5 Free Resources to Improve Your French Vocabulary
Posted by Are thinking of packing your bags and leaving the Australian winter behind you to visit France in the European summer? It makes total sense. However, if you are, it will be important to brush up on your French vocabulary.
Eiffel Tower, Paris, in the summer. Free image from Pixabay
Even if you are planning to take French lessons just to learn a second language, it’s always important to understand the basics. We are very fortunate to live in the internet age where information flows as freely as rivers of red wine through the rolling valleys of Bordeaux. Here are 5 free resources you can use online to improve your French vocabulary. Allez, les bleus!
Fun & friendly French learning directory
Everyone loves free things! What better way to find out if you are compatible with the French language, or to pick up some pointers than a free online French learning directory. Digital Dialects is a fun and friendly free resource where you can brush up on your French vocab. There are free French learning games that focus on picking up common phrases, colours, numbers, spelling and much more. If you are a complete beginner and need to learn some basics so you don’t come unstuck while traversing Paris, check out Digital Dialects.
Watching subtitled French movies
Do you remember those artsy black and white French movies you would quickly skim over as a kid to watch Scooby Doo? Well, these days they are in colour! Now we are older and wiser, we can fully understand that French movies are more than just a potential glimpse of flesh and are immensely more beneficial than Scrappy Doo unmasking his latest criminal catch. Those pesky kids!
Get yourself a French movie on DVD or stream one online with subtitles, pour a cold glass of Bailleux Cuvée des Jonquilles, and listen carefully to the French dialect while learning its meaning. Some of the easiest to understand French movies include Gemma Bovery, Kirikou et la Sorcière, La Marche de l’Empereur, and Rosalie Blum.
Brush up on your French writing skills
Language writing skills are just as important as verbal skills if you want to successfully learn French. The two work hand in hand. BonPatron is a free French grammar and spellchecking online portal. If you want to check the spelling and grammar of your French writing, BonPatron will not only help you to correct your mistakes but will also offer you alternatives.
French man and woman having a great time. Free image from Pixabay
Learn the basics with Bonjour de France
One of the most highly-recommended free resources for improving your French is the Bonjour de France website. Everyone who starts out wanting to learn French needs to visit this resource. The website uses the popular Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) system to teach the language, which is an international standard framework. Not only will Bonjour de France help you to understand the structure of the language, but can also help you with your pronunciations. Anyone involved with language learning will tell you how important it is to pronounce your words correctly.
The website also encourages you to learn phrases and idiomatic expressions that will help you when travelling through France or if you decide to take some lessons to further your progression. With a boatload of quizzes, multiple choice tests, and even a fun karaoke section if you feel like belting out a few tunes, Bonjour de France is an absolute essential free resource for improving your French vocabulary.
Learn French with TV5Monde
Is it possible to listen to French television channels to learn the language? It is if you have access to TV5Monde with its vast selection of French language learning materials with easy-to-use exercises. You can even choose a certain theme that you want to learn about in French and there are exercises on the subject. There are over 2000 exercises and video tutorials on the TV5Monde website to give you a grounding into the French language.
If you are deciding to travel through Europe this winter, using these free resources to improve your French vocabulary could massively help in a myriad of situations. Also, there is a way to go one step further with your preparation by practising what you have learned with these free resources by booking a few bespoke French lessons with a professional tutor. That will give you the chance to test your speaking and listening with a real person who can correct you, introduce new expressions and concepts and push you much further in the right direction. If you want to book some lessons, you can take our free online French level test to gauge your current ability in the language or contact us immediately so we can tailor the courses to your specific needs.