How to practice at home and on the go?
The most impactful thing you can do to increase your proficiency and exposure to any language is to listen and interact with the language in a way that is enjoyable for you! There are endless resources available to fit your taste, time allowance, and busy lifestyle. Do not be discourage and don't be afraid to try something new. I'm going to list resources that have helped me and I will add any recommendations throughout the year.
Language is a subject unique to all others, language is living and breathing, it is social interactions, it is human expression. Being able to speak another language opens you to new cultures and populations. Personally, learning and speaking other languages fills me with fear, nerves, and uncertainty mixed with an adrenaline rush but at the same time and inspires hope within me for peace and acceptance throughout the world.
So, if you feel like you want to be like the over 1 billion people worldwide learning English or the 120 million French learners that are committed to learning more than what we focus on in class, do a little work each day and week and it will pay off in the long run!
1. Check out YouTube! Some very popular French YouTubers are listed on this site and you may learn something new, or just enjoy some funny people while hearing a proper french accent and learning some new words. If these YouTubers are too fast paced, don't be ashamed to look up children's shows avec sous-titres (with subtitles). With simple plot lines and dialogue that matches the images on the screen these shows are meant to teach language, but the vocabulary may not be exactly what you want. Otherwise, there are also YouTube Channels designed to teach you new vocabulary and grammar.
www.lindsaydoeslanguages.com/10-french-youtubers-to-help-you-learn-french/
Super Easy Easy French
Learn French with Alexa
**Disclaimer I have not watched every video from every French YouTuber, please choose appropriate content.
2. Sign up for a free Duolingo or other language learning app! This requires consistency but the app gives you reminders.
www.duolingo.com/
3. Check out some great French movies on Netflix or Hulu. Just search audio and subtitles, and play around with French audio and English subtitles to start. You will be amazed at how many words you pick up just by watching a movie you enjoy!
**Disclaimer I have not watched every French movie on Netflix or Hulu, please choose appropriate content.
4. Listen to a Podcast! If you have an iPhone, you can search French on iTunes in the Podcast tab and see what helps you most, you can listen in the car, on the bus, anywhere on the go while hearing new words and even grammar explanations. If you have an Android, there are plenty of Podcast apps, I use Podcast Addict.
5. Use Quizlet. I love flashcards with images. You hear the word, see a picture it is the perfect audio visual combination. But push yourself to use each word in a sentence and go beyond memorizing single words.
6. Use free open courses offered by universities across the U.S. Carnegie Mellon has an Open Learning Initiative with free courses. I highly recommend their Elementary French course. It has plenty of audio visual support that will help with pronunciation and sentence structure.
Elementary French Course
7. Like the free online courses, there are endless resources on the web, BBC has many courses and opportunities to learn as well as the popular French TV broadcast TV5Monde.
BBC
TV5Monde
8. Listen to music. You can check YouTube for popular French artists or check top charts in France through Spotify.
9. Sometimes you just want to brush up on a grammar rule or the spelling of a conjugation. You can google your question, or search French learning sites, but I have found a few particularly helpful.
University of Texas French Grammar
Langauge Guide
The most impactful thing you can do to increase your proficiency and exposure to any language is to listen and interact with the language in a way that is enjoyable for you! There are endless resources available to fit your taste, time allowance, and busy lifestyle. Do not be discourage and don't be afraid to try something new. I'm going to list resources that have helped me and I will add any recommendations throughout the year.
Language is a subject unique to all others, language is living and breathing, it is social interactions, it is human expression. Being able to speak another language opens you to new cultures and populations. Personally, learning and speaking other languages fills me with fear, nerves, and uncertainty mixed with an adrenaline rush but at the same time and inspires hope within me for peace and acceptance throughout the world.
So, if you feel like you want to be like the over 1 billion people worldwide learning English or the 120 million French learners that are committed to learning more than what we focus on in class, do a little work each day and week and it will pay off in the long run!
1. Check out YouTube! Some very popular French YouTubers are listed on this site and you may learn something new, or just enjoy some funny people while hearing a proper french accent and learning some new words. If these YouTubers are too fast paced, don't be ashamed to look up children's shows avec sous-titres (with subtitles). With simple plot lines and dialogue that matches the images on the screen these shows are meant to teach language, but the vocabulary may not be exactly what you want. Otherwise, there are also YouTube Channels designed to teach you new vocabulary and grammar.
www.lindsaydoeslanguages.com/10-french-youtubers-to-help-you-learn-french/
Super Easy Easy French
Learn French with Alexa
**Disclaimer I have not watched every video from every French YouTuber, please choose appropriate content.
2. Sign up for a free Duolingo or other language learning app! This requires consistency but the app gives you reminders.
www.duolingo.com/
3. Check out some great French movies on Netflix or Hulu. Just search audio and subtitles, and play around with French audio and English subtitles to start. You will be amazed at how many words you pick up just by watching a movie you enjoy!
**Disclaimer I have not watched every French movie on Netflix or Hulu, please choose appropriate content.
4. Listen to a Podcast! If you have an iPhone, you can search French on iTunes in the Podcast tab and see what helps you most, you can listen in the car, on the bus, anywhere on the go while hearing new words and even grammar explanations. If you have an Android, there are plenty of Podcast apps, I use Podcast Addict.
5. Use Quizlet. I love flashcards with images. You hear the word, see a picture it is the perfect audio visual combination. But push yourself to use each word in a sentence and go beyond memorizing single words.
6. Use free open courses offered by universities across the U.S. Carnegie Mellon has an Open Learning Initiative with free courses. I highly recommend their Elementary French course. It has plenty of audio visual support that will help with pronunciation and sentence structure.
Elementary French Course
7. Like the free online courses, there are endless resources on the web, BBC has many courses and opportunities to learn as well as the popular French TV broadcast TV5Monde.
BBC
TV5Monde
8. Listen to music. You can check YouTube for popular French artists or check top charts in France through Spotify.
9. Sometimes you just want to brush up on a grammar rule or the spelling of a conjugation. You can google your question, or search French learning sites, but I have found a few particularly helpful.
University of Texas French Grammar
Langauge Guide