If you’ve had learning French on your list of things to do for a while but have found it difficult to get started, don’t fret. You’ll get into the habit in no time with a little dedication. What can 30 days do, you ask? 30 days is all it takes to start the habit of incorporating French into your daily life and build a basic foundation to start using it.
Designate a certain amount of time each day (and be sure that you work on it each day, as a short period of time daily is more beneficial than a four-hour cram session once or twice a week) and start diving into your podcasts. By designating an hour of practice each day, you’ll sure to get the working foundational skills of French in no time.
You may have heard a thing or two about learning a language by listening to a podcast, but have you ever tried it yourself? The benefits of learning French with podcasts are endless. Think about it. Podcasts are the perfect way to expand your knowledge while multi-tasking. You can workout, clean the house, drive to work, or, if you work in retail like me and have a kind manager, while you close for the night (seriously, I’ve gotten paid while listening to podcasts for three hours, which is a sweet deal if you ask me).
Learning a language via podcast is great for auditory learners for a primary learning tool, but should be used as a secondary tool for visual and tactile learners. Keep in mind that French, like any language, is multidimensional, so it’s important to get a well-rounded, working knowledge of all of the language as a whole in order to really learn it. In addition to podcasts, be sure to practice reading, writing, and speaking skills.
If you’re a beginner, focus on podcasts that provide French lessons so that you get a grip on the basics. Learn French by Podcast offers good quality, step-by-step lessons for free. You can even download PDF files to accompany the podcasts so that you can follow along on a visual format. The lessons don’t just focus on the specific lesson, but branch out and make connections to other words and ideas, teaching the details on "why" to say something, not just the "how" to say it.
Learn French with Alexa is another great lesson program for beginners to get a guided understanding of the basics and offers accompanying text for each lesson.
Daily French Pod works on giving you a daily podcast to listen to that will help you build your vocabulary and follow along in conversation. Unlike the other podcasts mentioned, this is not a lesson and requires foundational French knowledge in order to get the full benefits. The podcasts are spoken slowly and are easy to follow. They are also about a ton of different topics (there are almost 2,000 podcasts at your disposal, so variety is a given!), from politics to nature to technology, so there is sure to be something for everyone.
Photo Credit: Ben Dalton
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