How The French Foreign Legion Learns Languages Fast
Looking for precise and professional language translation? Look no further! I specialize in accurately translating English to Haitian Creole, French, and Spanish.
Trust me to deliver exceptional results that capture the essence of your message. Contact me today for flawless language translations.
🇫🇷 📯 🪓 Each year, thousands of men from all over the world join the French Foreign Legion (Légion étrangère). Most come for adventure. Some for a better life. Many to earn a French passport.
But no matter their reason for enroling, ALL candidates must accomplish one key thing by the end of basic training if they want to receive any of the Légionnaire perks: learning enough French to function as a soldier!
It turns out that most of these men arrive at the recruitment center in France unable to speak a lick of French, and yet manage to get fluent enough in mere months to understand orders, describe the workings of their HK416F service rifle, and have conversations with fellow Légionnaires.
So how do they learn so fast? And what can we non-Légionnaires learn from their method? These are precisely the questions I answer in this video.
📺 WATCH NEXT:
How hard is French to learn for English speakers? Get my honest take in this video 👉🏼
📚 DOWNLOAD MY FREE STORYLEARNING® KIT:
Discover how to learn French (or any foreign language) faster through the power of story with my free StoryLearning® Kit
👉🏼
📖 LEARN FRENCH THROUGH THE POWER OF STORY:
Stories are the best way I have found to learn French (and the 7 other languages I speak). Forget the boring textbooks and time-wasting apps, and learn the natural, effective way with my French Uncovered courses:
👉🏼
✍🏼 BLOG VERSION:
Prefer reading to watching? Click here for the blog post!
📖
😥 CORRECTIONS:
– The troops are speaking Portuguese, not French, at 1:16.
– The image at 3:30 is from a Commemoration of the Battle of Camarón by the 1st Foreign Cavalry Regiment at the Roman Theatre of Orange.
– A final "r" is missing from the end of « l'extérieur » at 13:10.
– Luciano says « boule de feu » ("ball of fire"), not "bowl of fire" at 19:49.
⏱ TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 – Intro
00:59 – What is the French Foreign Legion?
01:57 – Enrolment
02:22 – The Test
03:15 – The School
04:41 – The Classroom
07:02 – The Instructor
08:28 – The Method
13:00 – The Francophone
13:33 – Punishment
16:57 – Dialects
18:20 – Homework
20:54 – Competence in French
23:05 – The Schedule
24:33 – Immersion
26:06 – In the Field
26:41 – Bastille Day
27:09 – Advice from a Légionnaire
📜 SOURCES & ATTRIBUTIONS:
Wikipedia contributors. "French Foreign Legion." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 1 Dec. 2021. Web.
Official French Foreign Legion account on Instagram (@legionetrangereofficiel)
Unofficial French Foreign Legion account on Instagram (@frenchforeignlegion)
“HK416.jpg” by Dybdal is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
“ORANGE Camerone2010.jpg” by Jeanlouiszimmermann is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
“Democratic Republic of the Congo (orthographic projection).svg” by Connormah is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
“EU-Belgium.svg” by NuclearVacuum is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
It’s unfortunate that I can’t resurrect my great grandfather because he was part of the French Foreign Legion. However, I think he already had a knack for languages. He fled the Russian Revolution but he already knew Russian, Ukrainian, and Polish but when he settled in France he learned French, was able to pick up German, and Serbian according to my grandfather. The government thought my great grandfather was conspiring with Adolf’s men which is part of the reason I was born in Canada.
Sounds like an amazing story!
@Olly Richards It is but my grandfather is tight lipped about his past so, I had to do a lot of research myself. Also, he was a baron. He might of been appointed though. The title gets passed on. I mean how many people say they are related to “royalty “ kind of.
@MDobri2378 That taras bulba is a fictional character written by nikolai gogol.
@A. R. lmao
@Milos M 😆😄
Funny this come out right now, in 3 weeks I will join the Foreign Legion, at least I will try. I speak several languages so I think it could help, I hope so ! Thanks for the video
Wow… can you tell us why you’re joining?
@Olly Richards I was part of the French army few years ago, after that I traveled all over the worlds for a few years, that were I learned spanish, Italian and Russian, now I have to get back, I know it will be hard but that’s what I like
@Neal Caffrey You’ve got this, Neal!
@Neal Caffrey Bon courage !
Good luck Neal!
Funny story: the first week we had to sit in paradise until our medical checkups and stuff were done. So me and this one guy practiced some basic French phrases every day. And it was only on the 4th or 5th day that we realized we’re both Afrikaans speakers.
My tip for going to the legion: at least learn how to say ‘Puis-je vous aider’ before going. They don’t like laziness or anyone that seems lazy.
Dis snaaks, haha!
I agree at least need to learn a little bit French before join,it will give you a confident and at least you are able yo guess what are they commanding you
Are there a lot of south africans in the legion or is it just a coincidence you two and the guy in the video all are?
@Soff1859 I mean it’s bound to have quite a few, but as far as statistics go most are actually eastern european men or from the ex french colonies
Et ils répondent pour vous dire ‘Ouais, vous pouvez m’aider en ….’.
Then you’re screwed unless your French is good enough to understand their reply ;-p
Agree. Fastest way to acquire another language is to force yourself not to use your native tongue. In my gym, one of the members grew up in Puerto Rico where he was drafted to go to Vietnam. Back then, the Army sent all draftees from there to NYC (of all places) to attend ESL school for four months before being sent on to basic training. So, they created a little Puerto Rico with students speaking Spanish almost all the time. He was one of the few able to learn English quickly by not associating with them outside the classroom and instead practicing with NY’ers who didn’t know any Spanish.
As a spanish speaker is hard to learn another language while abroad, as you will always find other spanish speakers
It’s called Immersion Learning and, to be honest, it’s a bit weird that people do not already know this :/
There was a teaches assistant who worked at a school that had primarily Vietnamese students and teachers. The teachers assistant knew only English. But she was also rooming with a Vietnamese family. The teacher assistant said she was surrounded by Vietnamese at work and at home after work. She said it was a struggle but roughly around six or seven months in she said suddenly everything thing just clicked. She spoke speak fluently with co-workers, students and the family she was rooming with. I knew a guy who moved to the US from Burma. All he spoke was Chinese when he got here. He started learning English from classes but he also had on purpose had roomed with an American student. He said he picked up his English quicker when he did that. He speaks with a bit of an accent but his spoken English is good.
@MASADA DENIER I take it you live there.
In the late 80s Ed a cousin of mine joined the French Foreign Legion looking for adventure. He hadn’t done well in college in the US and wanted to try something different and see the world. During his time in the Legion he served in Africa, the Middle East, Asia and even South America. 22 years later Ed retired from the Legion and lives outside Marseilles. He now has dual Us and French citizenship with a Legion pension and works at a trade he learned in the Legion.
He married a local French woman and they have a couple of children. His mom is a retired American school teacher who lives with them. She was a Spanish teacher in NYC and thought that would make it easier to learn French. She says for her learning French is still a work in progress.
I’ve been to visit a few times. In 2018 a bunch of family members went to visit. First thing he told us is that Marseilles is the crime capital of France and if you have to do some sightseeing in the city he’ll take the group out otherwise it’s not safe.
One of the cousins, a young woman in her 20s asked if crime is such a problem isn’t he afraid. He said no he killed men in combat in the Legion and if necessary he’d do it again. He was serious. When he was an adult back in the US he was considered the family goofball never taking anything seriously. What a difference a few decades makes.
During my trips to visit Ed he’s introduced me to a number of current and former members of the Legion. I was truly surprised at the number of American citizens who were or are currently serving in the French Foreign Legion. I’ve met at least 25 Americans in person who are current or retired from the Legion. Another few dozen who Ed showed me photos of from his time in the Legion. Quite a few of the Americans retired in France or other spots in Europe.
What an interesting story!
@Lisa Narramore What I really found interesting is how many Americans were in or had been in the Legion. The US has a huge military yet some Americans prefer to have a career in the Legion instead. Makes you wonder why.
I think he’s overexaggerating the purported “lack of safety” in Marseilles. Crime rate has been going down in France in general for decades, and Marseilles is not the place that has the most violent crimes.
@Jack Brown The Legion do not care about your past as long as you have not been in proper trouble where you come from. It suits people who would feel they are outcast or something, and want a brand new slate. Of course, the Legion do a thorough background search on you. People with minor record offences or something that would make getting a security clearance be more of an obstacle in their own country would find that it is less of an issue for the Legion. Again, I would emphasize, nobody who would be known to any major crimes unit in their home country. And sometimes it is the allure of the unknown and adventures where there is always activity that is usually not on the news.
@Jack Brown Unlimited access to the EU via French citizenship, the security of the social nets and public health care and free university might be an incentive for some plus adventure. Overall the deal might be better than joining the US Armed Forces in exchange for 5 years of service.
I think one of the major barriers to speaking your target language is the embarrassment / awkward feeling of making mistakes or not being understood. On a recent trip to belgium, I met a nurse who was very shy to speak any english to me. However, I hit my head, and in the panic of the moment she went into full confidence mode and spoke perfectly clear english to evaluate me for a concussion. There really is something about being in a high stakes situation which melts away the fear of speaking, in my experience.
Love this!
That’s great! I’ve found alcohol has a similar effect, my French or my friend’s German seems to ‘improve’ no end when out with friends there
I agree.
My experience with Germans is they shy away from speaking English with an apology. You later find out they’re actually very good at it and speak it better than some of the natives in England – I kid you not!
Yeah, Belgians are shy about their English.
I’m so happy you chose this topic, Olly. I thought about joining the Legion after I got out of the Marine Corps, but the physical requirements are insane 😂 My respects to all legionnaires!
Wow, if a Marine says something is tough, you know it’d be flat-out impossible for most schlubs like me.
Same here. I was married with kids, and that’s what stopped me. Not sure if it’s like that today.
Dude, I was in the Army back in 2010. I got out and hated regular jobs and now not one service in the US will let me back in. It’s so dumb. I might just go to France.
Depends what state you’re in, selection in the legion is more to do with being able to stick it out, you have 4 months to get in shape before being sent to regiment , you just gotta be hard headed enough to get to the end, its all psychological, the physical requirements are really not that high, 5 pull ups, 50 push ups 50 sit ups 1.8k in under 12mins, climb a rope. you just got to convince the selection staff to take you in. at the end of the 4 months you’ll be worthy.
@John Shepard the requirement is a 12 minute mile? That’s just for joining right?
I joined when I was 19, and didn’t speak one word of French.
My teammate (we are always two) was from Senegal.
After 4 months I had the basic French, although with a slight african accent.
Perfect for a Norwegian.
However, I could swear perfectly in Wallof (one of the Senegalese languages).
What level of French do you have now after all your training?
@Brendan Rhatigan There is a goal of 400 words and a basic understanding.
But there is no individual level required.
The better you speak, the better you will perform, and the better your results will be in general, better are your options.
However, do not worry 😉
You will speak fairly well 😉
Hahaha! I feel you man, I can swear in 4 different languages (went to an international school) but only fluent in two. It’s always interesting learning through your friends.
That’s hilarious. 😂😂😂😂😂
excellent 😂😂
In 1993, the year I started there, French was learnt by force. That is, in class, if your teacher asked you a question and you didn’t know, your whole class would pay the price, physically. There were very few French people there, so each French person had a group of foreigners, and they had the responsibility of teaching us. I, being Portuguese, had a great understanding of French, but others were not so lucky. So when someone didn’t know, we all simply paid for it by doing lots of push-ups. Once in a while our French teacher was simply a foreigner who repeated what he himself had learned. But no doubt French was compulsory in everything…
Our class in the “Farme” was 49 young men, at the end of 3 months, we were 30. Some defected with the “Famas” weapon.
Served 8 years there,
Secret is:
If you dont understand, you do push-ups till you understand…
And it works miracles
Well done on that commitment!!
Exactly like that, or when officers got drunk they like to hit you sometimes. Either way, you do a lot of “Pump” !!!
So either you get fluent in French, or you get buff arms
My DS always told us we were either going to get smart or get strong. If he yelled “Get strong” we knew to start pushing.
thank you for your service
I have met French Foreign Legionnaires when I was in the US Army, and I thought they were great. I loved how competent they were, how well-trained they were. I was impressed with their professionalism.
But they are paid less than average US Army Active Duty E-4 Specialists. Freedom is never free. They are pretty well-trained for the amount of income they earn.
@Maximillian Wylde I firmly believe it. Look at Taiwan, a key interest to the U.S. It cheaps out a bit too much on defense in the past. Taiwanese students in the U.S. rather joined U.S. army via MAVNI when the program was still alive instead of completing useless mandatory military service back in Taiwan.
@Michael Ju Yea, but later as French citizens, if they are accepted, they have great education, health & decent retirement plans.
when my dad was in the marines he used to hang out with some of them said they were a great bunch and very polite and fun
Let me save you 30 minutes. As a former Legionnaire I’ll tell you. French classes focused on verbs nouns and conjugation. Total immersion. Getting caught speaking a language other than French earns you a brutal beating. That motivates you to learn.
Thank you! Stopped a few seconds in and searched the comments.
That’s a awesome incentive
Read the book “A mouth full of rocks”
I’m 21 and I’m in Med college, but I want to serve the Legion so much, do you think it’s worth to finish college first? Or that doesn’t matter in the legion?
Definitely finish college
I was there in the early 90’s and had been told I couldn’t learn a language in school because I am dyslexic but hey the FFL basic training broke me and my dyslexia! All in the head LPN ❤️
Legio Patria Nostra!
I am dyslexic… and with a Spanish name, never learnd Spanish.. maybe this is for me?
@ricardo lorrio Oh boy, maybe you could hire somebody to beat you without getting into the legion
@ricardo lorrio Pay a Spanish teacher to make you do pushups and give you a few rib kicks while your down there everytime you mess up a word or meaning. Eventually you’ll stop wanting to get beat and learn what your being told.
@Brian Fitch yeah.. you are right
The lack of comprehension was overcome by the threat of endless pushups, extra corvee and a boot in the arse. From Australia with no prior French, became fluent in the first year. Still speak it as well today 30 years after leaving the Legion. Street French with slang that surprises most from Frenchies I meet today.
Frenchie here, je sais que ça ne se dit pas trop en France, mais merci pour votre service.
Je serais ravi d’apprendre de l’argot d’il y a 30 ans si vous avez des exemples ! 🙂
I hope you’re well Tommo. Miss you man.
Whitey
As a french guy, I can tell you just this, the Legion in one of the most respected elite part of the french army even tho we never see them, everyone here respect them, knows how well trained they are with the best equipements and concider every members as a french person. The only time we do see them, is during the military parade, the 14th of july, you know what ? they actually close the parade, just because they are the only part of the entire french army walking a wee bit slowler than everyone else, and nobody would say otherwise =) But because of this, it’s also at this moment where you see a lot of french (more than during the whole parade) gathering just to see the legion walk =) To be really honnest, we barely hear about the legion’s doing, even on the news, they are like a secret elite army x) The rare times when we hear that the legion has been sent to “xxxx” we all think : omg they are going to face the legion , those guys are so screwed.
Tbf we see them about as much as any other regiments, maybe more since most FFL regiment has an open day every year for camerone. And we do hear about what they’re doing, because they’re doing the same things other regiments are doing (at least for the most part) so everytime you hear on the news about France’s involvement in a theatre of operation then most likely there are legionnaires in the troops deployed.
And they respect us even more, because we serve our own country willingly
Also, never say “no” when a Legionnaire want to buy you a drink if you want to keep your teeths lmao
We respect legioneers way more than any average immigrant because they paid the price of tears and blood or even they life
Mdr, parle pas si tu sais pas, c’est eux qui on le pire matos de l’armée de terre
I’m french, i dont know much about army but i know pretty much all you said is bullshit nonsense.
I learned in Special Forces training 52 years ago: if other men can do it, you probably can do it too. This insight gave me lots of confidence in some stressful times, confidence I would otherwise not have had. I have no doubt I could have been a Seal or French Foreign Legionaire. In fact I wish I had left the US and joined the Foreign Legion after my divorce.
Good observation. Look left and right. If they can do it? So can I.
The word, “impossible” is used far too much.
And curiously enough ……Your now ex-wife said she wished you’d joined the FFL *much* earlier?
There’s no better way to learn a language then an immersive training. My mom sent me to France to work when I was 14 during summer holidays. Nobody spoke anything but French to me. After three years it got me to an almost native speaker level so much faster then classes at my school.
Yeah okay
I, Taiwanese, joined a French state owned chemical company 30 years in Paris with little French language knowledge. The executive recruited me decided to put me in the HQ’s audit department and then issued a memo that no one was allowed to speak any language except French to me. I had to read, discuss, and write reports with those highly talented French from elite schools. But they were extra sweet and accommodating. Everyone, from secretary, canteen lady, colleagues, superiors, executives… Everyone in this big organisation was willing to help me. In less than a year, I was able to lead audit team for works all over the France and overseas. 3 years later, they gave me a general manager position at a subsidiary. It is so amazing about French people and their culture. Once you speak French, talk about wine and food, they they take you as a French . Well beside the immersion at work, I learned lots of classic French songs and some poems. That really makes French people think you are one of them. Finally, I married a Parisian and have 3 French children.
*talk about wine and food* = considered french.
You charmer no wonder they considered you as french you knew the conversation that attracts frenchmen lol
they take you as a french person if your skin is not too dark, don’t be fooled
@r e d No you just have to speak French and respect France culture
My son is Finnish speaking and he went to a Swedish speaking marine unit to make his conscript. After 8 weeks he spoke fluent Swedish. Eight years learning Swedish at school could not teach to him that.
Served 5 years and I’m French. As a French (I was switched to Canadian because one cannot be French in the FFL) I helped others. It was 5 awesome years of my life!!!