Dane learning French (and English)

[fromaalborg1]

Saw the first three episodes of Extra French with French subtitles and I actually understood most of it. I consider this a big success. Of course it's edutainment, but still.

Watched three more episodes. Episode 5 was without subtitles, which meant that I could not really follow the plot.

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I have also finished my first French audiobook, Harry Potter A L'Ecole des Sorciers! Okay, the comprehension was low, even though I listened to the chapters in English first, but still. The French narrator is awful at doing voices. Hagrid sounds like the half-giant he is, and Ron Weasley gets a lisp. The narrator also dramatizes too much. I don't want to listen to crying and screaming. What really carries me through is the English narrator, Jim Dale. He's brilliant (and the writing of course).

[fromaalborg1]

I have listened to the first six chapters of Harry Potter 2. First in English, then French.

New improvement: Occasionally, as a test, I will watch a group of French friends stream a game they play on Youtube while talking to each other. This is difficult content, no subtitles, but I can now pick up elements such as greetings, questions, even cursing.
Another difficult genre is music, and suddenly I am starting to recognize certain words and phrases, even though I don’t have an ear for music.

Very promising.

[fromaalborg1]

Second French audiobook finished: Harry Potter et la chambre des secrets. First a chapter in English, then French.

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When I started out learning French, I went into a "hoarding" phase, collecting every good resource, I could get my hands on. I'm now in a "selecting" phase, where I am trying to get rid of things, I really don't want to use, even though they are of high quality. Case in point: I watched the first four episodes of French In Action. But I haven't been watching any for over two weeks. And I realised, I just didn't want to. So I deleted the link. This way I don't end up trying to do five minutes of 10 different things every day, feeling bad/stressed when I don't succeed.

[fromaalborg1]

I have listened to the two first chapters of Harry Potter 1. First in English, then in French. I like this method. The only downside is that I have to do it back-to-back, which means setting aside approximately one hour per chapter for this one activity in a day.

the other downside is that it's Harry Potter.

But I like Harry Potter, to a surprising degree. So it's a pretty good tool to learn French.

Speaking off, I finished Harry Potter et le Prisonnier d'Azkaban, audiobook 3.
It can be demotivating to realise how little I understand when I am listening. But it's also motivating, as I want to improve my French, so I can understand more. The latter rules.

Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR) aired Nikitia (1990). I saw it with Danish subtitles. They usually don't show much French content.

[fromaalborg]

By happenstance, I have got access to my old account.

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I have finished Harry Potter et la Coupe de Feu, dual audio. I thought my reward would be the new French narrator of book 5-7, but alas, he is even worse than the previous. A yeller

So I have to find another solution. To be continued.

[fromaalborg]

Alright, I found a dual-audiobook replacement: Le Seigneur Des Anneaux (The Lord of the Rings). It's less bingeable than Harry Potter. Like, it takes Frodo ten years to leave Baggins after Bilbo left. And it has more advanced vocabulary. But I have wanted to listen to the trilogy for a while. I read the books when I was a teenager in Danish, and I have been trying to avoid the watching the films the last couple of years. They are often aired on Danish television.

So my current method is:
Listen to bingeable dual-audiobooks. Add words to my vocabulary. Repeat.

Putting my eggs in the immersion-basket.

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I have now watched all 13 episodes of Extra French. Cheesy and easy.

[fromaalborg]

Looks like Duolingo stopped producing their French Podcast.
Instead I have listened to Babbel's French En Route. Thirteen episodes. Similar concept, a French story with English commentary.

I have also watched Tintin et le Temple du Soleil (1969). Saw this a child, dubbed in Danish. A very nostalgic experience to see it again.

[fromaalborg]

I finished La Fraternite de l'Anneau (dual-audiobook). I'm debating with myself whether to see the film to enforce the vocabulary, or wait till I have finished all three books. Think I'm going with the latter solution, so not to "spoil" the books storytelling.

Also, I'm feeling an improvement in my language proficiency. It's hard to quantify, but I have started recognising many more common words.

[DaveAgain]

Looks like Duolingo stopped producing their French Podcast.
Instead I have listened to Babbel's French En Route. Thirteen episodes. Similar concept, a French story with English commentary.

RFI have some similar programmes.

I have also watched Tintin et le Temple du Soleil (1969). Saw this a child, dubbed in Danish. A very nostalgic experience to see it again.

Some of the first French language programmes I watched were Tintin cartoons and Blake et Mortimer cartoons on YouTube.

[fromaalborg]

Thank you for the recommendations, DaveAgain.

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I have now mastered the 100 Most Common words on Clozemaster and started doing the 500 Most Common words.

I have also watched Le Professionnel (1981) with Danish subtitles.