FrenchPod is a language course podcast and accompanying website that offers free lessons in French. The service was founded in 2008 and is the third such language site from Praxis Language Ltd., following ChinesePod and SpanishPod. Unfortunately, new lessons are not being made, and the site is expected to close in the near future.
FrenchPod's main goal is to teach spoken French to its listeners. For the listener's convenience, there are several levels of difficulty. Between the levels, the dialogue becomes progressively harder, and the hosts transition from English to fluent French. Each show usually contains a French or English conversation, and then proceeds to the dialogue of the day. Afterwards, the hosts discuss the dialogue's interpretation and structure and provide context for the new vocabulary used in the dialogue. Then the dialogue is repeated once more. The majority of the lessons are given descriptive titles to make searching easier.
The podcasts range in difficulty from "Newbie" to "Advanced" and have an average length of seven to fourteen minutes lesson time. Since September 2008, only the "Newbie" lesson shows and the extra shows are offered for free. Users are encouraged to interact with the FrenchPod hosts and listeners around the world on the website and in the forums.
Levels
Newbie: Lessons are given in English. When French is spoken, there is plenty of clear repetition. The dialogues are repeated three times, translated, and then analyzed. Basic phrases and expressions used for courtesy and travel are emphasized, along with grammatical support for communication in the immediate present.
Elementary: This level features longer dialogues, more elements of grammar, and a wider range of everyday applications than the Newbie lessons. The listener is taught how to discuss events that happened in the present and past, and how to express opinions and preferences. The hosts give a thorough treatment of lesson content, including grammar structures and pronunciation.
Intermediate: At this level, the hosts narrate events more precisely in the past, present, and future. In these lessons the hosts speak almost entirely in French, with key explanations in English.
Upper Intermediate: Adds conjecture and conditionality, as well as French subjunctive mood. Lessons are taught primarily in French shifting back to English for the occasional vocabulary item.
Advanced: Lessons focus on introducing specialized vocabulary, practicing problematic grammatical features, and lively French language discussion. The lessons are conducted entirely in French, including explanations of grammar and vocabulary. They also feature more use of idioms than the lower levels.
Advanced Media: Provides commentary and analysis on materials and media intended for a French-speaking audience.
Hosts
John Patrick (JP) Villanueva : Holds a Master of Arts in Romance Linguistics from the University of Michigan, specializing in first- and second-language acquisition, as well as foreign language pedagogy; specifically, communicative/task based method. A native of Seattle, Washington, he taught Spanish and French at the high school and university levels for 12 years. In July 2009 JP left FrenchPod.
Amaury Libeer : Being half French and half Belgian, he lived in both countries before traveling throughout the Anglo-Saxon world. He has a BA in International Trade and worked for 6 years in Scotland. While abroad, he also taught French as a foreign language and is now the lead host of FrenchPod.
Erica Tremonti : Holds a degree in Linguistics and has 6 years of teaching experience, having taught French and ESL, as well as the piano and violin. After living in Paris for several years, she returned to the U.S. to start a company advancing French language materials in North America and can be heard at the Newbie, Elementary, Intermediate and Upper-Intermediate level lessons as the main host. She also helped host and produce FrenchPod's learning-though-music show, Voulez-vous chanter avec moi?.
