Polar FLE. Learn and study French online

Apprendre le français avec l'inspecteru Roger Duflair

This website is a game. "You have to help an inspector to solve a criminal story". And playing it you will practice and learn French. It seems a pretty funny way of learning a language.

Following the story you will improve grammar, vocabulary, reading and listening skills. All begins with the murder of a woman. Detective Roger Duflair is in charge of the investigation and you are his assistant. "To achieve your mission, you have to select your level (beginner, elementary, intermediate, advanced). In all activities, we have hidden some hints to solve this crime. Therefore, you will have to understand the sentences in every exercise and memorize them".

Therefore, sit down and enjoy French playing this online game: http://www.polarfle.com

Practice & learn languages

In Babelan, you can contact native speakers and practice foreign languages (French, Spanish, English...).

Lyrics Gaps. A fun way to learn languages

Lyrics Gaps is a fun method to learn and improve languages through music and typing in song lyrics.

On Lyrics Gaps, there are different activities with music videos to practice different languages: karaokes, quizes and fill in the gaps exercices for different levels (beginner, intermediate and expert). With these activites you can improve your listening skills and broaden your vocabulary.

They have got, also, a community, where you can review and add exercises of your native tongue. In additon, there is a new functionality for teachers to create and costumized the exercices.

The languages that you can practice are: Catalan, Chinese, Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Greek, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Turkish and Urdu.

Links

If you want to meet people and practice languages visit: Babelan.

Five tips to learn French or any language quickly

This is an article posted in articlesbase.com about ways of learning French although this applies to any language.

Five tips to learn French quickly

Below are five specific ways to accelerate learning the French language.

1. Incorporating studying into your daily routine means taking advantage of all the time you spend not working during your busy day. This could be your drive to work, a walk to work, all your breaks, your lunch hour, your bathroom breaks, your morning routine before leaving for work. Take advantage of all the time during your work day you are not actively working. Start by picking up a disc man or I pod of some kind. You want to have your French learning audio CDs and downloads ready for use throughout the day. Calculate all the time during your daily routine where you are not working and write down the number of hours per week. You would be surprised. During this non active working time, plug in and start listening to your French study courses.

2. Make sure the materials you are using for study are effective. You can study all you want during your downtime but if the method of study is poor you will not learn a thing. When choosing a good audio course on French you want to make sure it is an audio course that allows you to immerse yourself in the language. This does not mean just learning nouns. Try to stay away from courses that are excessively heavy on teaching nouns. Learning nouns in French is necessary but make sure it has a good mix of nouns, verb conjugation, grammar and conversational French. The immersion method offers the best way to learn the language quickly.

3. When learning French words you can always have a stack of index cards and use them when you have some downtime. But when you are learning words be sure to use your imagination. For example you may want to group certain words together and imagine a scenario that is particularly memorable. Be creative and make your own scenarios. This is much more effective than just memorizing words with no creative thought.

4. Power studying is important when you study during your free time. So you have had a great day immersing yourself in the French language. To really accelerate the process all you need is 15-30 minutes of power studying in the evening. Power studying means absolutely no distractions with a specific goal in mind. Do not allow yourself to listen to music, watch TV, talk on the phone or get up from your study area. The more disciplined you are with your power studying the less time you will need to master French.

5. Language Exchange is the icing on the cake. Once you have immersed yourself in study you need to learn how to use it in conversation. Language exchange is an activity that should be fun! During Language Exchange you spend one hour teaching your language and one hour learning their language. This is what will bring you to fluency without actually moving to France.

Remember that consistency and discipline is key. Before you start following any of these steps you should write down your daily schedule. It is also a good idea to have a checklist. The checklist could be a way of tracking your daily activities. This will keep you accountable for your actions.

Moreover, you can share your tips. Just leave a comment.

Language Exchange

If you want to practice, improve and exchange languages visit Babelan.

Sit back... Watch... Learn (Learn a language on YouTube)

Sit back... Watch... Learn (Learn a language on YouTube) is a blog with a colection of youtube videos focused in learning foreign languages. In fact, it's a compilation of a different channels that you can find in Youtube to help you to learn languages.

The blog currently has posted video channels to learn Arabic, Chinese, Finnish, French, Hebrew, Icelandic, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Maori, Old English, Portuguese, Sign Language, Swedish and Welsh.

Moreover, the blog recommends other sites with language activities, listening materials, grammar tutorials, reading handouts, etc. This blog is a comprehensive source of online language learning resources.

• Sit back... Watch... Learn:
  http://learn-with-youtube.blogspot.com

Links

• Babelan. Language exchanges, private lessons and translations

The top 100 language blogs

"The Top 100 Language Blogs is probably the largest language blog competition hosted annually by bab.la and Lexiophiles. It is aimed at finding the best blogs related to languages and awarding language-loving bloggers."

In Top 100 Language Blogs 2010, you can find an interesting list of 100 language blogs. It's a list of online resources to learn a foreign languages such as Korenan, English, Russian, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Thai, Dutch, etc.

• Top 100 Language Blogs: http://en.bab.la/news/top-100-language-blogs-2010

Practicing and learning languages

In addition, you can find native speakers for a language exchange, a private class or a translator in Babelan.net: www.babelan.net

Audio Lingua - mp3 in French, English, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian and Portuguese

Audio Lingua is a great site to listen real native speakers and to improve listening skills of French, English, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian and Portuguese.

You can search short audio files in the previous languages and listen them. All the recordings are uploaded by native speakers who talk about their interests, their countries or their lives.

In addition, you can contribute recording your own voice in your native language to help students of your language.

Audio-Lingua introduction (from the web page)

• What is Audio-Lingua? A collaborative bank of authentic audio resources, recorded by native speakers, for a freely pedagogical or personal use.
• Audio documents? Short, a maximum recording length of two minutes, on various subjects…
• Collaborative? It means that any person who feels interested may contribute sending personal audio documents by filling in the form.
• Authentic? For they are only made by native (English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian or Spanish) speakers ! All accents can be useful.
• Aim? To train oral comprehension for anyone who would like to improve this language skill.

Audio Lingua: http://www.audio-lingua.eu

More links

• Babelan. Language exchanges, private lessons and translations

French film guide for English speakers

This web page is intended for students of French as a foreign language. Obviously, the user should have an upper-intermediate or advanced level.

French Film Guide for English Speakers has got a list of French films with comments about them. In addition, there is a "cheat-sheet" for every film which is a list of vocabulary, idioms and language notes useful when watching the film.

Some of the films that you can find in the site are The Story of Adele H, Nô, Le Placard, Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis, Les amours d'Astrée et de Céladon, La face cachée de la lune, and so on.

• French Film Guide for English Speakers (http://www.ffguide.ca)

Moreover, you can find a language partner or a tutor and improve your French in Babelan (http://www.babelan.net).

How to Learn French Online. Web pages

You can find in this post a list of resourses online -webpages- to learn and practice French. If you know more you can post a comment about it.

Apprendre.tv - http://www.tv5.org/TV5Site/enseigner-apprendre-francais/accueil_apprendre.php

Aula Fácil - http://www.aulafacil.com/CursoFrances/CursoFrances.htm

Bonjour de France - http://www.bonjourdefrance.com

Moddou - http://www.estudiodefrances.com

Fannygrosse-FLE - http://fannygrosse-fle.wikispaces.com/

Cours de langues - Radio Canada (for children) - http://www.radio-canada.ca/jeunesse/courslangues/

French tutorial - http://www.frenchtutorial.com/index.es.php

Lexique FLE - http://lexiquefle.free.fr

Polar FLE - apprendre le français - http://www.polarfle.com

RFI - Langue française - apprendre - http://www.rfi.fr/lfes/statiques/accueil.asp

Practicing and learning French

In addition, you can find native speakers for a language exchange, a private class or a translator in Babelan.net: www.babelan.net

Lyrics Training - Improving your foreign languages skills

"Lyrics Training is an easy and fun method to learn and improve your foreign languages skills like English through the music and lyrics of the songs."

It offers music videos in different languages (English, French, German, Spanish, Italian and Dutch). Their lyrics are displayed under the image with gaps to be filled in. This way the user can improve their listening skills. All the videos are categorized by levels (easy, medium and hard).


Lyrics Training: http://www.lyricstraining.com

Other recommended links

• Babelan (language exchanges, classes & translators): http://www.babelan.net

RFI - Radio France Internationale - Langue française - apprendre

"RFI doesn’t just broadcast in French, we teach and promote it too. Some listeners want to be able to converse in a language they don’t have the opportunity to practice every day. Others need to master French for work and require help getting more familiar with it. Many simply like French and French values. RFI has a team of specialist teaching and radio professionals to help."

This is a really comprehensive site to learn French. The learner can find several resources in order to improve their French skills: news, podcasts, activities, multimedia, radio shows, excercises, bulletins, teaching materials (for teachers) and so on.

The web page is so huge, hence, the best option is to browse and find the stuff you need for your level. In any case, you can conctact its team of French teaching and learning specialists (langue.francaise@rfi.fr).

In addition, you can find a list of learning centres for French as a Second Language.

• RFI - Langue française - apprendre

More links

• Apprendre.tv
• Bonjour de France
• Babelan

Foreign languages podcasts

Students of foreign languages search for audio files in order to learn and practice their target language. Ivoox, a free site to share audio files, offers several languages podcast channels. Here, you have a collection of them.

English

- Grammar Challenge [BBC]: Improve your English grammar with the BBC. Each week we challenge an English language student on an area of the English language such as verb forms, tenses, prepositions and pronunciation. Listen to a short presentation on the topic then try to answer the questions. The programmes are recorded on location in an English language classroom. Each episode lasts for six minutes and is made available every Friday.
http://www.ivoox.com/podcast-grammar-challenge_sq_f11373_1.html

- 6 Minute English [BBC]: Learn and practise useful English language for everyday situations with the BBC. Your weekly instruction manual for saying or doing something in English is published every Wednesday. Each programme is six minutes long and contains examples and explanations to help you improve your knowledge of the English language across a wide range of topics.
http://www.ivoox.com/podcast-6-minute-english_sq_f11371_1.html

- ESL Podcast: A podcast is an audio file that you download from the Internet. After you download it, you can listen to it on your computer or on an MP3/portable music player (for example, an iPod or iRiver). You can subscribe to a podcast so that it is delivered to you automatically each day, just like a newspaper.
http://www.ivoox.com/podcast-esl-podcast_sq_f1350_1.html

- Listen to English: The podcast website for people learning English On this page - podcasts to help you improve your listening skills.
http://www.ivoox.com/podcast-listen-to-english_sq_f12359_1.html

- Tu inglés!: Vamos a ejercitar tu oído para el inglés! Practicar y aprender con un nativo. Cada sesión incluye entrevistas, practicas de conjugacion, consejos, grabación de discursos y otros recursos. ¡A aprender!
http://www.ivoox.com/podcast-tu-ingles_sq_f1864_1.html

- Podcast de Vaughan: Todos los días el programa de Cloverdale (Cloverdale's Corner) en MP3.
http://www.ivoox.com/podcast-podcast-vaughan_sq_f1399_1.html

French

- FLE - Madrid: Apprendre le Français.
http://www.ivoox.com/podcast-fle-madrid_sq_f1832_1.html

Chinese

- Podcast China y Japón: Podcast sobre China. Aprenda chino mandarín mientras monta en bicicleta. Podcast sobre Japón.
http://www.ivoox.com/podcast-podcast-china-japon_sq_f11111_1.html

Spanish

- L de Lengua: Podcast sobre el mundo del español como lengua extranjera y las aplicaciones didácticas de la web 2.0.
http://www.ivoox.com/podcast-ldelengua_sq_f1239_1.html

• Language classes, exchanges and translations >>
  
• Global language exchange (messenger, e-mail, voice, chat, skype, webcam, msn) >>

Forvo. All the words in the world

This web is an interesting tool for language learners of any language. As the web page describes itself "Forvo is the largest pronunciation guide in the world, the place where you´ll find millions of words pronounced in their original languages."


How it works

You need to know how to pronunce a word in your target language (eg. thanks in Spanish: gracias). You Search your target language "Spanish" and the word "gracias": http://www.forvo.com/word/gracias/

There you can find different recordings uploaded by native people. If the word doesn't exist in the web you can ask for a native to record it.

Right now, there are 220 different languages in Forvo (English, Portuguese, Arabic, German, Spanish, Russian, Persian, Italian, Dutch...)

Forvo: http://www.forvo.com

• Language classes, exchanges and translations >>
  
• Global language exchange (messenger, e-mail, voice, chat, skype, webcam, msn) >>

Help others to find a language exchange, a private lesson or translation service

You can help others to find a person for a language exchange. Also, you can help a student to find a private tutor (and vice versa) or a freelance translator a work.

Just place a link in your blog or personal page. Babelan has a free message board to offer and find a language exchange, a class or a translation service.

Example

Babelan - The languages site.

Copy and paste this code

<a href="http://www.babelan.net/">Babelan</a> - The languages site.

Improving foreign languages skills - Language exchange

When learning a foreign language, there are some different skills we need to improve in order to comunicate: writing, reading, speaking or listening. For example, it is pretty clear that we cannot speak if we cannot understand (listen) what the interlocutor is telling us.

Probably, the very first step learning a new foreign language is enroling a class. This could be either in a language school or with a private tutor. Obviously, this cannot be only source of learning and improving a new foreign language. Nowadays, new technologies, such as internet, offer us a wide range of languages resources.

Thanks to internet, you can improve your reading skills just with newspapers, magazines or blogs in the target language. Listening can also be boosted by listening radio stations and watching tv channels or videos.

The list of sites is endless in any language: English, Spanish, German, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Italian, Portuguese, Czech, Romanian, Vietnamese, French, Dutch, Hungarian, Polish...

Thus, it could be wise to search for pages that deal with a topic you like (e.g. a hobby). You will improve faster because the topic will attract you and you will pay much more attention rather than a boring issue. In addition, when you know the topic in your mother language helps to understand the new language easily.

Thousands of language students are willing to speak a foreign language with native people. So, why do not try to find a language exchange. This could be a one-to-one exchange if you both live in the same city or a virtual exchange using the new techonologies (e-mail, chat, messenger, webcam, microphone...).

Recently, I searched some different sites to meet native people for a language exchange. Check them out and use the one that fits your needs.

• Babelan is a languages site. There you can find for free (not registration required) native people from around the world for a language exchange via mail, chat, voice,... Also one-to-one exchanges in New York, London, Barcelona, etc.
  http://www.babelan.net/
• Another place is My Language Exchange. You can find several registered members to practice a foreign language via email, text chat or voice chat. Needs registration.
  http://www.mylanguageexchange.com/
• Shared Talk is a community to practice foreign languages. It has different tools such as text chat or a voice chat. Needs registration.
  http://sharedtalk.com/
• In Speak Mania you can find penpals for a language exchange. Needs registration. It has a an audio and video chat.
  http://www.speakmania.com/index.php?language_id=1
• Lang-8 is a language exchange community focus in writing skills. Needs registration.
  http://lang-8.com/
• ConversationExchange.com is a community offering three types of language exchange face to face, penpals and text and voice chat. Needs registration.
  http://www.conversationexchange.com/
• Gumtree is a classifieds website, although, it has a languages swop category mainly for the UK and Ireland. It's free and needs no registration.
  http://www.gumtree.com/
• Another classifieds site with a language exchange category is Justlanded. It works in a wide range of countries, The UK, Ireland, Romania, China, Russia, Italy, Spain, USA, Germany, South Korea and so on.
  http://classifieds.justlanded.com/

There ara several sites where you can find native people for a language exchange, you can find them searching in internet. This is only a sample of some of them that could be useful.

Language teaching abroad

Probably, you want to travel abroad to stay in a foreign country for a long time. Some people want to learn a language, to study in an university or just long for an experience in a different place.

Unless you are a rich person, you'll need to earn your living abroad. When arriving a new country this could be a problem, specially, if you don't speak the native language.

There are many sort of jobs as bartender, bellboy, cook,.. the list is endless. Although, you may choose to teach your own language and get some extra money. It makes no difference which language you speak German, Russian, English, French, Italian, Chinese or Japanese. There are hundreds of chances to teach languages in language schools or offering private tuition.

A part from rendering your CV in all the languages schools, you may use internet to offer you private lessons. It's free and everyone can reach your post.

Nowadays, internet provides many sites to post free adverts. Here, you can find a sample list of sites to find students for your private classes:

First of all, a language site called Babelan. Currently, this has a free message board to offer classes in New York, London, Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Paris, Berlin, Sydney, Toronto, Vancouver and Chicago. This website is focus in languages.
http://www.babelan.net

Another site to place your free classifieds is Justlanded. It works in a wide range of countries, The UK, Ireland, Romania, China, Russia, Italy, Spain, USA, Germany, South Korea and so on.
http://classifieds.justlanded.com

A New York classifieds site is ikinewyork.com that has got a tutors, language lessons category.
http://www.ikinewyork.com

A UK based forum for tutors, students and parents is Local Tutor Forum. Here you can offer your private tuition in the UK.
http://www.localtutorforum.com

Japanese, English and other languages can be offered in Tokyo Notice Board.
http://www.tokyonoticeboard.co.jp

Loquo is a free classifieds site in Spain. It's got dozens of categories such as room, cars, jobs or servicies, also, it has a 'tutoring and private lessons' area to post your adverts.
http://www.loquo.com

Campusanuncios.com and mundoanuncio.com are two global classifieds web pages. So you may post your advert to teach not only in Spain but around the world.
http://www.mundoanuncio.com
http://www.campusanuncios.com

Related links

Finally, I'd like to add some other related links that could be useful:

English language teaching job opportunities worldwide http://www.eslbase.com/jobs/

Language recruitment and Language Jobs in Madrid, Spain
http://www.toplanguagejobs.es

Classes, courses or private lessons
http://www.language-school-teachers.com

Directory of jobs for teaching abroad
http://www.teachabroad.com/search.cfm

English Teachers - Madrid
http://madridteacher.com/

• Babelan, the languages site >>