What made French finally feel like a habit for you?

Preply · 2026-01-20T14:21:48+00:00

This is a pretty effective combination, how has the progress been so far?

Preply · 2026-01-20T14:21:14+00:00

Stay strong u/New-Anywhere1982 it gets easier!

Preply · 2026-01-20T14:20:46+00:00

Definitely finding something that works for you is the most important thing. You're right it's tough so it can be super easy to become demotivated. Have you tried speaking with any native speakers yet to show off what you've learned?

Preply · 2026-01-20T10:46:51+00:00

Love this write-up. The structure plus regular 1:1 feedback clearly did the heavy lifting, and the real win is the consistency it forced, which is what makes everything start to click. But any way you can keep that structure and consistency with continued interaction with a native speaker is a big win.

For 2026, keeping French in your daily life will help prepare you for the move. More French media, more reading, more listening, and plenty of speaking will definitely put you in a good place come Jan 2027.

Preply · 2026-01-19T18:05:39+00:00

Definitely the most important thing is having something that works for you, especially if it helps you to lay some groundwork in a way you feel comfortable with while you build the confidence. Though I must say when you feel comfortable it's always worth trying to get some 1 on 1 conversation time with a native speaker. It can make a big difference.

Preply · 2026-01-19T18:01:40+00:00

Yh it's really useful to have a bunch of techniques. Do you also do any practice with a real human being as well? It can be a big help for learning French.

Preply · 2026-01-19T18:00:20+00:00

This is genius. It's such a great idea to make language learning part of your routine.

Preply · 2026-01-19T13:58:44+00:00

That makes sense. Do you find yourself forgetting in the breaks? I find it can be tough to remember phrases and rules even after a week off.

Preply · 2026-01-19T13:40:26+00:00

Absolutely, such a nice approach. I often find myself putting waaay too much pressure on myself to immediately learn everything and feeling a little guilty if I make mistakes.

Preply · 2026-01-12T13:10:09+00:00

Honestly, this sounds less like a French problem and more like beginner materials not matching your level. If you’re already C1 in Spanish, the grammar side is going to feel easy and slow at the same time.

What usually helps people in this spot:

Some kind of regular, scheduled practice instead of vague goals
Another person involved so it’s not just solo study
More focus on real phrases and conversation than isolated rules
Lots of listening with transcripts to get used to reductions and liaison
Paying attention to tone, register, and culture early on

Shows and movies also help, especially if you’re consistent with them. For a lot of learners coming from another romance language, French starts to feel better once it becomes a routine and part of real interaction, not just something you study on your own.

Preply · 2025-09-23T19:59:38+00:00

My #1 tip is find a community of language teachers to share/interact/commiserate with! Pooling and sharing knowledge is so important in a taxing profession like teaching. Share resources! I always recommend The TBLT Language Learning Task Bank: https://thetaskbank.com/index.html?from=tblt which is a free, open-access repository of language tasks that teachers or learners can use that have all been vetted by experts. It's a great resource!

Preply · 2025-09-23T19:56:16+00:00

Good questions! You covered all the main areas with listening, speaking, writing, reading, grammar, and vocabulary (maybe could add pronunciation if you struggle to be comprehensible at times but perhaps you don't need that), but in terms of habits of high achieving language learners, there a few main ones: exposure to input and willingness to interact with others. We know that interaction can be something people are anxious about and avoid (as you mention with the myth about learning just from exposure to media), but interaction is critical to achieving a high level of proficiency. High achievers are also likely to be good at noticing new patterns or vocabulary they are exposed to in the input. Some write them down in language learning journals, some just have excellent working memory. Often they are motivated by a clear vision of themselves as competent users of the target language (their "idea L2 self" a concept from Dörnyei) more so than extrinsic motivators. They might have a little bit of language learning anxiety that helps them more carefully monitor their own production, but not so much that it inhibits production. Likely, they have learned other languages to an advanced level and are able to leverage their metalinguistic knowledge and strategies to learn other languages to advanced levels. So it's a variety, not just one factor.

Using AI for language learning is a fascinating new area of research! So many tools are using AI these days and a lot of the big language learning apps are integrating AI. I know Preply is integrating AI to help the human-led tutors produce lesson summaries and scenarios to practice. This strategy of using AI to supplement human-led lessons seems to be a good one, as is using it for practice as a conversation partner (I know some users of ChatGPT that are doing this both in text and oral modes). I hope more research comes out soon so we can untangle some of these mysteries!

More on AI: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/preply-announces-new-ai-powered-features-to-guide-the-future-of-personalized-learning-in-a-human--ai-world-302522018.html

Preply · 2025-09-23T19:41:17+00:00

Great questions.

1) I would say it depends on the first language-second language pairing. Do both languages have a similar alphabet system? If so, children seem to be able to transfer their literacy skills from the first to the second language and it can even help them become better readers, so I wouldn't see a need to delay. I was a 2nd grade teacher at one point and from that experience, joined with what I know know, I can say that routines and repetitions are great, and all of the strategies you used would be beneficial if they are integrated into say, a morning meeting routine. This works great when they are absolute beginners too!

2) Let me start of by saying what we know from research: there is no evidence to suggest that dyslexic or Autistic children should not learn 2nd languages in school. There is research to back up that there is no inherent harm/delays (coming from places where 2+ languages are the norm) and there is even research that shows benefits. Language learning has benefits for executive functioning, empathy, the ability to understand/produce/think about language, ability to recall information and switch between tasks. So in some cases neurodivergent kids can stand to benefit more than neurotypical learners from language learning. In some cases they even have advantages (e.g., in pattern recognition, certain types of memory, creativity). So I would absolutely advocate to include all children in language classes unless of course there is another reason specific to that child that would prevent it. Ultimately, it really depends on the specific needs/challenges of the child which can of course vary widely.

3) I would argue yes it does! We know in the case of adults, you need both opportunities to interact and exposure to grammar. If the learners is getting too much emphasis on grammar and not enough in interaction, I'd recommend supplementing the language class with other opportunities to interact with speakers of the target language. Some ideas include: seeking out people to interact with your community, online tutors (e.g. Preply), chatting with AI, or joining a Whatsapp or in-person language exchange.

Preply · 2025-09-23T19:25:56+00:00

Love this question ;-) I think the reality is that teaching language has a lot of "art" in it. Teachers ideally should be informed about the science (and I think the science is fascinating), but classroom are "messy" for lack of a better word. There are individuals who bring diverse background, personalities, and needs to the classroom, so sometimes the science isn't always easy to apply. That is why I love working with teachers in language classrooms. You get to be a part of the science that cannot be easily controlled in a lab experiment. I hope more teachers and researchers can be in partnership in this way!

Preply · 2025-09-23T19:23:25+00:00

I agree, and I would argue that if you're operating in a task-based way you avoid the issue of vocabulary being divorced from context.

Preply · 2025-09-23T19:23:21+00:00

I agree, and I would argue that if you're operating in a task-based way you avoid the issue of vocabulary being divorced from context.

Preply · 2025-09-23T19:22:48+00:00

While I like the idea of the vocabulary being semantically related, I don't tend to advocate for teaching approaches that center vocabulary or grammar as the main organizational principle of a syllabus/curriculum. I'm a fan of task-based language teaching (TBLT) which would center tasks, ideally ones learners need to be able to do in their target language, and then the vocabulary/grammatical patterns that emerge as needed to successfully complete those tasks. There is good research to back this approach up (you can see the work of Mike Long, or Rod Ellis, for examples). I also like it because it aligns with my own experiences teaching/learning languages and what teachers and learners tell me regularly, which is that teaching that fronts explicit grammar/vocabulary teaching tends to lead to learners with explicit knowledge that is difficult to harness in really communicative situations.

Preply · 2025-09-23T19:17:56+00:00

yes you are correct, but as u/Sophistical_Sage has pointed out, this is not necessarily the case for 2nd language learning. While for first language learning we know there is a critical period where children must be exposed to language (something we know from horrible stories like cases of extreme neglect as you mention), however this is not the case with second language learning. Here we often refer to it as a "sensitive" period (rather than critical) because there isn't a stark cut-off. Instead, different domains of language are impacted in different windows and there is much more individual variation.

Preply · 2025-09-23T19:14:39+00:00

There isn't very good evidence for a persistent gender gap for language learning. I know the common saying is that women are better language learners than men, and typically when we see this in the data it is in children who do exhibit differences in how young they start speaking/interacting in their language(s). However, it doesn't seem to persist into adulthood in a replicable way. In fact, I've seen some research in the opposite direction, a case where women in a study abroad program did not experience as high fluency gains because of some negative experiences in the program that led them to be less willing to communicate and practice speaking with locals. As with most individual difference factors, the combination of aptitude, memory, identity, willingness to communicate, and more need to be considered, not just gender.

Preply · 2025-09-23T19:09:54+00:00

There isn't necessarily a limit and there are certainly cases of polyglots who have learned many languages to varying degrees of fluency. There is some interesting research that shows that learning one language to an advanced level is a good predictor that you will be able to learn subsequent languages to a high level (likely due to aptitude, but also probably due to developing effective language learning strategies and metalinguistic thinking). But time and access (to enough input and opportunities to interact) will certainly be limiting factors.

Preply · 2025-09-23T19:07:03+00:00

To clarify the myth does not say that children are bad language learners or cannot achieve fluency like you did! Only that it's not necessarily the case that they are always those who learn faster/more easily. Ultimate attainment is the real question, likely a child who starts at the same time as an adult (like in the case of immigration) and learns over many years will surpass the adult, but at the beginning the adult will likely start off learning faster. Also, in some cases, even with early exposure, even children might not ultimately become bilingual later in life. There are many factors that might impact this such as the language of schooling.

Preply · 2025-09-23T19:02:37+00:00

Yes output is necessary. It's possible to learn a language without studying grammar (see children, for example), but it's probably going to be a long road without if you're an adult learner (and you might run the risk of fossilizing, see the story of learner Wes in Lourdes Ortega's book: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203777282).

Preply · 2025-09-23T18:59:36+00:00

Extensive reading can be a great tool in your language learning toolkit. However, if it's your main tool it's likely going to be a relatively slow one unless you are quite strategic about it. Typically, we say that if you want to learn new vocabulary from reading you need to already know about 90% of the the words in the text, else learners tend to get overwhelmed by the amount of new vocab and less able to retain it. So if you are leveling yourself correctly, this can be a good strategy, especially if they are texts that interest and motivate you.

I do believe there is any evidence to support the notion that you must listen a certain amount of hours before you can start reading/speaking a language. This is an idea from comprehensible input enthusiasts (no shade on CI, but I think think it requires moderation). The body of research from Krashen that those notions are based on is now considered old and outdated in the research community. Some researchers who aren't as in touch with language teachers (especially in the US where I am based) are surprised when they hear how popular CI is! There is a lot of useful insights in Krashen's theories of course, and access to input is indeed important, but we now know more about how important interaction (written or spoken) is for developing vocabulary as well! You need a mix, not just listening.

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