French Speakers - is this particular source any good for beginners?

[elsmandino]

Bonjour.

As a French beginner, I often use this site:

https://www.1jour1actu.com/

and am finding that I am gradually getting better with my reading comprehension (a nice surprise, as I really did not see much improvement for months).

However, the 1jour1question videos are rather off-putting.

I cannot seem to follow them at all.

I know that this website is aimed at younger native speakers, rather than foreign learners, so I was wondering whether there is something a bit odd about the narrator.

Is he speaking particularly quickly or speaking in a way that is particularly difficult for a learner to follow?

Or is it the case that my listening skills are poor and need a lots more practice?

In essence, is this video something that a beginner (but not a complete beginner) should be able to follow?

[Purangi]

I don’t think he’s speaking particularly fast, on the contrary, but his intonation and pronunciation are a bit peculiar. This is typical of the “watered down” way adults speak to children. I think he’s trying to avoid sounding too boring as well, preferring instead a more “friendly” tone.

Maybe you could try transcribing one of the videos to see what exactly is the pierre d’achoppement?

[elsmandino]

Thanks Purangi.

Is a bit disappointing that my listening skills are still very basic, but at least you have helped me identify that it is something that I need to work on.

Great idea about having a go at transcribing a video - do you have any tips on how to start doing that?

Edit - sorry Purangi, I have just realised that I am going to be muddying the waters by going off track with my further question.

I shall start a new thread for advice on transcribing.