{"id":46,"date":"2025-07-03T14:15:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-03T14:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sayouitofrancais.com\/store\/?p=46"},"modified":"2026-06-04T07:57:06","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T07:57:06","slug":"learn-french-with-comic-books","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sayouitofrancais.com\/store\/blog\/learn-french-with-comic-books\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Start Learning French as an Adult (Even If You\u2019ve Tried Before and Gave Up)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Learning a Foreign Language like French as an adult can often feel daunting. You\u2019ve downloaded apps like Duolingo and Babbel. You\u2019ve bought the textbooks. You\u2019ve told yourself, \u201cThis year I\u2019ll finally learn French\u201d. But it just never sticks!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If that feels like you, know that you\u2019re not alone and that it\u2019s not your fault. Learning French as an adult comes with real challenges, but it also comes with its own set of strengths that most people overlook. And that&#8217;s where the magic happens!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At Say Oui To Fran\u00e7ais, I work with adult learners from all over the world, many of whom are in their 30s, 40s, 50s and beyond. A lot of them believed that they \u201cjust weren\u2019t good at languages\u201d. Today, they\u2019re reading novels and bandes dessin\u00e9es (comic books) in French, having conversations with their French partners and in-laws, studying or working in Francophone countries and rediscovering the joy of learning!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, let&#8217;s bust some myths and talk about how to actually start learning French as an adult, even if you\u2019ve failed or given up before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-8278e5f7d4c53c5cd198de14ac874b67\" style=\"color:#f77ca2\">Why learning French when you\u2019re older feels harder (and why that\u2019s okay!)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Let\u2019s be real:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>You have a job, a family, a life.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>You don\u2019t have hours a day to study conjugation charts.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>You want to speak French, and not feel like you\u2019re back in school learning things you\u2019ll probably never use in real life.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Adult brains are wired differently. We carry the fear of making mistakes, perfectionism, pre-existing language baggage that sometimes makes it challenging to adapt to new grammar and vocabulary, and a deep-rooted belief that \u201ckids are better at languages\u201d. But the truth is, adults learn differently &#8211; not worse. We are better at making connections, seeing patterns, understanding culture, and asking thoughtful questions. That\u2019s a superpower, not a weakness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-a5c0bc2a8d8969693bd1793451cbee0c\" style=\"color:#f77ca2\">So what does work when you\u2019re learning French as an adult?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After working with hundreds of adult learners over the last 12 years, here\u2019s what I\u2019ve seen make the biggest difference:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"blog-tip-box\">\n    <div class=\"blog-tip-icon\">\ud83d\udca1<\/div>\n    <p class=\"blog-tip-content\">\n        <strong>Set realistic and achievable goals:<\/strong> Define clear, realistic goals for learning French to stay determined and motivated in your journey and to track your progress at regular intervals.\n    <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"blog-tip-box\">\n    <div class=\"blog-tip-icon\">\ud83d\udca1<\/div>\n    <p class=\"blog-tip-content\">\n        <strong>Learn in context, not in isolation:<\/strong> Instead of memorising vocabulary lists and conjugation charts, learn words in real-life situations. For example, instead of \u201c10 verbs related to travel\u201d, learn how to say things you\u2019d actually use on your next trip.\n    <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"blog-tip-box\">\n    <div class=\"blog-tip-icon\">\ud83d\udca1<\/div>\n    <p class=\"blog-tip-content\">\n        <strong>Embrace your mistakes:<\/strong> Making mistakes is part of the process of learning. If you avoid making mistakes, you\u2019ll never feel confident in your ability to communicate. Use them to grow instead of thinking of them as failure.\n    <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"blog-tip-box\">\n    <div class=\"blog-tip-icon\">\ud83d\udca1<\/div>\n    <p class=\"blog-tip-content\">\n        <strong>Practice speaking before you\u2019re ready:<\/strong> You don\u2019t have to wait to have an \u201cadvanced level\u201d to start speaking. Start now. Even if it\u2019s messy and your language is all over the place. Especially if it&#8217;s messy. Language was made to be spoken &#8211; it&#8217;s for connection, not for perfection.\n    <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"blog-tip-box\">\n    <div class=\"blog-tip-icon\">\ud83d\udca1<\/div>\n    <p class=\"blog-tip-content\">\n        <strong>Use your senses and your story:<\/strong> Listen to music, watch films with subtitles, cook recipes, read bandes dessin\u00e9es (comic books). These forms of language input help language stick because they engage emotion, memory and joy.\n    <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"blog-tip-box\">\n    <div class=\"blog-tip-icon\">\ud83d\udca1<\/div>\n    <p class=\"blog-tip-content\">\n        <strong>Personalise your learning journey:<\/strong> What lights you up? What makes you curious? Your learning should be a reflection of you. (That is why in my lessons no two lesson plans are the same.)\n    <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Real people, real progress<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"blog-story-box\">\n    <div class=\"blog-story-quote-mark\">\u201c<\/div>\n    <p class=\"blog-story-text\">\n        One of my students, a complete beginner at 63, told me, \u201cI thought I was too old to learn French but your classes made me fall in love with French and now I just want to keep going.\u201d Now she reads comic books in French, slowly but proudly.\n    <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"blog-story-box\">\n    <div class=\"blog-story-quote-mark\">\u201c<\/div>\n    <p class=\"blog-story-text\">\n        Another neurodivergent student with ADHD and dyslexia was frustrated with his lack of progress after months of learning with apps. Today, after consistent lessons for a year, he is a proud advanced level student who is reading novels, watching films on Netflix with subtitles and communicating with his girlfriend in French! What worked for him? Stories and making his own mind maps!\n    <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Where to start &#8211; today?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Start small. Pick just one thing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Change your phone settings to French.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Watch 5 minutes of French on Youtube with subtitles.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Read a comic book adapted to your level in French.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/sayouitofrancais.com\/freeresources.php\"><em><strong>(Download my freebie on comic books adapted to your level)<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"blog-final-cta-wrap\">\n    <h2 class=\"blog-cta-heading\">Ready to Start Your French Journey?<\/h2>\n    <p class=\"blog-cta-subtext\">\n        No pressure, no grammar test\u2014just a friendly chat about your goals and how we can help you say \u201cOui!\u201d to French.\n    <\/p>\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sayouitofrancais.com\/index.php#calendly\" class=\"blog-cta-premium-btn\" target=\"_blank\">\n        <span class=\"rocket-icon\">\ud83d\ude80<\/span> Book a Discovery Call\n    <\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Learning French as an adult isn\u2019t about perfection. It\u2019s about permission.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Permission to go slow.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Permission to be curious.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Permission to say &#8220;oui&#8221;, even when it feels scary.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You don\u2019t have to do this alone.<br><strong>Say Oui To Fran\u00e7ais, and let\u2019s begin together!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/sayouitofrancais.com\/class.php\">See all classes<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text is-stacked-on-mobile is-image-fill-element\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/sayouitofrancais.com\/store\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/about3-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"French Teacher In Edinburgh\" class=\"wp-image-76 size-full\" style=\"object-position:58% 100%\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sayouitofrancais.com\/store\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/about3-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/sayouitofrancais.com\/store\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/about3-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/sayouitofrancais.com\/store\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/about3-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/sayouitofrancais.com\/store\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/about3-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/sayouitofrancais.com\/store\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/about3-1366x2048.jpg 1366w, https:\/\/sayouitofrancais.com\/store\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/about3-600x900.jpg 600w, https:\/\/sayouitofrancais.com\/store\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/about3-scaled.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bonjour ! My name is Jahnavi, I\u2019m a French teacher based in Edinburgh, UK. I work with adult learners in Leith and across Edinburgh city, as well as online. I offer personalised French lessons as well as small in-person group classes adapted to your energy, goals and learning styles<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Learning a Foreign Language like French as an adult can often feel daunting. You\u2019ve downloaded apps like Duolingo and Babbel. You\u2019ve bought the textbooks. You\u2019ve told yourself, \u201cThis year I\u2019ll finally learn French\u201d. But it just never sticks! If that feels like you, know that you\u2019re not alone and that it\u2019s not your fault. Learning [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":52,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-46","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sayouitofrancais.com\/store\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sayouitofrancais.com\/store\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sayouitofrancais.com\/store\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sayouitofrancais.com\/store\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sayouitofrancais.com\/store\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46"}],"version-history":[{"count":27,"href":"https:\/\/sayouitofrancais.com\/store\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":151,"href":"https:\/\/sayouitofrancais.com\/store\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46\/revisions\/151"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sayouitofrancais.com\/store\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sayouitofrancais.com\/store\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sayouitofrancais.com\/store\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sayouitofrancais.com\/store\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}