Some of my favorite moments while learning French in school happened when the teacher would roll out a massive TV and VHS player for some French audio-visual learning. While it’s difficult to re-create this exact moment for you - TVs, laptops, and DVDs are so much less bulky than they used to be! - we can offer you a way to insert some French TV into your life with a little help from YouTube. Many of these shows have episodes that are between 3 and 5 minutes long, making them the perfect bite-sized amount of French over the course of your day!
Oh la la Hollywood Speaks French! and Oh la la, Speak French - Paris follows the lives of two francophone sisters in California and then back in Paris in two seasons.
Extr@ has a bit of a Friends vibe and also comes with French subtitles to really cement your verbal AND reading comprehensions! Extr@ has a slightly longer episode format, around 25 minutes.
For fans of Les Visiteurs: Kaamelott offers a comedic look at life in the middle ages for King Arthur and his knights! Modern language and humor make this series especially useful for vocab and slang.
For fans of Papa ou Maman: Parents mode d’emploi makes you a part of a French family with three children between the ages of 8 and 16. While the parents stumble sometimes (usually in a hilarious fashion!), their mishaps bring their family closer together.
For fans of Bref: Bloqués' creators describe their show as two people waiting for something to happen... and then deciding to do nothing. Mainly taking place on the couch of two roommates, Bloqués brings viewers into the increasingly random conversations you have with your closest friends!
For fans of Kings of Pastry: In Les carnets de Julie, Julie travels around France and learns about different regions and their creative, gastronomic, cultural, and economic histories. Her recipes look absolutely delicious! This show has a longer 1 hour runtime with shorter “recette” mini episodes.
For fans of Bien-Dire: conversations entre amis: In each episode of La parenthèse inattendue, three strangers with very different lives spend a weekend together on the countryside. This showcases naturally-spoken French through both light-hearted and more serious moments as the individuals get to know one another. This show has a longer 2-hour run time.
If you want a taste of French sitcoms like those that swept the U.S. in the ‘80s and ‘90s, be sure to check out Génération Sitcoms for all the ‘80s hair and neon you could possibly want! This channel also hosts some Saturday-morning-cartoon-style animated shows from the same era.
Make sure to also check out our constantly growing collection of physical DVDs and offerings on Culturethèque once you’ve made your way through these!
Series created for French learners
Oh la la Hollywood Speaks French! and Oh la la, Speak French - Paris follows the lives of two francophone sisters in California and then back in Paris in two seasons.
Extr@ has a bit of a Friends vibe and also comes with French subtitles to really cement your verbal AND reading comprehensions! Extr@ has a slightly longer episode format, around 25 minutes.
Series for French TV fanatics
For fans of Les Visiteurs: Kaamelott offers a comedic look at life in the middle ages for King Arthur and his knights! Modern language and humor make this series especially useful for vocab and slang.
For fans of Papa ou Maman: Parents mode d’emploi makes you a part of a French family with three children between the ages of 8 and 16. While the parents stumble sometimes (usually in a hilarious fashion!), their mishaps bring their family closer together.
For fans of Bref: Bloqués' creators describe their show as two people waiting for something to happen... and then deciding to do nothing. Mainly taking place on the couch of two roommates, Bloqués brings viewers into the increasingly random conversations you have with your closest friends!
For fans of Kings of Pastry: In Les carnets de Julie, Julie travels around France and learns about different regions and their creative, gastronomic, cultural, and economic histories. Her recipes look absolutely delicious! This show has a longer 1 hour runtime with shorter “recette” mini episodes.
For fans of Bien-Dire: conversations entre amis: In each episode of La parenthèse inattendue, three strangers with very different lives spend a weekend together on the countryside. This showcases naturally-spoken French through both light-hearted and more serious moments as the individuals get to know one another. This show has a longer 2-hour run time.
If you want a taste of French sitcoms like those that swept the U.S. in the ‘80s and ‘90s, be sure to check out Génération Sitcoms for all the ‘80s hair and neon you could possibly want! This channel also hosts some Saturday-morning-cartoon-style animated shows from the same era.
Et en plus...
YouTube has also made it easy to view parts of our collection, but in an online format. No need to have a zone 2 player or borrow one of our newly purchased usb-compatible DVD players, you can now watch some of our favorites with one click! Un gars une fille | Bref | Fais pas ci, fais pas caMake sure to also check out our constantly growing collection of physical DVDs and offerings on Culturethèque once you’ve made your way through these!
Mentioned in this blog post:
Ingrid Marquardt
Librarian
Ingrid began her passion for French through the immersion program in Milton, MA, and has followed it around France and the world. She took a break from this first love to pursue a B.A. in English with a minor in Irish Studies at Boston College and a Masters of Library and Information Sciences at Simmons College. She is thrilled to meld her excitement for libraries and French language and culture in her position at the Center!
Contact
