We use numbers every day as we shop, play games, discuss times and dates, and interact with each other. In order to be able to function in a second language, it is important to master using numbers.

While learning numbers in French is really just a matter of memorizing them, there are many ways to make the process fun and enjoyable. The secret to mastery is to make sure the numbers are practiced out of order. Let me explain why.

As a French teacher, I have encountered many students who can count like wildfire, but have no idea how to identify a number out of order. Attempts to do so usually involve rapid counting. This can take some time when the number is over fifty!

Practice Numbers Out of Order

The good news is that there are many fun ways to ensure that numbers are drilled randomly. Continue reading →

Themed Projects

Having a comprehensive dictionary allows you to build your French lessons based on other topics that you may be studying. Continue reading →

There is more to knowing a second language than just the possibility of carrying on a conversation with someone who doesn’t speak English. There is more than just the possibility of travel to exotic places and being able to mingle with the locals.

Learning a second language offers an amazing glimpse into the way people in other cultures think and process information. It has the side effect of knocking the learner out of the center of the universe. We discover that it is okay that someone else has a different way of looking at things. It is a fascinating and delightful experience to see the world from someone else’s perspective. Learning a second language makes this possible.

“I have ten years.”

Here in Canada, French isn’t exactly a foreign language in that it’s an official language of Canada. It is, however, foreign to the many school-age children who have spent the first years of their lives hearing little or no French. Continue reading →