Some French people speak so quickly. But for me, even slow speaking is difficult to comprehend. I’m too busy trying to work one thing out while the person is speaking the next clause! How do I adapt to the speed of French so I can listen out for clauses of meaning rather than words of meaning?
#1 by Blondee on December 2nd, 2011
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It all comes with practice. I am learning spanish right now and they speak very fast and i used to be horrible at understanding it. Bt after a year it has been getting much easier
#2 by Singing River on December 2nd, 2011
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I have the same problem when I watch French movies, but I found it seems like the more I am immersed in it, listen to it, talk and read out loud in it, the better I am able to understand it. Now it’s getting a lot better.
Also, I think you can try to note words in your dictionary that are marked “familier”, many of these words appear very often (but you don’t really have to use them yourself).
#3 by Trevas on December 2nd, 2011
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There are many online resources that can help you with this. See:
http://www.speakingfrench.org/speakingfrenchonline/
…for a few.
Basically you want to immerse yourself in the French language as much as possible. Read in French to get increase the speed with which you can comprehend the language. Watch French movies and online videos to practice listening and comprehending. In general – take the time out to get involved in practicing with the language.
The more you read and listen, the faster the translations will come to you, and soon you’ll be able to keep up with even the fastest French speakers.