Parlez-vous Français? What is working for me…

I took two years of French in high school many years ago. When I went to Paris in late 2018, I surprisingly remembered a lot of what I had learned but wasn’t confident in my communication skills. I decided on the plane ride home that I wanted to become competent in conversational French.

I didn’t have the time to take a class, so I bought Rosetta Stone CDs in early 2019. To this day the CDs still sit, untouched, in a cabinet. I could never find the time to sit at my computer and do the lessons. In 2021,

I made the commitment to learn French…again

This time, however, I tried the Duolingo language app (they also have a website). The App is very convenient, and it enables me to take the lessons anywhere and anytime. This has made sticking to my language goals much easier. Two years and three months later, I’m still on the App but have also added ‘Barron’s 501 French Verbs – Eight Edition‘ to my learning program.

I’m on the free version of the App and find it’s enough for my needs at the moment. If you’re interested in a paid subscription, you have the option of paying month-to-month or for a full year. I didn’t look up the monthly payment, but the full-year subscription costs about $100 USD / €91.99.

While formal learning is imperative and necessary, it is also important to hear spoken French. In my opinion, formal learning environments only expose you to the proper way of speaking – they don’t expose you to normal day-to-day conversations. I feel this may have put me behind in my own learning.

I’m pretty good at reading French and okay at writing it, but struggle when hearing it spoken. I would put my French communication skills at a low intermediate level.

To help, I started watching French-language television shows and listening to French podcasts.

I want to share what I personally use and give tips on how it may help you. I am in the United States so names of shows and podcasts may be named differently where you live and/or may be available on different platforms.

Parlez-vous Francais? – Beginner Level

Simon is a French flash-animated television series. It is a children’s cartoon about a rabbit boy named Simon, and his adventures with his little brother Gaspard. Each episode is roughly ten to fifteen minutes long. Because it’s a children’s show, they speak slower and don’t use big words, making it good for beginner-level French students. I can watch almost an entire episode without looking at the English subtitles. I watch it on Netflix.

French in Action is an educational series that ran from 1987 to 2016 which you can now watch on YouTube. The series starts at a beginner level but progresses to more advanced levels as the show progresses. Each episode is thirty minutes long and provides some form of instruction and a continuation of a storyline introduced in the first episode. Given the earlier episodes are from the 80s and 90s, the sound and video quality aren’t great, but you can still hear what everyone is saying. The show doesn’t include subtitles, so you will have to manually open them on YouTube.

Parlez Away is a podcast from Babbel Language, geared toward the beginner-level student. The series features Caroline, a native French speaker, teaching Ted, an American, how to speak French. Caroline teaches Ted through conversations in social scenarios and gives cultural tips, such as when you should be formal and when it’s okay to be informal, as needed. The podcast is okay, but I actually like the next one, Coffee Break French, more.

I listen to Parlez Away on Apple Podcasts. Coffee Break French is a podcast from Radio Lingua Network. The show starts at a beginner level in season one but progresses to more advanced levels with each season. Each episode is anywhere from fifteen to twenty-five minutes long and gives you the French and English words, plus any useful tips or explanations as needed. I’m still on season one and some of the episodes are really easy for me, but I still find each one helpful. The host has a notable Scottish accent, and some people may find this distracting. I listen to the show on Apple Podcasts.

Parlez-vous Francais? Intermediate to Advanced Level

I have watched all three of the following shows but have struggled with them.

The first two shows are really good, so at some point, I stopped focusing on learning and just watched them for entertainment. Now I am going back through the shows and focusing on the language again.

Lupin is a Netflix show based on a character from a book series written by Maurice Leblanc in the early 1900s. The character, master thief Arsène Lupin, is the inspiration for the main character in the TV show, also a master thief. Each episode is anywhere from forty to fifty minutes long.

Currently, there are two seasons, but season three will be released this October. In some parts of the show, they speak slowly enough that I am able to understand simple sentences, but overall, they speak too fast for my level.

Call My Agent (Dix Pour Cent, in France), also a Netflix show, is about a French talent agency and how four partner agents attempt to run it after the death of its founder. Each episode is anywhere from forty-five minutes to an hour long.

While not billed as a comedy, the show is full of many comedic moments. If you watch the TV show ‘Emily in Paris‘ the actress who plays Sylvie (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu) has a supporting role in ‘Call My Agent‘. This show is definitely not for the beginning learner.

They speak really fast and I am only able to catch about every fourth or fifth word.

The Parisian Agency is a reality show about a French family of real estate agents selling luxury properties
in France and abroad. Each episode runs from thirty to forty minutes.

In terms of being able to follow the conversations, at my level, this show is a kind of ‘hit or miss’. Sometimes they speak slowly enough that I can understand full sentences, while other times, I can only understand a few words.

I would not recommend this show if you are just starting to learn French.

Other Resources

If Television or podcasts aren’t for you, then I suggest that you check what’s available in your own community.

For example, my local library hosts a monthly French learning group. There are also a lot of other groups on social media. I belong to four French-speaking/culture Facebook groups as well as a monthly Meetup group. I like the Meetup group because some of the members are native French speakers who are trying to learn English. It’s a great give-and-take learning environment.

Wherever you are in your language journey, give yourself a pat on the back for taking on this challenge.

Learning a new language is hard, but it is also rewarding. Being able to talk to someone in a different language opens new opportunities to learn about different cultures and people which, ultimately, enriches your life.

Do you have TV shows or podcasts you would like to recommend? Let me know in the comments.

Image credits:
1. Lupin marketing poster via Netflix Facebook Page
2. Call My Agent marketing poster via Netflix  – Dix Pour Cent Facebook Page
3. The Parisian Agency via Netflix website

Note:
(i) – MyFrenchLife.org does not in any way benefit from naming these courses, Apps, or television programs, by way of Affiliate links or other.
(ii) – Did you know that MyFrenchlife.org offers a French Conversation Group weekly, for speakers at the intermediate level and upwards – French natives are regularly in attendance as are native French speakers from other French-speaking countries. Only available in Melbourne, Australia.
(iii) – Also don’t miss our Finesse Your French 9-part series – jam-packed with tips, methods, and more. Easily dip in and out. Free to access.
(iv) – Importantly understanding your own French language learning style can unlock your progress.
(v) – And finally, here you’ll discover two three-part series on Faux pas to Fluency by Katarina Forester and another perspective from Briony Kemp.

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER