When you learn a language, especially at school, you study grammar rules and conjugations, you memorize sentences, and sometimes even lists of words. But when speaking, you may feel that you can not express your ideas clearly. We do not have enough words to say them or those we keep in mind are not useful for the context.
For example, give an opinion on city traffic. You know how to give your opinion, but you lack the proper vocabulary on this subject. Imagine another situation that is less complicated and quite common. After several hours of learning the French language, you want to explain one of your favorite recipes. You have the verbs to enumerate the steps, but not the names of the ingredients. Or, vice versa, you know the ingredients, but not the verbs. So how can you enrich your vocabulary in a practical way, without necessarily creating and memorizing lists?
Thanks to my experience as a French teacher, and also as a foreign language learner, I discovered some simple but effective strategies for learning new words. These tips could serve you at any time:
1. Observe the French version of the product labels
We have the tremendous benefit here in Canada of having the labels of many products in both official languages, English and French.
2. Select French as the display language of your electronic devices
Choose French as your computer's system language, cell phone or tablet.
3. Read the news in French
When you read the news in a French newspaper, you can choose one, target the important words and search them in the dictionary.
4. Write a diary page by daily activity
For example, if you go to the gym, at the end of your workout, write a summary to learn the French words for machines, movements and muscles used.
5. Check the weather in French
Break the ice with any francophone using the words of the weather specific to each season.
6. Find the french name of your favorite clothing of the 4 seasons
In this way, every time you put on this garment, you will think of its name in French. And when you visit a French-speaking province, you will be able to shop more easily.
7. Create a Twitter account in French
Even if you do not like social networks, you can learn vocabulary by looking at the accounts of people, groups and institutions (such as the Language Portal of Canada ) that are important to you.
8. Add French captions to your photos
Why not create an Instagram account whose main goal would be to put French titles to your photos? You can also ask your (new) French-speaking friends to recommend captions.
9. Enrich your vocabulary by playing & Using Apps
By clicking on Vocabulary Games in the Language Portal of Canada Resources, you will find a variety of games that will allow you to discover new words or refresh your memory. Moreover, you can install a translator like Translate It that will help you translate English into French and other languages. using it you can also increase your Vocabulary.
10. Find the vocabulary of a topic that interests you
The TERMIUM Plus ® Terminology and Linguistic Database brings together many terms by domain, which helps immensely in remembering concepts and applying them in everyday life.
Tell you what advice would you add to this list? Share your tips (or those of your friends) in the "Comments" section below to learn new words. Thank you in advance.
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