Hit a roadblock!

I am 60 years old and have tried to learn French several times over the past few years.  I had high hopes for Rocket French until I hit a roadblock near the middle/end of lesson one with definite, plural, indefinite articles, etc. I find the explanations confusing.

Is there a supplementary program that might explain things in a way that might shed more light on this topic?  

Also, I feel so many of the example phrases or sentences are not ones I would need to know if traveling to France as a novice speaker.  

One last thing.  Is there a way to slow down the phrases or words?

Thanks.  I was enjoying the program and now I'm not.  Pep talk needed.  
 

Bonjour, Susan,

I agree with slowing down the phrases. I understand that when hearing native speakers, that they will naturally speak more quickly than our ears may be able to handle, but it would be nice to be able to slow down the conversation a bit, especially when we are doing the Hear it, Say it; Write It and Know it sections.

On a few occasions, it seems as if added sounds are included, that are not reported in the written version. I found one phrase particularly troubling --- In the written lesson, the phrase begins with Vous, but when the native speaker says it, it sounds as if there is leading "ou," for "ou vous"

So, I am struggling too. I can pick things up fairly quickly on a few other language programs, but I really want Rocket Languages to work for me, since I spent the money, and I do like the flow of the lessons and the setup.

No quitting French here, but if I continue to be unable to understand what is being said, I may have to request a refund and move onto another program. :(

Please stay encouraged! I'm finding it to be a beautiful language! 

Au revoir!
Mariann




 

I would just like to say that I have often felt frustrated learning some of the phrases here.  I also know that by sticking with it, it becomes very satisfying to eventually master the once difficult phrase.  Learning at full spoken speed has advantages.  If you really want to be able to talk to people in French, it will become necessary to understand them at their normal speed.
I always break down long sentences into smaller parts, then repeat over and over until I get it down pat. Take your time, it is more enjoyable in the end.

I wish you the best,
Meages

Bonjour à tous!

I will pass on the suggestion of providing different audio speeds on to our team and see if we can get it added to the list.

As for the pep talk, people have such different learning styles and optimum methods for retention which makes that difficult, but something I would say is to not bog yourself down in areas that don't appear clear straight away. Language concepts are often complicated and if you were able to understand them simply from a description without any context, practice or experience in that language, then you would be a genius. Without linguistic context, grammar concepts are often abstract, especially when moving from one language to another, where the rules are never exactly the same.

What I would suggest is to make a note of the points you don't fully understand and simply carry on with the lessons. After sometime, whether that be 2 lessons or 10, revisit the same point and see if that passive exposure hasn't been enough to help you understand the role said article, word, grammar point etc.

Language learning is a slow process of absorption so don't be put off by concepts that seem too abstract in the beginning. I find myself having to revisit certain concepts over and over after different periods of exposure before I can fully understand them.

Keep on keeping on and I really do hope this helps.

   -   Marie-Claire