Improving my listening ability

[hoary rose]

Please be patient

Our volunteers look into many questions every day; sometimes it takes them a little while to answer.

Pro tip: you can rename the thread title with `.tr <thread name>`

Make it descriptive, including relevant context, but also to the point. This way you improve your chances of getting a more relevant and specific answer.

Improving my listening ability

[prisma narwhal]

watch slow french videos, easyfrench has a ton of slow french for a1-a2, and has subtitles written word for word, check it out

https://youtube.com/@easyfrench

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnazreCxpqRlvlt5Pf4qn4bUoua5nU2Im&si=Al8adAIk-b6tKvom

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnazreCxpqRmpb4lGvzvCGXIXZkL3Nc27&si=WtaRITr03vtVMsma

better than tv as:

• you're not watching baby kid things
• subtitles are as they are spoken and not adjusted and modified to 'readibiliy'
• feels real and more grown up

[glacial cobalt]

exposure mostly

it comes in several forms:

• accustoming your ears to how French sounds: this part is generally the easiest. It can help you grow more accustomed to French sounds in general and help distinguish them, so you can better decypher the sentences. The reason it's the easiest is that you don't always need to understand exactly what's being said. Passive listening, for instance listening to French media with subtitles can greatly help with that because you can do it a lot more without getting too tired
• understanding the logic of the language: this part is basically translating your reading knowledge to listening knowledge. If you have experience with how the language works, you can find patterns in the language and expect how the rest of the sentence is gonna turn out. This way, even if you don't understand everything that is being said, you can basically guess.
• practice, practice: at the end of the day, the best way to be able to merge it all together in one skill is to try and listen to more media and try to understand using your knowledge. If you can't, check what you missed, why you missed it, and keep on going.

[fallen bough]

tres bon

merci beaucoup

[prisma narwhal]

bien :)

de rien

[fallen bough]

Oh, aussi

Quelquefois je utilise « Duolingo » sur mon portable

Je pense que c'est très bon pour les nouveaux mots

est-ce que utilisez-vous « Duolingo »?

[serene crow]

j'utilise*

[fallen bough]

ah oui merci beaucoup

[glacial cobalt]

Duolingo has its uses. It's good for introducing someone to a language and can help having consistent exposure. Some people enjoy the gamification aspect of it as well.
That said, it has its limits. If your objective is improving on your listening ability, I recommend stepping away from it in favor of passive French media listening, pronunciation and accent guides and other resources.

[serene crow]

il n'y a pas besoin de dire "est-ce que" si tu inverses le sujet et l'objet. on dirait soit "est-ce que vous utilisez Duolingo ?" ou "utilisez-vous Duolingo ?"

[fallen bough]

ah, d’accord merci

« est-ce que vois utilisez Duolingo? » est parfait