How to Prepare for an Intensive French Course
10 Aug 2009
When you decide to take an Intensive French course – whether for a week or for 2 months – it is important to prepare yourself mentally and physically. An intensive program is exciting and fun but it also requires a lot of you: mentally, emotionally and physically. There are quite a few things you can do that will help optimize your experience. You do want to get the most out of the experience, before you go back to your normal life.
Before the course begins:
- Preparations: Make sure you understand how the course will run. Get all the materials you might need: dictionary, books, cd’s, software, etc.). Acquaint yourself with the schedule and any course requirements. Once the course starts, you want your mind to be free and fully concentrated.
- Organize your work life and personal life to run smoothly while you are in the course. Let people know when you will communicate with them: you will want your mind to be on the French intensive course not on your boss or you pets.
- Personal supplies: make sure you have your vitamins, energy bars and miscellaneous supplies.
- Do your best to resolve any crisis situation before you go.
- Rest and relaxation: Make sure you sleep well and long enough. When the classes are over, take time to deeply relax and have fun. Let all the work and concentration go. Cramming doesn’t work: brain fatigue will get in your way if you overwork. Take walks, swim, nap, read novels, watch baseball, meditate: whatever makes you happy and de-stresses you.
- Exercise: Exercise is vital. Your body will probably be sitting way longer than it wants to. So before and after class – during the lunch break too if you can – run, walk, swim, pump iron, play tennis, do yoga. Get the circulation and the lungs going, stretch and balance out the body.
- Food: Remember to eat, to eat well and to eat light during the classes. Good easy-to-digest food will support your efforts. Starving yourself or relying on sugar, junk food or excessive coffe/soda can diminish your mental capacity. Hefty meals are best eaten after class.
- Communicate your needs and desires to the instructor: if there is something you really like or really don’t like, let it be known directly and immediately.
- Communicate with your family and co-workers after you finish the day’s instruction. (Before if you prefer, as long as it does not interfere) Cell phones are turned off during instruction time. The world will probably survive.
I speak both as a student (of 14 languages) and as a teacher (of 7). You want to remain happy, relaxed, balanced and energized to insure you get the most out of your French Intensive Course. You are welcome to contact me if you would like information about my French Language Immersion Programs. I will be happy to share more about my methods and programs. I also teach immersion programs in Spanish, Italian, Chinese, Hindi, Punjabi and English. You can access the site for my Language School in Phoenix, Arizona at www.FocusLanguage.com. or email me at info@focuslanguage.com. Cheers and good luck in your studies.
Jean-Paul Setlak
French and English have much in common, especially on the level of vocabulary. They are more distant when it comes to pronunciation. English is fundamentally a Germanic language, and its sound system reflects it. French comes almost completely from Latin, though, on the level of pronunciation, it was also influenced by the Germanic tribes which invaded Gaul (France) in the early Middle Ages. (Remember that the Franks who gave France its name came from Germany.) The famous French "R", "EU and "U" are really Germanic sounds.
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