Education Specialist

La Maison Rouge
Educational Services Co.
gretelden@sbcglobal.net

Thursday, September 20, 2012

French Reference Tools

Dictionnaires et Vocabulaire

WordReference.com - This tool will not translate entire sentences. Use short words and look in the forums for suggestions on expressions. By clicking on "conjugate", the different forms of the verb will be displayed.
 Dictionnaire Larousse - One of the best dictionaries available with synonymes and quotes. Search for words in Spanish, French, and many other languages.
ARTFL Project - A bit more advanced than WordReference, but a powerful tool.

Audio / visual dictionaries
Languageguide.org - Choose a language and a theme. Use the mouse to listen to the pronunciations.
French.about - This is a very basic selection of words, but the pronunciations are helpful.

Conjugaisons (verb forms in different tenses)
WordReference.com - Type a verb and click on "conjugate."
Le Conjugueur - Type a verbe and click on "conjuguer."
Verbix - Same concept as the other sites.

Grammaire française
Tex's French Grammar - University of Texas at Austin offers excellent explanations in English and French.
LanguageGuide.org - Grammar explanations and examples in basic language.
IELanguages - Commercial site linked to products, but offers good examples.

Médias en français

Les journaux
Le Monde - National French newspaper
Le Figaro - National French newspaper
Libération - National French newspaper
Liste de journaux francophones - Newspapers in French from around the world

Les magazines
1jour1actu - Les clés de l'actualité - Online magazine geared for beginning to intermediate reading levels. 
Elle (en français!)
Le Nouvel Observateur - Culture (Cinéma, livres, télévision, etc.)
Liste de magazines francophones (Choose a theme to discover magazines from around the world.)

Les chaînes de télévision
France Télévisions - Groups the national French channels. Choose a channel at the top of the page.
Monludo - France Télévision's site for young viewers that includes games, videos, and coloring pages.
TV5 Monde / 7 jours sur la planète - TV5 offers many online videos designed for learners of French. Explorez!
TF1 - Watch the JT (news) and many other shows.
TF1 Musique - Music videos
TFou! - TF1's site for young viewers that includes videos, games, and coloring pages. C'est "un must!"
Radio-Canada - News and programs from Canada.
Télé-Québec - News and programs from Québec.

Les stations de radios
Radio France - Groups the national French radio stations. Choose a station at the top of the page. 
RFI - News and thematic reports for French language learners. "Le journal en  français facile" provides a script. "Les exercices d'écoute" include comprehension questions. Excellent choice for the ambitious learner.
Europe1 - News and information.
Funradio - Musique !
NRJ (Energy = Musique!)
Le mouv' - Les hits
TuneIn Radio - Online and an app to listen to radio stations from all over the world. Find a station for extra credit!
France Radio List - Online stations to stream music and talk.