How to learn French: French Movies!

by Celia L.
(Redondo Beach, California)

Over the break, I've been watching a few French movies and been listening for words/phrases I recognize (I haven't really been counting greetings or "yes/no" because those are just a given now). The movies I've watched so far are "A Happy Event" with Louise Bourgoin, Pio Marmaï, and Josiane Balasko, "The Day I Saw Your Heart" with Mélanie Laurent, Michel Blanc, and Florence Loiret Caille (this one is my favorite so far), and I'm I the middle of watching "Declaration of War" with Valerie Donzelli, Jeremie Elkaim, and Cesar Desseix.

I remember in "A Happy Event" there was one scene near the end where the started talking about snow and I got really excited because I recognized a few words. Okay, one word, but it was repeated multiple times.

In "The Day I Saw Your Heart" I recognized a few words like "bébé," "garçon," and "fille."

So far in the approximately fifteen minutes I've watched of "Declaration of War" I've recognized "a quart heure," "sœur," and "démande" among other phrases.

By the way, I don't recommend watching any of these movies with people who disapprove of nudity. Just a word of warning.


[Hi Celia, this is an excellent use of both this blog and the movie watching approach to language learning. And yes, too bad we cannot recommend a lot of great movies due to issues with nudity, which is quite commonplace in French movies. Great job!]