I'm studying French again - just went from level 2 to level 3. I have to say, though I'm picking up grammar and vocabulary, I don't yet feel that I'm getting the ability to speak the language spontaneously. For example, a few minutes ago, I was putting on my socks (I thought I'd be bringing my daughter to get a haircut, but she decided at the last moment that she'd rather have her mother do it -- and I hadn't even threatened to have her get a buzz cut, so I don't understand why) and I thought How would I say 'I'm putting on my socks? I'm getting dressed?' And I realized that I didn't know. I knew socks -- chaussettes -- but I couldn't recall how to say that simple phrase. I -of course - ended up looking at Google Translate, and when I saw the phrase -- which I'm going to render from memory as Je mets ma chaussettes; Je s'habille; I'm sure that's not right, but it's close -- I thought Okay, I KNEW the word Mets -- kind of knew, more like recognized -- so why couldn't I do that? And I don't know.
I'm perservering, and getting better, but not as quickly as I want or in the areas that I want. On the other hand, if you need someone to be able to say "She camps near the ocean", I have Elle campe á coté l'ocean ready. Just in case.
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