{"id":5811,"date":"2017-08-05T15:21:09","date_gmt":"2017-08-05T15:21:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.blablafrancais.com\/?p=5811"},"modified":"2024-04-22T09:56:23","modified_gmt":"2024-04-22T09:56:23","slug":"how-to-understand-spoken-french-better","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.blablafrancais.com\/how-to-understand-spoken-french-better\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Understand Spoken French: An Easy Approach (with audio)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As a learner of the French language, you\u2019ve probably found out that, no matter how much you study, understanding everyday spoken French is an enormous challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The problem is the same in many languages : you can learn grammar and vocabulary, you can master reading and even writing, but when it comes to listening to spoken language, it\u2019s just a whole different ball game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But why is understanding spoken French so difficult ? In my experience of language learning, the challenge stems from 3 major aspects of spoken languages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first aspect is contractions. In spoken French, we might say they are elevated to an art form !   The same can be said about spoken Spanish (particularly in Andalucia) and Portuguese (very similar to French in that respect).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contractions make it extremely hard for an untrained ear to distinguish the words and phrases being spoken.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second challenge is the high frequency use of colloquialisms \/ slang words and phrases.  It\u2019s like a second language, in parallel to standard French.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The third factor is speed.  As if constantly contracting words and using colloquial phrases in everyday speech wasn\u2019t enough, native French speakers typically speak at breakneck speed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So how can you better understand spoken French ?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At this point I could start to list the usual obvious tips such as, practice with natives, listen to podcasts, watch TV shows, switch your phone language to French etc etc.  I\u2019ll spare you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve been teaching myself spoken European Portuguese, which is a very difficult language to hear, even if you know French and Spanish like I do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reading Portuguese for me is a breeze, but listening to spoken Portuguese has been a totally cryptic experience.  I started understanding it the hard way, by spending time in the country and listening to people, often without getting a single word.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This steep learning curve, however, helped me think of an approach that I\u2019ve since tested successfully on my students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s assume you\u2019re not starting from scratch, and are already familiar with basic words and phrases such as hello, how are you, thank you, please, my name is, what time is it, and a few others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s a simple process I\u2019ve tested that really helps learners build their understanding of spoken French :<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Start with a short, simple conversation using words and phrases you understand in standard French (just 2 or 3 lines). Make sure the conversation makes sense, that is, there\u2019s a context.

2. Now replace some of the standard words or phrases with colloquial ones

3. Listen to the modified version again, then at an increased speed

4. Rinse and repeat with another short conversation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, you will need help to do this since you don\u2019t have the necessary mastery of the language to do it on your own - you\u2019re a learner after all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What you need is a native speaker to help go through these steps.  Then, each new spoken phrase you\u2019ll learn in context will serve as a building block for the following ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the rest of this article, I\u2019ll show you a few examples so you can see exactly how this works.  By following the approach outlines in these examples, you\u2019ll start quickly improving your understanding of spoken French.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Understand spoken French : I\u2019m hungry<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s start with a simple phrase you can easily understand in spoken French :<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJ\u2019ai faim.\u201d (I\u2019m hungry)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now let\u2019s make it more colloquial :<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJ\u2019ai la dalle.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\nhttps:\/\/www.blablafrancais.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/2-g-la-dalle.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s add a logical sequel to this :<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIl n\u2019y a pas quelque chose \u00e0 manger ?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\nhttps:\/\/www.blablafrancais.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/3-il-ny-a-pas-qq-chose-a-manger.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n\n\n\n

This would translate to, is there anything to eat ?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s listen to a more typical way to pronounce it :<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYa pas queq\u2019 chose \u00e0 manger ?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\nhttps:\/\/www.blablafrancais.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/4-ya-pas-qq-chose-a-manger.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n\n\n\n

As you can hear, \u201cil n\u2019y pas\u201d has been contracted to \u201cya pas\u201d, omitting the \u201cil n\u2019 \u201c.   Also, \u201cquelque chose\u201d is contracted to \u201cqueq\u2019 chose\u201d, skipping the \u201cl\u201d and the \u201cque\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s put these 2 phrases together :<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJ\u2019ai la dalle ! Ya pas queq chose \u00e0 manger ?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\nhttps:\/\/www.blablafrancais.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/5-g-la-dalle-ya-pas-qq-chose-a-manger.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n\n\n\n

OK now let\u2019s come up with a response, first in correct French  :<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEh bien, il reste un peu de fromage dans le r\u00e9frig\u00e9rateur\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\nhttps:\/\/www.blablafrancais.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/6-eh-bien-il-reste-un-peu-fromage-ds-le-refri.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s hear the spoken version :<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBen, y reste un peu d\u2019fromage dans l\u2019frigo\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\nhttps:\/\/www.blablafrancais.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/7-ben-y-reste-un-peu-from-ds-lfrigo-SLOW.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n\n\n\n

Now understanding this spoken French phrase is somewhat of a challenge.  Clearly, the following conversions are taken place :<\/p>\n\n\n\n