What French should you actually be learning before moving to France?

Conversation coach Llyane Stanfield explains how to identify the French you will actually need upon arrival in France. 

When people are preparing to move to France, one of the first questions they ask about the language is: when should I start learning French?

However, there may be a more useful question: what French should I actually be learning so that I am prepared for the conversations I will actually have in France?

It is easy to spend months building vocabulary, working through word lists and trying to learn as much French as possible before you arrive.

The problem is that French has thousands upon thousands of words, and you do not need most of them to start having conversations. You need the words you are going to use.

Someone retiring to a small village may need to talk to neighbours, tradespeople and local shopkeepers. Someone moving to Paris for work will have different conversations, as will someone buying a property, navigating healthcare or enrolling children in school.

So instead of trying to learn 'French' before your move, start preparing for your life in French.

Build the vocabulary of your future life

Think about the situations you are likely to encounter during your first weeks and months in France. 

What will you actually want to talk about in everyday conversations?

A simple way to identify the French you are most likely to need is to divide your future conversations into three areas:

• Administration: healthcare, banking, insurance, housing, utilities and paperwork

• Everyday life: shopping, transport, appointments, tradespeople and neighbours

• Your personal life: work, family, interests, hobbies and the things you naturally enjoy talking about

Together, these give you a much more useful picture of the French you need than a generic vocabulary list ever could.

That is what I call your Personal Vocabulary Map.

The formula is simple:⁣ High-Frequency Vocabulary + Personal Context Vocabulary = Functional Fluency⁣.

This works because vocabulary connected to your daily life, goals, interests and experiences is easier to recall and use naturally.

However, there is one more important step.

Do not just learn the words - learn what to do with them

Knowing the word you need does not mean you will be able to use it when someone is standing in front of you waiting for an answer.

Conversation requires you to retrieve words, put them into sentences, understand the response and adapt when the exchange does not go exactly as expected.

So do not practise vocabulary only as individual words - put those words into sentences you might genuinely need. 

If you are preparing to rent or buy a home, practise asking about repairs, bills or heating. For healthcare, practise explaining what you need and responding to questions you may be asked.

The goal is to make your preparation resemble real communication as closely as possible.

Rehearse your life before you arrive

As an actor, I think of this as a dress rehearsal.

You would not prepare for a performance by learning all the possible words in the script's language. You would rehearse the scenes you are actually going to perform.

Preparing for a move to France can work the same way. 

Imagine the situations you are likely to encounter and practise them out loud. Play both sides of an exchange. Change the question slightly. Find another way to say something when you do not know a word.

You are not trying to predict every conversation. You are training yourself to respond when it changes.

This turns vocabulary from something you recognise into language you can actually use.

So when should you start?

Giving yourself six to 12 months before a move can provide a useful preparation window, depending on where you are starting from and how much time you can devote to French. What you do with that time matters just as much as when you begin.

Six months accumulating vocabulary you rarely use may leave you less prepared than six months spent learning relevant words, building sentences and practising real-life situations.

You do not need to arrive in France knowing every word you might possibly hear - you need enough French to begin living your life.

So rather than measuring your preparation by how much French you have learned, ask yourself a different question: how much of my future life can I already rehearse in French?

Llyane B. Stanfield is a certified French conversation coach and the founder of the J’Ouellette Method. With over 20 years of experience, she works with international anglophones to help them communicate confidently in real-life situations in French.