Why write a book?

As I've alluded to, learning to speak French was somewhat more challenging than I imagined. And along the way there were some strategies that worked better than others. So the book is intended to impart the knowledge that I gained.

There are a number of approaches to learning a language. Classically it would be a French course although these days the advent of the internet and numerous 'apps' offer a wide range of options.

The downside of most of the options mentioned is that while you will learn vocabulary and grammar, and at a course perhaps get a limited opportunity to converse in the language, by and large these approaches do not address the main objective - that is to be able to converse with a francophone.

The simple fact is, that if you want to progress spoken French reasonably quickly, you need to speak with French-speaking people. I realised this about a year into my 'challenge' and took steps to find linguistic partners.

It was a bit bumpy to start with, my first partner being far more advanced in English than I was in French. But after a short time I was speaking with three people whose English was as much in need of improvement as was my French. This removes the embarrassment a bit as both of you will be making lots of mistakes.

And, importantly, conversation with linguistic partners prepares you for speaking to the French in France, something that many courses or home learning systems do not. For a start you will have the confidence to enter into a conversation, something many people lack when they first try to put their learning into practice.