how i learned French: the ultimate guide

[@iriswellen]

hi loves!! I'm finally sharing my journey with learning French!🇫🇷 I really hope you find this video useful and don't forget to use sign up for the Lingoda sprint before the first of July with my link try.lingoda.com/IrisWellen_Sprint to save up to €128 with the sign up and if win the Sprint challenge, the savings can be as high as €515!! good luck

[@natk709]

I’m sorry but I would prefer to see someone not sponsored by a platform give a recommendation. It is hard to believe that this is a honest review of an actual experience.

[@quietautumn5125]

i agree.. i’ve been trying duolingo cause everyone is recommending it and its so bad lol, because the characters have different accents and its hard to know the exact pronounciation.. do you have any tips? i am thinking about just watching french movies with subtitles instead

[@quietautumn5125]

or maybe read learning books, but then i wont know how to pronounce

[@philsmithies]

Yes I stopped at the point of a discount code for lingoda

[@bradleyheissmann4538]

Weak minded people need to use blanket judgements to navigate life.

[@helgramajo]

When a Dutch person says, "I am not good at learning languages," I can’t help but think, "Please, don't lie. Your language has some of the most difficult sounds in the world. If you can speak Dutch, you can learn any language." Every Dutch person I know is at least bilingual. By the way, I live in the Netherlands.

[@tenzindolkar788]

Lmao

[@greenytaddict]

Currently learning Dutch and refreshing my French. Dutch is no joke even though it is similar to English. I love learning it though.

[@aroundflames]

This make no sense

[@emito15]

@@greenytaddictDutch it’s the most easiest language ever 😃

[@mimiloforte]

Being bilingual is also due to the culture, I'm portuguese and pretty much every young person is able to speak english here, even if our language does not share lots of common sounds with english. No language is inherently easier or harder than another. Arguably, given that she is dutch, someone with a romance language background should have an easier time learning french than her.

[@gulkibaryagmur2323]

For beginners, the series "Extra French" is so effectif. I recommend you guys.

[@kurtschulz]

Texting yourself in French is actually a great idea. And it's really not so strange... I live in the US where *nobody* speaks French, and have to speak out loud to myself, so why not text too! Great tips Iris, thank you.

[@alicexjate]

That’s definitely the hardest part about learning French in the US. You rarely hear French so you have to immerse yourself in a different way

[@becca7848]

this is so helpful! i have a similar experience, i learned french in highschool but forgot most of it and i want to relearn and improve it! i also have an interest in learning dutch which led me to your videos haha. thank you for these great tips!⭐

[@iriswellen]

thank you!!!

[@es4666]

When I was learning dutch while living in Amsterdam, I used to go home and cry on a daily basis because it was so difficult to practice dutch with native speakers. To the point of being rude, where there English was worse than my dutch but they still insisted on speaking english - even when I specifically asked to practice. And then when they did speak dutch they were not helpful at all. I speak multiple languages, and other countries were definitely more gracious and generous. Sorry NL.

[@rundalina]

All great tips! I did A2.2 with Lingoda and it really helped me kickstart my French studies and get over my fear of speaking. Right now my listening needs the most work, so I’m focusing on self-study listening, but I’m going to go back to B1 Lingoda later in the summer. My goal is to get to B2 by the end of the year. For beginners and early intermediate, I actually found Pimsleur to be super helpful. The lessons can be tedious, but the repetition really works. I wouldn’t solely rely on it though as it’s mostly focused on speaking.

[@Krazy4K3vin]

Hi, did you do the sprint challenge ?

[@keu_s]

Great tips! I’m from Brazil, so my native language is Portuguese. I watched your vlogs because your voice helps me practice my listening skills. I also study French, so the video was two in one for me. Ah, j’adore votre esthétique! ☺️✨

[@laurenlenihan2793]

Great tips! 💕I would also recommend the Duolingo French Podcast, the stories are really interesting and some parts are in English to give context :)

[@ayyceeyuu]

The texting yourself en français is geniussssssss ♥ definitely taking that tip ♥

[@casn3424]

Wow! Tu parles vraiment bien le français.🤩Je te félicite. Bravo!!! 👏👏👏

[@iriswellen]

merciiii 🥹

[@marmllrr]

so happy I found your vlogs

[@iriswellen]

thank uuu it means the world 🥹💗

[@Helen317-o6s]

love your videos esp the paris edition, I used to live there! and I also LOVED plan coeur, dix pour cent and lupin, they definitely helped my french :)

[@iriswellen]

thank uuu🥺💗

[@urwasheikh1343]

Great, great advice of reading a familiar book. Thank you so much!🎀

[@martas.2095]

thanks I have to go to Paris in 3 months, so perfect timing

[@arthurc5170]

Hello Iris! Thanks for posting this video, as a French speaker who recently moved to the Netherlands I really appreciated it because I can use those advices to learn Dutch myself. Would you have some recommendations of Dutch books, music or podcasts you really like by any chance? Thank you and I really appreciate your videos! 😊

[@greenytaddict]

I been watching shows in Dutch and French. I would have it first play in my target language with subtitles then rewatch the episode in English or with English subtitles. Currently watching Emily in Paris. Finished watching the Dutch show Dirty Lines.

[@kristinaarsenic5842]

This video is so helpful Iris, so inspiring also! Im learning Dutch but i live in my home country and i know it will become better once i move and start practicing it every day 🥰 Do you have some recs for Dutch podcasts and music?

[@iriswellen]

I'm so glad you found it helpful!! I don't listen to a lot of podcasts in Dutch actually... there is one that I sometimes listen to it's called "with the gurnels". They are a group of Dutch influencers and they just chat about the most random stuff lol 💗

[@LittleMew133]

I think it's because I'm already fluent in English, but French is easy to learn. Compare to Japanese, when I don't know Chinese. I progress through French like 3 to 5 times faster than I do with Japanese.

[@1951split]

Goeie tips!! :) Ik ben nu ook mijn Frans aan het bijspijkeren met de eerste drie delen van "Arypotteure"... Valt toch nog vies tegen, ondanks dat het een kinderboek is... 😅 Had nooit een HP film gezien of HP boek gelezen in 't Nederlands, dus misschien had ik dat beter eerst kunnen doen. "Les combattantes" vond ik ook wel leuk om te kijken op Netflix trouwens, zeker een aanrader...

[@vdkrslr]

I like how you spoke French at the beginning of the video. Quesiton, As a Dutch speaking person, what did you find the most difficult part of learning French? What do you struggle with?

[@polinamalyugina9337]

Be careful with Lingoda!! There is a ridiculous policy for the cancellation, they automatically charge you for the next period etc. Plus some teachers have difficult accent to understand (unless you want to practice it), there is a not flexible cancellation policy for your selected classes (in case teacher that you are not fond of picked your request and booked class with you)... I had 1 teacher that was simply rude and pretentious, I wanted to cancel my next class with him but it was after the cancellation deadline, so had to take it!!

[@rhysjones6037]

How long did you stay in Paris for or how long would you recommend as at least the minimum amount of time you think someone should stay

[@bfds9]

great tips, thank youuuuu for the video

[@Ishtarstar]

Thank you very much ❤ it was very useful!

[@fredericjanelle]

Très intéressant. salutations du Québec!

[@mandym8781]

Merci, Iris 💖

[@danielrichards9783]

Hi Iris, Just came across your channel for the first time. I assumed you were American because your English is so fluent with no accent at all, so I was surprised to learn that you are Dutch, but apparently living in Paris now? Although I was introduced to both French and Spanish in junior high school, I eventually focussed on Spanish and forgot the French I learned. Later, I studied French with French in Action, which was given to me by a friend of French descent, before one of my trips to Paris. I am not familiar with Lingoda but it sounds like it worked for you, but you had a strong foundation in French already, so that obviously facilitates your mastery. I love Paris and the French language, although I am American and currently live in the States. Somewhere I read that you were alone in Paris mastering French and I wondered how such an attractive and intelligent women could be alone in Paris? I am interested in spending time in Paris studying and mastering French. Maybe you could help me and I could find some way to reciprocate in some other way, although I am not sure how because I don't know you. My family tree is complicated but goes back to Danish royalty and also to the Netherlands. I had no idea that Dutch women are so attractive because the news from Netherlands always focuses on other things. Personally, I loved the Van Gogh Museum, but I would rather study French in Paris with you. Please let me know. Best regards, Dan

[@Ourelleetsy]

did you hear the part where she has a boyfriend and you're one of the hundreds of comments she gets on her videos every week?

[@joelharris4399]

Parlez français? Oui!

[@zeyneb27]

Thank u

[@TchakalGames]

Merciii

[@Nora97770]

I’m currently in paris and i really need/ want to learn better to speak but my biggest problem is that I don’t understand the people… like the french people, i can’t follow them and what they are saying and i’m so curious if it’s a problem I have or is it common? I would and love to speak more but after they start speaking i lose it.

[@rundalina]

It’s not just you - I actually speak better than I can understand sometimes. Ultimately it just takes time and a lot of listening. Podcasts, KZbin, dubbed Netflix, I listen to it all. Sometimes I listen intensely, sometimes I just have it on in the background. It honestly just takes a lot of time so don’t give up! Bon chance!

[@mhlmah]

this is so unrelated but omg where is your silver jewelry from?? it's so pretty!

[@iriswellen]

omg thank you so much!! all my rings used to be my mum's

[@allesae]

love love love

[@drnicolebeaumont7884]

Super! Thank you.

[@iriswellen]

💗💗

[@AhmedTelleserDehyer]

Sounds difficult 😂. So I still use Immersive Translate to help me translate French directly 😅

[@doctormister169]

But do you speak fluently?

[@KerenVelazquez-ik9ul]

Thank youuu ❤❤

[@iriswellen]

omg no thank you!!!

[@sara8614]

Great tips.Also I feel like, since you speak English at a native level, you already had the skills down to be able to learn another language "couramment". Quite funny that you Northern Europeans never talk about the struggles of learning English, it seems to be very natural for you.

[@luke28]

[@masterchief167]

Damn your english sounds American! Ur good!!!!

[@achmadiid8644]

Kannst du Deutsch sprechen?

[@Emily-b1u5u]

Omg just get to the video, a bunch of useless filler language

[@mansoor3159]

Wonderful Wonderful Sharing Iris🥹💗💗 and I really really needed it and I wish you have a adorable weekend

[@iriswellen]

you tooo 🥰

[@johndoe-rq1pu]

I guess I’ll come back to this after I spend five years on the basics.

[@EasyFinnish]

Salut! Merci pour votre vidéo ! Tout d'abord, j'ai aimé votre histoire sur la façon dont vous avez appris le français dans votre vie. Merci pour ces très bons conseils, je ne pourrais pas être plus d'accord ! Ensuite, j'ai commencé à étudier le français il y a cinq ans, en tant qu'adulte, et maintenant j'étudie le français à l'université de Turku, en Finlande. De plus, ma vie a changé parce que j'ai commencé à étudier le français. Je suis tombé amoureux de la langue française. Aussi, je pense que l'apprentissage d'une nouvelle langue ouvre de nombreuses portes et offre des opportunités uniques. Ainsi, apprendre le français m'a permis de découvrir une nouvelle culture et de nouvelles perspectives. Lorsque j'ai commencé, je ne savais pas à quel point cela transformerait ma vie. Or, maintenant, je ne peux imaginer ma vie sans le français. Je suis également d'accord avec vous sur le fait que la lecture, l'écoute, l'écriture, la parole et la grammaire sont des éléments essentiels du processus d'apprentissage. Vous avez fait un excellent travail en parlant de ces aspects dans votre vidéo. Au fait, en ce moment, je lis les livres de Harry Potter en finnois, en anglais et en français. :D Enfin, l'apprentissage des langues est une aventure enrichissante et transformative. Non seulement cela vous permet de communiquer avec une plus grande variété de personnes, mais cela enrichit aussi votre compréhension du monde et de vous-même. Ne sous-estimez jamais le pouvoir de l'apprentissage des langues : c'est une porte ouverte vers des expériences, des amitiés et des opportunités infinies. Bonne journée !

[@FrenchWithEase]

Great tips! I’ve found that listening to short stories really helps. For anyone learning French, I post videos every week featuring short stories in simple French, along with vocabulary breakdowns and English translations to aid comprehension. Perfect for A2 to B1 learners. Happy learning! 😊

[@MarkRoy-e2b]

My brother traveled through France and Germany years ago. He told me that the Germans he met were wonderful - he and his partner didn't speak German, but an old couple who owned a vineyard spent time with them, offered free wine samples, and treated them wonderfully. Then, in the French countryside people were equally nice. Finally, they got to Paris before going home. Where they were treated miserably. He came out of it understanding that it's not the French who are rude to Americans, it's the Parisians.

[@MariaEduarda-ng8rn]

I recommend two channels: 1) innerFrench and 2) Ohlala! Français

[@shilpaboby8706]

Mam please give me a French movies. Movie name

[@acecilia905]

Merci! I'm really trying to learn French as it's the native language of my grandparents, but the process is slow. Appreciate the tips. PS your hair is fab!

[@iriswellen]

aww thank you!! slow process is still process!! it just takes time 💗

[@eduferlim]

i'll consider this a sign to restart my french studies

[@iriswellen]

yess this is your sign!!💗

[@krii998]

this is nothing new, everyone learns this way and yet there’s always room for growth. It’s not as easy learning a new language as you say it is.

[@negotiatewithleverage4763]

I haven't made it more than a couple minutes through this video but felt like pausing to write. 1.) Your French at the intro sounded very good. I've watched videos for over a year, every day from French speakers and I honestly wouldn't have been able to tell you weren't native other than the speed at which you spoke (slower) and the pronunciation (more pronounced, less slurring like a Parisian) 2.) The 2nd you spoke English I knew you were Dutch. It's basically 90% of an American accent with only the tiniest hint of European (Duh instead of The) and you don't even do it has hard as most Dutch. Anyway, back to the video.

[@aaliyahhhhhhhhh]

im from switzerland and have had french since 5th grade, so for 5 years now and i still cant speak french properly because my teacher were always so horrible and just made it harder for me to learn😭

[@jermainemyers2516]

Excellent...merci mille fois madame !

[@jeffreykoterba]

Bonjour Iris! Thank you for your great work-it takes a lot to put a video like this together. It really goes in-depth and I hope it's super helpful to many. It sure was helpful for me (I'm gonna try texting myself in French now!). For what it's worth, I live in Nebraska where you wouldn't think there would be many who are interested in learning French. But it turns out there are! So here's a thing I did that might be of help to others: when I started learning French five years ago I launched a free weekly French conversation group. We meet in bars, cafés, and other places and simply practice. Every level from beginner to native speakers. We also share tips for learning, etc. Mostly, it's the in-person practice that has been super helpful. Oh, and through that group I have found others with whom I can text in French with. If anyone wants thoughts and ideas how to start a group like that, I'd be happy to offer suggestions...

[@_honestlynate]

I didnt understand the "texting myself" Although im really interested can someone explain?

[@A13JMC]

Start small in everyday situations. If in a non target environment, explain the translation. Try to find someone to interact with in the target language also.

[@Kirkkirk-rr5cw]

Thank you....from a french learner...or....want a bee!

[@lthecatt9667]

I am so happy for this guide. I also learned French in the Dutch education system, but stagnated after

[@flaneurable]

Some nice tips. I focus on reading. Maupassant and Simenon are reader friendly.

[@bbr9805]

best cheat code = girl/boyfriend

[@supernovaee6943]

I’m French but I still wanted to watch the video ahaha Your accent is really good !

[@iriswellen]

thank uuuu haha that means a lot :)

[@WillsCamera]

slayyy!! 👏👏

[@iriswellen]

hihi love u!!

[@yolamontalvan9502]

I had a Dutch girl friend; she was always cleaning her house. French is hard to learn, even the French natives find it hard. It took me years to learn it. I had to learn it because I live in Quebec. My mother tongue Spanish helped me a lot. Knowing French and Spanish helped me a lot to learn Portuguese and Italian. But I am very interested in learning German and the Putin language. Your French sounds cute your English is very good.

[@emmaakinyi9399]

Vous vlog est incroyable. j'adore vous idee et les information est tres utile. (inspired me to start using more French words). I also find vlogs to be a useful learning tool. especially on French channel vlogs, and comment sections, which KZbin gives an alternative for translation. It's a really quick way to absorb conversational French pour practice, and then the app make you align with the vocabulary and grammar. Thanks for your video. it was really insightful and amazing. So much love from Nairobi, Kenya

[@Lidarzd]

❤❤❤❤

[@lamour98]

so where you are actually speaking french? we heard 5 second of recorded beforhandly video

[@iriswellen]

I think you mean, pre-recorded by recorded beforhandly video? It wasn’t pre-recorded actually. But if you'd like to hear me speak French, I have a full video in French on my channel too xx

[@youtubeaccountt100]

This video is about HOW she learned French, not a video of her speaking French….