Reddit reviews Easy French Reader
We found 10 Reddit comments about Easy French Reader. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Progressive format makes it easy to quickly build comprehensionMarginal word glossaries conveniently present new words and phrasesExercises challenge comprehension and build reading skillsAnswer keyIllustrations
Is this the book Easy French Reader?
I read this one so many times I could practically recite it word for word. It's pretty good - starts out at a fairly simple level and gradually gets harder as you go. My only complaint is that it's a bit short.
Practice translating? Three months into learning a language is way too early to be worried about translating. Your goal should be to immerse yourself in the language as much as possible -- that means avoiding English when you study French. Speak French, listen to French, write French, and read French (and when you read, try to turn off the voice in your head that murmurs a running English translation).
Consider downloading some free French-language podcasts (try the iTunes store). This book might be worthwhile. I haven't used it, but the same publisher's Spanish readers are good. Since you said translating, though, I'm wondering if your primary goal is reading French. Even so, I would still say to speak, listen, and write as much as you can -- it will help your reading. But if your primary goal is reading, this book is fantastic. I started using it after two semesters of college French (which were indispensable for helping me internalize the basic structures of the language) and it took me the rest of the way to doing research and reading literature in French (with a dictionary, of course).
There won't be anything specific. This is because language learning depends on multiple factors that vary greatly between learners:
Essentially, though, any amount of time you spend productively learning your language will be beneficial. So with French, you can try:
Then after a month or so, adjust according to how far you've progressed. Or you could try Duolingo in the beginning and then moving onto different methods. Just try to be fluid and don't stress out :)
Here is a good example for learning French. The first chapters barely assume any knowledge of French, and by the end of the book you're reading (simplified) stories about French history.
Another example would be the Lingua Latina series for learning Latin. Starts off super simple, but by the end of the third book, you're reading unedited classics.
Despite what many people will tell you, books like Le Petit Prince and L'Etranger are in no way easy to read if you are a true beginner. You are probably nowhere near ready to read authentic French novels if all you've done is a third of Duolingo, but if you want to try reading something anyway, I would suggest starting with something that was written specifically for beginning French students. Something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Easy-French-Reader-Roussy-Sales/dp/0071428488
For listening, subscribe to Yabla.com and also listen to Francais Authentique (search for it on Youtube or a podcast app).
I'm afraid I don't know about The Kite Runner but equivalent books in French would probably push you quite hard. It's normally best with reading not to have to look too much up because it can be a drag. It's also why I'd recommend sticking to shorter works.
You might like to look into some parallel texts (ie French on one page with the corresponding translation on the opposite side). They really help when you come across difficult idioms and mean you can read easily out and about when you don't have a dictionary to hand. Here's a collection of short stories in French. There are more in this series. They will be harder than Le Petit Prince but it seems you might enjoy more literary writing.
If you're worried about difficulty you might like to look at this Easy French Reader which gets progressively harder. In fact, this might be the best stepping stone for you.
There's also one for french.
Graded readers are books intended for language learners that use a reduced amount of vocab and grammar to make it easier to start actually reading, even before you have enough language to jump into young adult fiction or other easier native material.
I read McGraw-Hills Spanish reader, it was alright. They've got a french reader it looks like.. You could potentially check the torrent sites to see if there's a collection of graded readers anywhere, there was an awesome pack for German that helped me get started.
Either way, click the amazon link above, click the 'look inside' and scroll down to the start of the material. read a few pages (potentially unknown words and constructions are in the margins). If you like it, you might want to pick up a copy. They're a great way to build speed and comfort with the language without getting hung up on the thousands of rarer words that'll trip you up in real native material.
look on amazon, i'm pretty sure they have kindle versions for languages besides french
http://www.amazon.com/Easy-French-Reader-Roussy-Sales/dp/0071428488
-dftm