Learning French for free on the internet

[dbskyler]

It all started when a friend of mine happened to mention the language-learning site Duolingo (www.duolingo.com). I was immediately drawn to how addictive it was, how fun it was, and how free it was. Ironically, I first wanted to improve my Spanish, as that is the foreign language I had been using (trying to use) the most. But I also took French in high school, and soon I couldn't resist using Duolingo to find out how much French I remembered. I quickly discovered that I had lost a lot of it -- in fact, Duolingo's test took me right back to the beginning, "Basics 1" -- but I also discovered that it started to come back to me, and the more I progressed through Duolingo's lessons, the more lessons I was able to test out of. I am now two lessons away from completing all of Duolingo's French lessons, and I am at least as good at French as when I took it in high school, and possibly even better.

Besides Duolingo, I have been able to practice my French with lots of other free resources on the internet. In fact, it's amazing how many resources are out there if you go and look. Here are my favorites so far:

-- Watching episodes of a French anime series, "Les Aventures de Ladybug et Chat Noir" (The Adventures of Ladybug and Black Cat). I have primsong to thank for this; she recommended this show and it is both charming and addictive to watch. I watch in French with English subtitles, although I sometimes watch without the subtitles just to gauge how good I am at picking up the French without the translation. (Not too good yet, but improving.) The episodes can be found on youtube.

-- A site that has you watch French music videos and fill in pieces of the lyrics. Sometimes there are technological hiccups (asking for the word before the video played the word; not allowing you to type in apostrophes while requiring apostrophes for the correct answer), but it's so much fun, I have to list it here. Also, the site has introduced me to the French musical group "Carrousel," and I now love their music, especially the song "Le Manque De Place." Here's the site: http://www.bonjourdefrance.com/karaoke-fle/index.php/fr

-- Reading fanfic in French on AO3. So far, I have read several French Doctor Who fanfics and a few Marvelous Ladybug fanfics (i.e., Les Aventures de Ladybug et Chat Noir). I have also managed to comment on the fics in French, although you'll have to ask the authors how comprehensible I was. Anyway, it's another great way to strengthen my reading comprehension with material that I'm actually interested in reading.

Comments

[dieastra.livejournal.com]

I used to read a German author named Karl May back then (stories set in the Wild West) and the main character's horse was named Swallow. I knew that it was the name of a bird. So imagine my confusion when I first came about a "he swallowed" in a fic ;)

Yes, I once had a bunch of friends over, American, British and from the Netherlands. And I had repeatedly to ask the British to slow down or pronounce better and then the American said "Don't worry, we don't understand her either" LOL Also at a con in Birmingham with Richard Dean Anderson, he always needed translation for the questions the Brits asked ;)

Classic Who, with everyone speaking Received Pronunciation, was always easy for me to understand

Yes! I watched a couple of those and you clearly can hear that they are coming from the theatre. Love it. I call this the "Professor Higgins English". Actually I have the same trouble with German actors on TV. You have the old trained actors, who know how to use their voice and make the right breaks, and you have the young ones who did not learn it and mumble all the time, and then there is loud music...

It's the same with accents in the US of course. I happened to catch a Bernie Sanders speech on CNN a few days ago (when he talked about the guy that shot the senator) and without paying much attention I easily understood every single word. But there was a guy in "Stargate" that had a Texan accent and he really sounded as if he had a potato in his mouth ;) I met him later at a convention here and thankfully by then I understood him.

I always watch shows like "Sherlock", "Doctor Who", "Broadchurch" or "Call The Midwife" (do you know that? Highly recommended!) with subtitles. I would miss too much without them. Especially when Sherlock goes on one of his fast speaking sprees. But over the years I have my ears tuned to certain persons, so David Tennant is fine now, even in theatre. He also spoke Scottish in "Much Ado About Nothing". I certainly did not understand every play of the Shakespeare word there either, but he is just so great with intonation, that you still get it somehow. And then I bought the script and read it and the second time was better.

I just love his voice. I have many radio plays with him. There is a page where you can download them for free, if you are interested.

Sean Pertwee used the phrase on Instagram or Twitter, but he mixed it up (surely on purpose, he often does that) and wrote "pleased as punch". My Canadian friend wondered what it meant but I had heard about Punch and Judy before and so guessed right.

If you want to hear my thick German accent, watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7G42TEhfbHo

I made that three years ago, a photoalbum about a travel to California that happened in 1994. And for some odd reason I constantly use "from" instead of "of" ;) I know better of course.

[dbskyler.livejournal.com]

Shakespearean English isn't the same as modern English, and native English speakers don't get all the word play (unless they've studied Shakespeare), so don't judge yourself based on that! But I too got to see David Tennant in Much Ado, and he has a gift for conveying the sense of the Shakespeare even when you don't quite understand the phrases. I too love David's voice.

I've heard "pleased as punch" before, so Sean didn't invent it. In fact, it might be a little more common here than "proud as punch," but both are around.

I love your video! I'm from California, so I really enjoyed watching what you did on your trip here. And I had no trouble at all understanding your accent. Your spoken English is great. (And I know it's harder to speak than write a foreign language!)