traditional lessons at a local school. My best advice is to balance traditional classes (for grammar, and a basic foundation) with repeated consumption of movies, TV, books or audio books in French. The latter help enormously with the accent and for learning useful everyday phrases.

And most of all, do not shy away from practice. Everyone sucks at the beginning so breathe deep and plow forward.

I'm mexican but I speak English and German… I learned English at school and German in Austria. But before I went to Austria I had never study German before… When you get there, take French classes and the language will be easy to learn because you will hear it everywhere: The subway, the stores, the TV. 😉 Good Luck!

I should add that I lived in Paris for two years, 1965-6, as a student at "Sciences Po". It remains one of my favourite cities. I will follow your blog to see how you make out there.

my french teacher used to make us read one magazine tear each day. the paragraphs are small, and easier to decipher because photos are typically involved. this is a pretty simple (and fun) way to practice a little each day. and not too overwhelming. bonne chance!

Bonne chance! Et bienvenue chez nous!

Goog luck with french, even for me it's hard! but you'll see once in France, speaking every day will definely help you!

Maybe watching movies in french, with french subtitles (begin with the english ones maybe) will help you…

@anonymous re LingQ. I do not think this is the place to present a long list of testimonials of people who found success at LingQ.

Let me say, however, that the three keys to language learning were once summed up for me by a wise lady who was head of language instruction at an American university.

The attitude of the learner
The time the learner puts in
The attentiveness of the learner to the language

The method matters less. Different people have different needs and preferences.

I would advise Jordan as follows:

1) be as positive as possible about French, the language, the culture, the people, the country, and to believe that she can become a part of "their" group, and to believe that she can be fluent, albeit with mistakes and an accent.

2) to put in the time, at least one hour a day listening and reading in the language.

3) use your mistakes, flash cards, the odd grammar review and your determination to help you notice what is happening in the language. You need not remember or get it right all the time, you just need to notice.

Steve

Je suis parisienne et je lis ce blog très régulièrement, un véritable rayon de soleil avant de commencer ma journée de travail !
Tu es bien courageuse de vouloir apprendre le français parce que même nous nous y perdons un peu !!
Merci encore pour ces belles images que tu nous offre !

Juliette

(Si tu as besoin d'aide dans ton apprentissage, n'hésites pas !!)

Oh, I can't wait to check out that site, thank you!
I definitely recommend Rosetta Stone. I am learning Spanish now and have been really satisfied so far.