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> I went on to learn French just so I could read it in the original print. That is one of my mom's favorite books! Can you please elaborate about the process o

> I went on to learn French just so I could read it in the original print. That is one of my mom's favorite books! Can you please elaborate about the process of getting there/how much practice it took to get you towards the point where you could enjoy The Count of Monte Cristo in its native French? Right now, I am studying Spanish and my reading comprehension in Spanish is low. It is not enough to understand something like 'The Little Prince' (in Spanish) to enjoy it.

rukuu001 10y ago
I used Harry Potter as my first Spanish book :) I recommend it!
- maw 10y ago
  Yes! Rereading a (good) book you've already read is an excellent learning technique. (Mine was Dune.) Your foreknowledge provides plenty of context, something which is often lacking in more artificial exercises.
- rsfern 10y ago
  I'll second the Harry Potter books -- I've been reading the Sorcerer's Stone (electronically) in Portuguese after working through Duolingo. It's nice because I am familiar with the story and there's loads of new vocabulary, which I look up (after guessing) by switching to a translation app. If you're on iOS, the built-in dictionary app will give you Spanish->English.
  - tomp 10y ago
    What translation app do you use (unless it's the built-in one)?
stdbrouw 10y ago
YMMV, but I've noticed that you can actually read books in foreign languages quite enjoyably without a perfect grasp of the language. If the book grips you, words or even paragraphs you don't understand stop to matter. Sometimes it will take a couple of pages of "oh shit, I don't know what this is saying at all" before you get into it, though. (Reading it on an e-reader for the instant dictionary does help, of course.) One of the interesting things about Monte Cristo and actually about a lot of 19th century French literature is that there's very little archaic French in there, and I found it easier to read (though still not easy!) than many modern novels that use French street slang / argot.
maw 10y ago
If you stick with Spanish and really learn its grammar inside and out you'll have a much easier time with French later on. Their vocabularies are very similar and the differences in grammar are minimal for the most part.
MagnumOpus 10y ago
I am not OP, but I've been studying French for 7 years in school before I read Monte Cristo in French, and it was still a very challenging read - to the point of being more work than pleasure. It is full of old grammatical forms and full of passé simple, much harder to read than contemporary novels let alone Le Petit Prince.

rukuu001 10y ago

I used Harry Potter as my first Spanish book :) I recommend it!

maw 10y ago
Yes! Rereading a (good) book you've already read is an excellent learning technique. (Mine was Dune.) Your foreknowledge provides plenty of context, something which is often lacking in more artificial exercises.
rsfern 10y ago
I'll second the Harry Potter books -- I've been reading the Sorcerer's Stone (electronically) in Portuguese after working through Duolingo. It's nice because I am familiar with the story and there's loads of new vocabulary, which I look up (after guessing) by switching to a translation app. If you're on iOS, the built-in dictionary app will give you Spanish->English.
- tomp 10y ago
  What translation app do you use (unless it's the built-in one)?

stdbrouw 10y ago

YMMV, but I've noticed that you can actually read books in foreign languages quite enjoyably without a perfect grasp of the language. If the book grips you, words or even paragraphs you don't understand stop to matter. Sometimes it will take a couple of pages of "oh shit, I don't know what this is saying at all" before you get into it, though. (Reading it on an e-reader for the instant dictionary does help, of course.) One of the interesting things about Monte Cristo and actually about a lot of 19th century French literature is that there's very little archaic French in there, and I found it easier to read (though still not easy!) than many modern novels that use French street slang / argot.

maw 10y ago

If you stick with Spanish and really learn its grammar inside and out you'll have a much easier time with French later on. Their vocabularies are very similar and the differences in grammar are minimal for the most part.

MagnumOpus 10y ago

I am not OP, but I've been studying French for 7 years in school before I read Monte Cristo in French, and it was still a very challenging read - to the point of being more work than pleasure. It is full of old grammatical forms and full of passé simple, much harder to read than contemporary novels let alone Le Petit Prince.