FSL Reading Strategies

So you're taking French as a second language. That's awesome! Even if it doesn't seem useful right now, having a second language is always a wonderful skill to have, as it can open up so many opportunities in life that you may not have otherwise been granted.

 

FSL Reading

When learning a new language, it is always a good idea to read often and at an appropriate reading level for your comprehension. This means that your reading material should be easy enough that you can understand the general idea of the text enough to summarize it, but challenging enough that you come across some new words and language structures that you may have never seen before. 

 

Reading Strategies

1) Go slowly and sound out words: It may seem unnecessary, but reading at a slower pace and mentally or verbally sounding out words are both great strategies for reading in a second language. If you go too fast, you may miss a lot of smaller connecting words that make a significant difference to the meaning of a sentence. Sounding out words will help you to read slower.

2) Identify cognates (les more amis): Lucky for you, French actually has a lot in common with English. If a word seems familiar to you or is spelt the same as or similar to an English word, it is likely that they are related. In some cases it may be very obvious, such as with table (spelt the same in both English and French), or it may be a bit more hidden, such as with finir (reminds you of the English word finish).

3) Skip words you can't figure out and come back to them: Stuck on a big word? Bookmark it and look it up later! Challenge yourself to wait until the end before pulling out a dictionary, because you might just end up figuring it out by...

4) Using context: Just like with learning to read in your first language as a child, remember to always use context. It may be as simple as noticing a photograph beside the text that gives you clues, but usually you need to grasp the main idea or setting of the piece you are reading in order to figure out the new words within.

 

You're all set! Remember, one of the best things you can do for yourself when it comes to learning a new language is read, read, read!