French

[asfcjfdyitfhglh]

I've been studying French for a few years now, and I've been doing pretty well. Here's my problem; understanding it. I can write it fine, and read it just as well. I can speak it fairly eloquently. What gets me is when another person is talking in French to me. I can pull out certain words, but it's incredibly fast, and I have to ask them to slow down. Any tips on how I could understand it when they're speaking normally, without needing to ask for them to slow down? It's kind of embarrassing to ask it so often.

 

Thanks!

[Beaumonde]

I'm currently in French 5B at my High School (as part of the IB program, don't worry if you have no idea what that is), our teacher taught us two exercises which really helped with our listening comprehension:

1. Dictations: pick a French text on the level that you read and have someone read it one sentence at a time and try to write it yourself, skip lines and after you're through use a red pen to re-write the words you didn't pick out correctly, it'll develop you're ear for words that sound similar and give you a better understanding of complex sentence constructions
   
2. Listen to music: you can also try to listen to some French pop music, read the lyrics a couple of times, then listen and eventually try to sing along or pause and repeat what they just sang. Some fast Yelle or Carla Bruni music should do fine, but you can try anything you want that's at least moderately fast
   

Besides practicing listening or using some of these exercises, I can't really come up with anything else for you. The only way to do better is to practice.

[asfcjfdyitfhglh]

I'm currently in French 5B at my High School (as part of the IB program, don't worry if you have no idea what that is), our teacher taught us two exercises which really helped with our listening comprehension:

1. Dictations: pick a French text on the level that you read and have someone read it one sentence at a time and try to write it yourself, skip lines and after you're through use a red pen to re-write the words you didn't pick out correctly, it'll develop you're ear for words that sound similar and give you a better understanding of complex sentence constructions
   
2. Listen to music: you can also try to listen to some French pop music, read the lyrics a couple of times, then listen and eventually try to sing along or pause and repeat what they just sang. Some fast Yelle or Carla Bruni music should do fine, but you can try anything you want that's at least moderately fast
   

Besides practicing listening or using some of these exercises, I can't really come up with anything else for you. The only way to do better is to practice.

 

 

Thanks! I've got a few French pop songs on my iPod, I'll give those a listen :)

[fastortoise]

Watch french TV. Like the french version of the Simpsons or something.

[Sbrideau]

Not just tv, but some movies you might have already seen in English, that can help you. Video games as well can help you, if they have a french version on the same disc as the English version. Video games and movies are actually some things that helped me learn English faster.

[Gradeskip]

Haha beaumonde, ive done the IB program when I was in high school too! :)

 

And french is my main language, feel free to PM me Soj for any french-related questions. :)

[Hobgoblinpie]

You could watch English movies with French subtitles. That would help to a degree. Or, watch French films with French subtitles, that would also help.

[asfcjfdyitfhglh]

Thanks everybody! I've set my iPod's language to French and will try to find some more French movies to watch over break.

[Crocefisso]

A very good French film (in terms of entertainment value) is Les Triplettes de Belleville.

[Beaumonde]

A very good French film (in terms of entertainment value) is Les Triplettes de Belleville.

Never thought about recommending movies. Here are some that are really good, although some are kinda old, also note that French cinema is often very sad:

• Jean de Florette
  
• Manon des sources
  
• Les quatre cents coups
  
• À bout de souffle
  
• Week End (by Godard, there are several films with similar titles)
  
• Ma vie en rose (very bizarre, it's about a young transgender boy)
  
• Persepolis
  
• Il y a longtemps que je t'aime
  
• La pianiste (very graphic and sexual)
  
• Amélie
  
• La passion de Jeanne d'Arc
  
• Le retour de Martin Guerre
  
• Belle de jour (extremely sexual)
  
• La Gloire de mon père
  
• Le château de ma mère
  
• Au revoir les enfants
  
• Les diaboliques
  
• La Symphonie Pastorale
  
• Un homme et une femme
  
• Entre les murs
  

Wow, didn't think I would come up with a list that long. Anyways, most of them I've watched for my French or Film classes. You also might want to look them up before watching them, some are rather sexual (although I noted the worst offenders), but I don't know if that's a problem for you.

 

Edit: Oh, forgot to mention, although most of these are available with English subtitles, I highly recommend watching them with either French or no subtitles. If you need to look up a synopsis first to get and idea of what's going to happen, the try to immerse yourself in the French.

[Sbrideau]

Somehow French is my mother tongue and I've never heard of most of those movies. Probably because when I listen to movies filmed in french, they're Quebec movies rather than France movies or something, not sure.

[Beaumonde]

Somehow French is my mother tongue and I've never heard of most of those movies. Probably because when I listen to movies filmed in french, they're Quebec movies rather than France movies or something, not sure.

Most of them I've been introduced to by other people. My french teacher is rather old and has had us watch many of the older ones (Jean de Florette, Le retour de Martin Guerre, La Gloire de mon père, Au revoir les enfants, Les diaboliques). For a project on French New Wave cinema for my film class we had to watch: Les quatre cents coups, À bout de souffle, and Week End. Some of them I know because of the unit for film we did on Palme d'Or winners: Entre les murs (2008), La symphonie pastorale (1946), also Persepolis won the Jury Prize in 2007. La pianiste and Belle de jour I watched for a documentary I had to write on sex and nudity in cinema :???: . Amélie and Il y a longtemps que je t'aime (screened as I've Loved You So Long in English countries) are recent movies that did well in American theaters too, if I remember correctly.

 

Many of them are slightly obscure, artsy things that people who aren't film snobs wouldn't necessarily be drawn to, but my film teacher is super picky. Also, I don't watch many Québécois movies because I find the accent hard to understand, having learned very traditional Académie française French. We have one substitute who sometimes subs for our French teacher who is from Montreal and I basically can't understand a thing she says in French or English.

[Guest Rob]

I'm in an extended French program in high-school. I can be considered bi-lingual; my French skills are definitely above average for an English-speaker. I don't know how well I could hold a French conversation though.

Oh, out of those movies, I've only seen Amélie. Most people were too weirded out to enjoy it. I thought it was funny, though.

[All_Is_Great]

Me and my friends were in IB french. I quit in grade 12, my friend didn't, he ended up getting a 3 haha

[Sbrideau]

Somehow French is my mother tongue and I've never heard of most of those movies. Probably because when I listen to movies filmed in french, they're Quebec movies rather than France movies or something, not sure.

Most of them I've been introduced to by other people. My french teacher is rather old and has had us watch many of the older ones (Jean de Florette, Le retour de Martin Guerre, La Gloire de mon père, Au revoir les enfants, Les diaboliques). For a project on French New Wave cinema for my film class we had to watch: Les quatre cents coups, À bout de souffle, and Week End. Some of them I know because of the unit for film we did on Palme d'Or winners: Entre les murs (2008), La symphonie pastorale (1946), also Persepolis won the Jury Prize in 2007. La pianiste and Belle de jour I watched for a documentary I had to write on sex and nudity in cinema :???: . Amélie and Il y a longtemps que je t'aime (screened as I've Loved You So Long in English countries) are recent movies that did well in American theaters too, if I remember correctly.

 

Many of them are slightly obscure, artsy things that people who aren't film snobs wouldn't necessarily be drawn to, but my film teacher is super picky. Also, I don't watch many Québécois movies because I find the accent hard to understand, having learned very traditional Académie française French. We have one substitute who sometimes subs for our French teacher who is from Montreal and I basically can't understand a thing she says in French or English.

 

I agree, the Québécois are pretty hard to understand, but from an Acadian standpoint, speaking both English and French is a need depending on where you live, especially the Canadian Maritimes. Funny fact: The Québécois think I come from France, and the Français think I come from Québec. Just because the Acadian French is the Old French, which means that all it has in common with Québec or France French is the base.

[Hobgoblinpie]

I concur with the suggestion of Jean De Florette & Manon Des Sources. Some of the best films I've ever watched.

 

If you can stand violence (this movie also has quite a disturbing rape scene), you could watch Irréversible. It's an intense film with a great story, but seriously, the scene I mentioned is hard to stomach.

[Sbrideau]

I concur with the suggestion of Jean De Florette & Manon Des Sources. Some of the best films I've ever watched.

 

If you can stand violence (this movie also has quite a disturbing rape scene), you could watch Irréversible. It's an intense film with a great story, but seriously, the scene I mentioned is hard to stomach.

Thanks, I might get them, even if French is my first langauge. Never hurts to see actuall French movies instead of American Movies.

[asfcjfdyitfhglh]

I doubt my library has those titles :P

 

I'll see if they're on Netflix, though, and thanks for the list!

[Kaida23]

Thanks, I might get them, even if French is my first langauge. Never hurts to see actuall French movies instead of American Movies.

That's always your best bet. Besides the fact that films dubbed into another language never quite look right (unless it's done for comic effect, of course), our translations aren't always the best. I just saw Step Up 3 in the "previously viewed movies" rack at the convenience store down the road and the French title on it was "Dansez Dans La Rue 3". <_<

 

Perhaps it's just wishful thinking that they'll get hit by a car and won't make a 4th one. :lol:

[highlanders]

That's an odd problem. Most people I've met understand most of what's being said but find it more challenging to word replies because of a lack of practice and vocabulary. Watching French films with the French subtitles might help you relate the sound with the written word. However ideally you would have a conversation partner to practice with.

[Beaumonde]

That's an odd problem. Most people I've met understand most of what's being said but find it more challenging to word replies because of a lack of practice and vocabulary. Watching French films with the French subtitles might help you relate the sound with the written word. However ideally you would have a conversation partner to practice with.

Ideally everyone would learn languages by immersion. Outside of native populations the only people to talk to are most likely your teacher and classmates (who are sometimes worse than you are).

 

However, you might be able to find a conversation partner over the internet via Skype or iChat/Facetime. Think of it as a new aged pen pal. Although, it's likely that you'll only be able to find people who will want to practice their English with you in return, so that would be double the time investment.

[highlanders]

Ideally everyone would learn languages by immersion.

As a child yes, as an adult no. If today you decided to learn Chinese and took a plane to China, you wouldn't learn a thing. Children learn because their parents and teachers are willing to spend time teaching them. No one will waste time on a confused adult foreigner that knows nothing. People need to learn the basics of a language before they go to a foreign country. Furthermore if you plan on living there, you will obviously need a job. If you can't understand other people, you're not going to get a job, end of story.