4 General Learning Tips for Continuers and Extension French

[issy1243]

French can seem like some giant, daunting riddle- especially for those who haven’t had the opportunity to go on exchange. It is important, however, to remember that it is treated by BOSTES like any other subject. If you can tick their boxes, then you are going to be just fine. Below I’ve tried to break down into 4 categories the best methods for learning HSC French (from my personal experience). Hopefully this will help bring some structure (and peace of mind) to your studies.

1. Phrases and Expressions
If you haven’t figured it out already, BOSTES loves buzzwords- and French is no exception to the rule. Over the year, you should be collecting phrases and expressions to memorise. These will help to structure your work, becoming both the starting point and the backbone for your writing and speaking. For example, incorporating the subjunctive into your work isn’t so difficult if you have a couple expressions using this grammar already up your sleeve.
The kinds of phrases you should be looking for

• BOSTES wants you to show off your knowledge of French grammar. Collect a variety of phrases which showcase this, varying from the use of subjunctive, different modes such as the conditional, superlatives, negations, the gerondif and the tricky uses of de etc.
  
  • A mix of Formal/Informal expressions. BOSTES wants you to be able to respond to both situations in writing so having expressions which work in both situations is helpful. Even better is to create a table where you can compare the language you’d use in formal vs informal situations eg. alors vs. ainsi, mais vs. en revanche…
  • French sayings. Incorporating a ‘saying’ or even proverb every once in awhile can really elevate your French and demonstrate the depth of your understanding of the French language. Be careful with this however, as it should only be used naturally. If these expressions are forced into your writing or speaking at inappropriate times it can come out as fake and unnatural.
  • Phrases/expressions which make your langauge ‘flow’. French is very much a language which is composed of ‘linking’ words and sounds. From dropping in something as simple as “Du coup” to something a little more complicated like “Dans ce cas la..” shows that you are grasping the fluent nature of French.
  Where to find these phrases:
  
  • The best resources are newspaper articles and magazines. Ask your teacher for a couple, and if they don’t have any, take a look online.
    
  • Podcasts
  • Comics
  • French phrasebooks
  
  2. Confront your mistakes
  Ever begun writing in a French exam and realised that what you want to say is using grammar you’re still unfamiliar with or a word you can never quite spell? The best way to avoid these mini freak-outs is to address your mistakes and grey-areas early. Every week, make a list of the errors you’ve made and revise them. Then compare these mistakes with last weeks. If there is a pattern, make an active effort to put the correct grammar/spelling in your next writing pieces and repeat. Eventually the correct grammar/spelling will come naturally to you.
  
  3. Find something you love
  French may be the subject you dread the most, but it can also become your biggest ‘relief’ from the drudgery of content during the HSC. You’ll find whilst learning French that you can have a surprising amount of freedom to create, be imaginative, opinionated and even (dare I say) find out more about yourself. Bring into your studies material that interests you and prepare small paragraphs which incorporate these interests.
  The reason why I bring this up is because the more you bring yourself into your studies, the more confidence you will have in French. Not only will you be more inclined to speak or write in French if it’s about something you’re interested in, but over time you will learn how to ‘guide’ a question or a topic in the direction you want it to go. For example, take the opportunity to talk about your favourite book, film etc. in Continuers speaking as soon as they ask about your hobbies or take the opportunity in French Extension to communicate your interest in contemporary social issues.
  
  4. Start Now
  This is hard to hear, I know, but French isn’t something you can learn or become an expert at overnight. Fortunately there are many simple ways to consistently study French from the get-go.
  Boring way: This way is important, don’t get me wrong. Which is why I’m writing about it... even though it is boring.
  
  • Write a small paragraph a day on a relevant aspect of your studies and send it in to your teacher to be marked (Try to integrate those ‘phrases’ you’ve been learning as well). When you get the feedback, make sure to re-write a ‘perfected’ version of it and keep it in a safe place for future writing. This is important so that you become familiar with writing and can write with the fluency, speed and confidence necessary for exam conditions.
  • Complete a speaking question every few days. Same method, except record yourself speaking and send it into your teacher. (Your teacher is going to hate you).
  • A practice paper a week.
  Fun way: Thankfully, France is such a rich culture that you can access a huge diversity of things which are in… FRENCH! From podcasts to tv series, movies to music, magazines to books, you have so much choice that you can procrastinate studying french by learning french! The thing is binge watching a French tv series really is beneficial. Just like how we learned English as babies, one of the best ways to learn any language is through imitation. Therefore, the more you hear french, the better you will be at speaking french, the more you read french, the better you will be at writing french etc. etc. To me, these kinds of things are JUST as important as the rest.
  
  So there you have it. Do with this what you want. Don’t fret. Have fun. And if you want some more resources and tips, ask away!
  

[Joseph41]

Thanks so much for this!

Great first post - welcome to ATAR Notes.

[NowYouTseMe]

Do you have any suggestions for french podcasts or tv series'?

[issy1243]

There are plenty of French podcasts available on the site radio France ( http://www.radiofrance.fr/ ), and you can find podcasts series about basically anything (from politics to science to poetry) as it is split into different sections such as France Inter, France Culture, France Bleu, France Musique etc.
What you would enjoy listening to depends on your tastes, but I have liked listening to:
https://www.franceculture.fr/emissions/tout-un-monde
https://www.franceculture.fr/emissions/carnet-nomade
https://www.franceinter.fr/emissions/les-choix-culture-du-week-end
https://www.franceinter.fr/emissions/l-heure-des-reveurs
https://www.franceculture.fr/emissions/affaires-etrangeres
I also recommend http://www.rfi.fr/emission/grand-reportage/ for news reports about what is going on around the world.
Most of the ones I have linked last for around an hour, but you can find plenty of shorter podcasts lasting for as little as 2 minutes. Also note that these podcasts are made for native speakers, which means the vocab, content and speed of speaking may be a lot more sophisticated than what you are familiar with. But even if you understand only a small amount, being surrounded by the language on a regular basis will improve your listening skills, accent and vocabulary. You can choose to use the podcasts as a 'study tool', listening intently to pick up vocab and phrases (which is an awesome way to learn), but If you're not up for that, that's ok. I recommend just playing it in the background when you're doing other things such as scrolling on social media, cleaning your room, on a bus trip home etc. and even that makes a big difference.
As for tv series, I can't say much on that end because I haven't found many series I like. French film, on the other hand, is really diverse and super easy to access online with just a quick search so you'll be bound to find something you like. Netflix also has a good selection of French films which you can listen to with french or english subtitles (best combination is French w French subtitles) which you can access by looking up French Movies.

[itssona]

Do you have any suggestions for french podcasts or tv series'?

maybe late but just so everyone can see

The Voice France is the best reality show ever - episodes easily available online/PM me
French movie : La Famille Belier (so good! Louane is amazing!)
Amelie
https://www.youtube.com/user/ondarprime (an AMAZING show)

also french music helped me understand french - especially analysing lyrics and so on
I recommend mika, stromae

[NowYouTseMe]

maybe late but just so everyone can see

The Voice France is the best reality show ever - episodes easily available online/PM me
French movie : La Famille Belier (so good! Louane is amazing!)
Amelie
https://www.youtube.com/user/ondarprime (an AMAZING show)

also french music helped me understand french - especially analysing lyrics and so on
I recommend mika, stromae

speaking of which, my mate found this: https://lyricstraining.com/fr which effectively turns french music into a listening game. idk it might be useful