So, you’ve decided to move to Canada — land of maple syrup, polite drivers, and long winters.Then someone tells you about the French test...

This article will show you how to make meaningful progress online by applying the 80/20 rule, focusing on what truly matters, and avoiding the traps that make most beginners quit after week two.

It’s a fair question. After all, nobody dreams of flipping through verb conjugation charts at midnight. Most people imagine themselves ordering a croissant at a Parisian café, flirting with a charming stranger, or finally joining that French conversation group without panicking. Grammar? That feels like a detour—or worse, an obstacle course with no croissant at the finish line.

Learning a language just to please your partner? Spoiler alert: it won’t get you very far. Love is powerful, but it’s not enough to carry you through verb conjugations, silent letters, and that one cashier who speaks faster than the speed of light. If you want to stay motivated for the long haul, you need reasons that matter to you—reasons that work in the short, medium, and long term.

Researchers have found that the 1,000 most common French words cover about 80% of everyday speech. That’s the power of the 80/20 rule: focus on the essentials, and you’ll understand and say much more than you expect.