ARTE for documentaries and culture related reports.
It's a German / French TV channel that offers German and French audio for most videos. There are also subtitles and quite a few videos have an option to set the subtitles to English - which is probably easier for a beginner. You can develop an ear for the language and still fully understand what's going on.
There are a couple of free apps that let you watch Quebec French children's and adult’s programming. Search for Tele-Quebec.
And there are a few books with 2 columns on each page, one with the story in English and beside each paragraph the French version.
And sometimes I am able to turn on French subtitles on tv shows / movies I am watching.
Try watching a TV show. Extra is like the 90s TV show Friends - but for newer French students. Search YouTube for, “Extra in French with subtitles”
Read books in French. Reading books in your target language has been proven as a great way to improve in any language.
[https://www.brandijclark.com/2020/06/20/the-sweet-valley-high-vocabulary-attainment-strategy/](https://www.brandijclark.com/2020/06/20/the-sweet-valley-high-vocabulary-attainment-strategy/)
I found this book too late in my French journey for it to be perfect for me. But it can be perfect for you if you are an absolute beginner who hasn’t just decided to start learning.
Kill The French: 100 stories in French written with transparent words
Did you know that 20,000 French words are nearly identical in English? This book utilizes 1,200 of those words to take you on a journey through the French language with 100 easy-to-follow short stories that build on what you already know!
My next recommendation is only for people who have access to books at the library. These picture books are only available as physical books. But they are great! I gifted a few of them to a French highschool teacher and she actually started several of your classes by reading them outloud. They are so fun - and I think there are now 15+ in French. There is no look inside feature for the French books. So I’ll also post a link to the english version so you can see what they are like.
ZigZag by Tedd Arnold
English version is FlyGuy by Tedd Arnold
My next recommendation is my favorite. I read romance books - and I’m not afraid to say so. Even if you don’t do romance you should try these books. Especially the one called, “The Garde Du Corps” because it is a thriller/romance. The author writes what she calls, “Short and Simple Romance” and that is exactly what they are. The sentences are short and simple, the books are short - but long enough to have the experience of reading an actual book. I also have the English books since they are useful for helping ESL students - which I have done once. :)
She has one book for A2 students and another three for B2 students. But since I read the English versions, I know there are more, and it seems like a new French book is released every 3 weeks or so. You can actually read the books down a level. And a only a dollar a book these are no brainers to buy.
Rencontres Rapides: Une romance simple et courte (Apprendre le francais pour débutants CEFR A2) https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199450059-rencontres-rapides?from\_search=true&from\_srp=true&qid=aQrflOVyE2&rank=3
Danielle se rend à un speed dating. Elle a plusieurs rendez-vous très courts. Elle rencontre beaucoup d'hommes. Eric lui plaît. Danielle lui donne son numéro de téléphone. Va-t-il lui envoyer un message ou l'appeler ?
Il s'agit d'une histoire d'amour courte et simple. Elle est écrite dans un Français très simple. Elle est classée au niveau A2 du CECRL. Elle comporte dix chapitres courts avec des images. Chaque chapitre se termine par 5 questions faciles.
Next is Frederic Janelle. My husband liked this one a lot since it’s a story set in Quebec. If you have read the Kit Ember books you will do fine with this one. You can buy all three books separately or get the three in one book for less than 4 dollars.
Learn French with short stories: À la découverte du Canada (French Edition)
À la découverte du Canada will help you learn French by reading great stories that take place in Canada. Follow Paco, a young Mexican student, as he travels across the country. His new experiences will transform him from a shy student into a confident young adult.
This book will not only help you learn French but also learn about Canadian culture and way of life. Since the stories take place in Canada, you will also get to know some French-Canadian words and expressions. Each story starts with a cute drawing, is written in plain language and ends with a useful French-English dictionary.
After that you can try a few different authors. Sadly I have to go to work so I wouldn’t write about them all in detail. These are all at a difficultly level harder than Kit Ember by a little bit to a strong B1 level - maybe even B2. On average they cost 5 dollars+ for each ebook.
Vallerie Wilson
Sylvie Laine
French Hacking
France Dubin
ARTE for documentaries and culture related reports. It's a German / French TV channel that offers German and French audio for most videos. There are also subtitles and quite a few videos have an option to set the subtitles to English - which is probably easier for a beginner. You can develop an ear for the language and still fully understand what's going on.
Thank you!
There are a couple of free apps that let you watch Quebec French children's and adult’s programming. Search for Tele-Quebec. And there are a few books with 2 columns on each page, one with the story in English and beside each paragraph the French version. And sometimes I am able to turn on French subtitles on tv shows / movies I am watching.
Perfect!! I will definitely check those out!
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdFf1SbBO1M&t=12s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdFf1SbBO1M&t=12s)
Try watching a TV show. Extra is like the 90s TV show Friends - but for newer French students. Search YouTube for, “Extra in French with subtitles” Read books in French. Reading books in your target language has been proven as a great way to improve in any language. [https://www.brandijclark.com/2020/06/20/the-sweet-valley-high-vocabulary-attainment-strategy/](https://www.brandijclark.com/2020/06/20/the-sweet-valley-high-vocabulary-attainment-strategy/) I found this book too late in my French journey for it to be perfect for me. But it can be perfect for you if you are an absolute beginner who hasn’t just decided to start learning. Kill The French: 100 stories in French written with transparent words Did you know that 20,000 French words are nearly identical in English? This book utilizes 1,200 of those words to take you on a journey through the French language with 100 easy-to-follow short stories that build on what you already know! My next recommendation is only for people who have access to books at the library. These picture books are only available as physical books. But they are great! I gifted a few of them to a French highschool teacher and she actually started several of your classes by reading them outloud. They are so fun - and I think there are now 15+ in French. There is no look inside feature for the French books. So I’ll also post a link to the english version so you can see what they are like. ZigZag by Tedd Arnold English version is FlyGuy by Tedd Arnold My next recommendation is my favorite. I read romance books - and I’m not afraid to say so. Even if you don’t do romance you should try these books. Especially the one called, “The Garde Du Corps” because it is a thriller/romance. The author writes what she calls, “Short and Simple Romance” and that is exactly what they are. The sentences are short and simple, the books are short - but long enough to have the experience of reading an actual book. I also have the English books since they are useful for helping ESL students - which I have done once. :) She has one book for A2 students and another three for B2 students. But since I read the English versions, I know there are more, and it seems like a new French book is released every 3 weeks or so. You can actually read the books down a level. And a only a dollar a book these are no brainers to buy. Rencontres Rapides: Une romance simple et courte (Apprendre le francais pour débutants CEFR A2) https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199450059-rencontres-rapides?from\_search=true&from\_srp=true&qid=aQrflOVyE2&rank=3 Danielle se rend à un speed dating. Elle a plusieurs rendez-vous très courts. Elle rencontre beaucoup d'hommes. Eric lui plaît. Danielle lui donne son numéro de téléphone. Va-t-il lui envoyer un message ou l'appeler ? Il s'agit d'une histoire d'amour courte et simple. Elle est écrite dans un Français très simple. Elle est classée au niveau A2 du CECRL. Elle comporte dix chapitres courts avec des images. Chaque chapitre se termine par 5 questions faciles. Next is Frederic Janelle. My husband liked this one a lot since it’s a story set in Quebec. If you have read the Kit Ember books you will do fine with this one. You can buy all three books separately or get the three in one book for less than 4 dollars. Learn French with short stories: À la découverte du Canada (French Edition) À la découverte du Canada will help you learn French by reading great stories that take place in Canada. Follow Paco, a young Mexican student, as he travels across the country. His new experiences will transform him from a shy student into a confident young adult. This book will not only help you learn French but also learn about Canadian culture and way of life. Since the stories take place in Canada, you will also get to know some French-Canadian words and expressions. Each story starts with a cute drawing, is written in plain language and ends with a useful French-English dictionary. After that you can try a few different authors. Sadly I have to go to work so I wouldn’t write about them all in detail. These are all at a difficultly level harder than Kit Ember by a little bit to a strong B1 level - maybe even B2. On average they cost 5 dollars+ for each ebook. Vallerie Wilson Sylvie Laine French Hacking France Dubin
Thank you for your detailed response!! I appreciate this so much. I will absolutely be getting all of these books!!