sometimes you fall down in life and it sucks!!!!!! like it’s actually terrible but… hey. u gotta get back up champ bc u r a STAR. in other words, i have fallen down recently and this is how i plan on getting back up. bc i am a star.

starting easy

• clean your room bc outer peace brings inner peace
  
• clean yourself bc outer peace brings inner peace and this means removing your makeup washing your face brushing your teeth combing your hair wearing nice-smelling clothes
• drink a glass of water because hydration. important.
• play a happy song like rlly whatever u want that makes u happy and want to dance
• i know this might sound hard but like u got this i believe in u

moving on

• ok this is hard part but u still got this love
• think about everything that is wrong literally like EVERYTHING but maybe not everything bc maybe it will stress you out but maybe writing it will be cathartic whatever works for u
• find solutions for those problems
• i know i make it sound super easy and i know it’s actually really hard but usually u know what the solution is just something is holding u back
• so rlly decide that that is the solution
• tell urself, “this is how i am going to fix this”
• to make this very hard and difficult step, please be nice to yourself by listening to cool tunes and rocking eyeliner
• it rlly helps
• organising your thoughts is also useful bc organisation
• i have heard a bullet journal is rlly gr8 for this because like u get to plan ur days but also write random crap that’s not actually random crap but instead very good crap like “how to cheer up when sad” it’s all there in one notebook !!! radical eh

the step where you get back up

• set urself up for success by sleeping early and waking up early bc sleep is like soooOo important u have no idea
• exercise bc endorphins and all that good stuff and drink water and eat yo vegetables
• do the shit that u planned to do in the previous step even if it’s hard i know it’s hard life is hard but u r hardier u r a star

stay on track

• k so a lot of ppl r like “discipline > motivation” which i 100% agree but like motivation is also nice
• have someone believe in u/someone u can talk to and be ur ray of sunshine like this is rlly helpful
• find a purpose for whatever u want to do like what is ur reason for going through the shitty path of life and choosing this hard decision
• typical motivational quotes like idk about u but i fall for those every single time
• pep talk urself and fake enthusiasm even if u don’t want to like isn’t it radical how the only person holding u back is u

forgive yourself

• ur life will go on track and then back off again!!! bc u r a human and humans make mistakes
  
• don’t u get all mopey on urself and be like “i have ruined my life” like stop being so dramatic tough love ik but like U R ALIVE AND THAT MEANS U GTA KEEP KICKIN AT SMTHING
• u can mope for a bit and when u do mope mope ur heart out like cry and use tissues and whatever u need but like limit ur moping period bc u need to move on
• bad things will happen to u bc life and no matter how much ppl want to help u only u can rlly help urself
• ur life ur decisions. forgive urself and start over again (refer to beginning of this post)

fun little reminders

• u have the most beautiful smile
  
• my inbox is always open if u need a pep talk and i will always fight ur negativity with my jaw-dropping, amazing, radiant positivity
• u! r! a! star!!!!11!11!!1111!!!!!!!!3
• cake makes everything better
• leonardo dicaprio is still single
• i love u unless ur mean don’t be mean plS
• <3

This was originally for an article writing assignment, but I thought “why not write something I can also post on my blog?” so here are three study methods that I haven’t seen a lot of in the studyblr community but are definitely worth mentioning.

The Leitner System

          Flash cards have remained one of the most popular ways to study. Some people use them to memorize vocabulary, remember answers to specific questions, or even associate dates with events. Although the use of flash cards is convenient, their effectiveness has been reduced due to most people’s habits of prioritizing each card equally and therefore spending too much time memorizing the information on them.

          The Leitner System, created by a German popularizer of science named Sebastian Leitner, is a more efficient method of studying that implements the concept of spaced repetition. All the cards start off in one pile. You would first scan through these cards, then test yourself. Each card you answer correctly goes to a second pile, while those you answer incorrectly should be revised then placed at the bottom of the pile. When you review the cards in the second pile and get them correct, they will be promoted to a third pile. An incorrect card will always get demoted to the first pile, even if they had previously been promoted to the last pile.

          The reason why this method is so effective is that you end up reviewing the first pile of cards more frequently—the cards you don’t know very well. Some people choose to review their Stack 1 cards every day, Stack 2 cards every other day, Stack 3 cards once every three days, and so on.

          Once all your cards have been promoted to the highest box, study them thoroughly and then start over. The continuous revision trains your speed so that you may reach fluency, which allows you to recall the information faster.

Timed Memorization

          The name tells it all: you memorize a certain text within a time limit, normally around five to ten minutes depending on your fluency and memorization abilities. When the timer starts, you begin memorizing. When time is up, you flip to the next page, even if you haven’t finished the previous page yet. Continue until you’ve gone through all your material.

          Timed memorization helps you to discipline yourself because your brain thinks that there’s no time for messing around; you have to do this here and now. Make sure to repeat the things you missed and revise everything frequently. This method is actually one of the most effective for cramming as it gives a better coverage than if you spend a whole half hour memorizing one subtopic.

The Memory Palace or Mind Palace

           Sound familiar? In BBC’s Sherlock, the ‘highly functioning sociopath’ uses this method to remember vital information and facts. A mind palace is a systematic arrangement of information, each detail corresponding to a specific object in a familiar place. To ensure that you really remember everything, the objects have to appear shocking and conspicuous.

           Here’s an example: if I wanted to memorize “crimson, 11, delight, petrichor (the smell after rain)”, aside from imagining Amy Pond or the Doctor saying it, I would first choose a place, let’s say my school. I’d imagine myself walking up to the front gate and seeing that the entire building has been painted the color of blood—crimson. The building would then rise as though it were lifted from the earth and crumble into rubble, controlled by Eleven, the character from Stranger Things. Now, since I can’t really picture delight specifically, I’d probably end up visualizing a colossal sign that simply reads “delight” posted in front of my school. As for petrichor, I’d imagine curves rising out of the puddles on the asphalt after a rainy night, a visual representation of the smell of the rain. Of course, these visualizations have been created to suit my memory. (I wouldn’t know if you watched Stranger Things.)

           I used this method when memorizing case studies for geography, although I chose to visualize fictional places from television series and cartoons. Some people do opt to create artificial places, but these often become blurry and are easily forgotten.

           As with any study method, repetition is vital to storing the information in your long-term memory. Visit your “palace” as often as you can. Soon enough, you’ll remember the data as well as you remember the place associated with the data.

So there you have it, three lesser known methods of studying that have proven to be immensely efficient. Now, there is no “correct” way to study, but there are methods that can ease your learning process.

⭐️ (for beginners) ⭐️

When talking to french people, focus on innocuous topics like the weather, current events (“avez-vous lu à propos de..?” Have you read about…?), and cultural topics like food, movies, art, music, and so on. And remember to use vous instead of tu!

• I only speak a little French. Je ne parle qu'un peu le français.
  
• I am learning French, but I am only a beginner. J'apprends le français mais je ne suis qu'un débutant.
  
• I have been learning french for 2 days / 2 weeks / 2 months / 1 year / 2 years. J'apprends le français depuis deux jours / deux semaines / deux mois / un an / deux ans.
  
• Will you please correct me? Peux-tu me corriger, s'il te plaît?
  
• What does ___ mean? Que veut dire ___?
  
• What does that mean? Qu'est-ce que ça veut dire?
  
• Can you explain in French/English to me? Peux-tu m'expliquer en français / anglais?
  
• What does that mean in this context? Qu'est-ce que ça veut dire dans ce contexte?
  
• What is the French word for ___? Quel est le mot français pour ___?
  
• Is this/that correct? C'est juste?
  
• Am I wrong? Je me trompe?/Est-ce que j'ai tort?
  
• Am I correct? Est-ce que j'ai raison?
  
• Do you understand? Est-ce que tu me comprends?
  
• I do not understand. Je ne comprends pas.
  
• I want to improve my level in French. Je veux améliorer mon niveau de français.
  
• I need to practice French. J'ai besoin de pratiquer le français.
  
• Do you have time to speak with me? As-tu le temps de parler avec moi ?
  
• Can you help me to learn French? Peux-tu m'aider à apprendre le français?
  
• Do you mind if we speak in French? Ça te dérange si nous parlons en français?
  
• Can you please speak in French? it helps me to learn. Peux-tu me parler en français s'il te plaît? Ça m'aide à apprendre.
  
• How do you say ’___’ in French? Comment dit-on ’___’ en français ?
  
• I struggle with spelling / reading / writing / listening / pronunciation. J'ai du mal avec l'orthographe / la lecture / l'écriture / la compréhension orale / la prononciation.
  
• Can you please repeat? I did not understand. Pouvez-vous répéter s'il vous plaît ? Je n'ai pas compris.
  
• I don’t speak French fluently. Je ne parle pas couramment le français.
  
• I am confused. Je suis perdu(e).
  
• I don’t know how to say it in French. Je ne sais pas comment le dire en Français,
  
• Sorry (or ‘pardon’), what did you say? Pardon, qu'est-ce que tu as dit?
  
• I’ve never heard of that. Je n'ai jamais entendu ça.
  
• That makes sense. Ça se tient.
  
• That does not make sense. Ça n'a aucun sens.
  
• What’s happening? / What’s going on? Qu'est-ce qui se passe?
  
• What do you mean by ’___’ ? Qu'est-ce que tu entends par ’___’? / Qu'est-ce que tu veux dire par ’___’?
  

⭐️ Personal Stuff ⭐️

Here is a list of phrases you can use and practice when giving and asking for personal information. Take note that the list makes use of the formal “vous”.

• Comment vous appelez-vous? What is your name?
  
• Je m'appelle Christine. My name is Christine.
  
• Quel est votre nom? What is your name?
  
• Comment allez-vous? How are you?
  
• Je vais bien, merci. I am doing well, thank you.
  
• Très bien, merci. Very well, thank you.
  
• Quel âge avez-vous? How old are you?
  
• J'ai # ans. I am # years old.
  
• J'ai trente ans. I am thirty years old.
  
• J'ai quarante-deux ans. I am forty two old.
  
• Quelle est votre nationalité? What is your Nationality?
  
• Je suis canadien(ne). I am Canadian.
  
• Je suis américain(e). I am American.
  
• Je suis chinois(e). I am Chinese.
  
• Je suis coréen(ne). I am Korean.
  
• Où habitez-vous? Where do you live?
  
• J'habite en Californie. I live in California.
  
• Quel est votre numéro de téléphone? What is your phone number?
  
• Mon numéro de téléphone est le … My phone number is …
  
• Où êtes-vous né(e)? Where were you born?
  
• Je suis né(e) à… I was born in…
  
• Êtes-vous marié(e)? Are you married?
  
• Oui, je suis marié. Yes, I am married
  
• Non, je ne suis pas marié. No, I am not married
  
• Je suis célibataire. I am single
  
• Est-ce que vous avez des frères et soeurs? Do you have any brothers and sisters?
  
• Je suis fille unique. I am an only child/daughter
  
• Je suis fils unique. I am an only child/son
  
• J'ai - frère(s). I have - brother(s).
  
• J'ai - soeur(s).  I have - sisters(s).
  
• Je n'ai pas de frères. I don’t have any brothers.
  
• Je n'ai pas de soeurs. I don’t have any sisters.
  
• Quel est votre métier? What is your job?
  
• Quelle est votre profession? What is your profession?
  
• Que faites-vous dans la vie? What do you do for a living?
  
• Je suis ingénieur. I am an engineer.
  
• Je suis boulanger/boulangère. I am a baker.
  
• Je suis médecin. I am a doctor.
  
• Je suis infirmier/infirmière. I am a nurse.
  

⭐️ Interests ⭐️

• Quel est votre sport préféré? What is your favorite sport? (formal)
  
• Quel est ton sport préféré? 
  
• What is your favorite sport? (informal)
  
• Mon sport préféré est… My favorite sport is….
  
• J'aime faire du sport et garder la forme. I like to do sports to keep fit.
  
• Quelle saison préférez-vous? What season do you prefer? (formal
  
• Quelle saison préfères-tu? What season do you prefer? (What season is your favorite?) (informal)
  
• Quels sont vos passe-temps préférés? What are your favorite pastimes? (formal)
  
• Quels sont tes passe-temps préférés? What are your favorite pastimes? (informal)
  
• Mes passe-temps préférés sont… My favorite pastimes are…
  
• Qu'est-ce que vous faites dans votre temps libre? What do you do in your free time? (formal)
  
• Qu'est-ce que tu fais dans ton temps libre? What do you do in your free time? (informal)
  
• Est-ce que vous avez un animal de compagnie? Do you have a pet?(formal)
  
• Est-ce que tu as un animal de compagnie? Do you have a pet? (informal)
  
• Non, Je n'ai pas un animal de compagnie. No, I don’t have a pet.
  
• Oui, J'ai un chat. Yes, I have a cat.
  
• Oui, J'ai un chien.Yes, I have a dog.
  
• Qu'est-ce que vous aimez? What do you like?
  
• J'aime le jazz. I like jazz.
  
• J'aime le rock. I like rock.
  
• J'aime le hip-hop. I like hip-hop.
  
• Je n'aime pas le rap. I don’t like rap.
  
• Je n'écoute pas de la musique très souvent. I don’t listen to music very often.
  
• J'aime les films d'amour. I like romance films.
  
• J'aime les films d'aventures. I like adventure films.
  
• Je n’aime pas faire du ski. I don’t like skiing.
  
• Qu'est-ce que vous aimeriez faire dans la vie? What would you like to do in life ?
  
• J'aimerais être chef. I would like to be a chef.
  
• J'aimerais être un bibliothécaire. I would like to be a librarian.
  

🌻 Describing People:

1. Physical appearance

aguichant- enticing, alluring
avachi- limp, sloppy, baggy
baraqué- well-built
bizarre- strange
boursouflé- bloated
bronzé- tanned
chétif,-ive- weak, sickly
débraillé- untidy, sloppy
dépenaillé- unkempt
douteux, -euse- doubtful, dubious, questionable
élancé- slim
frêle- frail, fragile
grand- tall
grassouillet, ette- plump
gros, grosse- fat
hâlé- tanned
insolite- unusual, quirky
maigre- skinny
mignon- nice, sweet
mince- slender
musclé - brawny, muscular
nerveux- nervous, upset
pâle- pale
potelé- plump (like a baby)
rabougri- wizened, shrivelled
séduisant - attractive, charming, seductive

2. Character

abruti- idiotic
acariâtre- sour, bad-tempered
antipathique- unfriendly
anodin- harmless
astucieux, euse- clever, astute, shrewd
atone- lifeless, expressionless
avisé- sensible, wise
borné- narrow-minded (“bornez-vous!” limit yourself)
braillard- describes someone who complains a lot
brave- good, honest, brave
candide- naive, ingenuous, innocent, trusting
casanier,-iere- homebody, home lover
compassé- starchy, stiff
compliqué- complicated; fussy (e.g. about food)
compréhensif,-ive-  understanding
dépravé- perverted
dévoyé- perverted
difficile- difficult
distrait- absent-minded, distracted
drôle- funny
ennuyeux,-euse- boring
évolué- broad-minded, independent, progressive
exigeant- demanding
extraverti- extrovert
faiblard- weak, feeble
fainéant- lazy, idle
falot- dreary, bland
farfelu- eccentric, bizarre
franc- candid
futé- cunning, smart
guindé- stiff, awkward
imprévisible- unforeseeable
juste- fair
lunatique- temperamental
maladroit- clumsy
mal commode- bad-tempered
malicieux,-euse- mischievous, naughty
malin- cunning
malveillant- malicious, malevolent, spiteful
maniaque- finicky, fussy
marrant- funny; odd
maussade- gloomy, sullen
méchant- malicious, nasty
méfiant- distrustful, suspicious
méprisant- contemptuous, disdainful
névrosé- neurotic
perspicace- perceptive, insightful
primesautier-iere- impulsive
rébarbatif -ive- hostile, off-putting
renfrogné- sullen
replié sur soi-meme- introverted, withdrawn
rusé- cunning
sage - well-behaved, good
saugrenu - absurd
sensé- sensible
sensible- sensitive
sérieux,-euse- serious, responsible
susceptible- touchy, sensitive, delicate
sympathique- nice, friendly
terre-á-terre- down-to-earth
tordu- warped, twisted
travailleur-euse- hard-working

3. Mood

accablé- distressed
admiratif, -ive- admiring
affolé- in a panic
amer, -ere -bitter
assoupi- drowsy
béat- blissfully happy; smug, complacent
cafardeux,-euse- in the dumps
débordé (de travail)- snowed under (with work)
décontracté- relaxed
détendu- relaxed
découragé- disheartened, discouraged
dépité- vexed
désemparé- distraught, at a loss
effaré (de)- alarmed (at)
énergique- energetic
enthousiaste- enthusiastic
gai- cheerful
bien ententionné- well-intentioned
lointain- distant
mélancolique- gloomy
navré- sorry, apologetic, upset
paumé- lost, at sea
ravi -delighted
surpris- surprised
tendu- tense
vanné- exhausted
vexé- annoyed

🌿 Describing ideas or events

1. Positive
alléchant - tempting, mouth-watering
attendrissant- touching
bénéfique- beneficial
commode- convenient
cocasse- funny, comical
conforme (á)- conforming (with)
convenable- fitting, acceptable, respectable
déroutant - disconcerting
détaillé - comprehensive, detailed
distinct - separate, distinct
équitable - fair
excellent - excellent, first-rate
formidable - fantastic
fulgurant - dazzling, thundery
grave - serious
honnête - decent
hors pair - exceptional
impeccable - great, without flaws
important - important
marrant - funny
merveilleux - marvellous
parfait - perfect
passionnant - exciting
percutant - powerful, striking, forceful
primordial - of prime importance
propice - favorable, suitable
raisonnable - reasonable
rarissime - extremely rare
recherché - much sought-after, studied
réconfortant - comforting
réjouissant - delightful
rentable - profitable, financially viable
réussi - successful, well-done
sagace - sagacious
sage - wise
sensationnel - sensational
spontané - spontaneous
subtil - subtle
surprenant - surprising
véridique - truthful

2. Negative
aberrant - absurd, nonsensical
abominable - abominable
affreux - dreadful, ghastly
agaçant - irritating
aléatoire - uncertain, random
ardu - arduous
chimérique - fanciful, imaginary, idealistic, utopic
complexe - complex
courant - common, current
déchirant - heart-breaking, gut wrenching
dégoûtant - disgusting
déprimant - depressing
déraisonnable - unreasonable
discutable - questionable, arguable
écoeurant - sickening, nauseating
ennuyeux,-euse - boring
épouvantable - horrendous, ghastly, atrocious
éprouvant - strenuous, punishing
étrange - strange
fastidieux,-euse - tedious, dull, tiresome
frustrant - frustrating, irritating
gênant - annoying
immonde - filthy, vile
impensable - unthinkable, unimaginable
impossible - difficult; impossible
improbable - unlikely
inadmissible - intolerable
inattendu - unexpected
loufoque - crazy, over the top
lourd - heavy/annoying
malaisé - difficult
malencontreux-euse - unfortunate
médiocre - mediocre
minable - seedy, hopeless, pathetic
pénible - difficult, tiresome; painful
pitoyable - pathetic
prosaïque - prosaic
quelconque - ordinary, mediocre
rebutant - off-putting, unappealing
répugnant - disgusting
ridicule - ridiculous

Do you ever get to that annoying point in language learning where you’re not fluent enough to understand the language fluently spoken or written but you get bored by Duolingo and methodical learning activities? Because me too.

A few weeks ago i made a similar list for Romanian and someone asked me to make for French, Spanish, German, Italian, Swedish and Norwegian. I’ll do lists for the other languages too this week, but for today, only French.

Harry Potter

Twilight

Hunger Games

Le Hobbit

ALICE AU PAYS DES MERVEILLES
DE L'AUTRE CÔTÉ DU MIROIR

Narnia

Percy Jackson

Le trône de fer, George R. R. Martin

À la croisée des mondes, Philip Pullman

L'AUTRE MONDE,  MAXIME CHATTAM

Dan Brown

Le Seigneur des anneaux 

Cycle de Shaedra

L’alchimiste, Paulo Coelho

Divergente

La Cité des ténèbres

Part 2 / Grammar

Nouns

• Introduction
  
• Number: singular or plural
• Gender: masculine or feminine
• Gender: masculine or feminine 2
• voilà vs. il y a: devices for introducing nouns
  
• temps, heure, fois: different nouns for ‘time’
  

Videos on Youtube about nouns:

• Gender of nouns
  
• Masculine or feminine?
• Plural nouns
• QUIZ! Masculine or feminine?

+ more quizzes: Gender, Gender 2 , Gender 3

Adverbs

• Introduction
  
• Formation and placement
• Placement of adverbs with the passé composé
  
• Comparative and superlative of adverbs
  
• Il y a ‘ago’
• Bon/meilleur vs. bien/mieux
• Tôt, tard, en avance, en retard, à l'heure 

+ Adverbs , Adverbs 2 ( lessons )

Videos on Youtube about adverbs:

• Les adverbes
  
• How to form adverbs in French
• Useful French Adverbs
  

+ quiz: Adverbs

Adjectives

• Introduction 
  
• Formation and placement
  
• Adjectives before the noun
  
• Irregular adjectives
  
• Adjectives whose meaning varies with placement
  
• Comparison of adjectives
  
• Superlative of adjectives
  
• Participles as adjectives
  

Videos on Youtube about adjectives:

• Adjective Rules 
  
• Most used adjectives
  

+quiz: Adjectives

Pronouns

• Introduction 
  
• subject pronouns: je, tu, il, elle, on, nous, vous, ils, elles
  
• c'est vs. il/elle est
  
• disjunctive pronouns: moi, toi, lui, elle, nous, vous, elles, eux
  
• direct object pronouns: me, te, le, la, nous, vous, les
  
• indirect object pronouns: me, te, lui, nous, vous, leur
  
• pronoun: y
  
• pronoun: en
  
• relative pronouns: qui and que
  
• relative pronouns: ce qui and ce que
  
• relative pronouns: dont, ce dont, où, lequel
  
• order of object pronouns
  
• indefinite pronouns: chacun and quelqu'un
  
• demonstrative pronouns: celui, celle, ceux, celles
  
• possessive pronouns: le mien, la mienne, etc.
  

Videos on Youtube about pronouns:

• Pronouns Y and En 
  
• QUI vs QUE
  
• Relative Pronoun DONT
• Relative Pronouns LEQUEL
  

+ quiz: Pronouns

Verbs

•  Introduction
  
• -er verbs (regular)
  
• -er verbs (stem changing)
  
• -ir verbs (regular)
  
• -ir verbs (irreg) like ouvrir ‘to open’
  
• -ir verbs (irreg) like partir ‘to leave,’ sortir ‘to go out,’ dormir ‘to sleep’
  
• -re verbs (regular)
  
• -re verbs (irregular) like prendre ‘to take’
  
• -re verbs (irregular) like mettre 'to put, to place’
  
• -re verbs (irregular) like suivre 'to follow’, vivre 'to live’
  
• être 'to be’
  
• avoir 'to have’
  
• aller 'to go’
  
• pronominal verbs: se raser, se lever, se disputer
  
• modal verbs: vouloir 'to want to,’ pouvoir 'to be able to,’ devoir 'to have to’
  
• impersonal verbs and expressions: il faut, il est important de …
  
• quitter, partir, sortir, laisser: different verbs for 'to leave’
  
• present participle
  
• transitive vs. intransitive constructions
  
• causative faire (faire+infinitif)
  

Videos on Youtube about Verbs:

• Verbs for beginners 
  
• Verbs MOST USED 

+quizzes: Verbs

Tense/aspect/mood/voice

• Introduction 
  
• present tense
  
• passé immédiat (venir de+infinitive)
  
• passé composé with avoir
  
• passé simple (literary tense)
  
• passé antérieur (literary tense)
  
• futur proche (aller+infinitive)
  
• simple future (regular)
  
• simple future (irregular)
  
• futur antérieur
  
• imperative mood (regular and pronominal)
  
• regular subjunctive formation
  
• irregular subjunctive formation
  
• conditional
  
• past conditional
  
• reported speech in present
  
• reported speech in past
  
• active voice vs. passive voice
• TENSES
• TENSES 2
• TENSES 3
• TENSES 4

Videos on Youtube about tenses:

• Past tenses
  
• Future tenses
  
• Conditional tenses
  
• Subjunctive
  
• Conditional tense 2
• Subjunctive 2 
  
• Future tense 2 
  
• IMPERFECT vs PASSÉ COMPOSÉ
  
• Imperfect tense
  

+quizzes: tenses,  imparfait vs. the passé composé, past tenses

Good luck! Bonne chance!

French Music I like:

• Lux ; Blood, Sweat and Tears (BTS cover)
• Stromae ; Carmen
• Arcadian ; Carmen (Stromae cover)
• Sara'h ; Havana (Camilla Cabello cover)
• Nightmare Before Christmas ; Jack’s Lament (PelleK cover)
• Sara'h ; One Dance (Drake cover)
• Stromae ; Quand C'est ?
• Sara'h ; Shape of You (Ed Sheeran cover)
• Ille ; Starboy (The Weeknd cover)
• Stromae ; Tous Les Mêmes

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So, these are my favorite french songs at the moment, you can find most of these on YouTube. Some names such as PelleK, Lux, and Arcadian are the names of the YouTube channels you can find them by. Most of these artists also have other songs and works/covers in french and other languages and so you can use this as a guide to expand your french music base as I did. (Highly recommend Stromae’s “Tous Les Mêmes” by the way, I haven’t been able to get it out of head, also the music video is très cool).

Best of luck on your french learning journey!

Watching

Français Authentique - Youtube channel featuring advice for language learners and excellent listening practice. All in French with French subtitles; rate of speaking slowed. Frequently updated. Good for: easier listening practice, improving vocabulary and grammar, improving accent, immersion, intermediate learners. 

7jours - News channel in French with French subtitles. Frequently updates. Good for: upper intermediate to advanced learners, those studying for DELF, listening practice, immersion, getting used to native speaker speed.

Quotidien - Yann Barthès lives on! I often watch his new show online. Good for: advanced learners, immersion, learning while being entertained, vocabulary. 

Fais Pas Ci, Fais Pas Ca - French television mockumentary show following the lives of two families. Very clever. No link because you’ll need to use a VPN or stream illegally (afaik), and everyone has their own favorite places for that stuff. Message me if you want a link to where I watch it. No subtitles (usually). Good for: advanced learners, learning while being entertained, immersion, listening practice, getting used to native speakers. 

Apps

Advanced French Expressions Memrise Course - A course focused on phrases and idioms employed by the French. Note: some of these seem very antiquated to me, so I often google around to see how often they’re getting used. Not recommended for beginners. Good for: advanced learners, increasing vocabulary, practicing pronunciation. 

More Advanced French Memrise Courses - More courses by the same user, focusing on advanced French expressions and idioms. Good for: advanced learners, increasing vocabulary, practicing pronunciation. 

Clozemaster - Enormous catalog of French sentences to get your diction and syntax sounding more natural. Dozens of levels from ultra-beginner to super-advanced. Good for: improving vocabulary, sentence structure practice, just finished Duolingo and want to move on. 

r/French - Reddit’s French learner’s subreddit. Good to browse every now and again because it’s filled with interesting links to movies, videos, etc. Good for: if you get bored easily and want to change it up, connecting with others, casual but genuine practice. 

Reading

Courrier International - News source with international articles translated into French. Good for: intermediate learners, improving vocabulary, reading practice, on-the-go learners without much time. 

Le Temps: Swiss French news site, featuring longer articles. Good for: intermediate to advanced learners, those studying for DELF, those who want longer reads. 

The books and short stories of Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt - Easy to read, interesting and heartwarming books and short stories. One of my new favorite French authors. Good for: to-read after Le Petit Prince, lower intermediate learners, improving vocabulary, immersion. 

The books of Anna Gavalda - Modern fiction. Higher reading level than Schmitt, but still accessible. Written recently, so good exposure to current everyday French. Good for: intermediate to upper-intermediate learners, immersion, vocabulary. 

The books of Marc Levy - Modern fiction, roughly the same level and benefits as the above. Good for: intermediate to upper-intermediate learners, immersion, vocabulary. 

Note: I get a lot of French paperbacks from my local library, including modern fiction. I live in a moderately large city, which helps, but in any case, I recommend checking out your local library to see if they have paperbacks and other books in French. You might be surprised! 

Listening

French Radio App - Stream almost any French radio station you can imagine. My favorites are RFI, France Inter, and France Info. Good for: intermediate to advanced learners, immersion, those studying for DELF. 

Pronunciation

Forvo - Type in any word, hear it pronounced by native speakers. Good for: anyone who struggles with French pronunciation, particularly reading a word and knowing how it will be pronounced. 

Introduction to French Phonology - What American diplomats are given to improve their pronunciation before heading to a French-speaking nation. Not for the easily bored; this course is dry but immensely helpful. Good for: anyone who struggles with pronunciation, particularly actually forming the sounds particular to French. 

Blogs

There are so many, but I’ll just highlight @frenchaise and @french-ement-votre as two that are putting out a lot of really helpful content for me these days. 

Note: This list isn’t exhaustive. I have a lot of French resources that I use, but these are my current go-to items for immersion and practice. If you are looking for more resources of a particular type, feel free to message me and I’ll see what I can dig up. 

I’ll be back to hopefully doing vocab lists and phrases soon; I’ve been extremely busy the past couple months and very much focused on Spanish for work, but I’m getting back into French in lieu of starting graduate school soon.  

Cheers! 

Faire monter la mayonnaise - Literally “Raise the mayonnaise” (I’m not joking) - To get everyone riled up

Note: this is of course completely based on my experiences and studying habits. I decided to make this list and share it in the hope people won’t make the same mistakes as me.

1. While Duolingo is great, it shouldn’t be your only resource. Start with books from early on, look for other apps/websites.
   
2. Don’t just write your vocabulary down, study it.
3. Verb conjugations are awful to study but you really will thank yourself later on
4. Listen to music, watch movies/series, look for children’s books online or buy them,…
5. SPEAK! Even when you’ve just started, you can try to make up easy sentences.
6. Write down grammar rules and use examples.
7. If you don’t know a word, look it up. If not immediately, later.
8. Keep a diary in your target language, it will help you understand the language.
9. Follow as many blogs as possible that post about your language.
10. If you don’t really have time to concentrate and study, skip studying for that day and study when you can concentrate.