Parlez-vous français? Oui with these Apps.

This post is part of my partnership with the
US Cellular Blogger Brigade Ambassador Program.

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Ello there.

I’ve been fancying a trip across the pond and in May it will happen.

Seriously, I’m counting the months, weeks, days, hours, minutes and seconds until the big trip to London and Paris. While I’m not too nervous to visit London, Paris is a different animal altogether. Mostly because of the language barrier.

 

 

The only foreign language experience I have is a few years of High School Spanish. Of which I only remember Holla and how to count to 10. And…college Latin, which is the deadest language EVER. Unless you are a physician or reading Greek Mythology.

Which means I need to learn a little bit of French so I can at least find a bathroom and coffee {not necessarily in that order}.

Lucky for me, my iPhone can not only connect me to friends and family while I’m in Paris, but it can help me learn French too.

A 2015 study by the Pew Research Center found that approximately one-third of respondents have used their smartphone to take a class or access educational content, such as learning a new language.

As a full-time working mom, I’m extremely busy, so finding time to sit down and study French can be a bit of a struggle. My iPhone breaks down the education process into bite size pieces so I can conveniently practice my French while in line at the grocery store. That’s definitely a mom win!

How smart devices make it easier to learn a new language:

Smartphones like the Apple iPhone 7 or Samsung Galaxy S7 are very useful for learning a new language. One way to use your phone to continue your language education is by downloading language learning apps to increase vocabulary and work on basic grammar.

Another easy way to learn a language is by listening to podcasts or watching videos in that language. There are many easily accessible language-learning videos and podcasts out there. Non-education podcasts and videos, such as sports news or children’s cartoons, are also great ways to become familiar with a secondary language.

A next level trick you can try is changing the language on your smartphone to your new language. I already have Siri programmed with an English accent, now I just need to make him speak French. By changing my phone’s GPS app to French I can quickly learn directional vocabulary that will help me getting around Paris.

I’m excited to use Duolingo or Babbel to learn French, and if I get in a jam during my trip I can always use iTranslate.

And when someone asks me “Parlez-vous français?” I will confidently say, “Oui”.

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All opinions are my own and an honest view of my story as a US Cellular customer.