With English under your belt, you’ve already got a strong foundation for learning to read in French. Some words will be easily recognizable, which will make understanding the subject of what you’re reading easy at first.<\/p>\n
But there are some key things you must do in order to read French well and to eventually be able to read just as well in French as you do in English.\u00a0Here are my top eight pointers for learning how to read French.<\/p>\n
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Reading in French is like a test run to pronouncing French words correctly, so understanding how individual sounds work in French<\/strong> will help you read the words accurately straight from the get-go.<\/p>\n IElanguages.com has a French language tutorial<\/a> that offers an overview of French pronunciation intended for English speakers, along with lots of audio so you can familiarize yourself with the way words and sentences sound.<\/p>\n Take some time to get familiar with the phonetics of French<\/a>, listening to native pronunciation<\/strong> and speaking them aloud yourself.<\/p>\n When you feel comfortable, you can practice by reading some sentences from the newspaper out loud (even if you don’t understand them yet). Make notes on the page if there’s a sound that confuses you\u2014then look it up after.<\/p>\n Find out what techniques help you remember the nuances<\/strong> (for there are many in French!) and implement them as you learn. Will rewriting the sounds with IPA symbols solidify them in your brain? Or would it be better to watch YouTube videos to hear native speakers use the sounds?\u00a0<\/p>\n Consider making notes on objects around your house with their French words, and make yourself pronounce the words out loud as you hang around at home. Recording your voice could also help you compare it to the correct pronunciation and evaluate how well you’re understanding everything.<\/p>\n Your Easy Guide to French Pronunciation<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n