The Power of Listening and Imitating:

Often to improve one's spoken French, we think we need to just speak, speak and speak. Yes, but not only! You also need to listen and imitate.
 

Imitating means reproducing in the same way something that another person does.
 

By listening carefully and trying to imitate the sounds, the accent, the intonation and the rhythm of French, you will be able to significantly improve your pronunciation and your fluency in French.
 

And for that, there is an INCREDIBLE exercise whose principle is to listen and imitate which will allow you, if you do it regularly, to improve your spoken French.
 

 

 

Shadowing to Improve Your French:

Have you ever heard of the "shadowing" technique? It's a POWERFUL method to improve your spoken French.
 

Shadowing is the act of imitating a native speaker as accurately as possible when they speak. You listen and try to repeat what you hear, almost simultaneously, at the same time.
 

You will reproduce the same intonation and pronunciation at the same time as the person who is speaking. It's very effective for improving pronunciation, for speaking more fluently and in a more authentic way. It also helps to better assimilate vocabulary and sentence syntax. It's also a technique that you can use while watching French series and movies.
 

So, it's true that it's an exercise that can be difficult. It's a challenge even for a native French speaker to do it! But, don't worry, I'll help you!
 

 

 

How to Practice French with Shadowing?

So, how to practice French with shadowing? First, find an audio or video in French that is clear and whose subject interests you.
 

Secondly, listen carefully to the recording one or two times.
 

Thirdly, start repeating what you hear. Try to do it simultaneously, but if it's too difficult, you can pause after each sentence.
 

You can use podcasts, songs, TV shows, movies, anything that can help you hear authentic French spoken by native speakers.

 

 

See you soon for new adventures, in French of course. 🇫🇷