Have you watched cartoons as a kid? 

Of course, you have.

Entertaining stories and even more entertaining characters and places, worlds to discover and be a part of it, at least while it lasts.

So why don’t you recall one of the happiest periods of your life?

Why don’t you combine fun and useful and start watching cartoons in French?

Learning French in a fun way isn’t only amusing but also useful. If you’ve tried to learn French with music, you surely know how just a little bit of fun can help you with language skills.

Or if you’ve watched French movies, you know how they can be helpful with the pronunciation and slang words and phrases.

Now, let’s take a look at the 9 cartoons in French that can help you with the language.

9 Amusing Cartoons in French To Improve Your French

Astérix

If you want to learn a little bit more than just the language, for example, French history, you don’t want to miss a cartoon about a famous Gallic warrior, Asterix, who only wants to live in peace in his village. Unfortunately, the Romans and Julius Caesar don’t want to let him do that.

They constantly attack his small village in order to conquer it.

But, there’s a big reason why they can’t succeed in it. The village’s druid makes a magical potion that can give enormous strength to those who drink it. 

Asterix’s companion and best friend, Obelix, fell in the potion as a baby, which made him unbeatable. 

Two friends go on adventures, saving others from the Romans and learning about other worlds.

The cartoon became so popular and one of the favorites that it expanded into video games and movies, too.

It is one of the cartoons that besides vocabulary, teaches you about French culture and history.

Corneil et Bernie

This cartoon is one of the rare ones that is translated into English so if you want to see if you and how much you understand the French version, you can watch out in both languages.

The cartoon is about Corneil, a genius talking dog who hides his intelligence. Bernie is his dog sitter who discovered Corneil’s secret. Although they argue often, they become the best of friends. In every episode,  Bernie gets into situations that risk exposing Corneil’s secret so he has to do his best to help Bernie and hide his secret.

Les Aventures De Tintin

Tintin is a reporter who travels around the world and with his dog, solves mysteries.

Besides his dog, his faithful friend, Tintin is often followed by detectives Dupont and Dupond, Captain Haddock, and professor Tournesol.

In every episode, he visits amazing places, both realistic and fictional, meets fantastic people, and sees great things.

You will love this character especially his goodwill to fight for good and the positivity that shines out of him.

In the 1990s, the cartoon became the most popular in France and Belgium, making it a symbol of the Belgian French world.

The cartoon is ideal for all of you who prefer practicing Belgian French and improving the vocabulary of this French dialect.

Les Zinzins De l'Espace

If you are a fan of the American cartoon Ren and Stimpy,  Les Zinzins de l'espace will be familiar to you.

It is about five little aliens who crash on Earth and live in the attic of the rented house.

From the first episode, they make plans how to go back home but every time their plans fail and with bad consequences.

Everything is much harder because their tenants, who live in the house, force them to use their Super-Méga-Trans-Volteur so that they look like humans.

La Famille Barbapapa

This cartoon was first created for a little younger audience so no wonder why they speak quite slowly and use simple and short sentences.

It is, therefore, ideal for beginners and pre-intermediate French learners.

The Barbapapa family are colorful creatures who can change their shapes into whatever they want.

Barbapapa was a lonely creature but he met Barbamama and they started a family. They have seven children. Each one of them is known by some specific personality.

In every episode, the Barbapapa family transforms into different things, shapes or animals and they try to help people and animals in every way.

Their care for the environment is impressive, so the cartoon sends a great message of taking care of the world around us.

Le Petit Nicolas

Nicolas is a schoolboy who gets into adventurous situations with his friends and his life in general in the 1960s.

The cartoon is one of the favorites among French children, but French learners are also familiar with him.

Before the cartoon, the book series about petit Nicolas was one of the language learning materials.

Then it was adapted into a cartoon.

Simple vocabulary used in cartoon and school-related terms not only will boost your vocabulary but also be ideal for those who recently started to learn French.

Les Triples

‘Les Triples’ is a story about the triplets living in a Parisian apartment. Two boys and one girl with their faithful dog go around in the neighborhood, getting into trouble.

If you want to perfect the Parisian accent and improve your listening skills, with these three six-year-old kids and a simple cartoon design, you shouldn’t miss this one.

Titeuf

For those who want to practice French spoken in Switzerland, Titeuf is a great choice.

Titeuf is a boy in his preteen years who, with his friends Hugo, François, and Manu discover the world around them, play together, solve typical kids’ problems and issues, even have a crush but never to cause some offense.

Interestingly, the word ‘titeuf’ comes from ‘p’tit œuf’ which means ‘little egg’ because his head is egg-shaped.

The cartoon is full of French slang and jargon so besides practicing Swiss French, you can learn a lot of slang words and phrases.

Trotro

Here’s another cartoon ideal for beginners and pre-intermediate students because it is created for younger kids and toddlers.  The words and phrases used here are simple, and the characters speak slowly and clearly.

Trotro cartoon is a story about a five-year-old donkey named Trotro full of ideas and knowing what he likes and what he doesn’t like. Trotro goes around with his family learning about different things.

Playful and positive, Trotro always sees the good side in everything.

Final Thoughts

You don’t have to be a kid to watch cartoons.

On the contrary, cartoons like these, not only can be amusing but also useful.

In an entertaining way, you will improve your French skills, from reading and writing to listening skills and accent.

If you're interested in other ways to improve your French skills, you should try some of these cool options:

Check out Babbel for fun, interactive lessons that fit into your day easily.

If you want something more in-depth, there's a great French course on Udemy that covers everything from the basics to more advanced topics.

And if you prefer learning with a personal touch, Lingoda offers classes with native speakers that can really help you practice speaking.

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What are some great French cartoons for learning French?

Corneil et Bernie?, Les Aventures De Tintin?, Les Zinzins De l'Espace?, La Famille Barbapapa?, Le Petit Nicolas?

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