Listening Comprehension and Practice Exercises for French Learners

If you'd like to improve your French listening comprehension skills, the exercises below can help you better grasp the language. They include a French sound file with a study guide, quiz, transcript and translation.

Altogether, there are more than 100 listening exercises on this site, ranging from simple dialogues to in-depth listening comprehension exercises. The most popular pages offer practical advice or discuss someone or something famous.

The French Language

Accents de France
French varies from country to country and from region to region. Learn about some of the accents you might encounter in France in this audio report from LaGuinguette.

French in France

Introduction to French in France (dialects and "standard French") and the Dictionary of French Regionalisms.

Patois
Discussion about dialects in France and the two main points of view on their linguistic status.

The Patois of Vendée
Presentation of some characteristics of the French patois spoken in Vendée.

Patois and Regional Characteristics
Do regional differences in dialect reflect regional differences in mentality?

Beginning French Dialogue
Practice your French listening ability with this beginning-level French dialogue featuring greetings and introductions and your choice of speeds: regular and slow. (Camille Chevalier Karfis)

The Scary House
Beginning level of Les portes tordues, a bilingual audiobook for beginning to intermediate students. (Kathie Dior)

The Twisted Door
Intermediate level of Les portes tordues, a bilingual audiobook for beginning to intermediate students. (Kathie Dior)

The Cemetary
Intermediate level of Les portes tordues. (Kathie Dior)

Greetings and Introductions
Practice your French listening ability with this beginning-level French dialogue featuring greetings and introductions and your choice of speeds: regular and slow. (Camille Chevalier Karfis)

Number Practice

Learning to count in French is one thing - it's fairly easy to memorize un, deux, trois. It's another matter entirely to be able to think of a number without counting up to it, or to understand individual numbers when you hear them. Fortunately, practice makes perfect, and these sound files can help you to get better at understanding and using French numbers with random number generators. (Laura K. Lawless)

Who said no?

Intermediate level of Les portes tordues. (Kathie Dior)

Politics and Social Issues

Riots in France
On 27 October 2005, riots began in a Parisian suburb and quickly spread across France and even to neighboring countries. In this three-part discussion, a reporter discusses the riots with two neighborhood elders in Clichy-sous-Bois who are trying to calm down the situation.

Ségolène Royal - présidente?
Ségolène Royal is a socialist who worked hard to become France's first female president. Learn about her platform and her struggle in this discussion.

L'ETA et le Pays Basque
Introduction to the history behind the ETA, the Basque separatist movement.

Le CPE
In January 2006, the French government passed a labor reform law that sparked off protests around the country. Learn about the CPE and why it was so distasteful to French students and workers.

Mitterrand
January 2006 marked the 10-year anniversary of the death of François Mitterrand, the first and so far only socialist president of France. Learn about Mitterrand and some of the people who loved him.

French Culture

Graffiti

Graffiti does not necessarily equal vandalism. It's a means of personal and even artistic expression. Learn about some of the people and techniques behind graffiti.

Le jardin des Tuileries
Learn about the famous Parisian park, le jardin des Tuileries, as you work on your listening comprehension with this three-part discussion.

C'est de l'amour véritable!
Old age does not have to mean the end of living, or even loving. In this interview, a 90-year-old man shares his thoughts on how to get the most out of life and love, at any age.

La loi Evin
Learn about the regulation of advertising of alcohol in France, and the reasoning behind it.

Tourism, Shopping, Travel & Dining Out

À l'hôtel ~ At the Hotel 
Beginning-level French dialogue between a hotel receptionist and guest. 

Le viaduc de Millau 
Le viaduc de Millau was completed in 2004. Learn about its construction and safety mechanisms.

Au magasin ~ At the store
Beginning-level French dialogue between a customer and storekeeper.

Au restaurant ~ At the Restaurant 
Beginning-level French dialogue between a waiter and customer.

Breakfast ~ Le petit déjeuner 
Beginning-level dialogue between a customer and waiter at breakfast.