Search results
Jan 9, 2024 · By Camille Chevalier-Karfis. Updated: Jan 9, 2024. Most students – no matter their level – tell me “I listen to French radio, or watch movies in French,” and this statement is usually followed by “it’s so frustrating”… There is however a simple method to better your French understanding skills: follow my precise tips.
- Camille Chevalier-Karfis
- Speak as often as possible—even if you make mistakes. In my experience, this is much easier said than done. Speaking and continually making mistakes is daunting and often frustrating.
- Watch movies with French subtitles. Watching dubbed and subtitled movies is a great way to connect the words you hear to the written words you’ve already learned.
- Listen to French radio programs. Listening to French radio programs can be more challenging, since watching movies and having a conversation both give you a chance to watch someone speak and match their body language to their words.
- Take advantage of online listening resources. Luckily, there are plenty of places to listen to French online. Here are just a few examples: Français eXtra (Beginner)
People also ask
How can i Improve my French understanding skills?
Does French improve listening skills?
How do I learn French?
What are some characteristics of spoken French?
- Watch French TV. If you have a TV at home, you can probably access French TV channels via your cable company, otherwise you can find lots of French TV channels available online.
- Watch Youtube videos. Okay you probably already know you can watch French videos online. What you may not know is how to find the perfect videos to improve your understanding of spoken French.
- Watch French movies and series. You have probably already watched at least one French movie in your life, but did you watch it in French? You can easily find French movies with English subtitles on internet.
- Watch French videos with subtitles with FluentU and yabla. Have you ever watched a video and wished it had subtitles? I have. That’s why I love yabla and FluentU.
- Practice active French Listening. One of the best ways to practice listening to French is to well….listen to French (shocking right?). But this doesn’t mean putting on some French music and listening to it in the background as you bake baguettes or sip wine.
- Practice pronunciation. Any problems you have pronouncing French words correctly will be reflected back in your listening skills. It’s hard for your brain to decipher and remember a sound (be it a letter or a word), that you don’t know how to make yourself.
- Make French listening part of your routine. Now that you’ve started practicing active listening and pronunciation, make it a part of of your regular French learning!
- Attune your ear. You can make a great start to improving your French by getting accustomed to the sounds and patterns of the French language. Initially, it will be difficult to understand natural speech from native French speakers, and the only way to improve French listening is to do plenty of it.
- Listen Multiple Times. For French learners listening just one time isn't enough to fully understand spoken French. A good strategy is to find a podcast or YouTube video that you find interesting and listen to it multiple times.
- Use Transcripts. First a question: When you listen to a French podcast while reading along, are you practicing listening or reading? In my opinion, because reading in French is a bit easier, then that’s what your brain ends up doing: reading a text with a helpful French audio component.
- Optimal Difficulty (75% Rule) Actually, there's no “75% Rule”: experts differ over what is the optimum level that French learners should be able to understand when listening to the language.
May 1, 2024 · Looking for an introduction to French? Get your French studies off on the right foot with this useful guide! In this post, you'll find a four-step introduction to learning the French language, containing tips and even some essential vocabulary to get you started! Click here to start learning!
Apr 22, 2024 · 1. Start with a short, simple conversation using words and phrases you understand in standard French (just 2 or 3 lines). Make sure the conversation makes sense, that is, there’s a context. 2. Now replace some of the standard words or phrases with colloquial ones. 3. Listen to the modified version again, then at an increased speed. 4.
