3 Reasons Why It Is Hard to Understand Spoken French

Have you been studying French for years and still struggle to understand native speakers?

I hear you. I studied English for eight years at school, but when I first moved to the UK, I couldn't understand anything. Rien du tout. It was incredibly frustrating.

Apparently, I wasn't the only one. My French flatmate told me about the first time he tried to order a chicken kebab at a shop in Clapham Common (London)—the guy ended up handing him a literal, whole roasted chicken!

I want to help you avoid ordering a whole chicken like my friend did. In this article, we’ll look at the three main roadblocks students face when trying to understand spoken French, and how you can overcome them.

1. Written French and spoken French are very different

If you learned French in school, you likely focused heavily on vocabulary lists and grammar rules. Personally, I actually enjoy learning grammar! When it is taught in context with plenty of examples, it really helps make sense of the language.

However, if your goal is to speak and understand rather than pass a written exam, spending hours memorising rigid grammar rules won't cut it. What you learn in a traditional textbook is often worlds away from how French people actually speak on the streets.

I remember a student of mine, Tom, who had just returned to London after a six-month contract at a bank in Paris. He came to our lesson looking a bit annoyed:

Tom: "So, where is ‘nous’?"

Me: "Hmmm… What do you mean?"

Tom: "No one uses ‘nous’ in Paris! Why are we spending hours learning ‘nous’ conjugations if everyone just says ‘on’?"

I was truly embarrassed because he was right. Outside of formal writing or speeches, almost no one uses ‘nous’ in daily French life. Tom didn't need to write formal corporate reports; he just needed to chat with his team during meetings and coffee breaks.

That day, I decided to wave goodbye to ‘nous’ and introduce ‘on’ right from the beginning of my courses. (I did the same thing with dropping the negative ‘ne’, but that’s a story for another time!)

2. French speakers love "liaisons" (and they are sneaky)

If you take a standard school course, French liaisons—pronouncing the silent end of a word because the next word starts with a vowel—are usually covered quite briefly.

You learn that some are mandatory, such as between:

• Articles and nouns: Les_enfants, des_amis, un_avocat…

• Subjects and verbs: Vous_êtes, vous_avez…

• Adjectives and nouns: Un petit_enfant, des grandes_oreilles…

And then you learn that others are optional, and suddenly you have a headache.

What makes it trickier is the general linking of words. When a word ends in a consonant sound and the next starts with a vowel, they merge into one continuous sound. If you heard these phrases without seeing them written down, you might be totally confused:

• Le quartier sera seulement accessible aux piétons --> Sounds like: /AKSESIBLO/

• En quatre ans, le nombre d'habitants a explosé ! --> Sounds like: /ANKATRA/

• Tu veux une glace à la fraise ou au chocolat ? --> Sounds like: /FREZU/

  Liaisons are sneaky because they make you think you are hearing one strange, new word instead of two words you already know. Don't try to memorise every rule by heart. Instead, when doing listening exercises, check the transcript to see if a sneaky liaison was the reason you missed a phrase.

3. Native speakers use a lot of linguistic shortcuts

Just like how English speakers say "brekkie" for breakfast, "uni" for university, or "sec" for a second, French speakers talk fast and cut corners. This makes it difficult to recognise words you actually know perfectly well on paper.

First, notice how French people naturally shorten everyday nouns:

• Le restaurant --> Le resto

• Le cinéma --> Le ciné

• D’accord --> D’acc

• Un café --> Un caf’

Next, look at how entire groups of words blend together in spoken French (though never in formal writing):

• Tu + Vowel --> T’

  • T’as fait quoi hier ? (Instead of: Tu as fait quoi hier ?). Check this other example from the film Voleuses in this Instagram reel.

• Je + Consonant --> J’ or Ch’

  • J’peux pas venir or Ch’peux pas. (Instead of: Je ne peux pas venir / Je ne peux pas.)

  • J'sais pas or Chepa. (Instead of: Je ne sais pas)

• Il n'y a pas de... --> Y a pas d'...

  • Y a pas de lait dans le frigo ? (Instead of Il n'y a pas de lait dans le frigo ?)

Ready to practice?

If you want to see these real-world shortcuts in action, check out my YouTube video (best for intermediate to advanced levels). We also cover and practice this topic in our group programme En Immersion, starting in September. Join the fun!