Words in English and French are almost similar, so compare two words in French and English every day. This will help you translate faster.

Read French sentences. A lot of free literature is available online. This will help you to try and work out what the sentences mean. Reading would be difficult at first, but it will only get easier as you keep sharpening and honing your French reading skills. The more you read, the easier it becomes to read.

Reading also helps to increase your French vocabulary and it will also help you understand the grammatical constructs and structure of French sentences.

While learning French, again it is important to listen to spoken words and sentences, as much as possible. This can be done by watching French movies, or listening to French music or audio documentaries or buying an audio course in French. Good thing about French movies or DVDs are the subtitles which are in English and you can learn further by comparing and listening what is being said and what is its direct interpretation in English. More you listen to French, the more you will remember it. You could also read bilingual books, in which each page is usually interpreted right on the next.

There are plenty of online French free learning courses, which also let you download the entire course in mp3, which could then be transferred to your iPod or other mp3 player. Thus you can carry your new language wherever you go and still keep learning and listening, no matter what you are doing or where you are. This helps tremendously in your French pronunciations. So, remember, next time while going to the Gym or the grocery store or the convenient mart, take your French course with you and listen.