I just passed DELF B2 in French and if somebody needs any tips or advice I can help.

[ashu2111]

As a long time observer of this forum, maybe this is one way to help this community as you have offered me so many suggestions. I just passed my DELF B2 and as a learner of French who went from A1-B2, perhaps I can offer others who are learning French some tips or tricks. Obviously I cannot be your teacher because my French is not at a native level but if you need any advice then I am happy to help! I have not done my TEF yet but I may do it next month so I won't hesitate to share my experience! Good luck with all your Express Entry applications. Get those bonus French points!

 

[orwell46]

That's great, do you mind which country you are based out of and did you go from scratch to B2 and how long did it take?

I started from scratch since March last year and just took my TCF. Got C1 in reading but only a B1 in listening (writing and oral still awaited)

Can you please share how you work on your listening skills in French?

 

[ashu2111]

That's great, do you mind which country you are based out of and did you go from scratch to B2 and how long did it take?

I started from scratch since March last year and just took my TCF. Got C1 in reading but only a B1 in listening (writing and oral still awaited)

Can you please share how you work on your listening skills in French?

Hello,

Originally I am from India but I live in the Netherlands at the moment. For me it took over 2 years to really be at ease at B2 level. I could've passed it earlier but with a lot of difficulty. Listening is indeed the most tricky part in French. C'est en effet un vrai cauchemar! Comme on dit en francais!

I think the best and only way to improve your listening skills is listening to news, podcast and watching YouTube videos. Sometimes knowing certain expressions and even informal language can help as well, this is where YouTube videos such as those of squeezie helps. Afaik he even puts subtitles on his videos so it should be okay!

For news, I used to listen to France 24 all the time. They have a live stream on YouTube, I think it's called "France24 en direct". Also another way is trying to use apps like italki or hellotalk so you can get to speak with people in France and sort of get used to their accent. Sometimes it's very fast. Nobody uses "ne" in negation in French when they're talking. So things like "je ne sais pas" becomes "jsais pas" when it's pronounced orally.

Let me know if you have any further questions

 

[heydaydreamer]

Do you study French on a daily basis? What's your study routine like? I'm curious because I really want to learn French. I'm not on a tight schedule since I'm not learning it to get extra crs points as I have already filed my e-APR. Thank you!

 

[ashu2111]

Do you study French on a daily basis? What's your study routine like? I'm curious because I really want to learn French. I'm not on a tight schedule since I'm not learning it to get extra crs points as I have already filed my e-APR. Thank you!

Hello! In the start I was putting a lot of hours every week; I would say at least 25. Once you get to B1 level then it only becomes a matter of practice because you have nonetheless acquired basic structure of the language. The really hard work lasts from level A1-B1, because you are learning a new language from scratch.

Also to point out, this is where you must pay close attention because if you mess up some concepts at this stage then you can really have a hard time getting things right at a later stage. I had this issue with intransitive and transitive verbs in French, and it took a bit a time and effort to really get a good grip on them.

I think you can learn a new language on a tight schedule too but just try to at least get the basics right. Not to mention that if you have a decent command of the vocabulary in English, you will find learning French a bit easier. This is because many words in English have French roots, which means that it is slightly easier for someone who speaks English to learn French compared to let's say someone who only speaks, Hindi or Korean.

 

[AmeyB]

Hi @ashu2111 Have you attempted TEF? If yes, can you share the score?
I have done my B2 couple years back and would like to know the level of proficiency required for CLB 7.

 

[ashu2111]

Hi @ashu2111 Have you attempted TEF? If yes, can you share the score?
I have done my B2 couple years back and would like to know the level of proficiency required for CLB 7.

Pm'd you!