When You're Having Trouble Learning French (or Any Language)

[@Rosamee]

Dearest Karen, I feel blessed that I discovered your channel 🌹I am thankful for your lovely videos from the bottom of my heart. Your sincerity seems to me unique and I believe, you have a generous heart and empathy for others who’d also like to broaden their horizons.

[@karenbussen]

Thank you so much for this kind message. You made my day! I'm so happy you are here, let me know if you have any questions or if there is other content you'd like to see. greetings from Paris!

[@angelamcsweeney1694]

Merci beaucoup! I love your passion for everything French! Since being a little girl, it has been the same for me! I enjoy watching your videos as they inspire and encourage me to continue my love of everything French! ❤

[@karenbussen]

Bonjour ! Thank you so much for this comment which made my day 😊 And oui OUI absolutely keep going with your love of 🇫🇷❣️

[@jac3271]

Merci beaucoup! So inspiring to refresh my French that I learnt for years but spoken is so rusty now!

[@karenbussen]

Je vous en prie ! You will be surprised how it will dust itself off and there will still be the foundation. My spoken French was never very good and I had forgotten a lot of the grammar, etc. but it comes back! And if you focus on speaking "real" everyday French (like what you'll really use, talking about you, your work, buying things, getting help with directions, etc) you will build it back up! I'm so happy that you found the video an inspiration--that's my whole idea, as someone who loves speaking French but still works on it every day. Bonne Année et bonne continuation xoxo

[@jac3271]

@ mes résolutions pour la prochaine année: visit France, listen to my CDs from university, listen to French radio every day. 🤗 merci beaucoup

[@experiencesourceself999]

You are amazing!!! i love all the energy you exude and the spirit you are!!! Totally agree with all the tips you share! 🤩🤩🤩

[@karenbussen]

Merci merci ! Thank you for being here and for your kindness 😊

[@claudiaramos8357]

Bonjour Karen! J'ai beaucoup aimé votre idée de créer un espace dédié chez vous pour pratiquer le français. C'est une idée très simple, mais efficace pour créer un sentiment d'immersion. Merci! Excellente suggestion !

[@karenbussen]

Bonjour ! Merci pour ce commentaire et bonne continuation 😊 🇫🇷

[@violamezei6193]

And that was a great language coaching session! Thank you, you are a talented teacher. I recently saw an interesting video by Olly Richards (a polyglot) who says that science backs up the fact that each of the languages that you speak can bring out different personality traits in you. You can also make more rational decisions when you think about a problem in your non-native language. I wonder what your thoughts are on this topic (maybe check out his video and react to it, that would be really interesting)...

[@karenbussen]

Hello! Merci ! I will check out that video but I already agree that thinking and expressing oneself in another language is like making a shift in many ways 😃

[@StephenLester-kl7oy]

J'aime tellement vos vidéos ! J'emménage en France dans quelques mois et elles m'aident à me préparer pour le grand saut. :)

[@karenbussen]

Merci merci pour votre commentaire. Je suis ravie que mes vidéos vous aident. Tous mes meilleurs voeux pour votre déménagement et bienvenue en France !

[@davebailey7494]

Young Lady, you are precious!

[@karenbussen]

This comment just makes my whole day-merci merci !

[@Loufi303]

Such beautiful pronounciation! I started out in life speaking French, but lost it (due to a country move) at the tender age of 4,5. I only got around to it again a few years ago and do make progress, mais...petit à petit. I can read fairly easily, but the correct, somewhat more complex sentence constructions? Argh!

[@karenbussen]

Don't give up! Just keep going and my best advice is to not worry about perfection--just go for it, make mistakes (you'll learn from them) and try to talk as much as you can. Bonne continuation and thank you so much for leaving a comment :-)

[@lorraine6947]

@Karen Thank you for this video.

[@karenbussen]

Thank you for watching and greetings from Paris!

[@ferayster]

How do you say "pick up after your dog'" in french.? Living the dream !!!

[@karenbussen]

hahaha ! So funny because it's so true. We have a neighbor who walks her dog and lets it do its business right in front of the door to our apartment building every day, with zero cleanup. But I also heard that there used to be "moto-crottes" -- people on scooters picking up poop in Paris--(look it up!) I asked my French husband how he would say that and he replied, "ramassez votre merde !" which also made me laugh because he still "vouvoyé'd them :-) But don't forget to start with Bonjour haha. Thank you for your funny comment and yes #livingthedream

[@moniqueadams7275]

I always look forward to watching your videos. I'm 66 years old and thinking about retiring in France. I bought my tickets for June to visit Nice. I have just begun to learn French two months ago. I'm wondering How does one go about going from the airport to hotel, getting food, ECT... without speaking the language. Will I be okay?

[@karenbussen]

Bonjour ! Thank you for such a lovely comment and that is so exciting. In terms of the language, do not be afraid. Nice is a big airport and a big (and beloved touristic) city with many English-speaking visitors, so while not everyone will speak English, you can be sure that you'll be able to get by. My main tip: always always always start any conversation with anyone (taxi driver, hotel front desk, restaurant staff, market seller) with the word "Bonjour !" If you do that one thing, it will get you a long way because it shows that you know how important a greeting is in France. It's great that you've started learning the language and I encourage you to practice whatever you've learned by the time you arrive. Do not be afraid to speak in French, even if you don't know as much as you'd like. Also, you'll likely find menus in English in restaurants that serve tourists. I wish you a wonderful trip and bonne continuation !

[@michelesauret7779]

Vos efforts paieront, un jour votre français deviendra très fluide, vous serez parfaitement bilingue. Merci d'aimer notre langue 😘

[@karenbussen]

c'est mon rêve ! merci :-)

[@user-sorleyboy]

Merci, Karen! Je m'appelle Mitchell. En France, devrais-je dire : Michel?

[@karenbussen]

Bonjour ! Hmmm...c'est une question un peu difficile. I will write in English so all can read. I am on the fence about this. The question is really "to T or not to T" :-) Here are my thoughts: 1) Whether or not you decide to emphasize the T in your pronunciation, make sure to put the accent on the last syllable. "Mee-SHELL" or "Meet-SHELL." 2) In French, there really is no hard "ch" sound. Ch is pronounced "sh" 3) I think because it's so close to Michel, that is what the French will hear when you say your name (as long as you accent the last syllable and pronounce the I as "ee" 4) If you're just visiting France you might not really need to spell out your name for anyone, so you could just go with Michel if you're OK with that. For example, I know my name is not really Karène, but that's just how I say it because it's easier for the French to hear it/say it. When they need to write it down, I spell it out (using French pronunciation for the letters). In conclusion (ha!) I would say you could always try it both ways and see what works best. In my life here, I just prefer the ease of quick understanding and I like how my name sounds when frenchified. Je vous souhaite une excellente journée et merci pour votre commentaire ! Bonne continuation...

[@user-sorleyboy]

@@karenbussen Merci pour votre recommendation! Je suis d'accord.