“Why do I find French listening so hard!?” This is probably one of the biggest struggles we hear from French students. And it is completely understandable. Listening is a different skill altogether from simply reading and writing. It does take quite a bit of practice. We often hear from learners that French is spoken too fast, or that they don’t have knowledge of enough vocabulary to understand what is being said.That’s why today we are sharing 10 useful tips for you to improve your French listening comprehension skills. Take a look:

1. Make the most of out of transcripts

Listening and reading at the same time can help you to make the connection between written and spoken French. This is particularly beneficial if you are a total beginner and feel like you can’t understand much at all! You might want to have a read of the transcript first by itself, then accompanied by the audio. Then use the transcript alongside the audio to focus on the pronunciation and rhythm of the voice. Once you feel a bit more comfortable, remove the transcript and only listen to the audio. This may take a few attempts, but it is all about practice.

2. Keep learning new vocabulary and grammar

To be able to understand French, you first need to know what words mean in French! As well as mastering grammar rules and the various tenses. This means you should constantly be expanding your vocabulary list and re-visiting grammar rules.

Regular exposure to the French language can be in the form of reading and writing, as well as speaking and listening. You can’t neglect one and prioritize the rest. They are all important!

3. Begin getting used to the rhythm of French (Intonation)

It is important to familiarize yourself with the rhythm of the French language. French is considered to be a syllable- timed language. This means it tends to have an evenly- paced flow and sounds melodious. But when asking a question in French, the final syllable sometimes experiences a rise. Having knowledge of this will make listening a lot easier to understand. This is because intonation affects the emotion, expression and meaning of a sentence.

4. Increase the listening difficulty gradually

It’s important to know what level of French you are at. You need to be doing listening comprehensions that challenge you, but don’t overwhelm you. As a general rule, you could aim for listening content where you can understand around 70% of the words. This means you should get the general context of what is being spoken, but still come across new words and terms. As your listening comprehension improves you will slowly want to increase the difficulty level so that you are constantly working your way up.

5. Practice active listening

The previous point leads me to this one: you must practice active listening. This means you are not simply listening to a podcast or a song and then completely forget about it. Active listening means engaging with the content you are listening to. This can look like highlighting new words you are unfamiliar with and looking them up. It can also look like repeating out loud what you hear on the audio so you get some speaking practice. Find out what works best for you.

6. Repeat what you are listening to

It probably sounds obvious but many people don’t do it so it’s important to make it clear: repeat what you are listening to as many times as needed. It’s quite rare that you will understand everything that has been said the first time round (maybe even the second and third time round). This is because listening is a practice. You need to keep tuning your ear. It’s also important to make listening comprehension a regular part of your daily life. Aim for maybe 10-20 minutes daily. Repetition, repetition, repetition!

7. Learn with a French native tutor

Working with a native French teacher can help you to make strides with your French listening skills. A tutor can help you to build your confidence quicker than any app or podcast. They will focus on your weak points whilst encouraging speaking and listening via direct communication. We have many qualified tutors at French à La Carte who can support you.

8. Beware of silent letters

Silent letters catch out French learners a lot. The French language is full of them. For example, many consonants at the end of words tend to be silent (x, p , t, s, z, d …). This can confuse learners because they can’t tell when the word ends!

The most common unpronounced letter in French is the ‘e’. It is also the only French vowel which sometimes isn’t pronounced. And let’s not forget the many words that end in a silent -ent .

Make sure to learn the rules around French silent letters so you don’t fall in the classic traps!

9. Be familiar with ‘Liaison’ and ‘Elision’

‘Liaison’ and ‘Elision’ often make understanding difficult for French learners. Liaison happens when the final consonant of one word is linked to the following word, which begins with a vowel or a vowel sound (y or h). The effect is that 2 words end up sounding like 1. So it can be difficult to distinguish one word from another.

Elision happens when one word ends with a vowel and the next also starts with a vowel. So, the final vowel of the first word is dropped and replaced with an apostrophe. The words slide together. Can you see why this can be tricky for learners?

10. Find the media that works best for you

Some people prefer to practice listening comprehension with music, movies and videos. Others prefer using podcasts or audio books. Some prefer using a mixture. There is no right and wrong here. I personally started off with podcasts as they tend to be slower and have transcripts and then began watching movies and series (where the speech is usually faster).

Would you like to improve your French listening comprehension ?

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10 Tips to Master Your French Listening Comprehension