Learning a new language should be fun, not tedious. Although textbooks may not provide great and fun stories, especially novel-based textbooks, sometimes you feel like reading something lighter. Novels were still too much for me to handle. That’s when I discovered the world of French bloggers.
This was a fun way to get some exposure to new French vocabulary, and I could read them at my own pace.
I’m not talking about French bloggers who blog about the French language (though these are great too!!) I’m talking about bloggers who write about a variety of topics such as fashion, food, cinema and travel, in French.
As a note of caution, I wouldn’t recommend blogs for complete French beginners, but they can be a good challenge for intermediate to more advanced learners. If you are a beginner, listening to audiobooks is a good way to start familiarizing yourself with both written and spoken French. Starting slow is key.
If you want to try reading some French blogs, remember that you probably won’t recognize every word you read, and that is perfectly okay. It is a good idea to have a dictionary at hand to look up any new words.
Here is a list of 5 cool French blogs you may want to check out:
Carnet D’escapades (Travel)
This blog is a lovely little treat. It is run by a lady called Laurène who loves to travel and writes about her adventures. She has posts about places all over the world (from Africa, Asia, Europe…) though most of her posts are about France. For example, one of her latest posts is about what you can do in the 8th arrondissement in Paris.
You can learn vocabulary about traveling but also about food- Look at this post she has here about vegan and gluten free restaurants in New York city. I find the language to be accessible for French learners.
Any movie fanatics here? Cinema Teaser is a blog about movie reviews. It is completely up to date with the most recently released films (both in the cinema and on Netflix) and it’s very useful for picking up some new French movie vocabulary. Because the films he reviews are so varied you will be learning vocabulary about different themes.
I feel that the vocabulary used is often quite advanced so I recommend having a dictionary by your side when reading this blog to look up any terms you are unfamiliar with.
Here is another optional blog for movie lovers: http://www.inthemoodforcinema.com/
Un déjeuner de soleil (food)
Warning: this blog might make your mouth water. Un Déjeuner De Soleil is a blog about food and recipes in French. There are recipes for French food as well as many other foods from all over the world. With this blog I’ve come across names of ingredients and foods I didn’t even know existed!
This will really test your ability to follow instructions in French. Because well… your dish will either come out a disaster or a delicious success. (Hey, mistakes are part of learning haha )
VDM- Vie de Merde (jokes)
I’m not sure I can call VDM a blog in itself. The name itself translates roughly as “life’s a bitch”. As you can guess it’s got pretty humorous content. It’s a good one if you’re in need of a laugh. VDM is really popular and it has millions of visitors daily.
The content is basically regular people complaining about annoying, ‘pain in the backside’ events that happen in their daily lives. I’m not going to lie- some of the stories are pretty outrageous. I find there is a lot of slang and French idioms in this blog, so if you’re looking to learn some of those, this is the website for you.
Mode and The City (fashion, beauty, lifestyle)
This blog is run by a lady named Daphné Moreau. She covers topics such as shopping, fashion, lifestyle, beauty, and food. I think the language she uses is accessible, which I really like.
She writes about so many different things so you will be exposed to a large variety of vocab. For example she has a post on Halloween costumes, another on her favorite 10 restaurants in Paris, and a few on house decorations. She also has quite a lot of posts on skincare and make up.
Are you familiar with any French bloggers?
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