Coucou les membres de la communauté,

Thank you to all the dedicated members who joined our Wednesday Zoom live session.

Your enthusiasm and active participation made it an incredibly productive reading session. Your commitment to French is truly inspiring!

Click here to watch the replay!

Here are 3 simple steps to read French texts efficiently and make the most of your reading sessions.

Step 1: Focus Solely on Comprehension

When approaching a French text, your primary goal should be comprehension.

This focus is crucial because language acquisition occurs naturally when you understand the message being conveyed.

By prioritizing comprehension, you allow your brain to process the language in a natural way, similar to how you acquired your native language as a child.

Remember, your goal is to understand the main ideas and overall message, not to translate every word.

Step 2: Grasp the Gist and Let Go of the Unnecessary

As you read, aim to understand the overall meaning of the story.

When you encounter unfamiliar words, ask yourself if they’re essential for comprehending the main plot.

It’s important to become comfortable with not understanding every single word. In real-life conversations with native French speakers, you won’t catch everything, so developing this skill now will serve you well in the future.

If you believe a word is crucial for understanding the story, first try to deduce its meaning from the context. Then you can consult the glossary. It helps build your inferencing abilties and reduces reliance on translations.

Step 3: Narrate to Reinforce Understanding

The final step in efficient French reading is to narrate the story after you’ve finished reading and comprehending it.

Narration involves retelling the story in your own words, either orally or in writing. This was championed by Charlotte Mason, and is a powerful tool for deepening your understanding of the text.

If you are a total French beginner, start by narrating the text in your own native language. Little by little, you will narrate using French words and sentences. Speaking and writing French will come naturally as your comprehension of the language grows.

#trusttheprocess

Here is what Margot, our Dear Member does : she narrates French stories to her orangutan’s friend!

Meet Xavier! His favourite story is “the blue cat” from the Baby Stage!

I encourage all of you to implement these three steps in your French reading practice.

And please share your experiences with our community in the chat or in the story comments. To participate in the Community Chat, click here!

Your insights and progress will inspire and motivate others on their French journey.

Happy reading, and à bientôt!

Cordialement,

P.S. Come and connect with other members in the community during a live Community Session. Click here to join!