5 Best TV Series For Improving Your French
Are you always trying to look for new ways to improve your French skills? Are you bored of flipping through textbooks for foreigners? The best way to learn a language is to live in the country, surrounded by native speakers. But what if that is not possible? Watching French series might just be the way forward! Using streaming services like Netflix and Amazon makes language learning entertaining and enjoyable. In this week post I share with you five of the best French TV series to help you to improve your French.
Nicole Baptista
Learning French from TV series is fun and efficient
Watching TV series helps you to hear how words are meant to be pronounced, something which is hard to do through just reading. You will eventually begin to sound more natural when speaking French. You might even be able to pick up on different accents!
Additionally, you will come across lots of new vocabulary and common french expressions which are often not mentioned in textbooks and grammar books.
Most series nowadays offer the option of subtitles. Studies have shown that people who watch movies with subtitles retain more aurally than those who watch them without. This is a great opportunity to improve your listening skills. But also your comprehension skills.
How to use TV series in your learning experience
Initially, you may find it hard to follow everything that’s being said. But subtitles make this easier. Feel free to pause the show whenever you need to. It might be useful to write down 4 or 5 phrases you pick up for every episode you watch. This is a great way to build up your vocabulary.
To be truly fluent in a language you need to be able to understand and communicate effectively and naturally with others.
It takes time and patience, but you’ll be surprised at how much French you can understand after some “Netflix bingeing”. Plus, you will be learning about aspects of French culture and history along the way.
Here are 5 popular French series to get you started:
1. Dix Pour Cent
Also known as ‘Call my agent!’ in English. This comedy-drama is set in a Parisian talent firm, where a team of agents takes us behind-the-scenes of celebrity living. If you’re looking for a good laugh, this one’s for you. Oh, and it features big cinema names such as Isabelle Huppert and Monica Bellucci.
Where to watch: Netflix
2. The Bureau (Le Bureau des Légendes)
Described as the best series ever made in France by Le Figaro, this espionage thriller will have you hooked from start to finish. Starring the famous Mathieu Kassovitz, this series offers you a glance of life undercover, following spies on missions to countries such as Iraq and Russia.
Where to watch: Amazon
3. Braquo
This dark, action-packed series is also set in Paris. It features four cops who turn their backs against the law after their squad leader is falsely accused of corruption and commits suicide. They go to extreme lengths to clear their partner’s name. This one isn’t for the faint-hearted.
Watch on: Just Watch
4. Engrenages
Or ‘spiral’ in English. This police thriller dives into the world of drug dealing, prostitution, and serial killers. It follows the private lives of lawyers, judges, and police officers at the Palais de Justice in Paris. Engrenages won the International Emmy Award for Best Series in 2015.
Watch on: Canal+
5. Versailles
This one is for all the history lovers. It’s set during the reign of Louis XIV, when the French nobility began to disobey the monarchy. We are introduced to a world of secret love affairs, deception, and violence. Interestingly, ‘Versailles’ was filmed in English, but you can add French subtitles and still practice!
Watch on: Canal+