Tips to Progress

Learning a new language in the professional context can be a big challenge and since I learnt French as an adult, I have a few pointers to give...

Be open to similarities, since many languages do have similar bases in grammatical structures or vocabulary, idioms and syntax. 

Especially with English and French, who are actually first cousins as languages, but have not interacted with each other in recent years.  

Make time to use new words as soon as you learn them. Vocabulary can be built up really quickly if you use the new word/ phrase just 10 times.

Write it down, read it aloud, pronounce it properly, make a sentence with it and then listen to the word/ phrase. That’s already 5 times, so all you need is to do it once again… and voila, it will be part of your active vocabulary! 

Do not be afraid to make mistakes, it’s not middle school and no one expects you to have that ‘perfect accent!’ 

Practice pronunciation online. If you still feel conscious of how you pronounce certain sounds or words, use the little microphone on Google Translate, make that your friend and use it as often as you need it to get it right!

Listen to English radio / TV  for just 15 minutes daily, just to get your ears attuned to the rhythm and intonation patterns in English.