Welcome to Something French!
26 May 2021Bienvenue à Something French! Nous sommes une communauté qui cherche à faciliter des échanges inter-interculturels entre des apprenants d’anglais et de français. N’Hésitez pas de participer à nos activités en cours:
Welcome to Something French! We are a language-learning community dedicated to giving people a place to practice their English/French together. Don’t know where to start?
Section FAQ starts below:
I’m brand new to French. Where should I begin?
Absolute beginners can get a quick start HERE.
Learning a language is akin to learning an entire host of new skills at once. Not only will you have to learn how to recognize new words and sounds, then re-produce them by writing and speaking, but you will also have to spend time getting your head around French grammar rules which may not be intuitive if you have never spoken a Romance language before.
For this reason, it is my belief that when just starting out, the most efficient way of learning French is to take a class. Your progress in all these competencies will all be managed for you by a teacher and you will not have to force yourself to drill on conjugations alone.
Make sure you spend enough time at the beginning to become as comfortable with basic verb conjugations and with adjectives and genders as possible, as well as to learn core vocabulary before you move onto more complicated material. (Duolingo is fantastic at this stage.)
For beginners and intermediates alike, this Youtube video is worth a watch and gives a good roadmap for resources you will be able to use to bolster your learning (rated by level.)
Ian Powers - How to Learn French / Comment Apprendre Le Français.
What level am I?/What does Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced mean?
Alternatively: (What is DELF, DALF, A1/A2, B1/B2, C1/C2?)
The most common way used to describe one’s French level online is according to the standard of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. (CEFR) and the tests that they administer. (DELF/DALF)
Generally speaking: Intermediate is considered the level at which you start to become more self-sufficient in your language learning. (Reading light news articles, digesting listening content in neutrally-accented French). Advanced level does not mean virtually fluent but does mean that you are confident in consuming native-level input. For more details, consult the following rubrics below:
Grille pour auto-évaluation du CECR - version française
Self-Assessment Grid for the CEFR - English version.
Resources:
Some of the resources I used when going from A2 to C1:
French-learning Youtube Channels:
Super Easy French – playlist of entry-level French conversations, subtitled.
Easy French – same as above, a little harder.
French Comprehensible Input – Videos in full French, rated by level.
Hugo of InnerFrench Podcast - Videos on numerous topics.
Other channels: TV shows/News Broadcasts/Factual
Y’a que la verité qui compte + Imineo - Fantastic 2000s show about reviving lost connections.
L’histoire nous le dira – Québécois history channel, has subs.
ARTE Channel - Interesting well-produced documentaries.
News/Actualités Start with factual articles first, then move onto chroniques when reaching C-level.
LaPresse - Simple language, no-nonsense NA-centric news w/ easy-to-use interface.
Le Devoir - Similar to above, more Québec-centric.
Audiovisual
Ça s'explique (B1+) - Fantastic Québécois podcast to catch you up on issues of the day. The host, Alexis de Lancer, invites journalists on to give a short 15-minute exposé about a current issue.
RFI: Le journal en français facile (B1+) fast, be focused for this one.
*Special mention for Apprendre le français by TV5Monde which offers graded quizzes based on real news content. (Good for all levels.)
Podcasts
All of these are likely also accessible via the Google Podcasts or iTunes app.
InnerFrench (A2+) - The gold standard of podcasts oriented towards French learners. Free, effective, and gets harder (better, faster, stronger) as you go. Website offers transcriptions for self-directed dictation practice.
French voices (B1+) - Interviews with native francophones from France who talk comfortably at a natural pace - transcriptions are provided.
Sixième science (B1+) - Explorations into various current-day science topics.
Radio-Canada (B2+) - Use at your own peril, these are fast and difficult to keep up with if you don't have much exposure to Canadian french!
Social Media (Drip-feed yourself some French every day.)
Facebook pages
News: LaPresse / Le Devoir / Le Monde
Pop Culture: Imineo / Kombini / Brut / Vice
Reddit - General
r/French, r/learnfrench, r/frenchimmersion
Regional subs
r/Quebec, r/France, r/rance, http://r/jeudeplateau, r/francedetendue
Youtube - Too many channels to count - just give yourself a handful and (if you are really serious) wean yourself off anything else in your own language.
Grammar Guide (Suggested learning order)
While many resources already exist for learning French grammar on the internet, Tex’s French Grammar is pretty complete for anyone looking to read a clear explanation of any major grammatical concept.
https://www.laits.utexas.edu/tex/gr/index.html
The following document gives a suggested order for those seeking to study or top-up on grammar on their own and should be good to give you everything you need to know up until B1/B2 level.
Server-made Tutos
Something French Video tutorials (because I like to listen to the sound of my own voice):- (A little easier to use than European AZERTY)