ABOVE: Learn French at Home

Learn French at Home

The internet provides a wealth of opportunities for language learning. There are some great resources available free of charge that provide students with regularly updated material that can be worked on independently.

A good place to start is the BBC’s languages website. A long-established site that offers something for all levels, it has recently benefited from a whole new look. Kick off by assessing your level with ‘Gauge your French’ and, depending on how you score, it will point you in the right
direction for your ability.

For beginners, you can choose from simply printing off holiday phrases and downloading the audio transcript or following online, video-based or textbook courses. Those who already have a sound basic knowledge of the language can learn from an audio magazine, listen to interviews with French people or choose to concentrate on business or street French amongst other things. Light-hearted alternatives are offered in games and quizzes aimed at everyone from individuals to family learners. There are also links to television and radio shows either in French or with a French language or cultural theme that can all be viewed online.

The site is home to a lot of varied resources to keep learners enthused and, as an added incentive, the content is constantly updated with tie-ins where appropriate to BBC television programmes.

Another alternative is Radio France International’s website,
www.rfi.fr. Click on the Langue Française section and you will enter into a whole world dedicated to language learning. The resources available on this particular site are aimed at intermediate students so those who already have a firm grasp of French and there is plenty to get your teeth into. The various sections test and stretch different elements. In Journal en Français Facile, you can listen to three simplified news bulletins, taken from that day, complete with accompanying transcripts. It helps enormously to be able to see the recording written down as this highlights any new grammar or vocabulary.

Mots de l’Actualité is another great section. Click on any letter of the alphabet and it will bring up a list of words as diverse as climat, TVA, mariage and soldes and you can listen to a threeminute definition and debate centred around the word. In the specialist section devoted to business French, you can follow New Yorker Danielle’s experiences during her stage in Paris, learning business vocabulary as well as French business practice. This website scores on every level. Not only are you improving your language, you will also learn about French current affairs.