More French podcasts to test your language skills

Listening is usually language learners’ least favourite skill to work on. 

Podcasts are an amazing free tool for refining your French - it allows your brain to become used to the accent and how certain words are pronounced. It also helps you to understand how language is used in real-life situations. 

Listening to a mix of podcasts is a good idea to offer a range of different styles. Report-style podcasts will maintain a français plus soutenu (a more formal French), while conversational podcasts and casual interviews will use everyday spoken French. 

There are different ways to listen to podcasts depending on your level - beginners can follow the transcript, listen to the episode in chunks and replay sections more than once. 

More advanced learners won’t need the transcript, but it can be useful to pause and search the meaning of an occasional word you do not understand and cannot figure out based on context alone.

Popular podcasts are often released frequently - usually publishing an episode at least once every two weeks or sometimes multiple times per week.

Most are available on all podcast platforms, so take your pick! 

Elles vous parlent d’un temps !

Elle vous parlent d’un temps is the new version of Vieille Branche - ce n’était pas mieux avant, which interviewed politicians, artists and cultural icons over the age of 70 about their lives and what they learned during their work in the 20th Century. 

These episodes of Vieille Branche are still available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, meaning you have a huge backlog to listen to.

Meanwhile, Elle vous parlent d’un temps focuses specifically on the stories of women over the age of 70 and often how historical events impacted their lives and who they are today. Many invitees discuss the impact of the World War Two, family secrets, loss and love.

Chroniques Criminelles

Interest in true crime podcasts has boomed in recent years, both in the anglophone and francophone worlds. 

Chroniques Criminelles is hosted by Jacques Pradel for TF1. 

Episodes explore criminal cases from disappearances to murders, with the perpetrator of every case featured now in prison. 

With testimonies from investigators and protagonists, Pradel walks us through the various crimes and how the mysteries were solved. 

Mon Incroyable Histoire 

In episodes of Mon Incroyable Histoire, journalist Jean-Charles Doria interviews seemingly ordinary people with incredible stories.

Invitees include Christophe, the chief of the BRI during the 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris, during which he directed the rescue mission in the Bataclan, including the final assault to save 11 hostages who had been locked in a room with two of the terrorists. 

Another episode talks to Tony Comiti, who in the 90s interviewed Pablo Escobar - dubbed the “King of Cocaine” and one of the wealthiest criminals to have ever lived. Comiti’s interview with Escobar is available on YouTube. 

De vive(s) voix

De vive(s) voix is an RFi podcast dedicated to the French language.

Episodes feature interviews with historians, translators and artists, all who have a passion for the French language. 

Themes explored in the podcast include how fairytales teach us to learn, how the word 'immigration' is often charged with negativity and how local languages are transmitted. 

Le temps d’etre soi

Produced by l’Assurance Retraite, Le temps d’être soi is a seven-episode series aimed at supporting and preparing people who are heading towards retirement age. 

Each episode covers a different theme, from how to manage the initial period of retirement to how it can impact your couple and family. 

Histoires de Darons

This podcast gives the microphone to dads to share their experiences of parenthood. 

Fathers all with different lived histories of being a dad are invited to share what they have learned from raising their children. 

Usually fathers share their experiences, but a couple of episodes are recorded from the point of view of a daughter talking about the relationship with her father.

8 milliards de voisins 

Another podcast by RFi is 8 milliards de voisins, which makes reference to the rough number of people in the world - 8 billion. 

The podcast looks at different ways people live, and discusses how our ways of life develop based on different societal, geographical and societal contexts. 

Episodes are around 40-50 minutes long and have a mixed format of both conversation and reporting. Often the theme is based on a study or news story that has recently made the headlines, for example, a recent episode explored the reaction to women who don’t want children, following a study showing 13% of women at a childbearing age in France didn’t want to have a baby. 

Another dedicates time to giving advice to young people with degrees in order to help them find a job in an ever more difficult job market. 

French with Panache

French with Panache remains a really stellar podcast for learners around a B2-C1 level. 

Episodes are released every two weeks, with hosts Violaine and Nathan discussing everything from politics to French traditions. 

The platform also has a Patreon and you can sign up for French lessons with the hosts, who were both previously French teachers.