French Progress #2 – August 2025

Week 1: Aug 4–10

Study Progress:

• Finished Lesson 12
• Completed Unit 3 Test
• Vocab Review (Lessons 1–8)

Learning Thoughts:
Still grinding my way through the textbook. For Lesson 13, I semi-skipped the activity about printed medicine instructions—it felt too advanced at my level. I read the text, but instead of answering the questions, I copied the answers on a sticky note for later reference. Normally, I’d break everything down with a dictionary, but this time I gave myself permission to move on.

Creating the Quizlet set for Lesson 13 was intense—181 vocab words and 358 “learn mode” questions. It took me an hour just to set it up!

For the Unit 3 test, I adapted the audio activity. Instead of answering interview-style questions (which could have multiple answers), I used it as a dictation exercise. That way, I could check my accuracy more easily and still practice listening skills.

My score was 61.67% (74/120), lower than my earlier tests (both 68.33%). Two sections tripped me up:

• A 10-point jumbled words exercise—I only solved one.
• A verb conjugation section in past/future tenses—something I’ll revisit later.

For now, I’m keeping notes on what I struggle with and setting them aside (“back burner”) since my main goal is to complete the coursebook.

Study Hours:

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Week 2: Aug 11–17

Study Progress:

• Completed Lessons 13 & 14

Learning Thoughts:
Numbers in sentences (especially 30+ and percentages) still trip me up. But I’ve been enjoying using ChatGPT to explain full sentences rather than just translating word for word. It helps me understand grammar nuances and formal vs casual French.

I also reached the final audio set for the coursebook! That means I’m close to finishing French Experience 1—so exciting.

That said, the book is definitely getting harder. Dialogues now have background noise and overlapping voices, which makes listening challenging. Lessons 13 and 14 felt beyond my level, but I pushed through by giving myself grace: it’s okay if I get most answers wrong or rely on ChatGPT for explanation. The point is that I’m practicing reading and listening consistently.

And a fun surprise—I discovered there’s actually a second book in the series, French Experience 2. Didn’t know that before!

Study Hours:

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Week 3: Aug 18–24

Study Progress:

• Completed Lessons 15 & 16
• Vocab Review (Lessons 13–16)
• Completed Unit 4 Test

Learning Thoughts:
I debated pausing the textbook at this point because it’s so advanced. But I know myself: if I stop, it might take months (or never) to come back. So I pushed to complete Unit 4. Again, I reminded myself it’s fine if I repeat audios multiple times or get many answers wrong. What matters is finishing strong.

Three-quarters of the way done—hurray!

Study Hours:

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Week 4: Aug 25–31

Study Progress:

• Started Unit 5 (Lessons 17–20)
• Vocab Review (Units 3 & 4)
• Began new resources

Learning Thoughts:
By the last week of August, I decided to stop with French Experience 1. Unit 5 is heavily focused on authentic written texts (maps, menus, magazine articles). It was simply too overwhelming—so I studied the vocabulary and listened to the recordings, but skipped the practice activities.

Ultimately, I realized I’d get more value from switching to resources that focus on grammar and controlled practice. So I’m officially moving on.

New Resources

1. Complete French Grammar – Practice Makes Perfect
2. French Verb Tenses – Practice Makes Perfect
3. French Short Stories, Vol. 1 – The Perfect French with Dylane

So far, I’ve tried a couple of lessons from the grammar books and found them manageable. They’re not as intimidating now because I already learned a lot from video courses (The Perfect French and Learn French with Alexa). The books now act as reinforcement rather than my first introduction.

If I had started with these books alone, I probably would have quit. But at this stage, they’re the perfect way to review and practice grammar while keeping up my reading and writing.

Study Hours:

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Month 2 Recap (August 4 – 31)

Total Duration: 4 weeks
Total Study Hours: 52:56

• Week 1 = 13:16
• Week 2 = 11:54
• Week 3 = 11:53
• Week 4 = 10:59

By Category

• Active study (French Experience 1): 36:34 (69%)
• Vocabulary practice (Quizlet): 15:34 (29%)
• Exposure (shows/dubbed media): :49 (2%)

Month 1 Goals vs Results

🎯 Goals:

• Unit 3:
  – Finish one remaining lesson (Lesson 12)
  – Unit test
• Vocab Review:
  – Unit 1 (Lessons 1–4)
  – Unit 2 (Lessons 5–8)
• Unit 4
  – Finish all lessons (13–16)
  – Unit test

Why I Paused The French Experience 1

By the end of August, I decided to pause my work with French Experience 1 (with one unit left). While I made steady progress, I noticed the final unit was far more advanced than my current level. The lessons shifted heavily toward long authentic texts and dialogues, which felt overwhelming. I didn’t want to risk burning out or losing motivation.

Instead, I’ve chosen to move on to three new resources that will allow me to strengthen my grammar and vocabulary in a more structured way before returning to tackle the second half of the French Experience series with more confidence.