Seven podcasts to improve your French this summer

Listening to podcasts is one of the best ways to work on your French without having to make too much effort.

Life can be busy, and fitting in time to practise your language can be difficult, especially when you are tired and looking at a long vocabulary list is the last thing you want to do.

The great thing about podcasts is that they can go everywhere with you, so on your commute to work or while you are doing the shopping, you can pop one on and be on your way.

Like the radio, you can often have them on in the background to allow you to tune in and out. It doesn’t matter if you miss some details, you can just listen again at a later point!

This is our third instalment in our podcast recommendations series - you will hopefully find something for everyone, whether it be listening with your children or developing your understanding of French culture.

Les Aventures de Tintin

If you are a Tintin fan, this is the podcast for you! France Culture has paired up with the National Orchestra of France to bring you the series.

Books are broken down into 20-25 minute episodes, with all the episodes for one book dropping on the same day.

With the dramatic music and calming voices, they make for great bedtime listening and are good for children looking to work on their French as well.

Read also: French podcasts to help improve your language skills

Les odyssées

If you are looking for something for younger children, France Inter has Les odyssées, which is aimed at children aged 7-12 years old.

Each episode dives into the story of a great historical figure, and with episodes lasting around 15-20 minutes, they are short enough to keep children interested for the duration.

Real Life French

For those learning French, this is a good insight into real-life spoken French, which is often not what you learn in the classroom.

Episodes are only around 7 minutes long, dialogue is repeated and the presenters speak slowly and clearly.

It is another one to add to your repertoire if you are looking for quick bursts of French to improve your language.

Read also: Part two: French podcasts to help improve your language skills

Il était une fois

Another one for French learners: Il était une fois by Coffee Break French is aimed at ‘advanced learners’.

It seeks to help you improve your vocabulary and listening skills.

It begins with the presenters picking out words with which they must write a story. The series is completely in French, which is slightly different to their normal series, which is in both French and English.

Small Talk

Hosted by David Costello-Lopez, stars are invited on the show to talk about everything in life except the reason they are famous.

This is a good way to access French culture and gain a better knowledge of France’s biggest stars.

FloodCast

This is like listening to your friends having a chat.

The concept is simple: the two hosts invite their friends onto the podcast to chat about anything and everything.

FloodCast has been going for a few years now, so there is a big backlog of content you can listen to.

Les Pieds sur terre

This podcast by France Culture offers numerous podcasts on the same subject, allowing for numerous views told by different people on one theme.

Themes range hugely, from society to travel to adventure - and with over 80 episodes you have plenty of choice of where to begin.

Related articles

How to gain confidence in speaking French

These 10 songs can help you improve your French