Who learned French decades ago?

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Hanneke
Hanneke
Mar 2023
4:08pm, 9 Mar 2023
100,382 posts
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Hanneke
English!
I remember this:

Keith is in the sandpit.
The sandpit is in the garden.
There is also a cockerel in the garden.
The cock crows.
Keith throws sand into the cock's mouth.
Hanneke
Hanneke
Mar 2023
4:09pm, 9 Mar 2023
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Hanneke
Random, right? One of the first lessons...
Garfield
Garfield
Mar 2023
4:12pm, 9 Mar 2023
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Garfield
LOL Hann!!
DeeGee
DeeGee
Mar 2023
4:15pm, 9 Mar 2023
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DeeGee
Yorkshire Mince Pie
It's improving due to working for a French company, but I don't have the confidence I used to have.


Best thing you can possibly do is use it every opportunity you have.

It took 12 or 13 years of "study" - GCSE, A-levels, degree, 2 years abroad - before I was dreaming in French, but my wife keeps reminding me that while I was working for a French company in the UK, I kept forgetting that she wasn't equally fluent in French and would start speaking to her in French as my default as that was what I was doing all day.

I'm not at that level now through underuse, but it only takes me a couple of hours or so of French radio or telly before I'm back able to hold my own in a pub debate.

I still wouldn't fancy writing my own story based on six picture stimuli, though.

JamieKai chameleon
my German teacher was furious the one day none of us could remember whether Meerschweinchen was masculine, feminine or neuter.


Tut-tut. All diminutives are neuter. German is all rules that must be followed without question...
DeeGee
DeeGee
Mar 2023
4:19pm, 9 Mar 2023
22,459 posts
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DeeGee
English! I remember this: Keith is in the sandpit. The sandpit is in the garden. There is also a cockerel in the garden. The cock crows. Keith throws sand into the cock's mouth.


Lots and lots of "th-" sounds. θ/ð. Always good to practice those!
Hanneke
Hanneke
Mar 2023
4:21pm, 9 Mar 2023
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Hanneke
Still: so random???
DeeGee
DeeGee
Mar 2023
4:27pm, 9 Mar 2023
22,460 posts
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DeeGee
It is, I'm trying to work out the methodology for some of the other words. Couple of G-words in there, that's a different sound for you, and of course, the mandatory prepositions.
♪♫ Synge ♪♫
♪♫ Synge ♪♫
Mar 2023
4:36pm, 9 Mar 2023
49,131 posts
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♪♫ Synge ♪♫
There is also a cockerel in the garden. The cock crows.


Go on, , tell us what the cockerel says in Dutch! :-)
Hanneke
Hanneke
Mar 2023
4:43pm, 9 Mar 2023
100,386 posts
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Hanneke
Kukelekuuuuuuu
♪♫ Synge ♪♫
♪♫ Synge ♪♫
Mar 2023
4:44pm, 9 Mar 2023
49,136 posts
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♪♫ Synge ♪♫
Kukelekuuuuuuu


:-)

About This Thread

Maintained by ChrisHB
It was a staple of my O-levels that we would be presented with six drawings telling a simple story. We then had to write that story in our best French. We were told it was a genuine part of education in France; the way French was taught in France.

I thought it was an excellent approach as everyone could write at their own level. You could play safe, or you could demonstrate your imperfect understanding of unlikely tenses.

But what was it called, please? Why did it go out of fashion? Is it ...

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