How to learn French without losing motivation

It can be easy to lose motivation when learning French. There are so many aspects to the language, from grammar and vocabulary to the nuances of pronunciation and the peculiarity of certain idioms - peigner la girafe ('to comb the giraffe'), anyone? - that learners can get overwhelmed. When learners experience burnout, it’s tempting to give up altogether. Fortunately, there are a number of things you can do to recoup your motivation and jump over any hurdles that come your way.

Next time you find your motivation flagging, try one of the following.

Learning a language doesn't happen in a straight line. It can be difficult to know where to begin, and where you need to progress to, when there are so many different elements of the language that need to be mastered in order to reach fluency.

Setting yourself small, achievable milestones can help provide structure for your language learning journey. It can be something as simple as learning twenty or so words for different foods so that you can order off a menu with ease, or making sure to learn how to conjugate a given verb in a different tense each week.

Of course, knowing how to structure your learning can itself be a Herculean task. If setting yourself goals sound like needless additional work, then following a structured course - such as Alexa's Complete French Course - is the best option for you. Assuming you begin the course with no prior knowledge of French, even if you were to complete just one lesson of the Complete French Course each week, you would be able to reach C2 level (proficiency) in less than a year! Achieving goals like this - no matter how small - gives you a sense of progress and helps combat the feeling of stagnation.

Embedding French in your daily routine is a great way to get out of a rut, and to maintain consistency in your learning. For example, you could try changing your phone or computer language to French, or even try processing your thoughts in French for a period of time, which is a good way to identify blind spots.

Passive learning allows you to improve your French skills even when you're not in the mood. This kind of learning isn’t just one of the most effective ways to learn - it’s also fun! You can improve your French by watching TV or listening to radio in French. Even something as simple as switching on French subtitles can get your mind accustomed to reading in French.

Make sure to follow our social media channels - YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Threads and LinkedIn - to get a healthy dose of French into your algorithm.

Sometimes, especially later on in your French learning journey, it can be easy to forget why you started learning the language - and therefore easy to lose track of where you want to progress to.

Reminding yourself why you started in the first place can help you reorient your learning to make sure you’re heading in the right direction to achieve your goals. Do you want to learn French to navigate on your holidays? Then focus on simply speaking goals like learning how to ask for directions. Are you trying to secure a job? Then think about what kind of questions might crop up in a French job interview. Taking a moment to remember your objectives can help you not only get back on the right track, but locate your learning goals within your wider ambitions.

Doing the same thing over and over is a recipe for boredom, and this is no different when it comes to learning French.

That's why it's sensible to vary your routine - and why our courses combine videos and quizzes with general support guides to diversify your learning. But it can also help to combine course materials with YouTube and social media content to get a 'balanced diet' of resources. Research shows that mixing up your learning materials makes them likelier to stick in your memory.