How to Better Understand Spoken French

You’ve probably noticed it: the difference between written and spoken French is huge. One of the most striking aspects is how certain letters are pronounced (or rather, not pronounced) in everyday speech! Many of my students tell me that they often struggle to separate words when listening to native French speakers. In this article, I’m going to share a few tips to help you better understand the French when they speak!

1. The "e" Caduc (Silent "e")

In spoken French, natives often drop certain silent "e"s, which can make understanding a bit trickier for learners.

• Written: "Je m'appelle Benjamin, je suis français et je viens de Paris."

• Spoken: "J’m’appelle Benjamin, j’suis français et j’viens d’Paris."

• Written: "Je viens de rentrer de vacances, je suis fatigué(e) !"

• Spoken: "J’viens d’rentrer d’vacances, j’suis fatigué(e) !"

2. Negation

Another difficulty in spoken French is the tendency of natives to omit the ne in negation. This can be confusing for those who’ve learned the correct grammatical structure.

• Written: "Je n’aime pas le chocolat." (I don’t like chocolate.)

• Spoken: "J’aime pas le chocolat."

• Written: "Je ne viens pas au cinéma, j’ai trop de travail !" (I’m not going to the movies, I have too much work!)

• Spoken: "Je viens pas au cinéma, j’ai trop de travail !" or "J’viens pas au cinéma, j’ai trop d’travail."

  
  

3. Slang

To understand the French better when they speak, you’ll also need to get familiar with French slang. Here are a few common expressions you’ll often hear:

• T’es chaud ? – Are you up for it? / Are you motivated?

• C’est ouf ! – That’s crazy!

• Je capte pas – I don’t understand.

• T’as du bol ! – You’re lucky!

I hope these little tips will help improve your understanding of spoken French. The key is to get used to regularly listening to conversations and podcasts. Happy learning! 😊