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How many times have you had to ask a French speaker to repeat themselves?
It's frustrating, we know! But sometimes, even with the widest vocabulary and grammar knowledge, you still can't catch what someone's saying in French—even if it's super simple.
There's no need to beat yourself up. Even in our native language, we don't always understand what someone's saying the first time. That being said, there are steps you can take to improve in this area.
You need to practise not just understanding written French but also spoken French. To do that, it takes hours and hours of French listening practice. To ensure this is time well spent, we've compiled some tips on how to make your French listening practice effective below!
Active Listening
Active listening is a deliberate study session. It involves playing audio with the intention of understanding as much as possible. For example, you could set the goal of pausing the audio every time you don't recognise a word and learning it right then and there.
Likewise, you could spend a study session on several of our listening exercises. Depending on the exercise you choose, you could be asked to transcribe an audio clip, for example, and then receive feedback on where you made mistakes.
This method also works in conversation, whether you're listening to a tutor or conversing with French speakers in your area or online. Listen attentively to understand as much as possible, and be sure to ask them to repeat or clarify unfamiliar words and phrases so you can learn them.
Passive Listening
Passive listening is not a study session. The focus is not on understanding every word. Rather, you're immersing yourself in French audio while you carry on with other tasks.
Listening to French in this way helps your ears adjust to the rhythm and accent of the language. To get started, listen to French radio, podcasts, or other media at home or on your commute.
If you can make this a daily habit, you'll notice the difference! Even though you're not learning new words, you're hearing them. When you do get to the point of learning those words, they'll come much more naturally, as you've heard them so many times before.
Resources to Develop French Listening Skills
If you learn only through active listening, you'll be overwhelmed by heaps of new vocabulary. But your understanding can't develop with passive listening alone. So here's how to find tools for both!
Active Listening Tools
While you can practise active listening with any audio, it's easier with something responsive. For example, you can ask a tutor to explain or even spell the word you're not catching.
If you prefer to study solo, our specially designed listening exercises are the best option. They can be filtered by level, and they correct your mistakes!
Passive Listening Resources
As for passive listening, sources are everywhere! Any audio, from radio to YouTube, can help fine-tune your ear to French.
A word of caution, though – choose audio with relevant vocabulary, preferably made by teachers or language experts.
To reap the greatest benefit, your ear should be adjusting to words that you will eventually use in daily life. In other words, a highly scientific documentary is probably less helpful than the evening news.
A Two-Pronged Attack!
While passive listening works with most audio, a good active listening tool is harder to come by.
We've made ours stand out by using native French teachers to create them. They know not only how to speak the language but also the best way for you to learn it. So they designed our exercises to specifically help you overcome the listening hurdles ahead.
Would you like to access all our free listening exercises? Then sign up for a free Kwiziq account today!
