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A Level French help

Hi, I am studying French a-level, and I am finding speaking and listening hard. I've looked for revision sights, but none seem to be of any help. Does anyone know anything that could help me revise or get better? Thanks
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Moved to Foreign Languages and renamed :smile:
Original post by al1c3t
Hi, I am studying French a-level, and I am finding speaking and listening hard. I've looked for revision sights, but none seem to be of any help. Does anyone know anything that could help me revise or get better? Thanks


Specifically for speaking and listening - which are,of course, linked to each other - you're right that revision websites aren't going to appear to help you that much.

The trouble with languages lies in the very process itself of language learning. In subjects like Physics or English Literature, you can revise, say, Heat, or "Hamlet" which won't affect Mechanics or your analysis of "The Great Gatsby". With languages, everything you learn helps build up your knowledge - all the grammar, all the vocab, all the speaking/listening skills, etc. It all interacts with each other. This is why you need to work on the building process over weeks and months, and what you do in one area will have an impact on all the other areas.

- Organise your topic-based vocab and learn it. You'll need all that specialist vocabulary at your fingertips. There are various websites out there like Quizlet and Memrise which can be useful for learning vocab.

- Go through your texts and make sure you understand the main ideas and opinions, as well as the arguments to support those opinions.

- Grammar - you need to be able to do all your tenses without thinking about them, conjugations have to be 100% correct if you want a decent grade. These are easy to revise, as are basics such as personal pronouns (me, te, le/la/lui etc but also y and en), relative pronouns (qui, que, dont, ce que, ce qui, use of preposition + lequel), use of du/de la/des and de on its own. Practise stuff like agreement of adjectives, agreement of past participles - make sure you understand the rules. I always recommend this grammar book which I use with my own students: https://www.amazon.co.uk/French-Grammar-Essential-Sixth-Beyond/dp/095706120X .

- Read, read and read. And then read some more. Not just about your topics, but anything. Any contact you have with French will help you build up your vocabulary and understanding of structures.

- Listen to some French - about 20 minutes to half an hour - every day if you can manage that. Le Journal en français facile on the RFI website is really useful as there is a transcript in case you get stuck. Watch French films with French subtitles when you have a bit more time.

- Try to speak some French every day. If you can, have coffee or lunch with your classmates and agree to speak French then - even just ten minutes a day will build up fluency and confidence. The nearer you get to your exams, the longer you can make your now really useful break! You can also have conversations with yourself in French - think up a situation and make up a dialogue as you go along. It all helps. If you can manage it, try to go over to France at some stage during your Sixth form course and seek out people to have conversations with - hotel receptionists, waiters, museum guides, anyone.

And finally, don't worry if it takes a bit of time; that's normal. If you can manage to have daily contact with French, you will, over time, build up the skills you need.
Reply 4
Original post by Anna Schoon
Specifically for speaking and listening - which are,of course, linked to each other - you're right that revision websites aren't going to appear to help you that much.

The trouble with languages lies in the very process itself of language learning. In subjects like Physics or English Literature, you can revise, say, Heat, or "Hamlet" which won't affect Mechanics or your analysis of "The Great Gatsby". With languages, everything you learn helps build up your knowledge - all the grammar, all the vocab, all the speaking/listening skills, etc. It all interacts with each other. This is why you need to work on the building process over weeks and months, and what you do in one area will have an impact on all the other areas.

- Organise your topic-based vocab and learn it. You'll need all that specialist vocabulary at your fingertips. There are various websites out there like Quizlet and Memrise which can be useful for learning vocab.

- Go through your texts and make sure you understand the main ideas and opinions, as well as the arguments to support those opinions.

- Grammar - you need to be able to do all your tenses without thinking about them, conjugations have to be 100% correct if you want a decent grade. These are easy to revise, as are basics such as personal pronouns (me, te, le/la/lui etc but also y and en), relative pronouns (qui, que, dont, ce que, ce qui, use of preposition + lequel), use of du/de la/des and de on its own. Practise stuff like agreement of adjectives, agreement of past participles - make sure you understand the rules. I always recommend this grammar book which I use with my own students: https://www.amazon.co.uk/French-Grammar-Essential-Sixth-Beyond/dp/095706120X .

- Read, read and read. And then read some more. Not just about your topics, but anything. Any contact you have with French will help you build up your vocabulary and understanding of structures.

- Listen to some French - about 20 minutes to half an hour - every day if you can manage that. Le Journal en français facile on the RFI website is really useful as there is a transcript in case you get stuck. Watch French films with French subtitles when you have a bit more time.

- Try to speak some French every day. If you can, have coffee or lunch with your classmates and agree to speak French then - even just ten minutes a day will build up fluency and confidence. The nearer you get to your exams, the longer you can make your now really useful break! You can also have conversations with yourself in French - think up a situation and make up a dialogue as you go along. It all helps. If you can manage it, try to go over to France at some stage during your Sixth form course and seek out people to have conversations with - hotel receptionists, waiters, museum guides, anyone.

And finally, don't worry if it takes a bit of time; that's normal. If you can manage to have daily contact with French, you will, over time, build up the skills you need.



Thank you so much this has helped a lot
Original post by al1c3t
Hi, I am studying French a-level, and I am finding speaking and listening hard. I've looked for revision sights, but none seem to be of any help. Does anyone know anything that could help me revise or get better? Thanks


For listening, listen to French radio or music. RFI is quite good if you take 20 minutes to listen to it everyday and it especially helps to get used to the different accent and speed/form they speak in. Music is good as you learn new vocab.

For speaking practise essential vocab ( this is what has helped me improve the most) and try to get used to speaking it and being more confident without worrying about getting it wrong.
Reply 6
Original post by Jessieddurham
For listening, listen to French radio or music. RFI is quite good if you take 20 minutes to listen to it everyday and it especially helps to get used to the different accent and speed/form they speak in. Music is good as you learn new vocab.

For speaking practise essential vocab ( this is what has helped me improve the most) and try to get used to speaking it and being more confident without worrying about getting it wrong.


Thank you! :smile:

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