If you’d ask me what is your best bet at improving your listening skills if you don’t have time, I would say listen, listen, listen and then listen some more.See, people are usually focused so much on grammar and on textbooks that they forget the basic premise of learning a language.Languages are learned in context. Languages are learned by doing, by speaking, by listening, not with a textbook.Sure, you need grammar but if you want to have better listening skills, grammar and reading are not going to get you there.In today’s globalized world, we have the benefit of having access to so many audio resources that is insane!, in a good way.Long gone are the days of having to listen to cassettes in a poorly recorded studio with one size fits all audio lessons.From podcasts to live television now, we can have it all. Improving Your Listening Skills, Is It Possible?
Why Improve French Listening Skills for GCSE? For the revised 9-1 AQA GCSE French examinations from 2016, each skill: speaking, listening, reading and writing now accounts for 25% of the overall GCSE French grade. Check out the most common ways to improve your French listening skills. Learn to say them in French, and get the translations and bonus audio lessons from FrenchPod101.com.
If you’ve been listening to French for a while and are getting frustrated by it let me tell you that there are some basics we need to cover in order for you to improve your listening skills.French might be frustrating at times because it is rarely spoken the way it is written and that’s how an English speaker gets this sense of overwhelm when you even say ‘French’ to them.Especially, if they had the ‘torture’ of studying it at the high school level. Bad memories, right, bad memories.So, let’s discover why spoken French is so hard to understand! Even tough vocab is not necessarily a deal-breaker, at least in my humble teacher’s opinion, it is indeed important to have a good amount of vocab if you want to understand spoken French.It is one thing not to understand what is being said because it’s too fast or because they tend to skip letters and words, annoying I know, but it’s another thing entirely to not understand because of a lack of vocab words.As a good starting point, you should aim to master 2 thousand words to be able to have a good grasp of the French language. Seems like too much? Consider that the English language has 171, 476 words and those 2,000 words don’t seem like too much, right? High-Frequency Words.
I always advise students to learn vocab that is relevant and useful in real life so full of the most important vocab words you’ll need to master in French.If your goal is to master French to a higher level, of course, you will need more vocab, but for the average person 2,000, are enough to cover your bases.If you are listening a lot and studying words consistently you will be perfectly fine.If not, try to master words first and try to listen as much as you can. You will learn even more vocab in no time. Your brain doesn’t recognize French sounds. Your brain is an amazing thing. I’m sure you know that. It processes information at a really fast pace and discards info that is not being used at the same fast pace. The ability of the brain to make connections is truly awesome.When you were born, you got used to recognizing the sounds of your native language or the languages that you were exposed to.I say this because I’m a Native Spanish speaker but I learned English in college.
My son, on the other hand, was exposed to both languages early on and naturally developed the ability to recognize and later speak both languages fluently. Yeap, our brain is awesome. I can understand about 50% of Portuguese just because I speak French, Italian and Spanish and Portuguese come from the same family of languages, Romance Languages.When we moved to Florida last year people were having trouble believing that he was a Native Spanish speaker because his English skills are amazing.Long story short, if you expose your brain to the sounds of the language you want to master long enough you will begin to understand it.It just might take longer than you anticipated just because your brain is not used to those sounds! Train Your brain. But you can absolutely train your brain to recognize those sounds.I recommend the Pimsleur Language Program because is based on brain research and how they use the spaced-repetition technique which I love! They also design the program in a way that forces you not only to listen but to interact with is being said by having to speak in the target language.There are a lot of online programs out there but I keep returning to Pimsleur because of how their course is designed.
Listening is great but just imagine not only listening but also being able to speak and interact with what is being said. That is well-crafted, well-designed, interactive goodness!Check out this article to discover why and how the spaced-repetition method will help you learn French fast.Pronouncing French words correctly is proving to be difficult.
There is really no way to simplify French pronunciation. The best way to pronounce it correctly is to listen as much as you possibly can and it would become effortless with time.That’s why you should be spending the majority of your time listening instead of focusing on grammar or writing.My approach to languages might not be traditional but after 4 languages and many of my students studying abroad using their language skills, I would say it works. Here is how I break down my courses:40% listening30% speaking20% Writing10% grammar and vocabYeah, I know, not your average language class!For me languages are alive and ever-evolving, so you should spend the majority of your time listening and speaking, not buried under books.
French people skip words & letters when they speak. French people skip letters and words when talkingIdk if you’re gonna understand this but we gotta get this straight. You’ve used contractions and transformed words from an early age so guess what. The French do the same when they speak.They transform whole sentences to speak faster and they even have acronyms to text faster, just as we do in English.For example, ‘Je ne suis pas’ will sound more like ‘ chui pas’ when spoken. “ Je ne sais pas” will sound more like ‘ che pas” and so on.It might be frustrating at the beginning but believe me, it gets easier with time when you get used to how words are pronounced in real life.That’s why listening is so important when you are learning a language.
You won’t get those real-life nuances of French just by studying from a textbook, you need to listen and listen a lot!Now to the good part! How can you improve your listening skills? If you are reading this, chances are that either you want to improve your listening skills or you are having trouble listening in French.There are steps that you can take to overcome this:. Learn more vocab but focusing on.High-Frequency words will give you the best bang for your buck when it comes to learning vocab. Focus on mastering the most commonly used vocab words and then move on to other words. Train your brain to recognize French sounds by listening to real-life FrenchPlease please please, I’m begging you, do not listen to generic, text-book conversations that have no meaning in real-life. Focus your efforts on listening to French that is spoken every day to improve your listening skills faster.
Spend as much time as you possibly can listening to FrenchIt bears repeating that if you want to improve your listening skills you’ll want to spend the majority of your time listening. Remember, at least 40% of your time should be focused on listening only. Watch movies/series/tv without subtitlesThis is by far the most common mistake language learners make! People want to understand what is being said, that’s a given, but you will never, I repeat NEVER, improve your language skills if you are always using subtitles.We learn a language just like we did when we learned our native language. We listened and we didn’t have subtitles all around us! LOLBabies naturally absorb the language through visual cues, body language, the rhythm and sounds of the language and then, only then, they try and speak.
A word here and there, then a phrase, then a sentence and then boom, they get it, without any subtitles! There is nothing worse than spending your valuable time trying to improve your listening skills than using subtitles. Honestly, it will take you twice as much time to improve your listening skills if you use subtitles that if you don’t.Why? Your brain can’t multitask and when you use subtitles it has been proven that it takes around 25 minutes for your brain to switch between one task and the other.Guess what? You think you are listening in French but the majority of the time your brain is in English mode reading the subtitles.Absorb the language and let go of the fact that you don’t understand it. You are not supposed to!This is a process and believe me, if you start to listen without subtitles you will be rewarded ten times fold and you will understand spoken French way faster than anyone using subtitles.Instead, focus on the sounds, focus on the body language, focus on the rhythm of the language and let go of the fact that you don’t understand a word, you will!Now the fun part.
What can you do to understand spoken French throughout your day so it doesn’t seem like such a burden in your life that you actually don’t want to do it? ConclusionListening in French, as in any other language, is an acquired skill but one that will reward you for a lifetime. I can’t stress enough how much my travel experiences have been enhanced just because I can speak French.I mingle with the locals, have made friends while traveling, had received the best recommendations from them just because the language barrier is not there.Don’t get discouraged if you don’t understand spoken French now, you will. Remember that consistency is the key and remember, do not use subtitles!
I promise it will pay off!Now let me know in the comments below.Do you struggle to understand spoken French? What strategies do you use to improve your listening skills? What are your favorite French listening resources/audiobooks/websites?Au revoir et a la prochaine,Please note this post may contain affiliate links and I may earn a commission if you click them and make a purchase. This is, of course, at no cost to you, and I only share products that I wholeheartedly love and use myself. Please read my for more information. I have worked with languages for more than a decade, gaining experience in teaching 3 Foreign Languages, translating for short films and festivals and as a language specialist.
As a seasoned Foreign Language Teacher, I am passionate about advancing student’s language goals and I also aim to provide teachers with the resources and tools they need to develop their student’ skills. I am certified by the Chamber of Commerce in Paris, The Advanced Placement Program in French and the International Baccalaureate Program in French.
My mission is to empower YOU by employing a unique brain-based teaching method. I aim to make French classes fun and effective for each and every student. I am passionate about what I do and it shows! I work closely with students, engaging them in practical exercises and learning adventures that give them the tools and confidence to master the language.
I strive to provide a dynamic and welcoming environment that inspires OUR community to want to know more about French language and cultures. That is my lifetime mission! The Ultimate Step by Step Guide to learn French faster!1.Science-based techniques to help you learn fast! Learn how your brain works when learning a language2. Learn the tricks that will give you results faster -Quick actionable tools to save a TON of time and effort2. Eliminate wasted time by studying smarter not harder- Discover the big inefficiencies in your learning process and speed up your success3.
Step by Step Process- Learn the most efficient workflow end-to-end with study sessions examples and more. What you need to do before your trip to have the best experience possible.2.
Common money mistakes that first travelers make when traveling abroad. These will cost you money!3. How do ATM’s work in European Countries and how to be prepared beforehand.4. Save money while also keeping your belongings safe. If you travel a lot, are a first-time traveler or plan to travel in the near future you need to have this checklist handy! It will save you not only money but a lot of headaches and not so pleasant experiences during your trip.
A comprehensive study session tracker designed specifically for people that are self-studying French. Use it to get objective information about how much time you are spending on your language goals each week. Studying multiple languages? You can use it to track up to 5 languages and customize it to your needs! Great for motivation, allocating time properly between different skills, and developing good study habits to ensure straight A’s or if you self-study, to achieve your goal to become fluent faster! You will love to be able to keep everything in one place!