What are you watching/reading/listening to this week?

Recently got my DELF B2 certificate but my native French listening skills are so poor. I want to improve my comprehension to the faster speed of native French people instead of the slow educational pdocasts I've been listening to thus far. I wanted to get into French TV shows and movies for comprehensible input but I just couldn't find anything interesting that would help me.

I mostly like watching animation or funny commentary videos on movies/TV shows I've watched and watching TV shows I've already watched in dub sometimes sound weird. Any recommendations?

Hey everyone

I’m starting to learn French from today, with the goal of taking either the TEF or TCF around January/February and hopefully getting a good score.

I’ve tried learning French before, but the problem has always been the same: I start enthusiastically, become inconsistent, jump to some completely different topic, and eventually realise I’ve learned basically nothing.

I’m a fairly fast learner, so I don’t think the actual learning is my biggest problem — consistency is. I also have ADHD, which makes it ridiculously easy for me to get distracted by a new resource/course/topic every few days.

So this time I want to approach it differently. I’m thinking of making this an accountability journey where I post here regularly (ideally daily) with:

What I learned that day

New vocabulary/grammar

How much time I studied

What I struggled with

My progress towards TEF/TCF

I’ll probably be using AI quite heavily as a learning/study partner, but I’m definitely open to videos, courses, websites, books, podcasts, TV shows, YouTube channels, etc.

For those who have successfully learned French, especially if you prepared for TEF/TCF, what actually worked for you?

I’d especially love recommendations for:

A structured course or YouTube series

Good websites/apps

French shows/movies that are actually useful for learning

Resources specifically useful for TEF/TCF

Methods for improving listening and speaking

Anything that helped you stay consistent

And honestly, any “do this every day and you’ll improve” type of routine

My biggest priority is not getting overwhelmed by 50 different resources and constantly switching between them.

If anyone has gone from beginner → decent French → TEF/TCF in a relatively short period, I’d love to hear exactly what you did.

Day 1 starts today. 🇫🇷

Hopefully I’ll still be posting here months from now instead of disappearing after Day 4. 💀

I study for an hour a day. Imo my studying is going really well because I’m able to filter out what to focus on the most in terms of vocabulary and grammar. Here’s a short text of what I can say right now without any tool, strictly based on what I’ve learned so far (corrections are welcome):

Salut. Je m’appelle Sam. J‘ai 24 ans et je suis bresilienne. J‘ai un chat qui j‘aime. Je parle portugais, anglais et italien. Je parle aussi un peu coreen. En plus de ça, j’ai beaucoup de hobbies: j‘aime lir des livres de fiction (pour me faire reflechir sur la vie), tenir un journal, écrire dans les cahiers ou dans l‘ordinateur, étudiér les langues et apprendre des faits completement random et écrire ce faits dans mon journal hahah. Hier j‘ai lu le petit prince en français, trop difficile mais j’aime apprendre grammaire et paroles comme ça. J‘ai une amie française, je l’ai rencontrée su hellotalk.

How I am studying:

I downloaded an app called French Listening & Speaking, and I watch one of their videos everyday. I learn the vocabulary and practice speaking line by line (it has french subtitles, translations and speech recognition). After that, I take that vocabulary and ask AI to write sentences using those words that (and here’s the trick) relate to my daily life, hobbies, and personality. For example, since I love reading, Chat GPT always sends me sentences related to stories or bookstores. It also generates sentences about my routine, but in french. If your AI doesn't know you well enough to do this yet, I recommend taking a short personality quiz (you can even ask the AI to generate questions to get to know you) and answering them.

I watch some free lessons on Youtube to grasp the grammar. I recommend memorizing the verbs to be and to have, at least at the beginning. They are VERY important. After that, learn the passé composé (compound past). I have to admit this part was easy for me because the logic is identical to italian, but it’s not hard. Over time, you get used to this past tense format and might even prefer it.

I’ve been practicing spontaneous dialogues with Google Translate’s beta feature. You put in your level and your goal for learning french, and it gives you everyday scenarios to practice with. It includes dialogue, a listening exercise, and then a speaking practice where you have to complete three tasks to finish the conversation, though you can answer whatever you want or ask for hints on how to respond. It’s really good.

I’m also using the wlingua app as a supplement. It explains a few grammar points and covers basic vocabulary as well.

I watch Peppa Pig on YouTube with french subtitles. It’s really boring, but I’ve learned so much vocabulary doing this. Afterwards, I do the same thing I mentioned earlier with the vocabulary: I ask AI to create personalized sentences for me. Then I import those sentences (with audio) into Anki and review them every day.

And lastly: shadowing, shadowing, shadowing. Pronunciation is the hardest part for me in french, so repeating everything I hear is super important. On top of that, EVERY new word that catches my attention and that I want to learn, I listen to its pronunciation and add its audio to anki too.

I hope this helps in some way! I still have a long way to go, but this is what I’ve been doing and what’s been helping me out. Please be mindful that I’m Brazilian, so it’s naturally a bit easier for me compared to a native english speaker, since french and portuguese are derived from latin.

If you have any advice or tips for me, please let me know!

I was in search of apps, websites and portals that are authentic and reliable, that have models with samples and simulations for practicing Alliance Français based test format ( listening, speaking and writing). The samples should be with Transcriptions and Model Answers.

If anyone could help!! Would really appreciate it!

Merci Beaucoup✌️

Elon Musk dit qu’il donnera une action SpaceX à chaque enfant des États-Unis l’année prochaine. Lundi, une action SpaceX valait environ 150 $. Avec environ 73 millions d’enfants aux États-Unis, le projet coûterait plus de 10 milliards de dollars. Musk n’a pas expliqué exactement comment, ni quand les enfants recevront les actions. SpaceX fabrique des fusées et possède Starlink, un service d’internet par satellite.

Vocabulaire : action (f) = share\ / chaque = every / prochaine = next / valoir = to be worth / environ = about / projet (m) = plan / milliards (m pl) = billions / fabriquer = to make / fusées (f pl) = rockets / posséder = to own*

\dans ce contexte*

English translation

Musk promises SpaceX share to every US child

Elon Musk says he will give one SpaceX share to every child in the United States next year. One SpaceX share was worth about $150 on Monday. With about 73 million children in the US, the plan would cost more than $10 billion. Musk did not explain exactly how or when children will receive the shares. SpaceX makes rockets and owns Starlink, a satellite internet service.

You can read more news stories at Le News, In Easy French.

Watch a short France 24 video, jot down two arguments and an example, then give your opinion out loud. For remote work, you could discuss saving time on commuting and feeling isolated at home.

Le Lab B2 app also has arguments and vocabulary by topic if you need a starting point. Practise explaining the ideas in your own words rather than memorising a whole answer.

Do you struggle more with finding ideas or expressing them in French?

When do you use one over the other? Are they synonymous?

I recently got my first bilingual job about a month ago, and although I'm starting to see why people say its not going to teach you much of the language, it has helped me notice a bunch of vocabulary holes I have that I never noticed before

I don't know how to properly close a call, or reasure a client, and using a translator feels like it would lead to mistakes. I know that set phrases and formality are more common in french. All call center workers out there do uou have any advice, insight and resources?

I am planning to go to university next year to complete a bachelors of language studies which allows for the selection of up to two major languages. My minor of choice is going to be in linguistics. What language would pair well with studying French? Is it better to choose something with no relation to make each language distinct in study or is it better to have familiarity but risk mixing them up? My options are Mandarin, Japanese, Spanish, Italian, German or Indonesian.

Hi everyone! I’m looking to start learning French with some online classes and wondered if there were recommendations for teachers or online classes given by language schools? I’m in the US on the east coast.

Bonjour à tous!

J’ai commencé à apprendre le français il y a 5 mois. J’ai beacoup progressé, mais quand je lis ou j’écoute en français je traduis toujours les mots dans ma langue maternelle ou en anglais, au lieu de penser en français.

Q’est-ce-que vous avez des conseils pour moi? Je ne sais pas quoi faire de plus.

(Also, please correct my French in the paragraph if you see any mistakes lol. I tried my best)

I took French college courses last year so have purchased the VHL digital book. I am not currently enrolled in a course as I cannot afford it at this time. I have continued my self-study.

The structure of the courses are helpful to me and I want to make use of the textbook while I still have access to it. Please consider reaching out if you would like a study buddy actively engaged in learning French. I will read the relevant sections as we go and we can figure out a study plan that will work for us.

Bonjour à tous, ravi de faire votre connaissance. Je viens d’Amérique et j’apprends le français ; je suis débutant, mais je sais déjà en parler un peu.

(Note: I debated French for some time because of the pronunciation but rewatched District 13 and Ultimatum - David Belle - alongside As Above, So Below)

Les stocks du premier iPhone pliable d’Apple se sont épuisés quelques minutes après l’ouverture des précommandes vendredi. L’iPhone Duo est le premier téléphone d’Apple à avoir un écran pliable. La version la moins chère de l’iPhone Duo coûte 1 999 $. Le téléphone s’ouvre comme un livre et a un écran plus grand à l’intérieur. Quand il est fermé, il a un écran plus petit à l’extérieur.

Vocabulaire : pliable = foldable / s’épuiser = to sell out / quelques = a few / précommandes (f pl) = preorders / écran (m) = screen / chère = expensive / s’ouvrir = to open / livre (m) = book / fermé = closed

English translation

Apple’s first folding iPhone sells out in minutes

Apple’s first folding iPhone sold out a few minutes after preorders opened on Friday. The iPhone Duo is Apple’s first phone to have a folding screen. The cheapest version of the iPhone Duo costs $1,999. The phone opens like a book and has a larger screen inside. When it is closed, it has a smaller screen on the outside.

You can read more news in A2-level French at Le News, In Easy French.

salut tout le monde ! :)

i’m 19F from south africa, and i’m currently learning french! i’m looking for native french speakers, preferably women around my age, who’d be interested in a language exchange.

i’d love to improve my conversational french, pronunciation and speaking confidence. i’m more than happy to help with english in return!

a little about me: i’m a university student who loves music, ballet, fashion, reading and travelling. i’m happy to chat about pretty much anything!

i’d ideally like to start with texting and eventually move on to voice notes or calls as i get more comfortable speaking french.

i’m strictly looking for language exchange and platonic friendships, not dating. (felt like i had to add this because i’ve been traumatised by hellotalk and tandem 😭)

feel free to reach out if you’re interested! 💗

At A2 I could follow most of what I heard. With B1-level audio, like radio clips and interviews, I'd catch a few words and then lose the thread. Everyone told me to listen more, but I wasn't sure whether I needed more hours or a different way of listening.

​If you've made this jump, what was your biggest listening problem at the start of B1, where did you find audio at the right level, and did you use transcripts, shadowing or dictation? I'd also like to know what you would do differently.

Salut la team, je voudrais que vous me donnez des ressources pour atteindre le niveau C1, j'ai reçu le certificat du B2 il y a des mois, et maintenant je veux étudier pour un avoir niveau supérieur. En fait, je suis en train d'oublier le français un peu, et en étudiant je crois que je pourrai maintenir le B2. Je vous remercie par avant.

Bonjour! I’ve started learning French at the A1 level, and I’m trying to make the learning process more enjoyable and build a connection to the language through music. There’s a song I really love, but I can’t find the lyrics anywhere online. I’d be very grateful if someone would be kind enough to transcribe them for me. The song is called Rossignolet by the canadian duo Bette and Wallet, a somewhat obscure folk duo from Quebec that I’ve just discovered. Thank y’all so much

Bonjour tout le monde, je suis un locuteur natif français et je veux améliorer mon chinois. Je cherche des locuteurs chinois qui apprennent le français pour un échange linguistique. Voili voilou. Merci ! :)

I live in Vancouver, and I am thinking of learning French for my PR. Can somebody tell me that what is the whole procedure of learning French and how much time a beginner needs as well as which is the best institute in Vancouver which has very good results and affordable for an international student??

I’m a native Arabic speaker and I also speak English and German very well. I’m currently learning French and I find it impossible to understand the language when I listen to it. It’s very different from English and German where a word has somehow a clear start and end but in French it’s just syllables merged into each other. How can I improve my listening skills?