Speak French fluently

I got through almost two weeks of French with my inlaws and it was not nearly as mind-numbing as I thought it would be! French Fridays are back on and I am going to make a concentrated effort to practice my french on a weekly basis.

J’ai décidée que je vais pratiquer mon français tous les jours!

I haven’t been paying too much attention to this goal lately but I did have a 30 minute conversation (in French) via yahoo chat with my sister in law yesterday. It felt good to get my french on but I am so rusty!

I recently spoke to a friend of mine who is living in Paris and was really impressed by how far she has come along. When I was last there she didn’t seem as confident and spoke in halted french. Now she speaks it fluidly and is even considering doing a Master’s in French. (Yeah for free education!) I know that immersion makes a big difference but she has inspired me.

My in laws will be joining us in Puerto Rico this Christmas so I have to get back into the swing of things now if I don’t want to revert to having Mr. J speak for me. I remember how frustrating it was to feel like a struggling three year old when it came to contributing to a conversation and I don’t want to be in that space ever again.

There is also a possibility that I will be going back to Paris next month for work. It will only be for a week but when I was there in July I felt the effects of not practicing. I kept on getting tongue tied and frustrated with myself for not being as articulate as I wanted. Practice really is key and if my goal is to move to France (and obtain a French passport)in the coming years then I really have to make the effort. Perhaps I can reinstate French Friday tomorrow.

My husband and I have started French Fridays. We meet at a bar/ lounge after work on Friday’s for happy hour and speak only French. I hope to get to the point where I don’t need a glass of wine or a mojito to feel comfortable enough to speak. (I had no problem when I was in Paris- but the perfectionist in me won’t go away when it comes to speaking to my own husband…)

We laugh a lot and always have a good time. Unfortunately sometimes our time is cut short when other friends meet up with us- since most of them do not speak French. I have gotten frustrated a couple of times because of this (they came when I was on a roll) so maybe we can limit friends to dinner (not drinks- unless they speak Francaise) on Fridays.

I have been in Paris for three months now and feel that my French has greatly improved (though if you do not make the effort it is quite easy to get along speaking only English.) Since I came here determined to learn the language I look for opportunities to practice. I look forward to dinner with my in laws for example because they don’t speak a lick of English. (I even had a cooking lesson from my mil a few weeks ago.) I go to the fresh food market every weekend and have a produce guy that I chat with and have even joined a group for French/English convo. It helps to receive encouragement from people who have seen an improvement. My sister in law says that I have come a long way since arriving because I speak quicker and do not ask her to repeat herself as often as I used to. I have heard the same from my co-workers and have even impressed them with nicely coined phrases. (I take my mini address book with me everywhere I go and I write down all new words or phrases that I learn or dont understand. Surprisingly I remember these phrases easier than the ones I learn in class.) I usually avoid phone conversations at all costs but yesterday for the first time I spent an hour and a half yapping away en Francais. I am proud of myself… can’t wait to get my French on with my hubby! He will be here in 10 days.

I have been taking French classes for a few semesters now and will be spending the fall in Paris. I am hoping that immersion (sans my French hubby) will help me build my confidence. I really have no excuse to not try to at least practice more- I am sleeping with the book for Pete’s sake. (Who the hell is Pete anyway???)

Maybe I can start a rule… french fridays or speaking french whenever we french kiss or eat french fries…