French listening practiceB1 Listening

Intermediate French Practice

Current Events

Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped

Arc de Triomphe, WrappedFrench videoParis's Arc de Triomphe has been entirely wrapped in fabric as a temporary artwork created by (deceased) artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude. Learn about the mixed feelings of spectators in this video with interactive subtitles.
Grammar Lessons

Chanson du subjonctif

French subjunctive song
Do you have trouble with the French subjunctive? Maybe this song will helps - it's a tribute to Jeanne d'Arc filled with verbs and expressions that require the subjunctive.
Listening Practice

Chapeaux en France

Chapeaux en France
Très prisé en France entre les années 20 et 60, le chapeau fait un retour en force et accompagne joliment les tenues élégantes ou décontractées, à la plage comme à la ville.
Listening Practice

Châteaux et sites hantés

Châteaux hantés
Si vous êtes féru de contes fantomatiques ou de récits à glacer le sang, la visite des plus célèbres sites hantés de France ou lieux de tragédies énigmatiques pourrait vous fasciner et ... vous faire frissonner d'horreur.
Listening Practice

Coluche

Coluche
Learn about the French comedian Coluche in this cute animated video. Click any phrase in the transcript for grammar notes and English translation.
Current Events

COP21

COP21 - Paris climate talks
Short video summarizing the first day of COP21, the 21st Conference of the Parties on climate change.
Fun with French

Dictées

Dictées
Dictées are a classic way to practice French, even for native speakers. For them, dictées are a test of grammar (particularly agreement) and spelling - sort of like super-charged spelling bees. For French students, dictées are an excellent form of combined listening and writing practice.
Current Events

Emmanuel Macron

Emmanuel Macron
Video of French President-elect Emmanuel Macron's victory speech with transcript and translation, plus grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation notes.
Listening Practice

First Names

French first names
Did you know that there are laws regulating acceptable French first names? Learn about them in this bilingual article.
Listening Practice

FluentU – French Videos

FluentU French videosFrench videoFrench learners are always looking for new sources of French listening practice, and FluentU is one of the best. This subscription site offers videos for all levels of French, enhanced with quizzes, spaced repetition, and other tools to help you practice what you know and learn at your own pace.
Linguistics

Français au Canada

Le français au Canada
Dans quelles provinces canadiennes parle-t-on le français ? La question en elle-même peut être source de confusion.
Listening Practice

Guignol

Guignol
La marionnette « Guignol » fait partie des souvenirs d'enfance de tous les petits lyonnais. Mais Guignol est bien plus qu'une simple marionnette qui les amuse et les fait rire. Ce personnage est le symbole de Lyon et incarne l'identité lyonnaise.
Listening Practice

Lawless French Immersion

Lawless French ImmersionFrench videoLove watching French videos but have trouble understanding them? Lawless French Immersion is perfect for independent students who need a bit of help when listening to French.
Listening Practice

Les Outre-mer

Les Outre-mer
Did you know there's a lot more to France than the roughly hexagonal country in Europe? Learn about les Outre-mer in this cartoon video with interactive subtitles.
Listening Practice

LingQ

LingQ
Learn and practice French vocabulary and listening at any level with LingQ, an online learning system and language community.
Listening Practice

Listening Tips

French listening tips
Understanding spoken French is harder for some students than others. But unlike speaking, listening can be done on your own - whenever and wherever you like. Even so, the best way to practice isn't always obvious - here are some tips.
Current Events

Manifestation à Paris

Manifestation à Paris
Protests over the police killing of George Floyd in the US have spread all over the world, including Paris, reigniting anger over the killing of Adama Traoré in 2016 as well as police violence in general.
Listening Practice

Mont Saint-Michel

Mont Saint Michel
Mont Saint Michel is the third most visited tourist site in France. Learn a bit of its history and how to visit in this listening comprehension exercise.
Listening Practice

Naturalisation

Demande de naturalisation
Want to become French? Improving your language skills is just one of many things you'll need to do. Learn more in this video with interactive subtitles.
Current Events

News in Slow French

News in Slow French
News in Slow French is a weekly podcast aimed at intermediate-level French students. Native speakers report current events at a reduced but not unnatural pace, making it easier for you to understand without being overloaded by rapid-fire French.
Current Events

Pain au chocolat vs Chocolatine

Pain au chocolat
Depending who you're talking to, those lovely little pastries filled with chocolate might be called pains au chocolat or chocolatines. This tasty debate has finally been settled once and for all - at least in theory. Find out more in this short, fun video with interactive subtitles.
Listening Practice

Polynésie française

French Polynesia
La Polynésie française, qui signifie littéralement « îles nombreuses », est un pays d'outre-mer de la République française composé de cinq archipels fourmillant d'îles et d'atolls.
Holidays and Celebrations

Prise de la Bastille

La prise de la Bastille
Bien que de nombreuses personnes aient une connaissance sommaire de la prise de la Bastille de 1789, la plupart d'entre elles ont été faussement amenées à croire que l'opération avait pour but de libérer les prisonniers qui y étaient retenus captifs.
Holidays and Celebrations

Quatorze Juillet

Quatorze Juillet
Les anglophones utilisent souvent le terme « Bastille Day » pour désigner le 14 juillet, mais il se trouve qu'en France on n'utilise pas ce terme, on dit plutôt « le 14 juillet » ou bien « la fête nationale ».
Current Events

Régionales 2015

Élections régionales 2015
Short video summarizing the results of the 2015 regional French elections. Great for practicing numbers, regions, and names!
Current Events

Regions of France

Regions of France
There used to be 22 regions in Metropolitan France, now there are only 13. Learn about the newly combined and renamed French regions in this bilingual audio article.
Listening Practice

Riquewihr

Riquewirh, Alsace
Situé en Alsace, dans le Haut-Rhin, Riquewihr est l'un des villages les plus connus et les plus visités de l'est de la France.
Holidays and Celebrations

Saint-Sylvestre et jour de l’An

La Saint-Sylvestre et le jour de l'An
On dit le Nouvel An ou la Saint-Sylvestre, parce que le premier janvier, c'est le jour de Saint-Sylvestre. C'est aussi la fête des amis - les adultes vont festoyer avec leurs amis, et les adolescents vont faire leurs fêtes entre eux.
Listening Practice

Scribe – Dictées

French dictées
Dictées, or dictation exercises, are excellent for working on your French listening comprehension as well as spelling, vocabulary, and grammar all at the same time. Scribe is a very sophisticated program that provides real-time feedback as you listen and type.
Listening Practice

Traditions liées à la rentrée

Traditions liées à la rentrée
Contrairement aux écoles nord-américaines, qui démarrent généralement l'année scolaire lors de la première semaine de classe de septembre, en France « la Rentrée » se prépare dès le printemps précédant.
Listening Practice

Vacances de ski au Québec

Vacances de ski au Québec
Bien que le sud du Québec soit situé à peu près à la même latitude que la ville de Bordeaux en France, la province bénéficie en hiver de courants subarctiques venus directement du Grand Nord qui lui valent entre trois cents et quatre cents centimètres de neige à chaque saison.
Listening Practice

Victor Hugo : Portrait

Victor Hugo
Victor Hugo was a renowned author and poet, in the Romantic movement - one of the greatest and best-known French writers. Learn more in this bilingual audio article.
Listening Practice

Villa Kérylos

Villa Kérylos à Beaulieu-sur-Mer
La Villa Kérylos, située à Beaulieu-sur-Mer, est une imposante demeure construite et meublée d'après les modèles de villas déliennes de la Grèce antique du 1er et 2e siècle avant J.-C.
Listening Practice

Vive Henri IV ! Vive la France !

Vive Henri IV ! Vive la France !
This popular French song, also called Marche Henri IV and Vive le roi Henri, was written in the late 16th century to celebrate Le Bon Roi Henri (Good King Henry), who ended the Huguenot Wars and restored peace to France.
Listening Practice

Voilà, de Barbara Pravi

Voilà de Barbara Pravi
France took second place at Eurovision 2021 with a beautiful song that offers numerous examples of the useful expression voilà. This video from Lawless French Immersion includes the lyrics as interactive subtitles.
Listening Practice

Yabla French Videos

Yabla French videosFrench videoEager for a new way to work on your French listening comprehension? Take a look at Yabla French, a subscription site with a massive collection of original videos featuring native speakers to help you learn and practice French at any level.

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