Language Barrier / studying tips!
Mid 30s, male, native English speaker here looking for some advice on relocating to France. I’m deeply committed to learning French and have given myself 6 months of intensive study before needing to source a job and start work again. I’ve been taking classes professionally from AF but am feeling constantly overwhelmed, trying to navigate important lessons vs vocab I won’t see/need again for years.
Self admittedly, I am finding myself comparing my current language level (mid A2) with others in my class. I am also at the stage where speaking is still difficult, but I have 100% tried and will continue to both inside and outside of the classroom. I do ~3hrs of self study (usually 2 of grammar textbook studying/chat gpt sentence translations + 1hr of passive learning, ie. watching a French show, podcast, etc) every weekday + the 4 hours of in class studying every weekday. I’ve been in France for 2-months today but being able to live/work still feels miles away. I’m not expecting things to come in days or even months, but want to ensure I’m being productive with my time here….
I’m looking for advise on;
-how to ensure progress remains without burning out
-any proven study techniques to actually progress vs waisted time
-determining nonsense class vocab vs vocab I 100% need to focus on
-how to handle/manage the isolation of studying
-how to return back to the classroom after years away and navigate/try to remember how you learn
-any open advice/things you wish you would have known before relocating and learning a new language?
*ive moved to support a French native family member