How to learn French vocabulary in 5 minutes a day

You want to learn French but you don’t have so much time available everyday? Good news, a simple French learning habit will multiply your results - in just five minutes a day.

For all my coaching clients, and the French learners in the French Fluency Accelerator, this habit is non-negotiable.

So, ready to dive in?

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5-minutes French learning habit: reviewing your vocabulary every day.

Why it works:

Our brain learns with repetition. If you see or hear something only once, it’s not likely that you’ll remember it. But if you see it everyday, then you’re almost sure to remember it.

So, you go to your French class, or meet with your tutor or coach once a week. If you don’t do anything in between, by next week you’ll have forgotten almost everything you’ve learned.

This means that you are doomed to learn the same things over and over again week after week, and hardly make any progress. Bummer.

If you haven’t been making much progress so far, this could be why.

Fortunately, there is a very easy 5-minutes a day fix. Reviewing your vocabulary every day in-between your lessons will ensure that you retain most of what you learn. Then, you can learn new things every week and make progress very fast.

How to do it:

Get a very simple notebook (you can see one in the video above). Alternatively, paper flashcards or an app like Anki can also work. Pick whatever you prefer. In my experience, about 80% of my learners use the notebook and do very well with it.
Draw a line in the middle of the page.
Write the French words and phrases on one side and the English translation on the other side. Make sure all the French words are on the same side of the page.
Then, use any free moment in your day to review your vocabulary. When you’re waiting at the cash desk, stuck in traffic or waiting for a meeting to start. The possibilities are endless.

Another option is to make it a daily habit and make it automatic.

Review your vocabulary everyday, and see how much faster you learn!

Your next steps

If you like this way of learning French, you will love to learn with me as a student or client. Please check out:

My 1-1 coaching program, The French Transformation, if you need to improve your French fast.
My group program, The French Fluency Accelerator, if you’d like to join a community of students from all over the world. We have weekly practice calls together and the best online video library to learn French.

Pro tip: you don’t need to choose!

All my 1-1 clients are invited to join the French Accelerator free of charge.

Feel free to book a call with me now to discuss options.

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About the Author

A portrait of Angel Pretot, sitting in nature with his laptop, looking at the camera and using a pen and notebook with his right hand.

Angel Pretot is a French learning coach. He helps English speakers from all over the world learn French fast and become fluent. You can work with him one-on-one (online via zoom or a similar software) or join a global community of French learners in his group program the French Fluency Accelerator.