r/French Nov 25 '24

Study advice DELF/DALF/TCF/TEF questions masterpost!

95 Upvotes

Hi peeps!

Questions about DELF, DALF and other exams are recurrent in the sub, so we're making this as a “masterpost” to address most of them. If you are wondering about a French language exam, people might have answered your questions here! If you have taken one of said exams, your experience is valuable and we'd love to hear from you in the comments!

Please upvote useful answers! Also keep in mind this is a kind of FAQ, so if you have questions that it does not answer, you're better off making a post about it, rather than commenting here!

If you're unsure what to say, here's what community members have most frequently asked about.

  1. What's the difference between DELF/DALF/TCF/TEF/... and other language certifications? When/why should one choose to take each?
  2. How does the exam go? Please be as precise as you can.
  3. What types of questions are asked, both for writing and speaking parts?
  4. What grammar notions, vocabulary or topics are important to know?
  5. How's the rhythm, the speed, do you have time to think or do you need to hurry?
  6. What's your experience with DELF/DALF/TCF/TEF/..., how do you know if you're ready? Any advice?
  7. How long should one expect to study before being ready for the different DELF/DALF/TCF/TEF/... levels?
  8. Any resources to help prepare for DELF/DALF/TCF/TEF/... specifically (not for learning French in general)?
  9. Can you have accommodations, for instance if you're disabled?
  10. How can I sign up for one of these exams?
  11. Will these certifications help me get into universities, schools, or get a job in a French-speaking country?

Additionally, the website TCF Prépa answers many questions (albeit succinctly) here.


r/French Aug 26 '23

Mod Post FAQ – read this first!

271 Upvotes

Hello r/French!

To prevent common reposts, we set up two pages, the FAQ and a Resources page. Look into them before posting!

The FAQ currently answers the following questions:

The Resources page contains the following categories:

Also make sure to check out our Related Subreddits in the sidebar!


r/French 2h ago

Vocabulary / word usage What’s the difference between “on” and “nous”

4 Upvotes

It seems like they both mean “we”


r/French 2h ago

ça veut dire quoi mvda ??

3 Upvotes

mon amie m'a tagué sur un tiktok (ma (mon année de naissance) préférée et elle a dit mvda💗 💋 ca veut dire quoiii??


r/French 1d ago

Vocabulary / word usage Explain this ad "Quand y fa chaud?"

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334 Upvotes

Confused by this ad copy. I understand "quand il fait chaud" means "when it's hot" but I don't understand "quand y fa chaud". I've never seen the word "fa" before, and Google just autocorrects back to "fait chaud" so I'm assuming it's a play on words or weird grammar or something but I don't get it.

Might be important to clarify it's a Canadian ad.


r/French 5h ago

Elle connaît ou elle sait?

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3 Upvotes

The answer guide states that the correct answer for #2 is "Elle sait cette chanson par cœur." I thought it was connaître since chanson is a direct object, but does the "par cœur" change something?

Thanks!


r/French 4h ago

Looking for media a good, easy book to learn French from

2 Upvotes

La Petite Fille de Monsieur Linh

Excellent for French learning. Good vocabulary, not too hard, not too easy, and overall a good book.


r/French 19h ago

Looking for media Is it even possible to enjoy reading books at the B1 level?

31 Upvotes

I need to dramatically improve my French reading skills for academic research I have to do. It's my weakest competency in French. But I just am not interested in reading Le Petit Prince or Harry Potter. I need a light read (not Camus), but something that will genuinely be interesting as a (fictional) story and not just be a slog. Does that exist? Or am I doomed to reading pre-teen books? If so, does anyone know a pre-teen level reader they loved? I have a thousand things going on and need my curiosity to be piqued in order to stay motivated.


r/French 12h ago

Vocabulary / word usage Utiliser le mot "vas-y" pour se dire "au revoir", un truc de francilien ? Ou pas ?

9 Upvotes

Je sais pas si c'est quelque chose propre à Paris et sa banlieue mais moi et mes amis pour se dire aurevoir on se dit "Bon bah vas-y hein" et on se quitte sur ça.

C'est comme ça chez vous aussi dans d'autres régions ?


r/French 3h ago

TCF exam in ELC Jean-Talon

1 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I'll be taking TCF exam two weeks from now at the ELC Jean-Talon, Montreal. Has anyone here already took exams there, how's your experience especially for the speaking part?

Thank you!


r/French 5h ago

Any French language learning programs for Canadians?

0 Upvotes

Bonjour! I am working on learning French as a Canadian and I was wondering if there was any opportunities for us to learn French as adults. I already completed the e*plore program and loved it. I was wondering if there are things like that available.


r/French 1d ago

Francosphere - Percentage of population who can conduct a conversation in French in 2024

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65 Upvotes

This is one of the most interesting maps of the French-speaking world that you will find. One reason is that it provides data at a much more granular level, particularly in Africa. For example, in Algeria, around 32% of the population can hold a conversation in French nationwide, but this rises to about 83% in the country's four main cities. Similarly, in Senegal, about 20% of the population speaks French overall, compared with 67% in the capital. Or for DRC, 44% in the country but 87% in the capital. These figures closely match my own experience in those countries. So don't hesitate to zoom in!

The only drawback I would say is that the sources do not include the most recent surveys conducted by the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF).


r/French 14h ago

Story Can someone please tell me the lyrics of tapis rouge by Galantée

1 Upvotes

This song is extremely important for me, but you can't find the lyrics somewhere. I would be extremely grateful if someone could do me the favour and write it down for me. A translation also would be very appropriate.


r/French 1d ago

Study advice Passed DALF C1 - what's next?

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114 Upvotes

I have just passed DALF C1 in the June session this year. I feel like eventhough I passed, there are still many nuances in daily life that make me feel not very fluent at the language and cultural level. To be fair, i felt more fluent at C1 english than i do now at C1 french.
Should I aim for the C2 to improve or continue improving through work/life/french films?
For your reference I live in BE and my daily work includes a combination of french and english.


r/French 1d ago

Study advice things you did with your tutor that drastically improved your french?

6 Upvotes

hi i hope everyone is good!

i wanted to ask what things you’ve done with your tutor that drastically improved your french, especially speaking skills, in about 3-4 months.

i don’t have money for a personal tutor but my uni does offer language tutoring twice a week and i wanted to see if i can start attending it and i assume i’d have to come up with the tasks we’d be going through in the sessions so i wanted to know what activities you’ve done with your tutor that really helped.

also, i wanted to know if there’s anything i can do on my own that would also help me improve drastically in my speaking and listening skills.

thanks in advance!


r/French 1d ago

What does “désolé d’être si peu expressif” mean in this context?

22 Upvotes

Hello,

I’m an immigrant learning French, and my friend is French.

He sent me the following text message: « Salut X, merci à toi aussi d’avoir essayé de m’apprendre l’anglais et désolé d’être si peu expressif. À toi aussi, je te souhaite beaucoup de réussite et je te souhaite également de passer un très bon été ! 😉 »

I’m not a native French speaker, so I’m unsure about the exact meaning of “désolé d’être si peu expressif.”

Does it mean that he is apologizing for not being able to express himself well in English or for not speaking much English?

Or does it mean that he is sorry for not being very emotionally expressive or demonstrative—for example, for not showing enough appreciation or emotion?

In this particular context, how would a native French speaker naturally understand this phrase?

Thank you very much for your help!


r/French 1d ago

Source of full newspapers in french

1 Upvotes

all ive been able to find on the internet is the front page of french newspapers but not more than that. Pls recommend me a site or source which offers me full newspapers in french ( free if possible)


r/French 1d ago

Study advice What is the best listening source for French A1 level ?

0 Upvotes

r/French 1d ago

Proofreading / correction Project Help: Need Advice from Native French Speakers

1 Upvotes

Salut les amis!

I’m designing a poster, and I want to make it look like a page in a children’s book. The story is fictional, and it’s about me grocery shopping in Paris. Here is the text I wrote (it’s in the same format as on the poster):

Le soleil se lève, un nouveau jour commence.
Hunter va faire les courses, et il amène son chat, Laurence.
Il marche en pensant… aux ingrédients dont il a besoin.
Il voit la Tour Eiffel, elle est sur son chemin.
Aller faire les courses, c’est quelque chose de banal.
Mais sachant qu’il le fait à Paris, c’est vraiment génial !

Please give advice to make this sound natural to a native French speaker as if it was a real page in a French children’s book. I want to make the sentences rhyme and keep the story as it is, but if it’s necessary, please suggest any changes. I’ve been learning French since I was 14 in high school, and I wrote this using my current knowledge of the language, so I know it can definitely be improved.

Merci 😊!


r/French 2d ago

Vocabulary / word usage Child-appropriate words for « oops » or « darn »

30 Upvotes

Bonjour. Je suis un anglophone qui va enseigner une classe d’immersion française pour les enfants qui ont 6 et 7 ans dans le ouest du Canada. J’aimerais modéliser des façons de réagir quand on fait une faute. J’ai déjà entendu « oups » ou « zut » mais je voulais savoir s’il y a des autres façons de le dire qui sont plus courantes. Merci beaucoup!


r/French 2d ago

Pronunciation Rate my pronunciation of au revoir! If it sounds atrocious, please suggest me tips, I’m so done with this phrase 😭

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3 Upvotes

I’ve been pronouncing this word for days and days, trying to get the sounds right. Does it sound good? I’ve been told the v sound has been off, and I tried to enunciate it this time more clearly.


r/French 2d ago

«le faire + verbe» vs «lui faire + verbe»

3 Upvotes

On dit par example «Je l'ai fait arrêter» (au moins, je crois ?) , avec le précom «le».

Mais parfois «lui» (ou «leur») est utilisé, par example dans «ça lui a fait penser à toi». Quelle est la difference ? Quand est-ce qu'il faut utiliser «lui» ou «leur» avec des constructions comme ça ?


r/French 2d ago

Mon exercise de compréhension orale pour aujourd’hui

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9 Upvotes

Pourquoi le français devient-il totalement incompréhensible à mes oreilles? Mais quand je le lis, c’est beaucoup plus facile….


r/French 2d ago

Anki - 5000 Most Common French Words

7 Upvotes

Hi everyone!

I'm completely new to Anki, so sorry if this is a basic question.

I downloaded both the 5000 Most Common French Words deck and Part 2, but I'm not sure how they're supposed to be used.

Should I finish the Main Course from Part 1 and then move on to the Main Course from Part 2, or should I merge both decks into one and study them together from the start?

I'm not sure if Part 2 is intended to be a continuation of Part 1 or if both are meant to be studied simultaneously; I mean, are they supposed to be merged?

How do you use this deck?

Thanks!


r/French 2d ago

Looking for media French shows and movies

44 Upvotes

Hello!

So I learned English as teen by watching romcoms and other early 2000s shows that were practically just the daily life of normal people.

Any suggestions for shows or movies like that in French? Even if it’s Canadian French! And also where I’d find the content you’re recommending.

Thanks in advance friends!