1. Watch the video a first time.
2. Then watch the video a second time by trying to complete the following text.

Et toujours dans le domaine de ________________, les viticulteurs multiplient les initiatives pour accroître leur vente avec notamment des visites proposées aux touristes et ils sont de plus en plus nombreux à venir découvrir les secrets de _______________ du vin et même à participer à une journée de vendanges. Un exemple en Anjou, avec Emmanuelle Chartois et Raymond Felden.

Cela commence par une journée de vacances. Petit déjeuner face aux vignes, dans la chambre __________ où ils ont passé la nuit, sauf que le soleil se lève à peine et que ces vacanciers-là ont du pain sur la planche !
- Les forces sont prises pour attaquer le travail.
- On ne sait pas encore ce qui nous attend. On va voir.
- Vous, ce matin, c’est le coteau du Layon, juste derrière
- On a bien compris !
- Juste là-haut.

Ces deux couples d’amis ont choisi la formule «Vendanges »

- Votre prénom c’est ?
- Christine
- Christine, vous vous mettez avec Michel
- D’accord

Un forfait tout compris, hébergement plus initiation à la _____________, la journée commence dans les rangs.

- Là, j’essaie de dégager les _____________ du fil de fer, ce n’est pas trop évident. C’est pas si facile que ça en fait !
Face à chaque novice, un vendangeur expérimenté. Il faut tenir le rythme.

- Alors, il avance aussi vite que vous ?
- Très bien, je m’en plains pas de mon coéquipier, ah non ! C’est un bon _____________. Il m’a pas coupé les doigts.
- Ils ne sont pas là pour la _______________. Ils sont là surtout pour découvrir, et puis ils ont tellement un sourire quand ils viennent ici, que ça nous encourage à leur montrer de belles choses.
Du pressoir à la ___________, le vigneron répond à toutes les questions pour lui, qui ne vend qu’aux particuliers, cette formule touristique est aussi un moyen de fidéliser une nouvelle _____________.

- Je rappelle que vous voyez le vin qui fermente.
On sent qu’ils sont curieux. On leur apprend des choses, ça se voit et puis en plus, c’est un très bon moyen de ______________ des vins d’Anjou et des coteaux Layon.

- Pour nous c’est super, sur un ___________ comme ça, où il y a de petites parcelles, je pensais pas que d’un coteau à l’autre, il y avait autant de différences, au niveau du vin, quoi ! C’est vrai que c’est constructif.
Il ne reste plus qu’à goûter tous ces vins. Eux, rapporteront quelques ____________ de celui qu’ils ont un peu contribué à fabriquer.

What is the DELF A2?

DELF – Diplôme d’Etudes en Langue Française – is an official diploma delivered by the French National Education Board. The DELF A2 exam is considered as an intermediate level where you are able to use the basic linguistic abilities. You can communicate by using simple sentences expressing yourself about the family, places to be in, sports, transportations, everyday life, work, pets, the weather, events…

What are the different sections of the DELF A2?

The DELF A2 exam is divided in 4 skills, Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking.
- Listening comprehension: 3 or 4 recordings on everyday life are presented to you, you have to answer questions about these recordings
- Reading comprehension: you need to read four or five written documents on everyday life subjects and answer questions about these documents.
- Writing skills: you need to write two short essays, in one you have to describe an event or a personal experience. The second one has to be a letter or a message like an invitation, how to provide information, ask for something, etc.
- Oral skills: you have to be able to talk about you, to exchange information and to express yourself during a role-play sequence.

Getting ready for the DELF A2

If you want to prepare the DELF A2, and you don’t how or where to start, Live-French.net can help you reach your goal. Passing the DELF A2 exam is not difficult when a Live-French teacher helps you rehearse on sample exams or review grammar points and key vocabulary that will be useful for your DELF A2 exam.

Other DELF Exams

Check out our post about DELF A1, DELF B1 and DELF B2.

what book should I read to improve my French?

It’s true that as adults, I’m sure we would prefer books for adults. However, there are plenty of kids books (and the collection of Martine is a classic from my youth) that could increase your French vocabulary and your overall level of French.

Some French vocabulary

If I take this book I’ve just mentioned as an example, you will find a nice little story that includes most of the terms that are link to horses. I’m just noted a few of them from the book. Do you know these words?
- le cheval
- la jument
- le poulain
- la selle
- les étriers
- la sangle
- l’écurie
- le manège
- le fer à cheval
- l’équitation
- le gallop
and many more.

Why learning French with kids books?

There are many advantages to use kids books to learn French:
1. It’s usually a short story, so it’s easier to follow and to learn from
2. It’s aimed at kids, so the sentences are short and simple but brings good vocabulary
3. It’s usually in the present tense
4. You can (and should) read them many times to make sure you remember most of the vocabulary
5. You always find good expressions to use in every day situations

So, if you ever wonder what books you should read as a complement to your French conversation lessons, whether you have a beginner or an intermediate level, check out the kids sections of your French book shop!

Check out this video about a party in Chonas for the Beaujolais nouveau.

It seems that the guys who spoke have lost their French because of the alcohol. Will you find the French mistake one of the speakers makes?

As we traditionally say, à consommer avec modération!

Transcript

To help you find the mistake, here is the transcript of the video:

- Alors il est comment cette année?
- Bien, bien bon. Il a le goût du fruit rouge
- Du fruit rouge?
- Oui, du fruit rouge
- Bon, on veut vous souhaiter une bonne année. Il y a eu du monde ce soir?
- Oui, bien, bien, bien, bien. Les gens sont venus plus tôt que d’habitude, mais l’animation c’est bien. Tout va bien. J’espère que tout le monde est content. Il ne fait pas trop froid. Les grattons, les saucisses, tout est bon!
- Le Beaujolais, il est … d’année en année il est de meilleure … de plus en plus bon, forcément, et surtout à Chonas, parce qu’apparemment, dès qu’il franchit la limite de la commune, il est moins bon. Tout le monde le dit!
- Il y a eu du monde ce soir?
- Oui, énormément de monde sur le coup des six heures et demi, sept heures, c’est par vagues comme ça. Il ya des vagues de beaujolais!

DELF B1 exam

Four skills are measured through four kinds of exercises:
- listening comprehension: the recordings are at a slightly lower pace than regular French conversations,
- reading comprehension: you need to be able to understand different kinds of documents
- a writing assignment: it is usually an essay or a letter to write on a specific issue
- an oral test: you need to know how to talk about yourself, then interact with others, and eventually present your viewpoint in French.

How to prepare DELF B1?

Like any exam, the DELF B1 should be prepared using sample exams as well as exercises to progressively help you to reach your target. At Live-French.net, we usually use a specific book that has given outstanding results with our students. Count on 2 months if you need to focus on one part of the exam, and around 6 months if you want to seriously prepare the DELF B1 and succeed!

If you’re not sure what exam would be the best for you, check out our article about the DELF exam preparation

How to take your French to the advanced level?

Grammar is crucial!
Invest time learning French grammar. Start learning conjugation, the differences between the tenses, prepositions. Once you have a good basis in grammar, it is easier to move on to more complex sentence structures.

Increasing your vocabulary
Learn French vocabulary according to a context. Some words are more used in a particular area than others. Learn synonyms, antonyms. There are usually several ways of saying the same things, but at a different level.

Reading in French
Classic French literature might still be difficult, even for an advanced student. They should start with 20th or 21st century authors, read French newspapers or magazines.

Traveling to France and/or speaking with native-French people
Learning a language is mainly used to communicate. Spending time in France and speaking with locals are probably the most effective way to learn French idioms and get more familiar with the language.

Take some French lessons to help you
Even if you spend time in France or another French speaking country, make sure to take French lessons to reinforce what you’ve learned and to progress more quickly.

What to do once you’ve reached the advanced level?

Practice is the key. A lot of my students complain that they used to speak French perfectly and that now it’s very difficult for them to have a conversation in French. Don’t let this happen to you if you have reached the advanced level. Practice at least once a week with a friend, a teacher, watch French programs on TV or on the Internet, regularly read news in French.

Some of you might even want to prepare for a French exam like the DALF C1 or C2. This have several advantages. First, it will structure your learning around the different requirements of the exam. Then, you will get a recognized diploma to prove your level to employers or universities. Eventually, it will motivate you do go even further with your French.

Which DELF exam to prepare?

You need to know your level of French before you register for the exam. There are 4 levels for the DELF (from A1 to B2) and 2 levels for the DALF. Some universities or institutions require to have a minimum level, for example B1 in French. In this case, you could either prepare the DELF B1 or the DELF B2.
When I have a student who doesn’t know which French exam to prepare, I usually test him/her on a few sample tests to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses in the 4 areas that are tested: listening comprehension, written comprehension, reading comprehension and speaking abilities. It then gets obvious which test is the most adapted.

When should I take the DELF exam?

Preparing for a DELF exam is a serious matter. I personally like using a book whose method focuses on progressively acquiring the tools you need to succeed in your exam. A minimum of 3 months, and most probably around 6 months, should be spent to make sure to pass the exam. So, when you register for your exam, make sure to give you enough time to seriously prepare the DELF exam.

Ways to succeed with the DELF exam?

First of all, as we said earlier, make sure to register for the appropriate exam. There’s nothing more frustrating than applying for a test that is either too hard or too easy for you. You need to keep your motivation up and study regularly.
With some of my students, after working on a sample exam, we define a strategy of work: for example, we can concentrate on the speaking part and the rest is done through homework, or thoroughly work on each and every part either simultaneously or one after the other.
The first lesson is therefore key to determine the need in order to pass the DELF exam without any problem.

Identify your needs

First, learning French online depends highly on:
- your level: you won’t use the same resources if you’re a beginner or if you have an advanced level. For advanced levels, watch French TV programs on YouTube or other video websites, read the leading French newspapers, immerse yourself in the French culture. For beginners, look for simple dialogs to work on.
- your motivation: why do you want to learn French, is it for work, for traveling, just for pleasure? If it’s for work, look for articles that talk about your industry
- your ability to study by yourself: you can use the free resources of French from different grammar website or take an online French tutor to guide you.

Find the right resources and stick to them!

It’s not worth spending a lot of time looking for resources on the Internet. There are so many, you could easily waste a few hours just doing that! Therefore, find resources that correspond to you and try to use them until you understand everything. You can also check out our resources page to get a variety of relevant resources to learn French online.

Identify your problems with the French pronunciation

Depending on your mother tongue, some consonants might be difficult for you to pronounce. Example: je, ballon, haricot, route, vélo
For most of you, the French diphthongs are difficult to pronounce the right way, for example try to differentiate ON and AN, maison, grand.

Practice your French accent

Two aspects are involved when you want to improve your French pronunciation. The first one is to listen to French (preferrably from a French tutor or a French radio/TV program). Then, you need to repeat the words correctly.

Expand your scope

Once you’ve done that, you need to make sure to apply the rules you’ve learned about French pronunciation and apply it to full sentences. Don’t forget the liaisons, use the right intonation. In general, the last syllable of a rhythmic group is pronounced at a higher pitch than the rest of the sentence. Thing about punctuation, pause when it’s necessary, use your voice to show it’s a question, etc.

In any case, watching French TV, immersing yourself in France for a few months, and taking French conversation lessons are probably the best ways to improve your French pronunciation. Listen and talk as much as you can! That’s the fastest way to change your habits with your French pronunciation.

Most of my students take French conversation lessons because they have difficulties in that field.

Different exercises can be done to improve French conversation skills:

First exercise: prepare a topic about every day life

A lot of conversations are small talks that are easy to prepare. Some of the most common questions are:
- how was your weekend?(Comment s’est passé ton week-end ?)
- the weather (le temps qu’il fait)
- what are your plans for … (Quels sont tes projets pour…/ Que penses-tu faire …)
- talk about your family (parler de sa famille)
- etc.
All these topics are recurring questions when you meet someone, so they are informally rehearsed during the lessons. For lower levels, it’s usually good to prepare the answers beforehand and to write them down. Slowly slowly students get more comfortable and are able to answer without looking at their notes.

Second exercise: pick a text as a basis of a French conversation

- first we read and try to understand a text in French about a certain topic
- then we learn some helpful vocabulary for this topic
- eventually, I ask the student’s opinion on the matter, bring some more vocabulary, correct his mistakes.
We usually share interesting opinions, but above all we learn how to have a conversation in French about the topic and work on both sides of the problem: understand and speak or react.

Third exercise: listen to a video

The Internet allows us to get access to a lot of resources online. Therefore, it’s easy to find a 1-2min video to watch (once or a few times if need be) to improve your listening comprehension. Then, find a friend or a French teacher to talk about it.

Obviously, the most important if you want to improve your French conversation skills is to practice. You can talk in front of your mirror if you want, otherwise you can rehearse with a friend (a French friend is even better), but the best solution will always be to have a French tutor who can spend time with you to concentrate on your mistakes in order to help you.