FRENCHLEARNINGFUN.NET
FRANÇAIS 3 et 3A: Compréhension orale
J'ai essayé de trouver des exercices où les gens parlent plus lentement, mais jusqu'à là, je
n'en ai pas trouvé. Quand les étudiants français d'échange arrivent, je vais enregistrer
leurs voix pour créer des exercices adaptés à votre niveau. En attendant, voilà ce qu'il faut
faire:

Okay, so I expect that you understood everything above, but just to be nice, the directions
are in English. There is also a short explanation of my personal experiences below. Here is
what you need to do:
  • Click on the link to go to the Radio
    France internationale website
  
  • Listen to Le fait du jour and answer the
    questions about it. You can choose to
    start with whichever Fait du jour that
    you want, but I suggest working in
    chronological order, starting from the
    most recent Fait du jour and working
    down. You will have to listen to the Fait
    du jour multiple times to understand.
    (They speak very fast--très, TRÈS
    rapidement!)
Radio France internationale
  • Check your answers by clicking on voir
    les réponses
  

I would suggest that you try to get through at least 8-10 Fait du jour exercises before our
first test, which is currently scheduled for around October 17.

Please, don't get discouraged! This is very, very hard, but I know that you can get
something out of it.  Learning a foreign language is not just about mastering grammar,
vocabulary and pronunciation; it is also a fundamentally magical experience.

When I was a junior in college, I did a year of study abroad in Montpellier, France. I was a
French major, basically just because I could write well in French and had acquired a good
mastery of even the more obscure grammar rules. However, I felt like something of a
failure. Despite years of study, I could not reliably understand spoken French. Sure, I could
understand when my teachers spoke to me in that V..E...R..Y  S....L....O....W  W...A...Y foreign
language teachers have of speaking. But understand a French film without subtitles? Or
talk to a native speaker who did not happen to speak as slowly as my teachers? That was
always hit and miss.

The first thing I did when I arrived in Montpellier was buy myself a little radio. (I know, I
know, that is sort of a nerdy thing to do on your first day of study abroad, but, hey, it
sometimes pays to be a nerd:) The first day, I listened to my little radio all evening and
understood maybe 60% of what I heard. This was sort of discouraging. After all, I was
supposed to be a French major from Pomona, a HIGHLY COMPETITIVE YET STILL RELAXED
LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGE. (While I was there, we had tee-shirts with the slogan "Pomona, the
Harvard of the West." Go figure.)

Despite my discouragement, I didn't give up. I kept my little radio on and tuned to a French
news station for the first two weeks. I wasn't, of course, in my room all the time, but when I
was there, I was listening to continuous French in the background. My comprehension
seemed to stay pretty stable for these first 2 weeks--right around 60%.

Then, on the second Sunday, something magical happened. (I can feel you rolling your
eyes, but this was truly MAGICAL--think Harry Potter when he first discovers he can speak
Parsel Tongue.)

That Sunday morning, I turned on my little radio and I felt something click and expand in my
head. I could suddenly understand EVERYTHING. I think that I probably missed breakfast
and maybe lunch--I spent hours entranced next to my little radio. The longer I listened, the
more I could feel my brain expanding. It was like I could sense a whole part of my mind
waking up. It was at once the most intellectually stimulating and one of the most physically
stimulating experiences that I have ever had. (I mean, seriously, how often do you get to
feel your brain happily and painlessly expanding like a physical muscle?)

Anyhow, I told you this story because I truly believe that the same thing can happen to you,
too. Now, it may take significantly more than two weeks. Don't forget that when I started
listening to my radio, I was in a full-immersion situation in France.

That said, whether it takes you two weeks, two months or two years, the feeling of your
brain clicking and expanding when you suddenly understand EVERYTHING is worth it. It is
best feeling I have ever had in my life. (And I'm pretty old, so that says something.)

So just listen to the radio. Even if it seems utterly incomprehensible, difficult,  makes you
think that you are bad at French, and makes you wonder if you are a good fit at Park (the
Harvard of high schools?) keep listening!!  It's natural to feel discouraged and it is even
natural to be angry at me. But these are risks that I am willing to take because I know how it
will feel once everything finally clicks.

It will feel like magic.
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