The importance of Reading /L'importance de la lecture

   Reading is one thing that I always recommend doing when one is learning any foreign language. When students read aloud they not only develop their reading skills but they also improve their pronunciation, their spelling, their vocabulary and also their writing. Moreover, they will learn new cultural concepts related to the language they are learning.

   I generally recommend reading a book at least once a day and of course all depends on the age and the level of the students. However, when shopping for children French books online or at the bookstores it’s very rare that we find good ones. Most of the books found in U.S. bookstores are translations. Translated texts can never render the essence nor the subtleness of the meaning of the original texts. Sometimes, they can even alter the meaning and thus make it hard for the reader to understand what the writer wants to say. That’s why I always recommend French books written originally in French. The students get to learn the exact expressions as they are used in French speaking countries.

  One important point to consider when you purchase books for your kids is whether the book is written in French only or written in French and English. I have to say that I am not a big fan of foreign language story books or foreign language learning books that are written in both languages. I know that some would object and wonder how they would be able to understand the instructions or sentences if they were not written in English. I would say: All depends on the level of the student. For kids, I would say that instructions in English are not necessary. All you need is a nice picture book. Kids love pictures and can understand the meaning just by looking at pictures. When you buy your children books written in English and French, they would always rely on English rather than try to understand what the French words mean or get used to those words. They have a good alternative, why bother!
Again all depends on the level and the age of your child. If you start your children early ( at 3 or 4) you will need picture books with audio CDs . This way, you can give your child the book; he/she will listen to the CDs, look at the pictures and look at the words at the same time. The sounds that he/she learns will never get lost. They will be stored in a safe place in his/her brain. Have you forgetten the songs “ Alouette, gentille allouette” or “ Frère Jacques, Frère Jacques” that you learned decades ago? I doubt it. Everytime I listen to songs that I haven't heard for years, I'm amazed how easy it is for me to remember the words even if I haven't sung the song in years. No matter how long ago you learned it, the tune and some of the words remain familiar for ever.

   To help you decide which books to get for your children or for yourselves, I have the selected the best ones that I could find in Amazon.com. I always remember how it was hard for me to get a French book for my daughter or for me. They are almost inexistent in bookstores and if I am lucky enough to find some of them, they are generally translations and bad translations on top of that. One day I had the bright idea to look in Amazon.fr. I found many interesting books, but I was shocked when I found out that for one tiny used book, I had to pay the equivalent of 20 dollars as the shipping alone costs more tha 10 dollars! Unless you go to France and get good French books for yourselves and your kids, I suggest to look at the list that I have prepared for you. I constantly go through Amazon.com and look for good French books that are suitable for each level. There is not a big choice, I admit; however, I'll do my best to select only the best ones that are well written and are garanteed to help you or your children learn French at its best.
  For the list of the books we recommend, click here

Why French?

French has always been one of the most popular language in the world. French is not just a romance language. If you thought that French is mostly used in romantic conversations, posh restaurants and cafés or in fashion events, you’re in for a surprise. According to Richard Shryock of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, http://www.fll.vt.edu/French/whyfrench.html

While any language will be useful for some jobs for some regions, French is the only foreign language that can be useful throughout the world as well as in the United States. French as a foreign language is the most frequently taught language in the world after English. The International Organization of Francophonie has 56 member states and governments.

Of these, 28 countries have French as an official language. French is the only language other than English spoken on five continents. French and English are the only two global languages, after English. The International Organization of Francophonie has 56 member states and governments. Of these, 28 countries have French as an official language. French is the only language other than English spoken on five continents. French and English are the only two global languages.” He also advises English speakers to choose French when deciding for a foreign language as it will give them better opportunities in their studies and careers. He gives more details about the importance of the French language in his website mentioned above. We will just retain the most important facts about the French language:

1. French, along with English, is the official working language of the United Nations, UNESCO, NATO, the International Olympic Committee, the European Community, the International Red Cross etc...
2. One example of the importance of French can be seen in a recent listing of international jobs distributed by the US State Department: 92 required or preferred French, 36 Spanish, 11 a UN language.
3. Of the various types of professional positions for which international organizations recruit, four required French, two Spanish and one Arabic according to the fact sheet released by the Bureau of International Organization Affairs of the U.S Department of State.

We really recommend to visit www.drenchinfrench.com for more facts about the French language that will make you eager to start learning French or to consolidate what you have already learned. For all the reasons mentioned above and so many more, we decided to create the above mentioned website that will hopefully help you achieve your goal of speaking, understanding, reading and writing French.
The website is being updated and expanded everyday so we recommend you bookmark it and check it as often as possible. 

It's the back to school week!

C'est la rentrée!!!!
A lot of parents and students are both excited and anxious to resume the school- year routine. I happen to be a parent of a new kindergartner. My 5 year -old daughter is going to start school on  September 7th and I must say that I am a little apprehensive. My daughter never did any daycare or any preschool. She and I are always together. Wherever I go, I take her along. So I have to admit that it's going to be a trying experience having her away from me the whole day, five times a week. However, I can't hide my joy when I hear her talking about school with such excitement and eagerness. She is READY to start. No doubt about it!
I feel that I share the same apprehensions and excitement that a lot of parents feel right now especially those who either are new kindergartners' parents or first-grade parents whose children will start the French-Immersion program for the first time. I understand their worries. After all their children will start learning a foreign language, a foreign language that the parents themselves don't understand. They worry that they won't be able to help. I just want to tell them that there are many ways they can help their children in their first exposure with a foreign language. Here you are a few of them:

1- Tell them about how wonderful it is to be able to speak and understand  a foreign language on top of the language that they use at home. Tell them how fun it is to learn a new language. Children love to learn new things as their brains are like sponges absorbing new concepts all the time.

2-Plan a trip to the French Cultural Center. Take your first-grader and give him a taste of what he will be learning.  Get him accustomed to hear French and expose him to the French and Francophone culture in general.

3-Each day after school, play a game. Ask him/her how many words in French he learned and have him teach you what he learned. Children love to play teachers.

4-Try to get him/her to listen to French music as often as possible. This can be extremely helpful. I will soon add a list of the French song Cds I recommend on my Books I Recommend page. Please review it as often as possible.

5-The thing that I often recommend my students' parents to do is to get TV5, a French TV channel. All you need to do is contact  your cable provider. You can do that online or by phone. It costs 10 dollars a month and it's worth a million! From 4:30pm to 5:30 pm there are cartoons for all ages made in France. Please if you think that your kids, at this early stage of French learning, won't understand much
of the cartoons or the French programs, you are wrong. By linking the images they see to the words they hear, their brains can unconsciously make out the meaning and that's how they learn. Plus they will be used to hearing French spoken by kids their age and believe me everything they hear won't be lost.

6-If you feel helpless or sometimes frustrated not to be able to help your children do their homework, relax and know that sometimes parents need to back off and let their children create their own ways to learn. You'll be surprised how efficiently little children can solve problems provided they are given guidance and encouragement. Be there for your children and encourage them to be creative. If they are stuck, don't hesitate to have them ask their teacher that they didn't understand how to do their exercises. The teacher knows what you're going through and is understanding. Teach your child that whenever he has trouble doing an exercise, not to be ashamed to ask his/her teacher to explain the instructions again. I will soon write a blog article about the ways to help your kids do his/her homework without the frustrations and helplessness that come with it.


These were a few recommendations to enable parents of young children who just started the French Immersion program, but they are also applicable for the parents of older children who are learning French or any foreign language. Adults learning French can also benefit from those recommendations.
Please don't hesitate to post a comment or a question about this article or if you want to talk about your experience.
Bonne rentrée à tout le monde!