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Learning French: nouns that even native speakers commonly misgender
‘The struggle is real’, says our French writer Théophile Larcher - see if you can score higher than him in our mini quiz
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Learning French: when and why do we say avoir le compas dans l'œil?
Say this to describe someone with good visual judgement of size or distance
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Learning French: the origins and meaning of faire le mariole
Acting the goat or fooling around, we explore the French phrase to describe the class clown
Part two: French podcasts to help improve your language skills
There are podcasts for all levels of French learners
Listening to native French speakers is one of the best ways to get your mind working in French and podcasts are a great tool for this.
With so many podcasts out there, it can be slightly overwhelming to know where to begin.
For our second instalment of podcast recommendations, we have chosen some aimed at beginners and some for more advanced learners, including those that are popular with French people.
You can find these podcasts by simply searching the names wherever you get your podcasts, be it Apple Podcasts, Spotify or online.
Read also: French podcasts to help improve your language skills
ehoui!
These short sharp episodes are perfect for people who want to improve their French. Each episode offers practical French tips for everyday use.
Examples of episodes include ‘Les 7 erreurs de conjugaison à ne plus faire’ (7 conjugation errors to no longer make) and ‘Ces verbes basiques que vous utilisez mal!’ (The basic verbs that you are misusing).
Passerelles
If your French is of an intermediate level, Passerelles is a good option. It is hosted by an FLE teacher (French as a foreign language), meaning episodes are well thought out and geared towards people developing their language skills.
It covers all manner of subjects, from an episode on rereading Le Petit Prince, to regionalisms from across France.
Transfert
This podcast is very popular in France - it is one of the most listened to in the country.
Each episode tells the stories of real people, some are scary, some moving, some funny, some dramatic.
With 281 episodes already and a new one released each week, there is no shortage of content to catch up on and work on your French!
Read also: These 10 songs can help you improve your French
Parler Comme Jamais
If you are interested in the linguistics of the French language, Parler Comme Jamais is a really interesting listen.
Although episodes are no longer being released, there is a big back catalogue where they dive into subjects such as ‘Francophonie, a qui appartient le français ?’ (French language: Who does it belong to?) and ‘Mange tes mo(r)ts ! A quoi servent les insultes ?’ (Eat your words! What’s the point of insults?).
L’heure du crime
Crime podcasts are one of the most listened-to genres worldwide, so, of course, we have to give you a French one to listen to!
This show from RTL looks at some of the biggest crime stories in France throughout history.
L’heure du crime is a radio show on RTL every day from Monday to Friday from 14h30-15h30, but if you miss it, you can catch up with every episode on your podcast platform.
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