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Le coin des étudiants: Angela

Meet Angela, our French language prodigy! She's been a part of our community for a while now and we've been lucky enough to witness her incredible progression in mastering the language. From watching her grow up with us to now publishing her own poetry book in French, she's truly a shining example of dedication and passion. Want to know her secrets to mastering French? Check out her exclusive interview with us! And if that wasn't impressive enough, she recently participated in our DEFI Inter-Alliances 2023 competition and snagged 1st place in her local district (Hong Kong), and 5th place nationally. We couldn't be more proud of her and we can't wait to see what she accomplishes next!

Rencontrez Angela, notre prodige de la langue française ! Elle a fait partie de notre communauté pendant longtemps and nous avons eu la chance d’assister à sa progression incroyable dans la maitrise de la langue. L’ayant vue grandir avec nous jusqu’à publier son propre livre de poésie en français, elle est un exemple brillant de dévouement et de passion. Envie de découvrir ses secrets pour maitriser le français ? Regardez notre interview exclusive avec elle ! Et comme si ce n’était pas déjà assez impressionnant, elle a récemment participé à notre compétition DEFI inter-alliances 2023 et a reçu 1ère place dans son district local (Hong Kong), et 5ème place nationale. Nous ne pourrions pas être plus fiers et avons hâte de voir ce qu’elle accomplira par la suite !

Angela's Journey Learning French

• Why did you choose to learn French and what made you want to study French at AF?
• Pourquoi as-tu choisi d’apprendre le français et pourquoi l’avoir appris à l’Alliance Française ?

I was 8 years old when my parents first enrolled me at AF. Back then, learning French was considered an academically convenient choice that opened many doors. At that age I was more concerned with the prospect of drawing, colouring, and reading BD. According to my mother, AF was the logical choice because of included library access.

J’avais 8 ans quand mes parents m’ont inscrit à l’Alliance Française. À l’époque, apprendre le français était considéré comme un choix pratique qui ouvrait beaucoup de portes. Vu que j’aimais dessiner, colorier et lire des BD, ma mère a par logique choisi l’Alliance Française étant donne l’accès gratuit à leurs bibliothèques inclus.

• How long have you been studying French?
• Combien de temps avez-vous étudié le français ?

I’ve been studying French for about 12 years. (What’s my age again?)

J’ai étudié le français pendant approximativement 12 ans.

• What do you find is the best way for you to learn a new language?
• Quel est selon vous le meilleur moyen d’apprendre une nouvelle langue ?

My favourite language learning tool is music because it’s a guaranteed fun time that takes almost no effort. Learning to pick out the words by ear is very important, and earworms tend to stick, so by the time the chorus of your new favourite song is hammered into your head, you’d have learnt a bunch of new phrases and constructions.

Listening to French music has also led to many interesting conversations during class, which is how I found out that one of AF’s teachers knows members of [no one is innocent], a band I’ve been secretly fangirling over for a long time. Besides, the French music scene is very diverse, so there’s something for everyone.

Mon outil préféré pour apprendre une nouvelle langue est la musique car tu es sûr de t’amuser et que cela te prenne 0 effort. Apprendre à reconnaitre les mots à l’écoute est très important, et les chansons entrainantes restent en tête. Une fois le refrain de ta chanson préférée appris par cœur, tu as appris pleins de nouvelles phrases et tournures. Ecouter de la musique française m’a aussi permis d’avoir pleins de conversations intéressantes durant mes cours, notamment une ou j’ai appris que l’un de mes professeurs a l’alliance française connait des membres de no one is innocent, un groupe de qui j’ai été fan depuis longtemps. De plus, la scène de musique française est très diverse, donc il y a quelque chose pour tout le monde.

French Learning Tips

• Can you tell me about a French book, movie, or TV show that you enjoyed?
• Peux-tu me parler d’un film, livre ou série français(e) que tu as aimé ?

Recently I read Sans bord, sans bout du monde by Québécoise poet Hélène Dorion . It inspired me to try writing my own poetry in French.
(my book L’encyclopédie des parasites)

Récemment j’ai lu « Sans bord sans bout du monde » par la poète québécoise Hélène Dorion. Cela m’a inspiré à écrire ma propre poésie en français.
(Mon Livre : L’encyclopédie des parasites)

• What are some challenges you have faced while learning French?
• Quels sont quelques obstacles que vous avez rencontres en apprenant le français ?

Spelling is exhausting because sometimes it refuses to follow its own rules. Nowadays I can just make an educated guess and let autocorrect do its job if I hear a word I don’t know without seeing it written down, but smartphones weren’t as ubiquitous when I was a beginner.

Epeler est fatiguant parce cela va parfois contre ses propres règles. De nos jours je peux faire une hypothèse et laisser le correcteur automatique faire son job quand j’entends un mot que je ne connais pas sans le voir écrit. Les téléphones n’étaient pas si omniprésents quand j’étais une débutante.

Interviewed by Katy Lau

Learn French with Alliance Française

Share the learning story of Angela with your classmates and friends to spread her experience of learning French with Alliance Française de Hong Kong!

Regular courses are open to students of different French levels and ages, from Kids, to Teens and Adults. We also welcomes Macau students to register for our online French courses. Bon courage !

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