As you learn to speak French, you also need to learn how to listen in a new way so you can understand this beautiful language. French tutor Annie A. shares four proven ways to improve French listening skills…
Are you looking to improve your French listening skills? If so, you’re in luck. In this post, we’ll share four proven ways to practice your French listening skills. These tips will help you get better at understanding native speakers and build your confidence when speaking French.
Let’s get started!
How Can I Practice French Listening?
How can I improve my French listening skills? Listening is an essential skill for any language learner, but it can be difficult to find opportunities to practice French listening if you don’t live in a French-speaking country. Here are a few tips for how you can practice French listening, even if you’re not surrounded by native speakers:
- Look for French-language news programs or podcasts that you can listen to online.
- Try watching a French-language movie or TV show with subtitles turned on. Not only will you be improving French listening skills, but you’ll also get exposure to different regional accents.
- Look for songs in French that you enjoy and listen to them often. As you listen, try to pick out individual words and phrases that you understand.
Learning a new language can be both exciting and challenging. Unfortunately, it can be all too easy to get bogged down in the grammar and miss out on the opportunity to actually practice using the language.
By taking advantage of these tips, you can make sure that you’re getting ample practice with French listening, even if you’re not able to immerse yourself in the language 24/7. Ask your French teacher if you want even more advice on how to improve your French listening skills!
In French lessons, you’ll learn all that plus some of what you see in the video below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Mi5fCEDSmE
Why is French Listening So Hard?
Listening to French can be challenging for English speakers for a number of reasons.
First, the French sound system is quite different from that of English, with more nasal sounds and vowel distinctions.
Additionally, French words often have multiple meaning, which can make it difficult to follow a conversation.
Finally, French speakers tend to speak quickly, making it hard to catch every word.
However, there are some things that English speakers can do to improve their listening comprehension.
Focus on the overall meaning of what is being said, rather than trying to understand every word. Listening to French in context – such as watching a movie or reading a book – can help to build vocabulary and understanding. With some practice, listening to French will become easier and more enjoyable.
Key French Listening Skills for Beginners
Learning a new language can be daunting, but it can also be incredibly rewarding. If you’re just starting to learn French, one of the best things you can do is focus on developing your listening skills. This is, in fact, perhaps the best way to improve French listening skills.
After all, being able to understand spoken French is essential for being able to communicate with native speakers. Here are a few key listening skills to work on as a beginner.
When you’re listening to French speech, try to catch as many words as possible. Don’t worry if you don’t understand everything that’s being said – just focus on picking up key words and phrases. Finally, practice speaking yourself. The more you speak, the better your listening skills will become. So don’t be afraid to jump in and start practicing your French conversation today!
Pronunciation
Pronunciation is a key skill for French listening comprehension, since being able to pronounce words correctly will help you to recognize them when you hear them spoken. Here are some tips for improving your French pronunciation:
- Listen to native speakers as much as possible and try to imitate their pronunciation.
- Pay attention to the position of your tongue and lips when forming sounds.
- Practice difficult sounds slowly at first, and then gradually increase your speed.
- Make sure you’re pronouncing all the letters in a word, including consonants at the end of words like “champagne” or “croissant.”
With practice, you should be able to improve your pronunciation and understand native speakers better in no time!
Vocabulary Words and Phrases
In order to understand what someone is saying, you need to be able to recognize the individual words and phrases. That’s where vocabulary comes in.
Learning new vocabulary words is essential for understanding spoken French. By expanding your vocabulary, you will be better equipped to follow along with native speakers and pick up on meaning that might otherwise be missed.
In addition, learning new vocabulary will also give you a greater understanding of French culture and help you communicate more effectively with French-speakers from all walks of life. So if you’re serious about becoming proficient in French, make sure to add some vocab-learning to your studies!
Grammar Structures
One of the best ways to improve your French listening skills is to learn grammar structures. When you understand how the language works, you can more easily catch the meaning of what you hear.
For example, consider the sentence “Je suis fatigué.” If you know that the subject pronoun “je” goes before the verb, then you can immediately identify that the speaker is saying “I am tired.”
By contrast, if you don’t know this grammar rule, then you might miss the meaning of the sentence entirely. In addition, learning grammar structures will also help you to better understand spoken French in general.
After all, every conversation is made up of a series of grammatically correct sentences. So, if you want to improve your French listening skills, make sure to brush up on your grammar!
How to Improve French Listening Skills
Understanding French can be quite a challenge, even if you can read the written language with comparative ease. To many English speaking students, whole sentences in French sound like one long word.
One reason for this confusion is that French pronunciation uses something called a liaison. Liaisons join the sounds of each word together, for example if one ends in consonant and the next one starts in a vowel . Furthermore, French is spoken very quickly. From the point of view of English speaking students, French words sound very different from the way they are written.
In order to solve these problems, a few tested French listening practice methods can be used.
Listen
First of all, listening to French is going to be the best way for you to get used to the sounds and the intonation of this beautiful language. You might enjoy listening to French radio, podcasts, or music. Or, for enhanced French listening practice, watch French TV, YouTube videos, movies, and series with subtitles on. This is a great way to immerse yourself in the language. Find material that interests you and you will train your ear with repetitive listening.
Read
Text with audio is another way of improving your French comprehension. Reading while listening is highly effective if you do it on a regular basis. It helps you connect the sounds you hear with the written word. With practice, soon you will understand the audio without the text.
Actually, it helps a lot if you are listening to material consistent with your level of understanding of grammar and vocabulary. In this way, you can make much more sense of what is being said and it reinforces your previous knowledge. This will integrate the language skills you are learning. Speaking, reading, and writing practice all complement each other and improve overall language and listening comprehension.
Talk
Another effective French listening practice strategy is to have regular conversations with a fluent francophone. Make time to practice conversation with your French speaking friend in-person or online via Skype. When you are talking, you must process what you’ve heard and respond within a relatively short time frame. Over time, your comprehension of spoken French will improve dramatically, and you will gain confidence in your new language skills.
Write
Write down what you hear during a listening exercise to hone your listening and writing skills. You can also take notes in French while listening to a French podcast or radio program. Just make sure the level of difficulty of the material you’re using is appropriate to your capabilities. You don’t want to get overwhelmed or burned out on your study of French!
Can I Learn French By Listening?
A lot of people think that they can only learn a language by studying it in a classroom setting. However, this isn’t necessarily true. While classes can certainly be helpful, there are other ways to learn a language as well.
One effective method is just listening. By simply exposing yourself to the French language, you can start to pick up on common phrases and pronunciation. You might not be able to hold a conversation just yet, but with enough listening practice, you’ll be surprised at how much progress you can make.
In addition, listening to French audio materials can be a great way to immerse yourself in the language and culture.
I believe that listening is the most difficult skill to develop when learning French. It will take time to improve your listening skills. There is no shortcut. The untrained ear has to be trained. However, if you practice listening to French every day, you are sure to improve! And as I’ve explained, the benefits of having good French listening skills are clearly there.
For more help improving your French language skills, work with a qualified private tutor. French tutors are available to work with you in-person or online via Skype depending on your location. Find your French tutor today!
Do you have a favorite way to practice your French listening skills? We’d love to hear about it in the comments below. In the meantime, consider trying out one or more of these methods and see how they work for you. And remember, practice makes perfect!
Post Author: Annie A.Annie A. is a French instructor whose lessons are conducted exclusively online. Teaching for the past 12 years, she found her passion for the language while studying in Paris as a teenager. Learn more about Annie here!
Photo by Kaitlin Shiner
Megan L.