Category: All Levels

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Tips for BonPatron, Antidote, LanguageTool, Reverso

  • Antidote: Antidote is powerful spelling and grammar correction software built specifically for French. It integrates with MS Word but can also be used alone. Antidote works with built-in grammar and vocabulary reference resources, providing users with comprehensive explanations of errors and possible corrections. Because Antidote is made for French speakers, the interface and reference works are entirely in French, making Antidote an especially good choice for advanced students. 
  • Languages supported: French only.
  • Strengths: Along with grammar correction, Antidote offers more comprehensive stylistic and diction guidance, which makes it a great resource for improving the quality of written work beyond simple error checking.
  • Weaknesses: Antidote is available only on the Language Lab computers.

 

  • Reverso: Reverso is another online grammar and spelling correction tool. Explanation for corrections are in the language itself, so this tool might be best for advanced learners. 
  • Languages supported:  French, Spanish, German, Italian, Russian, Portuguese, Chinese, Arabic, Hebrew, and Japanese.
  • Strengths: Several tools, and many languages to choose from.
  • Weaknesses: Reverso has a limit of 2,000 characters (about 250 words). It also lacks the linguistic references available in both Antidote and Bon Patron.

 

  • BonPatron: BonPatron is an online grammar and spelling correction tool similar to Antidote. Because it’s available anywhere, it’s a handy alternative to Antidote, but it lacks the comprehensive resources available in Antidote. Suggestions and guides are available in English as well as French, making this a good choice for students just beginning French composition as well as intermediate learners. 
  • Languages supported: French only.
  • Strengths: Bon Patron is very user friendly, making it a good choice for beginners. It also doesn’t provide the correct answer, but rather tells you what about the current construction is incorrect, so that you become better at identifying your own errors rather than simply replacing them with the correct answer.
  • Weaknesses: The free version of the site has a limit of 2,000 characters (about 250 words). Only available for French. 

 

  • LanguageTool: LanguageTool is another web-based grammar tool, useful for correcting texts in French or for checking your spelling, etc. 
  • Languages supported: Asturian, Belarusian, Breton, Catalan, Dutch, Esperanto, French, Galician, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Khmer, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Chinese (Simplified), Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Tagalog, Tamil, Ukranian.
  • Strengths: LanguageTool is much more powerful than BonPatron and Reverso, allowing 20,000 characters (about 2,500 words). It also allows for correction of different dialects/regions, e.g., Swiss and Austrian German, or Brazilian vs Portugal Portuguese. 
  • Weaknesses: Grammatical explanations are only provided in the target language, for example French or German.
  • Tips/tricks: LanguageTool also has a useful Google Chrome extension and a Google Docs add-on, which allow the user to correct text while typing online or in a Doc.
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German.net

German.net is a language-learning website with numerous exercises. Levels range from approximately A1 (beginner) to B2 (advanced). This could be a very helpful tool for those looking to brush up on German skills or trying to advance their language. 

German.net has a number of grammatical exercises, including ones on verb tenses, case and declension, nouns, adjective endings, prepositions, and the passive voice. These exercises are neatly categorised and are easy to find on the website.

These textbook-like exercises require the user to fill in missing information, and the solutions give the correct answer. 

It also has “vocabulary builder,” which quizzes the user on words which grow progressively more difficult. 

Perhaps most unique to German.net, and also most useful, is the “reading” tool, which presents short texts and then quizzes the user on the content. 

German.net also features a verb conjugation tool, which is especially useful when reviewing for a test or trying to learn more irregular conjugations. 

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Radio Ambulante

Radio Ambulante is an award-winning podcast series which tells Latin American stories, covering a range of issues from immigration to bee-keeping. They have thousands of episodes to choose from, allowing listeners to filter by country, topic, and length. Most episodes are both in Spanish and English, which makes Radio Ambulante suitable for both beginners and advanced Spanish students.

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LightSpeed Spanish – Podcast

With sections ranging from beginner to advanced, this podcast covers a wide variety of topics, most of which center around using Spanish in everyday life. The episodes are mostly 10-15 minutes long and gradually move from using some English to explain ideas to speaking exclusively in Spanish. The hosts do a great job of explaining their ideas and topics for every level learner.

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La Casa de las Flores, Netflix Series

This brand-new Netflix telenovela, already critically and popularly acclaimed, revolves around a powerful family in Mexico City, attempting to preserve its image after the father’s mistress hangs herself from the family’s house, uncovering the family’s dirty secrets. While inhabiting the best tradition of hyperbolic and postmodern Mexican telenovelas, this series offers an original dark comedy twist. The spoken Spanish is clear yet abundant in colloquialisms.

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Têtes à claques, French Youtube channel

Têtes à claques
https://www.youtube.com/user/salamboproductions/featured

This is a channel (and a website) of humorous short videos in French that has been producing animated videos since forever. Some of them are easier to understand than others, but most have an option for English subtitles just in case. The sense of humor may not be to everyone’s taste, but there are a lot of real gems! Some recommendations from your Langlabbies include:

the Will Waller 2006: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJgQCbRsq-I and

Le Body Toner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdKjpvnrhkU

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Easy Videos for French vocab + speech

Get ready to learn some French vocab the fun and easy way!
ladybug imageEasy French Vocab and Phrases 5min: https://youtu.be/fq_4V-Ia1z0.
This video is in French with French and English subtitles. The video covers basic French nouns and phrases, describing them by walking around the town and pointing to objects. Also helpful for pronunciation.
Days of the Week Song 2min: https://youtu.be/Lpwf5N0rfVE.
This video uses a mnemonic device to help you learn the days of the week in French. The song is catchy and easy to remember.
Months of the Year Song 2min: https://youtu.be/KxTsMctlfTY.
This video uses a song as a mnemonic device to help learn the months of the year in French.
Weather and Seasons in French 12min: https://youtu.be/Kq4Luegns8c.
This is a detailed video in English, introducing basic weather expressions, how to describe the weather, and the names of the seasons.
What Not to Pronounce in French 6min: https://youtu.be/NTU-2zvJ92U.
This video is in English and some basic French, and helps with the pronunciation of final syllables in French, including dropping the -d, -p, -t, -s, and -e at the ends of words. 
How to Pronounce the French “R” 2min: https://youtu.be/YCw_lEb1qXk.
This is a slightly silly pronunciation guide given in English on when and how to pronounce the “r” in French. Cognates like ‘horrible’ and ‘métro’ are compared in both languages, demonstrating the throat constriction present in French.
Uses of “Faire” 2min: https://youtu.be/kjni-2B9d4w.
This video introduces the verb ‘faire’ and different phrases in which it is used. A number of French speakers pronounce a variety of phrases in French with English subtitles.
Uses of “Avoir” 2min: https://youtu.be/SaIxCyfowrA.
This video introduces the verb ‘avoir’ and a variety of phrases in which it appears. French and English subtitles are included.

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2 Easy French movies for beginners

Les Choristes (2004) – A musical film about a choir teacher hired to teach boys at a French private school. This comedic gem is a classic for French language learners.

Kirikou et la sorcière (1998) – Animated version of a west African folktale. You can stream it on Youtube here.

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Phone apps for beginning language learners: Duolingo vs. Memrise

Duolingo: Duolingo’s app is very intuitive, is free, and has short exercises for both grammar and vocabulary for 100-level French. Structured exactly like the website, Duolingo features a ladder-like structure of learning; each lesson introduces new material based on past information. One nice feature to the app is the possibility of “testing out” of lessons, which is helpful if you find yourself bored by the current material.

Memrise: Almost identical to Duolingo’s mini-lesson/game-based platform, Memrise uses incrementally more difficult lessons with easy responses, presenting words or phrases and then asking for repetition. Some minor variations are present, however: Memrise uses short videos of native French speakers to help with listening comprehension. There is also a texting-based portion, where you can practice composing short messages by stringing together suggested words or letters. Memrise is less polished than Duolingo, and each lesson seems to introduce less material overall, with more repetition. This may be useful for learners who have a more difficult time learning new words or phrases. Memrise is free, but has frequent prompts to purchase a subscription. These can be ignored by simply tapping anywhere on the screen (other than the “purchase” button).

Visual of the Memrise user interface

Image credit: https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/duolingo-ios-app-new-bot/
https://www.pcmag.com/review/356293/memrise