Learning a new language is very rewarding, and learning French is the most rewarding of all! If you have signed up to take online French lessons with an actual teacher, you have taken a big step toward reaching your goal. Félicitations! Once you start your French lessons, you will find that no matter how much time you have with your teacher, it always seems to end too soon. For this reason, many students have asked me what they can do to get the most out of our time together. I compiled this list of things that my most successful students have done. You too can do these 10 things, most of which do not involve studying, to rule your French lessons.

10 Proven Ways to Rule Your Online French Lessons

1. Be Prepared

Whether your French lessons are 30 or 60 minutes long, you want to make the most of your time with your teacher. The best way to do this is by being prepared. The first step to knowing any language is learning the words, and chances are you have some new vocabulary to learn for your French lessons. Take the time to learn these new words. Knowing them beforehand allows you to use the time actually speaking French during your lesson. Which brings me to number two.

2. Speak French

You want your teacher to speak as much French as possible, as soons as possible. This will help you learn it faster and with less study time. But you also need to do your part. Speak as much French as possible! Don’t be afraid to speak “Franglais” at first. You can use as much French as you know and fill in the words you don’t know with English. The important thing is that you dive in and start speaking it as soon as possible.

3. Be Prompt

Those 30 to 60 minutes you have for each French lesson are precious time. Do your best to be on time so that you can get through the planned lesson or activity. It also shows your teacher that you are a serious student which is something we love!

4. Take Notes

Take notes just like you would if you were learning French in school. The simple act of writing down information actually helps you remember it. Who doesn’t like learning more with less effort? Notes are also great to use as reference when you need to brush up before your big trip to Paris!

5. Stay Consistent

Learning a new language has a lot to do with repetition. If you really want to rule your French lessons, and the language in general, you need to practice it every day. Schedule as many lessons as you can during the week and then make sure to study your notes or use an app like Duolingo on the days that you do not have class. There will be times, however, when all of a sudden it seems like you don’t understand French anymore. Don’t get discouraged. When this happens, it is actually a good idea just to take a break for a day or two. Your mind needs time to rest and time to organize and file all of the information you have been learning. Students usually come back refreshed and with a better ability to use the language after a short break.

6. Ask Questions

If there is a rule or concept that just isn’t making sense, ask about it. It is important to do this because French is a structured language where each concept builds upon another one. If you don’t understand a concept early on, it is likely to make it more difficult for you down the road. It also helps because, as teachers, we can explain something in several different ways to help you understand. But if you don’t ask us for clarification, we will assume that it made sense the first way it was explained.

7. Make Mistakes

Albert Einstein said, “A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.” This couldn’t be more true! One of the hardest things about learning a new language is making mistakes. We want to be able to speak it, but the fear of making a mistake or sounding foolish stops us cold. Don’t let fear hinder you! Just try to speak French and don’t worry about making mistakes. Your teacher will let you know if you do (and don’t feel bad when it happens)! Making mistakes is an important part of learning and you will make a few during your French lessons, too.

8. Don’t Translate

While speaking French in your lessons, you may become frustrated by your lack of vocabulary. You may want to ask the teacher how to say a word or you may even want look it up yourself. Stop. Don’t do it! Try to think of another way to convey the idea using words that you already know. You can certainly write down the word you were looking for and look it up after your French lesson. But if you were in France having a conversation, you wouldn’t necessarily be able to do either of those things. Part of being fluent is being able to communicate using what you know and being able to think on your feet.

9. Time Matters

When scheduling your lessons, you typically look at what times you are free during the day which, of course, is the logical place to start. But secondly, you should consider what time of day you are most alert. If you have time to do your French lesson right before lunch, but you are usually too hungry to focus at that time, it may not work out very well. Think about whether you are a morning person or a night owl. If you think best in the morning, consider getting up half an hour early and scheduling your French lessons before work. Likewise, if you do your best work at night, look for a teacher with hours in the evening or later.

10. Stay Engaged

Languages cannot be learned through a lecture style lesson, so it is important that you participate and be an active learner. This means that you should not only listen to your teacher speak French, but you also need to speak French, read French, and write French. Stay alert and involved in your French lessons. Feel free to elaborate on your answers if you know how to explain in more detail. Don’t be afraid to take the lead sometimes and ask your teacher about their day or the weather before they ask you. And most importantly, enjoy speaking French! It can be a difficult language, but that is part of what makes learning it so rewarding!