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When it comes to improving French language skills, there are plenty of useful and entertaining resources.
However, most of them are created for beginners and intermediate learners.
But what about upper-intermediate and advanced students who want to improve their French to the native-like level?
In searching for learning resources that might help advanced students to improve their language skills, there is one that stands out by its usefulness.
Those are French podcasts.
In the following lines, we've listed the 11 outstanding advanced French podcasts that can help you expand your vocabulary, pay attention to colloquialisms and French slang words, and even help you learn the difference between various French dialects from the French-speaking countries.
Let's get started.
The 11 Outstanding French Podcasts For Advanced Students to Smooth Their French
French tutors are always an ideal solution for every proficiency level. They can also help advanced students perfect the grammar parts, improve their vocabulary, and also pay attention to pronunciation.
However, in situations when you can't chit-chat with tutors such as waiting in line, going to work, or washing the dishes, listening to podcasts is equally helpful.
Your brain pays attention to the conversation and the topic from the podcasts while you are doing other mechanical work.
These 11 podcasts are worth listening to but we'll warn you right from the start that you will end up listening to them every free minute.
Affaires étrangères
This podcast is ideal for those learners who like to listen to foreign affairs and current worldwide events.
The host, Christine Ockren, through conversations with scientists and researchers, shows the facts and the real truth about everything that is ‘popular’ worldwide but also gives a deeper look at the whole event.
The episode La guerre contre Ebola, for example, was recorded during the Ebola epidemic in 2014, where they discuss the connection between public health and international development.
Carnet Nomade
This podcast created by Collette Fellous is a great combination of different things anyone would be interested in. In one episode, she talks about books and dresses. In another, she discusses the songs and the recipes.
But not every episode is just like this. Each episode is well organized and created so that you have a variety of memoirs, stories, and interviews, all in one place.
If you don’t know which episode would you rather start, we recommend starting with Exils, avant apres (Exiles, Before After) which is about migration as literary themes, through three literary works.
Coffee Break French
If you speak one more foreign language, you’ve surely heard about Coffee Break and co. The team two who invented this should definitely be given an award.
For many major languages, French among them, of course, there are available podcasts that last from 10 to 25 minutes, just like a coffee break!
Moreover, there are podcasts for practically every proficiency level, even upper-intermediate and advanced students, so take a look, choose the episode, and enjoy!
La Marche des Sciences
Besides being entertaining, this post is very well imagined to give all the important information.
The host visits schools, museums, and historical places and through storytelling and science combines each episode.
One of the episodes, for example, is about a history of today's taste. The episode's guest, food scientist, and sociologist talks about people's attitudes toward food during decades and centuries.
Les Femmes, Toute Une Histoire
In this podcast, you can find many various things such as interviews, book reviews, history lessons, news reports, and many more things.
But, there is one thing that holds them together: women.
This podcast is about women’s creativity, power, diversity in our world, and everything connected to women.
One of the episodes we highly recommend is about Marie Curie’s sister. You didn’t know that she has a sister? And did you know that her sister was one of the main reasons Marie became such an important scientific and historical figure? If you want to hear more about it, earplugs on and press ‘play.’
L’heure des Rêveurs
This podcast is ideal for book lovers because its host perfectly knows how to interest people listening to the podcasts by combining readings and discussing them poetically and politically.
In one of the episodes, she talks about worldwide known Lewis Carroll who is mainly known by his Alice in Wonderland but who also was a mathematician and photographer.
Le Tchip
Who said that there are only entertaining podcasts from French-speaking countries in Europe?
Here’s one that proves the opposite.
Three hosts discuss pop culture, the latest news about celebrities, and usually tell their opinions about it.
Besides being quite entertaining and light to listen to, the podcast is great because you can learn a lot about great musicians and actors from the Francophone world, although you can often hear worldwide names such as Lady Gaga, Will Smith, or Cardi B.
Sur La Route
This podcast is about French rural culture, the way of life, and notable historical events. The host, Julien Gacon, takes tours throughout rural parts and talks to the locals, and gets some interesting information about the places she visits.
In one of her episodes, called Sur la route...de la grande Normandie, she visits the crossing of Normandy Bridge ( Pont de Normandie) which divides Normandy into upper and lower parts.
TV5Monde
Tv5 Monde is one of the most popular and watched French tv stations. Over time, they developed their availability to foreign students as well, so they created programs and podcasts especially created for them.
So much information is available that can help you practice the language, listening to practically anything that comes to your mind.
Moreover, if you want to practice African French, they have that option, too. Just switch to ‘Afrique’ and voila! The African Francophone world is there!
Vieille Branche
This podcast is so great to listen to because, in every episode, a speaker is a person who is 75 years old or older, so he speaks about his opinion on how the world will change and what we should expect in the future. Besides this, they also talk about history, art, or politics, expressing their thoughts and opinions according to their experience and what they’ve been through.
Voyage, Mode d’Emploi
For those of you who adore traveling but always have to think about it more than twice because of the budget, this podcast is a great thing.
The creator of the podcast, Ingrid Pohu, talks about travels, suggests low-cost possibilities, and advises travel itineraries exactly for people who can’t just take all their money and travel.
However, with these tips and tricks that you can pick up from each episode, you can even travel the whole world!
In one of the episodes, Ingrid suggests a Parisian company that offers walking tours through Paris museums, historical monuments, and architecture. That way, not only do you experience the whole art of Paris but you are also in a good shape.
Final Thoughts
Podcasts can be quite addictive.
In this case, not only that is good for you not only because you will reach that perfect pronunciation, have an impressive vocabulary, or use French idioms daily and perfectly, but because you will sound to the native speakers and French tutors just like you are one of them.
And believe us, listening to these podcasts, you will certainly be.
