Rule number 1

One of my most frustrating experiences as a learner learning French was when I realized I knew 2,500 words but couldn't say a word.

When it came to actual conversation I wasn't able to let loose. All these words were just jumbled in my head like pieces of a broken puzzle.

I didn't know what to do so I just kept learning more words, hoping they would all magically assemble themselves and form sentences I could use to order a coffee or even have fluent conversations with my French friends Alicia and Ashley.

Unfortunately, the only thing that grew was my sense of disjointed knowledge. There were fragments of language all over my head, phrases here and there but I still couldn't say a word. 

I felt stupid and ready to give up.

Luckily I didn't and later realized I was struggling because I wasn't following rule #1 Learn the words locals use, not the words textbooks teach.

As a French learner, you probably heard that progress is slow and that you just need to keep going, that learning French takes years.

What people forget to tell you is that progress can be a lot faster if you learn the right vocabulary.

Learning a language is like solving a puzzle. It's not enough to have lots of pieces. You could have thousands of pieces but it doesn't matter if you don't have the right pieces.

Le Grand Robert de la Langue Française, one of the largest French dictionaries contains 100,000 words and 350,000 definitions.

You could try to learn as many of these words as possible and spend years painfully trying to memorize the names of body parts and pieces of furniture just like you did at school.

Or you could focus on the pieces of the puzzle you actually need.

A study by professor of Linguistics Mark Davies from Brigham Young University has shown that "with about 4000 words, a language learner would be able to recognize more than 90% of the words in a typical native speaker conversation. If s/he learns two thousand more words, however, this will increase coverage by only about 3-4%."

C'est génial ! That's awesome because it means you don't need to be a walking French dictionary to be able to speak French with confidence, you just need to know the 4,000 words that will unlock your ability to understand 90% of everyday conversations.

These are the words I focused on. These are also the words you should focus on if you would rather know how to communicate effectively than know how to say "the cow is black".

So next time you learn vocabulary, ask yourself the following question:

Is this a phrase/word I will actually use in real-life or am I just learning it because it's there?

And give yourself permission to skip words and phrases you believe you are unlikely to use anytime soon.

Because remember, there are hundreds of thousands of French words and you will never speak fluently if you don't focus on the ones you actually need to communicate with locals.

Learning the words locals use is essential but won't be of much use if people can't understand you. My next rule will help you make sure locals understand you and don't ask you to repeat.

À demain ! See you soon !

*WORD QUIZ :

What word can refer to a tiresome person, a hackneyed statement, or a sedative drug?"There are a special prize if you answer this correctly." So please comment.

ANSWER OF LAST QUIZ : SEDULOUS