A2B1Free
Real Spoken French: What Natives Really Say
J’sais pas, t’as vu, du coup, la flemme: understand people, not just the textbook.
You understand your textbook but not the people around you? This course teaches how French is really spoken: the ne that disappears, the short forms (t’es, t’as, y a, j’suis), on instead of nous, the little words of conversation (ben, du coup, en fait, genre, bref), questions with intonation, familiar vocabulary (boulot, bouffer, un pote, la flemme), a little verlan and a few Québec words, with the register in which each one belongs.
Lessons
- 1
The sounds that disappear
Why “je ne sais pas” becomes “j’sais pas”: the ne that vanishes, the short forms of je suis, tu as, il y a, and how to understand them.
- 2
“Ben”, “du coup”, “genre”: the little words
The words that fill every conversation, what each one does, and the questions natives actually ask.
- 3
Familiar words and registers
Boulot, bouffer, un pote, relou: the familiar words you hear every day, a little verlan, and when you can use them.
Final assessment
Ten questions drawn from the whole course. Score 70% or more to earn your certificate.
What you will be able to do
- 01Understand fast, informal French
- 02Recognise the short spoken forms
- 03Use filler words naturally
- 04Choose the right register
Other courses in this path
- A2
B2
B1
A1PopularConversation
Survival Dialogues
The sentences that get you out of trouble when you understand almost nothing.
A2 → B1PopularConversation
Settling in Canada: Housing, Papers, Health
The French of your first weeks: lease, health card, school and daycare.
A2 → B1Conversation
French–English False Friends
Actuellement, librairie, excité: the words that do not mean what you think.
B1 → B2Conversation
French Idioms in Pictures
Poser un lapin, il pleut des cordes, être aux oiseaux: see the picture, guess the meaning.
A2 → B1PopularConversation
Your Child’s School in French
Enrolment, school messages, a call from the school and the parent-teacher meeting.