The only welsh word I know is Cymru which translates into Wales
Did you learn that the same way I learnt it?
When Doctor Who finishes and it credits it as part of the BBC Cymru (BBC Wales) team? :3
I hated French. Absolutely hated it.
When I first started french in year 7 (Age of 12) then it was rather simple. Learning basic words. Colours, animals, foods, etc...
Year 8 (Age 13) was harder. I didn't have a proper french teacher for the entire year. Our teacher left and they never found a proper replacement, so I became poor at it. The class couldn't be controlled, often no teachers would turn up for the entire hour and nothing would be learnt.
Then in Year 9 I found myself being moved up to Top Set Science. Which I was proud of. However, due to the timetable, Top Set Science always had a science class at the exact same time that all lower sets had French and vice versa.
As a result, despite not knowing French at all and having not been taught it in a year, and even when I was, having been in a lower set, I ended up having to sit Set One French.
This might have been fine had I just been allowed to float through it.
Our school however decided that, since ModernForeignLanguages are not a necesarry GCSE course in Year 10, they would get top set Year 9 to take it early. This meant that I had to take a GCSE Examination in French while not knowing anything.
The year was hell. I knew nothing. I roostered up all my courseworks. I failed my tests. I was the crappiest in the class. (Some people who didn't like me took pride in that because I was better than them in other lessons, like Science and English :/).
I ended up getting into the examinations, not really knowing what I was doing and just about pushing through.
I came out of Year 9 with a French GCSE Grade E 2 years early.
This would have been pretty good had I not then, due to personal reasons, be forced to leave my current school that I had been in since Year 7.
So, come Year 10, when I was looking forward to not doing any French at all, I found myself being moved to another school. A Community College, who specialise in Languages.
And as part of their school system, they make a GCSE in an MFL a compulsary thing...
I had to repeat my least favourite subject for 2 extra years after having already gotten a qualification in it, albeit a particularly poor grade (Lowest grade above a fail).
I somehow, somehow managed to consolidate what little crap I learnt in the first 3 years with what little I learnt at the next one.
Amazingly I came through in Year 11, age 16, with a new French GCSE Grade C.
I have always hated French. It was just dreadful for me.
It was something I just couldn't do. I'm not a dumb person. I do well at Humanities and Sciences. I normally always excelled in English and such.
But French I just could not do.
I can only see it as being similar to the way that I can't do any of the Arts.
I can't do Art. I don't have it. I can't do Music. I can do Drama but never cared for it. I can't even do Woodwork.
And I can't do Languages. It is one of those skills I am just not made for.
It took 5 years to teach me enough to be considered "acceptable" by any place of education or employer.
And 9 months on and most of it has dripped out my ears and is long gone.
I wouldn't worry yourself over it. It's not your thing. Trying to get you to become fully fluent in it in a snap would be like trying to get blood from a rock.
I'd focus your attention on your other studies. The ones that you are good at and you know you can do.
Just ignore your French teacher.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBSflK1FTSYThe above got me through French Year 11.
