I have the Le DALF - 100% réussite preparation book published by Didier but I didn't use it much, in the end.
Both the Duolingo French and Little Talk in Slow French podcasts have English sprinkled throughout to help comprehension which I found very useful, and the topics they both cover are actually quite interesting. More interesting than une baguette s'il vous plait over and over again!
Learning French log (Road to DELF B1)
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Re: Learning French log (Road to DELF B1)
LanguageLearner0007 wrote:With listening, I couldn't find anything that is both interesting and easy enough for me to understand. Even the "easy" podcasts and audios are still incomprehensible for me. Only slowing down to 0.5x works sometimes. I am hoping one day the modern French culture produces something that can compete with the overwhelming English force and I can finally use that for my learning. Until then, I am confined to the dialogues like "À la boulangerie"...
If you have a B1 reading level you are ready to start listening to native materials. No really, you are. You just have to let go of the idea that you are going to understand everything. You won’t, and that’s okay. Find something you like well enough and dive in. A dubbed American TV show or maybe one of the Generation Sitcoms?
https://m.youtube.com/c/GénérationSitcoms
Then you just have to put the time in. At least 250 hours, but I absolutely promise it gets easier every 25 hours or so. It’s rough at first, but you will gradually understand more and more, completely effortlessly. It’s *so* worthwhile. After about 500 hours I’m watching Call My Agent now with no subtitles and no problems understanding the plot at all. I started with the first season of House of Cards where I understood less than 25%. I didn’t *do* anything, I just kept watching. (And I do recommend watching over listening at first. Visual clues are your friend! But watching TV totally prepared me for podcasts too.)
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Re: Learning French log (Road to DELF B1)
Lawyer&Mom wrote:LanguageLearner0007 wrote:With listening, I couldn't find anything that is both interesting and easy enough for me to understand. Even the "easy" podcasts and audios are still incomprehensible for me. Only slowing down to 0.5x works sometimes. I am hoping one day the modern French culture produces something that can compete with the overwhelming English force and I can finally use that for my learning. Until then, I am confined to the dialogues like "À la boulangerie"...
If you have a B1 reading level you are ready to start listening to native materials. No really, you are. You just have to let go of the idea that you are going to understand everything. You won’t, and that’s okay. Find something you like well enough and dive in. A dubbed American TV show or maybe one of the Generation Sitcoms?
https://m.youtube.com/c/GénérationSitcoms
Then you just have to put the time in. At least 250 hours, but I absolutely promise it gets easier every 25 hours or so. It’s rough at first, but you will gradually understand more and more, completely effortlessly. It’s *so* worthwhile. After about 500 hours I’m watching Call My Agent now with no subtitles and no problems understanding the plot at all. I started with the first season of House of Cards where I understood less than 25%. I didn’t *do* anything, I just kept watching. (And I do recommend watching over listening at first. Visual clues are your friend! But watching TV totally prepared me for podcasts too.)
Question is - do you enjoy it while watching in French? I tend to watch Netflix to relax and switch off and watching it in French is hard work)
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Re: Learning French log (Road to DELF B1)
LanguageLearner0007 wrote:Question is - do you enjoy it while watching in French? I tend to watch Netflix to relax and switch off and watching it in French is hard work)
Now? I absolutely watch Netflix in French to relax and switch off. I have to pay *some* attention when I’m watching Call My Agent, but a French dub of a mindless teen drama is just delightful. (I recommend Summertime!) It was harder at first, but it was never hard work. If you let go of worrying about understanding and just let it wash over you, it can be enjoyable even when you don’t understand much. (I spent a lot of time admiring people’s apartments and outfits and hairstyles when I couldn’t understand much of what they were saying. I definitely recommend a show with attractive people and scenery!)
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Re: Learning French log (Road to DELF B1)
So I tried watching Love Death and Robots (the series I'd watch anyway) with French dubbing and subtitles and they were wildly different almost in every sentence.
So, apart from being interesting for me, the dubbing and subtitles need to match!
So, apart from being interesting for me, the dubbing and subtitles need to match!
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Re: Learning French log (Road to DELF B1)
So, apart from being interesting for me, the dubbing and subtitles need to match!
This pretty much never happens and it will drive you crazy looking for it. From what I understand the voice dubbing and subtitling usually goes to two different companies. The subtitlers take the script and run it though a translator, while the voice dubbers change the words to make them fit the mouth movements and/or the cultural context.
You may be able to find subtitles or scripts to dubbed shows on fan sites. Something like Simpsons Park has the scripts for the Simpsons. I suggest just going without the subs.
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Re: Learning French log (Road to DELF B1)
thanks, i'll try with French voice and English subtitles, this may be the way.
English voice and French subtitles don't work, as I'd simply ignore the subtitles
English voice and French subtitles don't work, as I'd simply ignore the subtitles
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Re: Learning French log (Road to DELF B1)
Can you rewatch episodes you have already seen in English with French dub and no subtitles? Dropping subtitles is really the best way to practice listening. Yes it’s painful at first, but it is so worth it.
There is an accurate transcript of the French dub for Buffy the Vampire Slayer if you really want to be able to follow along with a text.
There is an accurate transcript of the French dub for Buffy the Vampire Slayer if you really want to be able to follow along with a text.
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Re: Learning French log (Road to DELF B1)
Lawyer&Mom wrote:Can you rewatch episodes you have already seen in English with French dub and no subtitles? Dropping subtitles is really the best way to practice listening. Yes it’s painful at first, but it is so worth it.
There is an accurate transcript of the French dub for Buffy the Vampire Slayer if you really want to be able to follow along with a text.
Yes, might be a good idea. There are many films I'd rewatch again and again, doing it in French may actually help.
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Re: Learning French log (Road to DELF B1)
LanguageLearner0007 wrote:
Yes, might be a good idea. There are many films I'd rewatch again and again, doing it in French may actually help.
My kids do this with Disney movies. They know them by heart anyway, so why not watch them in French? (Especially if that’s what it takes to get Mom to say yes to screen time!)
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