People speak any language because of two processes namely acquisition and learning. Acquisition usually takes place when you start speaking your native language as a baby does, whereas learning takes place in the case of acquiring a second or third language, which requires a bit of effort from the learner’s side. Nowadays Podcast is the best way to increase your knowledge and here are the best podcasts to learn French.
Though, people of this era are quite willing to put efforts to learn more and more languages not only for professional purposes but for personal interest too.
For whatever reason people are becoming bilingual or multilingual nowadays, but it has been seen that French has its own set demand. Here we are going to talk about a new and quite effective way of learning French which is podcasts,
We will go through the best podcasts to learn French effectively but before that:
What is a Podcast?
Podcasts are simply recorded/pre-recorded audio content on particular subjects which can be accessed by downloading on devices like computers, mobile etc. through the internet.
The best thing about podcasts is that it offers flexibility, so you can listen to them anywhere and anytime on your devices, which means you can practice French even while doing other things like cooking, driving, walking etc.
Podcasts for learning French may not work for all, because every learner has their own unique learning style, which actually matters a lot, as some are good listeners they can retain for a long period whatever they listen and on the other hand, some are visual learners for them things do not make complete sense unless they witness the visuals.
But Podcasts for French learners can act as an initial point from where they can polish their listening skills and then, later on, speak too.
If you want to learn French but you don’t know where to start then definitely give it a try to podcasts, it possibly may turn out as an effective tool in your way of language learning.
9 Best Podcasts to Learn French Fast in 2020
In order to make it more convenient to search, I have arranged podcasts for French learners in accordance to match with their level of learning:
For Beginners:
- Je French
- FrenchPot 101
- Learn French By Podcast
For Intermediate Learners:
- One Thing on a French Day
- News in Slow French
- Daily French Pod
For Advanced Learners:
- Podcast FrançaisAuthentique
- Journal enfrançais facile
- Transfert
Best Podcasts to Learn French for Beginners
1. Je French
Je French is one of the best podcasts for beginners, it helps learners to get a grip on the basics of French like nouns, verbs, vocabulary, pronunciation etc.
A native French speaker beautifully converses in short and simple dialogues which provides a good understanding of sentence structure in French. In order to make the learner more familiar with the composition speaker repeats each sentence twice providing a line-wise translation of French sentences into English and also telling about the usage of the expressions for better understanding of learners.
Moreover, their focus on pronunciation is unshakable as they highly maintain the pronunciation standard which itself an advantage for French learners.
Another best thing about this podcast is the ongoing conversation which engages learners and provides an idea of how actual communication takes place in French. In this way, presenters teach language not the way a language should be taught but the way it should use while having a conversation.
2. FrenchPot 101
Frenchpod 101 is known as the most famous podcast for French learners, which provides episodes for learners of all levels from basic to advanced, on interesting and engaging topics which maintain learners’ interest in the process of learning a new language.
Podcasts for beginners contain a spoken list of vocabulary, first in French, then in English and other cultural and grammatical guidelines, whereas for intermediate or advanced learners’ podcast covers conversations between two presenters which give a better insight into how French is used in a real-life context.
Basic items such as a vocabulary list along with a few audios are available online for free and the rest are for paying members only.
3. Learn French By Podcast
It is a bilingual podcast in French and English, it covers three levels and offers a wide range of topics. For the first-level learners that are beginners, two hosts present the same topic but in different languages for better understanding. Firstly, the French speaker provides relevant information about the topic and then the English presenter translates in English whatever is being said by the French speaker.
And for the advanced learners, the entire episode was presented in French, even the explanation of vocabulary and other items.
The quality of the audio is good, the topics are interesting and the presentation is enjoyable, all these key points are great to bind learners’ concentration, and make it a good option to choose for learning French.
These podcasts are free, but they are charged for the helping guides.
Listen to Learn French by Podcast
Best Podcasts to Learn French for Intermediate
4. One Thing in a French Day
Another podcast for French learners is One Thing in a French Day, it is a good as well as a different podcast, where a French, Laetitia presents a three minutes episode about one daily life event such as shopping, picnic, visit etc. in French at normal speed.
She reflects language so accurately that her pronunciation, diction, and selection of words are so clear and crisp they can easily be understood by intermediate or advanced French learners but at the same time she also supplements learners with historical and cultural knowledge of France.
This unique idea of using language in a realistic context makes this podcast exceptionally good for French learners. Another plus point is podcasts, as well as transcripts both, are free and available for the learners.
Listen to One Thing in a French Day Podcast
5. News in Slow French
As the name itself indicates, it is a news bulletin kind of podcast where news headlines are enjoyably presented at a bit slower pace than usual, so that French learners can understand and learn the language in this way.
Though some selected episodes of News in Slow French are available for free, to get an idea of how effective it is but for more episodes there is a paid subscription. If you are willing to pay for podcasts to learn French then it is a good choice to make.
Listen to News in Slow French Podcast
6. Daily French Pod
The concept of this podcast is slightly different from others the presenter introduces us to short news stories and dialogues and then breaks them into chunks and repeats them twice to make them more comprehensible for the learners.
But the entire episode takes place in French that’s why basic familiarity with the language is needed. For sure not for beginners but these podcasts are much more suitable for intermediate-level learners.
The best part of Daily French Pod is that the episodes are of 4 minutes only, which means it provides relevant information to French learners in very less time.
Though the podcasts are free, you can purchase more learning materials from the website.
Listen to Daily French Pod Podcast
Best Podcasts to Learn French for Advanced Learners
7. Podcast FrançaisAuthentique
The best Podcast for advanced French learners is FrançaisAuthentique. The host of this podcast is a native speaker of French which reflects the language extremely well while maintaining a real accent of French.
This podcast is a great example for showing learners how native speakers actually speak French; their pronunciation, intonation, accent even the presentation, everything is so perfect, that it can successfully evoke learners’ interest in learning French even beginners.
Along with podcasts, videos and transcripts of the programs are available on the website free of cost but they do charge for courses.
Listen to Daily French Pod Podcast
8. Journal enfrançais facile
This podcast airs on France radio station, namely, Radio France International (RFI), which presents the most important news of the day in just 10 minutes at a bit slow speed so that you feel comfortable listening to French.
The best thing is, this podcast features native speakers of French who display beautiful usage of the simple vocabulary of everyday life at a normal speed.
Though these podcasts or broadcasts are meant for intermediate as well as advanced learners of French, without transcripts it becomes difficult for intermediate learners to follow it, luckily they do provide online transcripts of each episode but in my opinion, it is more suitable for advanced learners.
Both the podcasts and transcripts are available on the website for learners free of cost.
Listen to Journal Facile Podcast
9. Transfert
If you now feel that you are confident and fluent enough to indulge in a conversation with a native of French, then this podcast is for you.
Transfert gives a chance of expression to speakers where they share their thoughts, and ideas as well as their experiences of life related to various topics. So this is the mixed sort of platform in terms of voice and theme, which beautifully and naturally enhances your skills, helps in learning new vocabulary, and gives closer insight into the cultural understanding and mentality of Frenchmen.
With the help of technology like podcasts, videos and various other tools, learning a new language becomes an easy and fun task. If you don’t feel a podcast is the only tool to learn French so you can try other methods as well but do remember good listening skill acts as a base for other skills: speaking, reading and writing respectively.
So in simple words, language development starts from listening, and here podcast also has a great role.
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