On this week’s journey of my French lessons, I learnt something about family. My zeal in knowing more about the French culture landed me on learning something about family as the family plays a key role in the French society.
I began by learning some of the rich vocabularies related to the family and relationships such as le père, le mère, le Frere, la soeur, le cousin, les grand mère, les grand père on Duolingo. (main learning resource) These lessons helped me to practice the basics grammatical structures of the family by learning how to use definite articles and the gender agreement of verb conjugations. other tasks also included pronunciation of family vocabularies, translations, and some dictations which shaped my writing skills. I was able to describe family in a better version after watching my family video on YouTube as it was really at a beginner pace and it enabled me to grasp all I needed to know about family in French. It helped me in my listening skills as I followed along wit the story. The questions and answers at the end of the lessons was very insightful as it guided me on my comprehension. A video titled Family life in France on YouTube showed that majority of the people expressed how their family is very important to them and they looked excited talking about it. This got me reminiscing about my family as I am here without my family. I also used French made easy podcast in my lessons as it was a beginner friendly, it was not too fast so I could clearly hear the words used in family. There was an exercise after the podcast episode for practice which made my learning process very practical since got the chance to practice what I have studied.
Some of the challenges I faced in these lessons were difficulty getting the correct adjectives and the correct gendered noun they belonged to. For instance, when describing a loving mother, the adjective must agree with the feminine noun thus une mère aimante. It got very confusing however they became manageable due to the series of tasks I took which included role playing family scenarios and stories. This deepened my understanding on the use of family vocabularies. The lessons on family did not only help me know more about family vocabulary, rather it enlightened me on the cultural traditions and social expectations associated with the French family system. I remember one task which asked me to describe a typical French family gathering and it was just amazing. One thing I loved about the French family is that they love to dine together as a family because that is how bond gets strengthened and memories are created.
My journey on learning French as a beginner through the lens of the family has been a challenging yet an engaging and insightful one. At the end of my lessons, I was able to gain some essential language skills while gaining some knowledge into French culture. I believe that this lessons have laid the basics for more advanced studies. This serves me as a reminder that learning a language is more about understanding the people and not just about knowing how to speak the language. As I continue to build upon this foundation by knowing the French family, I remain committed to exploring different dimensions of French culture with the same enthusiasm, passion and rigor.
S’il vous plaît, which other French culture do you think it would help me grasp the language very well and understand? let me know what you think in the comments!
Enjoy some video I made on my family!
Merci beaucoup!!
I love how you’re diving into French through family—it’s such a meaningful way to connect with both the language and the culture! It’s awesome to see how you’re using different resources like Duolingo, YouTube, and podcasts to build your skills, especially with tricky things like gender agreements. Those can definitely be confusing at first, but it sounds like you’re handling them really well with practice and role-playing!
Your reflection on French family gatherings really stood out to me. It’s so true that language isn’t just about words—it’s about understanding the people, their traditions, and how they connect with each other. The way French families cherish mealtimes together is such a beautiful tradition, and I love that you got to explore that.
If you’re looking for more ways to immerse yourself, I’d totally recommend diving into French food culture next! Learning about meals, recipes, and dining etiquette could be a fun way to pick up new vocabulary while also getting a taste of daily life in France. You might also enjoy looking into French holidays and traditions—there’s so much to explore!
Keep going—you’re doing amazing, and your enthusiasm is contagious! Can’t wait to hear about your next language adventure.
Karissa 🙂
merci beaucoup Karissa!
not me feeling flattered here with your kind words. I really appreciate them.
yesssss exploring the French food culture will not be bad at all because i am a foodie too hahaha so it would help me to learn something new with food.
thank you once again for your humble submission.