French Lessons in Darwin

Babbel

If you want to take your speaking skills and pronunciation to the next level, it’s important that you practise outside of your course lessons. And what better way to learn than to use the tools and resources you already know, like your mobile phone? Download Babbel’s app and put your French skills into play. The app uses artificial intelligence to enable you to record yourself saying words and phrases, and then provides immediate feedback about your pronunciation, grammar and more. There are also plenty of vocabulary drills for you to try, so you will surely develop your knowledge quickly and accurately. Start practising with the app!

MosaLingua’s Learn French

Are you struggling to remember the words you learn in your classes with Listen & Learn? Acquiring new vocabulary (and knowing how to use it) can be tough, but there are plenty of resources and apps that can help you on your language journey. One great example is MosaLingua’s Learn French app, which focuses on vocabulary learning and memorisation. Make use of the thousands of flashcards that not only make learning easy, but also feature audio files with the correct pronunciation, as recorded by native speakers. Furthermore, the app has an interactive dictionary you can use to look for terms you don’t know yet! Get started with Mosalingua!

Learn French ASAP

Are you looking to build your foreign language vocabulary, develop proper grammar and become fluent in a short time? Make use of the many free mobile apps for language learning out there. For example, the Learn French ASAP app by Brainscape provides students with contextual repetition for their learning needs and level. With this app, you’ll have access to more than 10,000 flashcards, grammar explanations and even personalised feedback from professional instructors (if you decide to pay for their monthly subscription). It even has a forum where you can interact with other language learners and make new friends while practising your new skills! Get started with Learn French ASAP!

Natoo

Natoo is a French female comedian that creates funny content around everyday life topics, like travel, pets and music. Her videos always start with phrases like ‘Bonjour, j’ai tenté un intro un peu original’, so they are an excellent way to start learning conversational phrases and greetings in French. One great advantage you should consider is that her videos come with English subtitles, so you can understand everything she’s saying, even if you are just a beginner. The videos are quite short (3-5 minutes), so you’ll surely be able to fit them into your schedule. Click here to subscribe.

Studio Bagel

As the name suggests, this YouTube channel is not run by just one person but a group of YouTubers that speak about topics as varied as aliens, being in a long-distance relationship and movie trailers. Different from other artists on the platform, there’s nobody talking directly to the camera in this case. Instead, you’ll find short movies and documentaries, presented at a slow pace and using a clear style, that will suit intermediate level learners just fine. Most of the videos do not have any subtitles, so they are more suitable for advanced levels looking to fine-tune their listening comprehension skills. Click here to subscribe.

Je ne suis pas jolie

Looking for beauty tips and trends while you put your French comprehension skills to use? Then, you should definitely subscribe to the Je ne suis pas jolie YouTube channel. It is run by Lea, a vlogger who uploads videos about lifestyle and fashion on a weekly basis. In addition to talking about beauty, she also discusses the challenges of being curvy in a society that does not fully accept plus-sized people. So, on top of learning new words like maquillage (make-up), portefeuille (wallet) or défilé de mode (fashion show), you’ll also gain new insights into the fascinating French culture. Click here to subscribe to this beauty channel.

CNews

If you’re a beginner who wants to improve their French listening skills, lexicon and comprehension of different accents, then watching the news is a great idea. But don’t overwhelm yourself with an intense, half-hour news programme. Instead, listen to the news in bite-sized chunks and focus on one story at a time. A good option is CNews, a channel launched in 1999 and uses very simple vocabulary, slow cadence and clear enunciation when delivering the news in French. Also, it’s known for being one of the fastest broadcasters to report the news as events happen, so you’ll always be up-to-date! Get started with news in French here!

La Chaine Info (LCI)

Are you looking to take your French listening skills to the next level while improving your knowledge of what is going on in France and the rest of the world? Then, La Chaine Info might be the channel for you. It broadcasts news that focuses on politics, cinema, lifestyle, people, economy, sports, technology and world affairs, serving customers both in France and abroad. Plus, La Chaine also offers a free-to-access webpage with daily world news in simplified written French, which is perfect for students wishing to practise their reading skills while acquiring new, formal vocabulary. Get started with news in French here!

FRANCE Ô

As you learn French, you’re also learning important details about the countries in which the language is spoken, including France, Canada and Belgium, among others. And by watching the news told from a French perspective, you will broaden your knowledge of these cultures because you will learn more about current affairs, entertainment, economy, opinions and sports. One great option to obtain this information regularly and improve your French is by watching France Ô. This free-to-air television channel broadcasts news and programmes not just from Metropolitan France, but also from overseas territories, so it features different French accents and dialects, like those of Canada, Belgium and the Guineo-Congolian region. Get started with news in French here!

Caillou

Caillou is a great cartoon you can find on YouTube for your kids to acquire Canadian French. It has more than 200 episodes that follow the adventures of Caillou, a young child who is always trying to help his friends and family. Each episode revolves around a certain topic, such as Caillou going to school or going to the zoo, so your kids will be exposed to different vocabulary and expressions each time. Also, as the videos can be found on YouTube, new learners can turn on the English subtitles and not miss a thing! Click here to know more about Caillou

French Games.net

FrenchGames.net offers games of all types for children to develop their French skills. For example, the game “Sow Grow” tests listening comprehension by uttering different words in French and asking kids to click the correct picture to earn points. There are also spelling games, where children are presented with a picture and they have to choose the correct option to identify it. The many alternatives are similar, and your kids will have to pay attention to win! Some categories covered by the games include food, family, animals, numbers and phrases, so there are no limits to the language your child can acquire while playing! Check out the games here!

Frère Jacques

Children love music. This is a great advantage when learning a foreign language, as songs do wonders when it comes to improving their listening and speaking skills. Furthermore, your kids can retain information and new vocabulary much more easily when singing something that appeals to them. Frère Jacques is a great song for children to learn new verbs and the word order in questions. It’s about a friar who mustn’t fall asleep before saying his prayers, so his friends ask him dormez-vous? (are your sleeping?), comptez-vous? (are you counting?) and chantez-vous? (are you singing?) to help him stay awake. Click here to know more about this rhyme.