Updated: your tips on how best to improve french language skills

FROM PODCASTS TO CHILDREN’S BOOKS, CONNEXION READERS HAVE BEEN SHARING THEIR ADVICE ON HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR FRENCH Following our recent series of articles on language learning, _Connexion

_readers have been sharing their top tips for improving French language skills. WATCH THE WEATHER IN FRENCH Watching the weather every evening in French is a good way to tune your ear to the

language, according to Connexion reader RB. On watching _la météo_, RB said: “There is a limited amount of French words, all associated with the weather, and there are the pictures to help

one along. There is also the additional help of subtitles.” RB also recommended listening to France Inter on the radio, to get the feel of the pronunciation. USE A KINDLE TO READ FRENCH

BOOKS _Connexion _reader CT suggests using a Kindle to download and read French books. There is a translation tool on the device that allows you to simply tap the word and the translation

will appear. “If you read a physical book, you either have to skim over words you don't know or look them up in a dictionary,” she said. “If the latter, it is easy to lose the flow. “Of

course, it is no substitute for having a real book in one's hands but it probably gives the best reading experience for those for whom French is a second language.” READ ALSO: BOOKS TO

HELP IMPROVE YOUR FRENCH USE MAGAZINES THAT MATCH YOUR INTERESTS BH, who lives in the Cévennes, suggests identifying different family members' interests and finding them a French

magazine on that subject. For children in the summer holidays, she proposes using _bandes-dessinées_ (comics) to help keep learning interesting. Many French families will already have

collections of these so you may be able to borrow them or take them out in the library. CHILDREN’S CLASSICS GO A LONG WAY BH also found that French classics such as _TinTin_, _Asterix_,

_Lucky Luke_ and _Gaston Lagaffe_ were a good learning tool for her children (but for adults too!). Once again, these can usually be borrowed from the local library, which is also a good way

to put some of your French-speaking skills to practice. READ ALSO: HOW TO GAIN CONFIDENCE IN SPEAKING FRENCH BOOKS FOR TEENAGERS AND ADULTS Among teenage-friendly books that BH found useful

were _L'herbe bleue_ by Beatrice Sparks, _Les Fourmis_ by Bernard Werber, _L'Élégance du hérisson_ by Muriel Barbery, and René Barjavel’s _La Nuit des temps_. BH added: “Some of

[Sidonie-Gabrielle] Colette is a bit dated, in an interesting way. This one is very Colette and therefore...very French: _La chatte_. “Other classics: Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan,

which was rather risqué in the 60s.” A FRENCH PODCAST TO ADD TO YOUR LIBRARY PP wrote in to share his favourite podcast for learning French - the Daily French Pod. According to him, it is

“short (3 - 4 mins) so it is easy to listen to on the go and repeat” and discusses “topical and varied subjects.” He added that “it provides a daily introduction to a range of vocabulary

with regular verb reminders. The podcast also gives vocabulary explanations in English at an intermediate to advanced level. YOUR VIEW If you have any further tips, please contact

[email protected]. Thank you! RELATED ARTICLES FIVE NETFLIX TV SHOWS TO HELP IMPROVE YOUR FRENCH SIX CLASSIC FRENCH FILMS TO IMPROVE YOUR LANGUAGE SKILLS SEVEN BEGINNER

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