Listen to the French radio to work on your listening skills

Many of my students ask me how they can improve their listening skills. Some of them already have a good understanding of the French grammar but they are really struggling to understand French people when they speak. If this is your case, stay tuned! A great way to improve your listening skills is to listen to the French radio! With this media, you can’t get any help from the visual environment, you really need to focus on what you are hearing. Does this sound too hard? Too fast? Not if you have the right tools! Today I am going to tell you about an amazing radio station that is really going to help you improve your listening skills: rfi savoirs.

Go straight to their website and check out the “apprendre et enseigner le français” category. You will find some interesting radio shows, specifically designed for people learning French. The vocabulary will be easier to understand and the journalists won’t speak too fast. What’s more, you will also find the transcription of the radio shows! This is amazing, right!? Now you have no excuse not to listen to the French radio!

At rfi savoirs, they have an amazing show called Le journal en français facile with the transcription. You will now be able to follow up the news in French thanks to this program.

Browse the rest of the “apprendre et enseigner” category. You will find many interesting programs in various fields: Culture, economy, history, science… They all have the transcription of the audio. Here is an example from the “culture” subcategory:

Mexique : un découverte surprenante

MY TIPS

• Listen to the show once or twice without looking at the transcription and see how much you can understand.
• Then listen to it one more time with the transcription for a better understanding
• Note down in your vocabulary note book the words that you didn’t know.

GOING FURTHER

Write down a summary of the radio show you have listenned to and send it to your French tutor who will be more than happy to correct it for you and explain the specific grammar points that you need to work on based on your summay.

FOR ADVANCED LEARNERS

If you already have a good level of French but want to take it further, try listening to France inter, a very popular French radio. Their programs are not designed for French learners but you will be able to find transcriptions for some of their programs, especially the short ones (2 to 4 minutes long).

Here are some examples:

INFO

• Chômage : où est le plancher ?

• Les larmes et le dépit politique d’Alain Jupé

• Gilets jaunes : comment le Rassemblement national espère en tirer parti

CULTURE

• François Berland, victime collatérale du coup de gueule de François Berléand sur les “Gilets jaunes”

• Que dit-on quand on dit “je t’aime”?
• Le mythe de la voiture autonome

I hope this was helpful! Let me know in the comment box which program you have enjoyed listening to. A bientôt!