4 Things That Are Difficult About Learning French And Solutions.

While still a student of Education French, some fellow students at the time, transferred to other departments. According to them, French was too difficult to understand, and they were better off studying other courses. Most opted for German.

Today, many non-speakers I meet still consider French difficult, but wish to learn. This, for me, could make all the difference.

Is French A Difficult Language To Learn?

Yes. French is difficult, or so I would have said if you had asked me a few months into my study because :

Pronunciation was a nightmare.

Pronouncing words in French was my biggest challenge, and I am not alone. Why write unpronounced words? Wouldn't it be better to omit them? I wondered. French pronunciation remains a difficult aspect of learning French for beginners.

I couldn't make heads or tails of all the verb conjugation.

Another frustrating aspect of learning French for beginners is verb conjugation. In my opinion, French conjugation is much more complex than in English.
I often wondered, how others had it memorized.

Why ascribe gender to inanimate objects.

Inanimate objects are inanimate objects. Why should I say 'la' or 'le', une or un when talking about a chair or a bed. I would rather use one word to describe it all. The English usage of it for all inanimate objects made perfect sense.

The 'r' pronunciation in French grated on my nerves.

I found pronouncing "r" in French words strange and difficult. I am sure am not the only one.

Solutions

Here are a few solutions to the difficulties above that worked for me, and might help you too.

Learn The Rules.

Every language has its own rules guiding how words are pronounced. Start by learning and applying them, it would get easier.

Understand verb endings and how they can affect conjugation.
Verbs ending with 'er', usually follow the same conjugation pattern. While 'ir' and 're' verbs are not as predictable, they also show some consistency.
Verb conjugation cannot be learned in a day. Give it time.

Learn the appropriate article alongside the object

Learning the right article alongside the object helps a great deal.
There are tips that could help you know which objects are masculine and which are feminine. While this doesn't always work, it is a good place to start. The more you study, the better you will become.

Consume lots of audio and video content.

Listen to a lot of French words with this sound and say aloud. With repeated practice and time, you will master its pronunciation.

In conclusion, French is not a difficult language to learn. Challenging, yes, but not as impossible as it might first appear.  With the right learning environment and a great teacher, you would be fluent in no time.