Culture in language learning is as important as grammar 🥖

Grammar, knowing how the language works, is just mechanics.

I believe that what makes you connect with someone is culture.

Culture allows you to touch people, to create connection.

You can have the most perfect grammar and no being able to connect.

Like a very technical musician that’s unable to convey feelings through music.

And you could know one piece of French culture and being able to connect with a French person.

I'm going to share my friend's story with you.

I was speaking with someone a few months ago. And I didn’t share her story with you just yet.

But it’s a good example of why culture is so important.

A. Is Australian. She was in France on holidays. And her French wasn’t the best but it wasn’t bad either.

She was staying in a AirBnB and she was very upset because her French was not how she would have wanted it to be.

Or so she thought, because French people didn’t really wanted to talk to her.

In turn, she had trouble speaking, because her confidence wasn’t boosted.

But you know what? When she left France at the end of the summer, she had lots of French people telling her they wanted her to stay at theirs next time she comes.

She made FRIENDS out of French people.

So what did she do?

Her level didn’t suddenly change. She didn’t suddenly understand French tenses or how to place the vowels in her mouth.

She did a single surprising thing.

She started mentioning that she liked a certain French singer: Joe Dassin.

And this simple little things, got her from ‘person who wants to learn French and wants to talk with me to improve it’ to ‘potential friend because of common interests’.

And let me tell you, I want to speak to that kind of person!

And I’m sure you do too, don’t you?

It’s not all about grammar, and vocabulary. It’s mainly about culture.

Because I’m sure you are not learning French to be able to say things in French. You want to connect. If not, maybe learning another language was not the best of ideas.

(Don’t get me wrong it has other benefits)

Either way, now you know, don’t put aside culture as being less important.

Immerse yourself in French, Spanish, or whatever language you want to learn, by studying the culture and knowing a bit more than the clichés.

As to me, I want to hear your opinion in the comments, so I’ll see you there!

BECOME A CONFIDENT FRENCH LEARNER