French listening comprehension: how to improve?

[jrineakter]

Do you have difficulty understanding French speakers? Do you have trouble following films or series in French or understanding the lyrics of French songs? Listening comprehension is one of the most difficult skills to master when learning a foreign language . Speech rate, poor articulation or complex vocabulary are obstacles to communication . But how can you improve your listening comprehension in French ? Here are 7 tips to help you do just that!



Do the French speak too fast? According to a study published in the journal Science Advances, French is the 10th fastest language in the world (out of 17 languages). So, no, French is not that fast!

Yet, that's the impression it gives to non-French speakers. Why? In reality, it's subjective: when you learn a foreign language, you often have the impression that native speakers speak very quickly.

The important thing is to practice on kuwait whatsapp number data French content at normal speed. However, manuals often offer dialogues where the speakers speak slow and artificial French. Nothing to do with the French spoken by native speakers!

Sounds that don't exist in his native language
French is known for having some difficult-to-pronounce sounds, such as the famous consonant "r" or the vowels "u" and "ou." Since these sounds don't exist in your native language, you'll have a hard time hearing and distinguishing them. Vowel pairs like "u"/"ou" or "eu" (game) and "oeu" (heart) are particularly difficult for French learners to hear and pronounce.

Read also: 7 pronunciation difficulties for English speakers

French is not pronounced as it is written.
A language with transparent orthography means that one sound corresponds to one letter and vice versa. French is anything but a transparent language: there are 32 sounds and over 250 ways to write them! In other words, there is a huge gap between written and spoken French.

So, knowing the spelling of a word is not enough to know its pronunciation. If you only learn to read texts, you will struggle to understand spoken French.

Another thing to consider: the French swallow words. Some letters, such as the "e", are not pronounced orally. For example, we don't say "Tu vois ce que je veux dire", but "Tu vois c' qu' j' veux dire?"

Lack of vocabulary
Lack of vocabulary can hinder your listening comprehension in French. It is therefore essential to study vocabulary throughout your learning. Be careful, knowing a word means knowing how to write and pronounce it correctly!

Read also: Learn French vocabulary (and never forget it again)

How to improve your listening comprehension: 7 tips
Tips for understanding the French
1. Choose an audio adapted to your level of French
To improve your listening comprehension in French, the first thing to do is to choose an audio file adapted to your language level.

The principle is simple: you must understand between 60 and 80% of the content. Indeed, if you choose an audio source that is too easy to understand, you will get bored. On the other hand, if it is too difficult, it will discourage you and you will quickly give up.

For beginner and intermediate learners, I recommend short videos of a few minutes. Then, once you have progressed and are more comfortable, you can watch movies or series.

Good to know: you can find videos adapted to your language level on TV5 Monde . The dialogues are classified by level according to the CECRL (A1 to C2).