With over 20 years' experience, we specialize exclusively in training International Languages, and in particular French, German, English & Kiswahili. Qualified learners are offered the opportunity to update their skill and knowledge of International Languages through grammar review, oral, audio and video programmes, whilst those without qualifications will learn and obtain internationally recognized certificates.
Welcome to Malughas International Languages, where we offer International Languages Anywhere Anytime Competence in international languages enables people to communicate with others in different cultures, in a variety of settings, to look beyond their customary borders, to gain direct access to additional bodies of knowledge and to participate fully in the global community and marketplace. International unquestioned position of international languages in international business, media, science, education, politics and diplomacy has spurred millions of people across the globe to want to learn international languages.
Online French as a Foreign Language
Why learn French? Why learn French when there are more than 4000 languages spoken on this planet? After all, English is the world's leading language.
We will give you 7 good reasons for learning French, showing the relevance of the language in areas such as holidays, arts, culture, technology and business.
1. Meaningful Holidays in France any other French speaking countries
Unlike many other countries where the inhabitants are impressed if you speak ten words in their language, the French tend to think it is normal that everyone speaks French. If you have ever been on a holiday in France or any other French speaking country, you know what we are talking about. Your trip to France and other many French countries will be greatly enhanced in both ease of communication and friendliness if you speak the language.
2. Better insights into Western culture
Much of the creative thinking that has shaped the western tradition has been done in French. Impressionist painters like Monet, musicians like Ravel and Boulez; novelists like Flaubert, Camus and Sartre have had an influence on world culture. Jean Calvin helped define Protestantism; Enlightenment writers like Voltaire championed human rights; Simone de Beauvoir was a prominent feminist, and Michel Foucault was a founder of postmodernism.
3. Enhanced career prospects
When deciding on a foreign language for work or school, remember that French is the language that will give you the most choices later on in your career. Being able to speak French is an asset for anyone interested in working in international organizations such as the UN, UNESCO, NATO, OEDC, International Olympic Committee, the European Community, and International Red Cross. Also, think of French company names that you often come across, such as: Carrefour Christian Dior Danone Gillette JC Decaux Lafarge L'Oreal Louis Vuitton Michelin Peugeot Pierre Cardin Renault
4. Language of technology and medicine
Students and researchers who know French have access to these works for several years before they are translated into English. Many significant works are never translated and remain accessible only to those who know the language. French universities are highly sought after by students wishing to pursue higher degrees in the field of engineering, physics, medical research and medical genetics.
5. International friendship
French is the second most commonly taught second language in the world (after English). During your international trips, it is very likely that your knowledge of French can help you communicate and make friends with people who may also speak French as a second or third language.
6. The language of arts and culture
French is the lingua franca of culture, including art, cuisine, dance, fashion and design. France has won more Nobel Prizes for literature than any other country in the world and is one of the top producers of international films.
7. A better understanding of English
Strange as it may sound, studying French will enhance your knowledge of English. More than a third of all English words are derived directly or indirectly from French. It's estimated that English speakers who have never studied French already know 15,000 French words. It has been claimed that 60% of the English language is nothing but mispronounced French. The two languages, in fact, share a lot of cognate words. In fact, English has borrowed more words from French than any other languages.
How long does it take to learn French?
How to learn French fast? How long does it take to learn French?
This is perhaps the most common question from students who wish to learn French.
How long a student needs to learn French will depend on several factors, with some taking a longer time than others. How long it finally takes will depend on several factors, as discussed below.
1. Desired Proficiency level
You can speak French or any other language at different proficiency levels. For instance, a French lawyer will use a much more sophisticated language (higher proficiency level) compared to a French child (lower proficiency level), although both of them are fluent in French! Consequently, if you simply wish to attain Beginner Level proficiency, 90 - 100 hours of learning will be sufficient. However, to reach an advanced level of proficiency, much more hours are needed!
2. Available time for learning
The time that you can set aside for learning French will definitely affect your progress. Hence, it will take a busy person a much longer time to learn French compared to someone with much time at his disposal.
3. Gaps in between classes
How long it takes to learn French also depends on gaps in between classes. Longer gaps better classes means more chance to forget what you have previously learned. Ideally, we recommend an average of 2 days gap in between lessons for maximum retention.
4. Mother tongue influence
Your mother tongue can deeply influence how long you take to learn French, especially French pronunciation. There is such a thing called mother tongue influence that mostly impact on your pronunciation of French words.
5. Knowledge of another 'Romance' language
Those who know another romance language (such as Italian and Spanish) will be able to learn French much faster than others. That is because many French words share a similar root with Italian and Spanish words, making it easier for Italians and Spaniards to correctly guess the meaning of those words, especially in written French.
6. Knowledge of another foreign language
If you already know a foreign language (especially another European language) with some similarities to the French language - such as having the same alphabet, sentence structure, vocabulary and grammar pattern - it is easier for you to make sense of French as a language.
How to learn French
Based on over 20 years of experience teaching French as a Foreign Language, we wish to share 7 tips on how to learn French effectively.
1. Learn correct French pronunciation from the start
Although there are many similar roots, French remains distinct from other languages in many ways - even a shared word like "weekend" is written with a hyphen in French "week-end" and the pronunciation is given a 'French touch'. How then to master French pronunciation?
Self-study through audios and videos is helpful, especially for learning vocabulary and grammar. However, it is difficult, if not impossible, to learn French pronunciation this way (unless you have an exceptional talent for mimicry). On the one hand, you don't get corrected instantly if you mispronounce. On the other, you may be deceived by your own ears and tempted to think you are on the right track.
Moreover, audios and videos for learning French do not teach listening skills, considered the most challenging of the 4 language skills (reading, writing, speaking and listening). That is why beginner students often feel native French speakers talk too fast and lump many words together (liaison). The result: a cacophony of words that they are unable to follow. Why is that? Making sense of normal speech requires you to learn how to listen in the first place. Your ears are bombarded with a lot of sounds, and they need to know exactly which sound to pick and decode. They will analyse these sounds against a frame of reference (which must be learned). Otherwise, such sounds will simply be discarded as noise and nonsense.
Classroom learning remains more effective than self-learning, especially in small group situations. But students need to have realistic expectations; it is always possible for a teacher to correct the pronunciation of individual students in a small group. And it comes to no surprise that most inexperienced French teachers are unable to teach pronunciation and listening skills, and cater to the individual needs of their students.
Learning French with a private tutor is the best, tried and tested option. If you are on a tight budget, you can get a private tutor at least for the pronunciation part, just to be on the right track from the start. However, not any French tutor will do. You need an experienced French tutor with a sound knowledge of rules governing pronunciation, a professional French tutor who can tune up your ears, and teach you intonation, nuances and the overall musical pattern of the French language. With a private French tutor, you can also record your classes. You can play back the recorded audio to listen to yourself and fix your mistakes until you get closer to the correct version.
2. Memorize the gender of French nouns at an early stage
French, the language of passion, is also one of obsession, especially with genders in grammar. In French, all nouns are either masculine or feminine; there is no neuter gender. Native speakers generally learn which words are masculine and which ones are feminine from childhood, through trial and error, and getting corrected in the process. For those learning French as a foreign language, learning the gender of individual words can be a daunting experience and it can take you a lifetime! Fortunately, there are some general rules that can teach you to make out the gender of French words with 90% accuracy, besides use of good dictionaries. Learn these rules to save yourself time and future mistakes.
3. Build on what you already know
A lot of French words are similar in spelling and meaning to English (they are called cognates). By knowing these cognates, you can easily transfer and simply add a French pronunciation to them. Et voilà! You've got loads of French words that you never thought you knew and which you can put to immediate use.
4. Find a logical approach to learn French easily
If you are not a young learner, it is easier to learn French by using a logical approach – mainly through an intelligent organization of information and memorization techniques. Let's now see how a better organization of information can assist with learning. Take the gender of French nouns which have to be either masculine or feminine. As a very general rule (with some exceptions), words that end with either vowels (A, I, O, U but not E) or consonants tend to be Masculine whereas words that end with E (with some exceptions) tend to be Feminine. At an earlier stage, it is much more effective to remember this simple rule than to go through the tedious exercise of memorizing the gender of each and every French word.
5. Create your own French vocabulary notebook
It helps to create your own French vocabulary notebook. You can organize new words you learn under related Themes (e.g. Food) and further categorize them into People (boulanger, pâtissier), Nouns (baguette, croissant), Adjectives (délicieux, bon), Adverbs (bien, fraîchement) and Verbs (manger, boire).
6. Set some milestones and take a French Proficiency Test
Learning for fun is exciting, but many give up along the way, especially when they hit a wall. To keep track of your progress and measure yourself at an objective international level, it is good to take a French proficiency test. Taking these proficiency tests at various stages of learning will give you more confidence to keep learning and improving.
