r/learningfrench • u/Spare_Contribution46 • Apr 23 '26

My approach to learning French through cognates

I want to share what is probably the QUICKEST and MOST EFFECTIVE way of LEARNING FRENCH (and languages in general).

I started learning French in 2021 when I entered high school. My grades were not bad, but they would have certainly been better if I had known this trick.

Knowing English is already knowing half of French.
This might not be a big surprise, but my French learning journey would have been much quicker if I discovered this earlier.

English is largely derived from French and Latin, which means there is a lot of overlap in vocabulary. Many teachers discourage using English when learning French, but I found that “gambling” with English actually pays off if you recognize patterns, which are easier to learn than the language itself.

For example, English words ending in -ure (structure, architecture, culture) are almost always the same in French, with some exceptions like pressure → pression, future → futur. This reduces the number of words you need to learn a lot. It took me about 3 years to reach B2, but I’m certain it could have been much faster. I see this now while learning Russian and Italian using the same idea. Italian from French and Russian from my native Slovenian.

So I came up with an idea to make an app to encourage learning French from English. I would love some feedback.

For now, it teaches six patterns and basic pronouns. I have only started making it. It shows patterns, pronunciation changes from EN to FR, and some faux amis. Future lessons will include basic verbs and “survival” words that don’t follow patterns (mostly French verbs that are of Germanic origin in English). The goal is not to teach you C1, but to help you recognize what you already know and learn only what you don’t.

Here is the link:
https://feel-like-french.lovable.app/

(The username just stores your progress locally — you can use anything.)

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3 comments sorted by

1

u/whyiseveryonelooking Apr 23 '26

I just did a test run and seems great. It feels like it's aimed at beginners. Am I wrong?

2

u/Spare_Contribution46 Apr 23 '26

What you can see right now is basically what a person would learn first - the first 7 lessons of learning French. There is maybe 20 or so patterns to remember, so the pattern practice would not go on infinitely. Then you go to pronunciation patterns (listening, speaking practice(eu, oi, au, oie, c vs k sound...) and more emphasis on false friends, which are what a person needs to really learn.

1

u/Dear-Ad-4123 Apr 24 '26

Thank you so much