Answers
Aug 02, 2014 - 09:36 PM
I have yet to meet a student of French who wouldn't say that listening is the most difficult part. So you're not alone in that regard. Also as you move up in levels it does get faster and more difficult. I think the listening exercises here are even a little more difficult because you're essentially doing dictation rather than just understanding what was said.Spending extra time listening to French is the obvious solution of course. But spend some focused time each day just training your ear, even if it's only five or ten minutes. Watch French movies, find some resources on the web, there are a ton out there. Just getting used to spoken French and the way it's spoken, I think tends to help a lot. Also a good exercise I've done is record my own voice speaking and then listen back to it. Don't get discouraged, just keep working on it and the work will pay off for you
Aug 03, 2014 - 10:28 PM
@akeane - I experience the same thing. I'm up to DVD 3 Session 12 and it's getting very difficult, but I agree with everything Mike said above. Bonne chance!
Aug 04, 2014 - 12:26 AM
Merci. Ive been using Anki flashcards i to do minimal pairs training to work on my listening skills, hopefully it will get better with time. I remember thinking the same with Disc 1 which no seems easier when I go back to it.
Aug 13, 2014 - 11:32 PM
It is unrealistic to expect beginners to understand French spoken at the speed a native would speak. We don't speak like that to children and we don't speak to English learners like that. We naturally slow down so they can process the words. I know people who have been in the US for many, many years who are not native speakers and I slow down for them! If I don't, they don't follow what I'm saying. The speed at which the French exercises are spoken has been my single biggest frustration with using this software and I would issue a caveat regarding this to anyone who is considering Fluenz . I understand the philosophy, but I think it is wrong-headed and generally unhelpful. One must learn to crawl before they can walk. I don't feel I gain anything by having to listen to the phrase or sentence spoken multiple times and then, often, I still don't understand what is being said and I must hit the 'answer' button. We are beginners. Slow down. If we want to hear French spoken at native speeds, there are plenty of resources available. At a minimum Fluenz should consider a slider option that would allow for user preferences on speed. Is there any chance of that happening on an update?
Aug 14, 2014 - 12:27 PM
@7047 - Repetition is the key to learning. You aren't expected to get it on the first try, so don't feel discouraged if you need to listen to a word or a phrase multiple times before you understand it. The speakers are slowed down in the first two levels and are at a more natural speed by level 3. Bonne continuation !
Feb 06, 2015 - 09:58 AM
I, too, am having a difficult time listening to the French on Fluenz being spoken at native speed. I agree, the speaking should be slowed down somewhat.
I supplement my learning French with other sources. I have created a website of sources for my own purposes that I would like to share with you: http://eajmusings.blogspot.com/2013/1...
One strategy for learning French dialog that is working for me is watching episodes of Extra French. I watch an episode twice, then read the transcript of the episode to the best of my ability. Then, using my MacBook Air text-to-speech set to French, I have my reader read the dialog aloud to me line-by-line. I can set the ereader to slower speeds, which helps me. If I do not understand a line of dialog, I cut and paste the part into Google Translate. It is slow going. But with 3 feet of snow in Boston and -20' wind chill factors, it is an enjoyable way to get through the winter.
I supplement my learning French with other sources. I have created a website of sources for my own purposes that I would like to share with you: http://eajmusings.blogspot.com/2013/1...
One strategy for learning French dialog that is working for me is watching episodes of Extra French. I watch an episode twice, then read the transcript of the episode to the best of my ability. Then, using my MacBook Air text-to-speech set to French, I have my reader read the dialog aloud to me line-by-line. I can set the ereader to slower speeds, which helps me. If I do not understand a line of dialog, I cut and paste the part into Google Translate. It is slow going. But with 3 feet of snow in Boston and -20' wind chill factors, it is an enjoyable way to get through the winter.