How do you prepare before listening to spoken French? How you prepare before listening, and how you use your brain while listening plays a major role in your overall comprehension. Answer these 6 questions to discover gaps in your preparation. Subtitles available!

In today's episodes, discover:
🎯 how those 6 questions improve your preparation and better condition your brain for listening tasks
🎯 how to uncover existing gaps in your preparation and conditioning
🎯 why focusing on learning vocabulary and grammar is not enough to improve your listening skills

For today's show notes, transcriptions and vocab, c'est par ici:
https://www.quirkyfrench.com/podcast/episode53

🎧 What is Quirky French Podcast about?
Quirky French podcast helps you feel more confident, more focused and more in control of your learning journey. In this podcast, you'll learn:
🎯 tools and tips to get over your fear of speaking French
🎯 techniques to improve your learning routine and methodology
🎯 strategies to develop your own voice, your own fluency, and your own style in French

​I will help you be on the right track no matter your level or language goal so that you can study on your own terms, whatever that means to you. For more info about my philosophy, head on to: https://www.quirkyfrench.com/philosophy

Time for a new challenge. The podcast will be in French from now on. But fear not, I've specifically designed future episodes for learners who struggle with listening overwhelm and anxiety. Check out today's episode to discover the new features of Quirky French Podcast.

In today's episodes, you'll learn about:
- the resources you'll use to understand future episodes and learn new vocabulary
- the listening challenges you'll complete each week
- the new podcast collections available on QuirkyFrench.com

Check out the new podcast collections here!
For today's shownotes, c'est par ici!

Scared to speak in French? Does this feeling of fear get in the way of talking to people? Listen to today's episode as I share with you the most helpful and actionable tips of the podcast so far to boost your confidence and overcome your fear of speaking French. This episode will help you narrow your focus to what matters most now. But remember: it's one thing to know what to do in theory, and it's another to actually take action. So enjoy the episode, but more importantly, apply the tips, and the rest will follow!

In today's episode, you'll learn about:
- the difference between your proficiency level and your confidence level
- the reason why you don't feel like you're progressing even though you truly are
- the hidden mental block that prevents you from reaching your full potential
- the two areas to focus on to build up confidence
- the one question that instantly boosts your confidence each time you answer it

For the show notes and links to mentioned episodes, c'est par ici!

What are the most important habits you should develop to become great at listening comprehension? Confident listeners know there’s more to listening than watching movies and videos online. In fact, there are several key elements of good listening skills that I've compiled in this very special episode to help you take your listening skills to the next level.

In today's episode, you'll learn:
- how to prepare for listening
- what to do to listen effectively
- how to choose appropriate listening materials
- how to handle listening when you feel overwhelmed
- how to kickstart your listening journey with the free 7-day course UHD listening skills.

For the show notes and links to mentioned episodes, c'est par ici!

In this special episode, you'll hear la crème de la crème on all things speaking. If improving your speaking skills and confidence is your main focus, don't overwhelm yourself with too many tips and tricks. This compilation of the best tips from the podcast will help you focus on what matters most. Apply the steps from these selected episodes (don't just try once, but truly incorporate them into your routine!), and your speaking skills will completely transform. Yes, it can be that simple :)

In today's episode, you'll learn:
- that fluency is only one of the 3 elements of speaking development, and what that means for your own learning routine
- how to develop fluency by simplifying your French
- how to develop accuracy and convey meaning through your intonation
- how to recentre and stop getting stuck if you tend to freeze
- how to optimise your routine if you cannot seem to ever speak fluently
- how to speak fluently when you use complex sentences structures

For the show notes and links to mentioned episodes, c'est par ici!

Stop saying "je ne sais pas" and start using the following phrases instead. In today's episode, you're going to learn fun phrases that add a lot more depth and nuance to your speech. Start incorporating those phrases progressively and spice up your vocabulary! On y va!

In today's episode:
- replace "je ne sais pas" with more expressive phrases
- use informal and formal synonyms depending on the context
- hear the vocabulary in context with authentic movie quotes
- bonus: discover the quirky little sound we French make when we don't know the answer to a question

For a recap of the phrases and show notes, c'est par ici!

Most learners want to reach fluently: no hesitation, spot-on pronunciation, fast, seamless speeches... The dream! But as you try to speak quickly, you may also forget the number one truth about true fluency: it's all about comfort. Fluency is first and foremost about feeling at ease when you speak. So today, instead of practising speaking quickly, you're going to practise speaking slowly and comfortably, and you'll learn to move from speaking slowly to speaking fluently.

You're going to learn:
- why speaking quickly hinders your overall speaking performance
- how slowing down improves your accuracy and confidence
- how to practise slow speech

More information on this episode's webpage!

This question stings: why are you not fluent by now? In today's episode, discover what separates fluent learners from average learners. I know that topic stings, but this episode is going to help you expand your learning and move from "average" to "great". So let's go!!!

In this episode:
- discover why trying to get things right is not enough to become fluent
- discover what to focus on to build fluency
- discover the three stages of learning

More info on this episode's webpage!

One word: immersion. You don't need to travel abroad to experience it. In today's episode, discover Radio Garden, a free tool that allows you to design your own immersion environment. Radio Garden allows you to tune in to any radio in the world, and I’ll show you how you can use it for your own learning experience.

In this episode:
- discover how to use Radio Garden
- find out the 3 ways of using Radio Garden
- learn how to create an immersive experience using Radio Garden
- guess 5 Francophone accents in the final quizz!

For more info, and to get the answers to the accents quizz, c'est par ici!

Intonation is everything: how you say what you say can completely transform the meaning of your words. So if you often misunderstand spoken French, check out today's episode to discover the power of intonation and the benefits of practising intonation.  

You're going to discover:

• the power of intonation
• the benefits of studying intonation
• how intonation impacts meaning
• how to practise intonation on your own

More info and show notes on this episode's webpage!