How to fill your learning gaps in French?

You’ve studied French for a while. At the beginning, you understood grammar quite easily and you even had pleasure hearing your voice enunciating the beautiful French sounds. But classes slowly became more and more difficult and you began to notice that you’re having some learning gaps.

Having learning gaps is never a good feeling. Indeed, you understand a good part of the classes but the things that you don’t understand always come back and spoil your pleasure. Some students even give up because they think that they will never understand some grammar points or other elements, which are so much different from the ones in their native language. But giving up is a failure. So how is it possible not to remain stuck in your learning of the French language?

First, make a list of your main difficulties: passé composé versus imparfait, for instance… By being able to point your linguistic learning gaps, you have already done 50% of the job to resolve your problems.

Second, speak to your teacher about them. He / she may be able to integrate reviews in the program. Don’t be afraid of expressing yourself, your difficulties are certainly the one’s of most of the other students. If all your difficulties can’t be integrated in the program, ask your teacher to guide you in the resources you can use.

If you study French on your own, vary your sources and do exercises which are corrected online. The more you practice, the more you will have a chance of understanding the linguistic element.

If one day, you spend one hour doing exercises and you still don’t understand. Keep calm. Think of something else and relax. You will understand another day.

Reading in French and being careful with the linguistic elements can help you understand grammar in an authentic context. It may click when you expect it the least.

Consequently, if you have some learning gaps which spoil the pleasure of your learning, DO NOT GIVE UP! Take the bull by the horns and face your difficulties instead of fleeing them. Understanding some linguistic concepts can take time, but they are just a little part of the subject. Carry on being in contact with the French language, vary your sources, practice as much as you can and eventually, you will be able to fill your learning gaps. And if you really feel stuck, your teacher will help you.  Never keep your difficulties to yourself, there is always a solution.