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3 Spotify Playlists For Learning French
Of all the languages to listen to, French is usually a crowd favorite. Its sultry and soothing accent has put it at the top of the “love language” list. Hopefully French’s attractive qualities make learning the language through song less of a chore for you, especially now that it’s easier than ever with Spotify.
Listening to foreign music is a scientifically proven method that will help slingshot your skills from basic to great. I know it’s easy to tune things out, but make sure to really listen to the lyrics. And singing along is even better! It might take awhile for you to memorize the songs, but jamming to some French tunes will make all the difference when trying to get this language down. We’ve compiled a whole host of songs that will get you well on your way.
Aside from the fact that these classics are etched in the “hall of fame,” this is a great introductory playlist to the French language. Firstly, because of their iconic nature in French culture, it’s practically necessary to familiarize yourself with these legends. Imagine someone not knowing who Frank Sinatra was. Exactly. Not knowing of Charles Trenet or Èdith Piaf would come with the same shock value to a French native. Secondly, the tempo of these songs are reasonably slow, which makes for a more digestible learning experience.That being said, don’t beat yourself up if you can’t catch everything they say at first. Learning to recognize foreign words is no small feat. Just keep practicing, and give it some time.
If you’re more towards the intermediate level, don’t be too hasty to write this playlist off. These songs have notable context in French music history & culture. Even if they’re an easy listen for you, it’s still good practice to reinforce the words you’ve already learned and work on honing your pronunciation skills.
I always make sure to add a playlist of the top 50 songs from each country. You can find these in the “Charts” section on Spotify. Though there are a few options when you go to look for this playlist, the one I’m referring to has a two toned blue icon. There you’ll find all the most popular songs in France right now.
I believe that listening to the new and hip songs in a country can give you a lot of insight. Not only from a musical standpoint, but from a cultural one as well. It’s all connected if you think about it. These songs may not be the easiest to understand at first, but you’ll get to hear what people in France are playing on repeat in their cars right now. Kind of cool, isn’t it?
The great thing about this treasure of a playlist is that it comes with training wheels. What I mean is that the title once again tells all. Knowing the English version of these songs will go a long way in helping you comprehend the French lyrics. Keep in mind that they won’t be exact. The words have to be adapted to rhyme and so on. But you should still be able to recognize the concepts thanks to their English inspiration.
For example, do you remember that old song “It’s My Party” by Leslie Gore? It’s the one where she can cry if she wants to.They made a French version! It was redone by Richard Anthony and is called “C’est ma fête”. You can find it in this list. The story is a little different though. In the French version, Richard Antony is celebrating a 1 year break up anniversary by going out and dancing the night away.
French is one of the most popular languages to learn, at least for Americans. It’s offered in high schools all across the country. Yet for all this effort, it rarely gets remembered once you graduate. Music could be a real game changer for those of you who are looking for more creative and less traditional ways to learn this language. It’s also a pretty safe bet that listening to these playlists will help you retain the vocabulary better than all those repetition exercises you did sophomore year.