French Learning Update

So, it's been ... 8 months now since we started learning French. That is - me, trying to brush up the French I've learned in school and to build up on it, so I can read and talk to her - and my daughter (who's 4 years old now) taking in and learning more than I would have imagined when I started all this French adventure.

Si ... au trecut 8 luni de cand ne-am apucat de franceza. Eu a trebuit sa-mi amintesc, alaturi de ea, ceea ce am invatat la scoala, iar ea, a invatat mai multe decat m-as fi asteptat eu, cand am inceput aceasta aventura a invatare a limbii franceza.

How did we do it? We started gently, with simple picture books, nursery rhymes in French and some cartoons I've found on youtube (For some resources, check our French Learning page).
Luckily, she loves music, so she's been listening to lots of comptimes on CDs and on Youtube as well. She's learned several songs by herself - such as 'La Mere Michel', below :)

Cum am procedat? Am inceput usor, cu carticele simple, cantece de copii si desene animate simple pe youtube (gasiti cateva idei pe pagina noastra de French Learning) .
Din fericire, I. iubeste muzica, asa ca a ascultat si inca asculta cu multa placere multe comptimes pe CD-uri sau pe Youtube. A si invatat multe cantecele, de una singura, cum e si 'La Mere Michel', mai jos.

She also loves books. Surprisingly (for me), she's been listening carefully to stories in French (and enjoying them!) just as much as she enjoys the books in English. If you're wondering how we read - when I'm introducing a new book to her and I know there are unfamiliar words in it, I would read each phrase and then translate it into Romanian. Then, the second time I read that book to her, I don't translate anymore - I kind of let her pick the unfamiliar words by herself. I rather point to the images and discuss the unfamiliar words in French, rather than translating.
Here she is, retelling some parts of an histoire she enjoys listening to (it's from the Histoires pour les petits magazine, that come with an audio CD as well). The story is called 'Un piege our le Pere Noel' and she's trying to tell it just the way she heard it on the CD.

De asemenea, I.-nei ii plac mult cartile. Spre surprinderea mea, a fost doritoare de la inceput sa citim impreuna povesti si in franceza, asa cum citeam in engleza. Daca va intrebati despre felul in care citim - cand ii citesc o poveste noua, de obicei ii traduc, mai ales cand stiu ca sunt cuvinte necunoscute ei, ii traduc in romana. Cand recitim cartea, nu ii mai traduc - prefer sa deduca ea singura cuvintele din context, din imagini etc, sau discutam ce inseamna, insa fara traducere.
Mai jos - povesteste dintr-o poveste de Craciun pe care o asculta des pe CD (din revista Histoires pour les petits), si incearca sa povesteasca exact asa cum aude pe CD:)

Cum mergem mai departe, pe partea de franceza? Cu muzica, carti si conversatie. Pe viitor, probabil ca va merge la ateliere si cursuri/scoli de vara la Centrul Cultural Francez pentru a mentine si imbunatati limba franceza. Va fi nevoie permamenta de continuitate, altfel va uita, si nu imi doresc aceasta. 

Cum ne descurcam intre romana, engleza si franceza? Buna intrebare. In general, dialogul intre mine si ea e in primul rand in engleza, apoi in franceza. Cu restul lumii, in romana. Stie ce limba trebuie sa vorbeasca cu cine, de exemplu, daca i se adreseaza cineva in engleza, va raspunde in engleza, daca o intreba cineva ceva in franceza, va raspunde in franceza.

Voi, ii invatati franceza pe copiii vostri? Mi-ar place sa aud despre experienta voastra, va astept sa ne povestiti despre felul in care invatati voi!