The Secret to

Learning a
Foreign
Language as an
Adult

Quora

Oct. 2, 2014
WarchiGetty Images
CEO David Bailey describes how he taught himself French in only 17 days
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Ive learned several foreign languages as an adult.
I was able to learn French to conversation
fluency in 17 days using the following techniques.
Note that I had previously learned Spanish to
fluency so this was not my first foreign language.
In summer of !!" I stayed with a French friend
in a tiny village in the #eau$olais region of
France. No one in the village spo%e &nglish and'
since my friend %new I had an ambitious learning
goal' she refused to spea% to me in &nglish as
well.
I set up a routine where I did the same things
every day.
In the mornings' I wo%e up and wrote out
longhand the regular and irregular verb tables for
1."( hours. I managed to get through an entire
pad of paper in two wee%s. I still believe that
writing things out by hand is the best way to
memori)e things.
*hile I wrote' I would listen to +ichel ,homas
language learning mp-s. .n the /0s you listen as
he teaches French to other &nglish spea%ers. Its
really helpful to hear other students ma%e
mista%es that you can learn from' $ust li%e a
regular classroom environment. In two wee%s I
listened to the foundation' advanced and
language building courses twice.
I would run for 1"(2! minutes in the early
afternoon in the French countryside listening to
catchy French music. +usic is a great way to
learn the intonation of a language and train your
facial muscles as you sing along.
I had lunch with my friend and her French
friends everyday. 3s they refused to slow down
when spea%ing to me in French' it was learn or
starve4
In the afternoon' if I wasnt playing darts or
#oules with my French friends' I was reading
5/harlie and the /hocolate Factory6 in French.
7eading the childrens boo%s you read as a child
is a great hac% to learning new languages. Firstly'
the language used is simple and secondly'
%nowing the story helps you to guess the
meaning of new words and avoid using a
dictionary. Surprisingly childrens boo%s are
more entertaining in a foreign language.
I spent at least an hour writing basic essays about
myself which I had my French friend chec% for
errors. *hen you meet new people you inevitably
get as%ed the same things8 5*here are you
from96' 5*hat do you do96' 50o you li%e
France96. #y learning ready(made answers' you
get to practice what you learned and build up
your confidence.
3nother good tip is to learn the filler words.
,hese are the words and phrases people say then
all the time between sentences :alors' en fait'
etc.; but have no real meaning< allowing you to
buy time in a conversation and increase your
confidence.
3fter 17 days I left the small town and went to
=aris. I met a girl in a coffee shop and we started
tal%ing. 3fter a few minutes' she as%ed how long I
had lived in France. *hen I told her I had been
learning French for 17 days' she swore that I had
lived in France for at least a year.
>opefully there are some useful tips you can use
in your learning. ?et me %now and bonne chance4