CAN YOU LEARN FRENCH AT HOME WITH THE AID OF THE INTERNET ?

          It's true that learning a new Language is a difficult task but thanks to internet, this task has been made easier because you now spend less on books, audio and video files. There is absolutely nothing wrong with learning French via internet.

          In fact, I know someone who writes French well, she even uses some nice French expressions and I still can't believe she learnt via internet. Seriously, is it possible to really learn French via Internet?

No, my answer is No

Why? 

FIRST, WE NEED TO KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO LEARN A LANGUAGE

          A language is a system and knowing a language implies active production, learning a language means acquiring the ability to produce the system of a language actively.

          Does this mean you are fluent? No. Does this mean you have perfect pronunciation? No. Does this mean you speak flawlessly? No. It means you have the essential patterns and framework to use the language effectively in all environments, regardless of whether you have the vocabulary or idiom to do so.

          The point is to use the language in both writing and speaking aspect. You can’t say you’re learning a language when you can’t speak it; I’m talking about FLOWING because when the only word you know is “Bonjour”, you can say you’re speaking.

          Now Imagine yourself being good at only writing English, when you speak you commit several blunders or you don't even speak at all, how will you relate with English speakers?  

          The problem most language learners have is the separation or speaking from writing .The best way to learn to speak French is to speak French. 

Let’s summarize some stages you pass through when learning French Language.

STAGE 1

Here, you want to say what’s on your mind but you can't speak at all so you write, expressing yourself in bad French but it's allowed as a beginner.  

STAGE 2

Here, you still write but in good French, you say exactly what’s on your mind and a francophone can understand you.

STAGE 3 

This is where you write and speak. Remember the second stage you could express yourself through writing correct French. If truly you could express what’s on your mind in writing then what hinders you from speaking correct French too?

What hinders you is the lack of blending that is why speaking and writing should never be separated in the First place. 

If you're learning via e-mail, Facebook, WhatsApp or you’re taking an online course, internet can assist you to the 2nd stage.

WHAT EXACTLY DO YOU NEED? 

How do you feel when you learn a new skill? A dance step for example , you will  feel the strong urge to it show  to your friends because you want them to rate your performance ,at times you just need to hear the words "good" ,  "nice" ,"no" "bad" or at times a nod will be OK.  You need a mentor, someone you can talk to one on one because it’s very easy to be on the wrong path when studying French, you can continue making a silly mistake for long if you're on your own. You need someone with experience to guide you.

          Can you remember how you learnt your mother tongue? Did you learn through writing? No, your parents guided you. This method of learning is very valid in learning a foreign language especially when you blend it with writing. You will end up writing and speaking.