How many times has this happened to you?
After frantically typing on Google Translate and mentally rehearsing, you’ve finally worked up the courage to call over the waiter or approach the sales clerk. Having barely gotten the words out, they ask
“Where are you from?”
Or worse, they respond to you in English.
Just like that, you’re disheartened by another failed attempt at practicing your French.

I’ve lost count of how many similar situations I’ve been in. I’ve buckled to the ease of speaking English more times than I care to admit. The truth is, just being in France during TAPIF can only do so much to improve your French. Despite your best efforts, it can be so easy to revert back to your native language. So in this post, I invite you to push the boundaries of your comfort zone with these five active steps to maximize your French improvement on TAPIF.

Join a Public Library or Borrow Books from your School’s Library

In a separate post, I’ve already shared my passionate love affair with French graphic novels or BDs. I’ve even shared a list of my favourites. Regardless of your literary tastes, reading is a crucial part of language acquisition. And what better way to nurture that skill than with a library full of free books at your disposal?

As a language assistant you have access to your school’s resources, including the school library. And the school librarian will likely be more than happy to assist you in finding books or explaining the library network in your city. But you have to bear in mind that it’s a school library that primarily caters to children and teenagers. Therefore, you can’t expect to find the latest books, and there’s a limit to the kinds of content you’ll find. Working at a lycée and reading BDs meant that this wasn’t much of an issue for me. Yet I imagine if you work at an école primaire or collège, you may feel a bit more limited.

Another option is to join a public library. Membership gives you access to a wider selection of books, as well as multimedia resources and work spaces. Speaking for Paris, the library has countless events including conversation classes (Atelier de Conversation) to practice your French. Something similar might be available in your town too.

Audit French Classes at Your School

Admittedly, this suggestion isn’t for the faint of heart. And I wouldn’t recommend it if you’re still working up the courage to have a conversation. However, it’s a great measuring stick for your skills against French people and the French education system. As I mentioned, your status as a language assistant affords you a lot of access. So you could use that to ask one of the French teachers (as in, teachers of the French language) to sit in and participate in their classes. Depending on your experience, this may trigger some high school flashbacks and aggravate your fear of speaking. Understandably so, because teenagers in any language and from any culture can be unforgiving. The first time I did this, a part of me wanted to curl up into a ball in shame when I made some grammatical mistake. However, I had to remind myself of why I was there, and that I was a twenty-something year old woman who had nothing to be ashamed of. In the best case scenario, the experience humanizes you to the students, and they try to help you out. Which benefits you as both a language assistant and a language learner.

Talk to Your Coworkers (especially the ones who don’t speak English)

As obvious as this suggestion sounds, it’s surprising how many people don’t try it. My first year as an assistant, I sure didn’t. You’re aware that you’re in France to practice your French, yet you’ll likely stick to speaking with the teachers you work with because you can speak your native language with them. Why not challenge yourself by speaking with your coworkers who only speak French? They are likely just as interested to get to know you as the teachers and students who you directly work with. And this eliminates the possibility of reverting back to your native language. To date, I’ve had lovely conversations with different members of staff. I was even invited to the staff Christmas party and participated in karaoke. In French.

Approaching a stranger to start a random conversation is easier said than done. And doing so in another language can be terrifying. So an alternative is to start speaking with the teachers you directly work with in French. I want to believe that you’re more comfortable around them. And they’re in a better position to understand your mistakes and explain any corrections. Case in point, one of the English teachers gave me a mini-vocabulary lesson around buying second-hand clothes because I told her I went thrifting. While outside the scope of my normal conversations, I learned much more than I would’ve if I hadn’t tried.

You may also find yourself invited for lunch or dinner at one of your teachers’ homes. If you’re really brave, try speaking to their family in French.

Get Involved and Make French Friends

I will be the first to admit that I am guilty of moving to France and only making English-speaking friends. Whether they are from other anglophone countries, or they also learned English in their respective non-anglophone countries. And I know that my spoken French could’ve improved exponentially had I put myself out there and risked making mistakes sooner. So put yourself out there, depending on your interests and schedule. For example, I know people who came to France, joined an amateur sports club and befriended their teammates. Others joined a church, dance class, volunteer group, even dating and friendship apps. Aside from the benefit of human interaction, you’re forced to speak French. You’ll either come across strangers who you aren’t concerned about impressing, or you’ll make friends who will try to help you improve. So there isn’t much to lose, but plenty to gain.

Watch what the French are Watching

Whether you have access to cable TV or a streaming service, you now have access to French content and French audio settings. WATCH IT. Now read that back. Watching French TV shows will teach you how French people actually speak (spoiler alert: it’s not how you learned it in school). You’ll hear different accents and new vocabulary, which will help you with your listening and speaking skills. And you’ll learn about French culture in the process. And if you’re really brave, consider going to the movies and watching something completely in French, without subtitles or with French subtitles.

Bonus

Research whether your town (or a nearby town) has a Maison des Langues, ateliers de conversation, or FLE classes offered by the Mairie, the library or another body. Thank me later.

If you’ve joined TAPIF expecting to become fluent in French through half-assed osmosis, welcome to the club. And I’m sorry to say that it doesn’t work that way. It’s daunting to put your language skills on display for native speakers. However, once you’ve overcome that initial fear, there’s so much opportunity to grow. And that’s how you achieve fluency.