La Langue: RFI Facile — the “karaoke news” routine (for listening, English understanding, and French shadowing)

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If your French listening still feels like a baguette you can’t quite bite into—crispy, delicious, but ouch—RFI’s Journal en français facile is your daily chew. It’s a 10-minute newscast made for learners, posted Monday–Friday with a full transcript (and on RFI’s site it’s even synchronized so the text scrolls as you listen—very “karaoké”, minus the power ballads). Bonus: each episode comes with practice exercises. (Apple Podcasts)

  • English side: use an English transcript/translation (your own or machine-made) to confirm meaning.

  • French side: shadow along with the synchronized French transcript on RFI’s site to train your ear + mouth. (Apple Podcasts)

Why RFI Facile works

  • Real French, simplified: It uses clear phrasing yet stays authentic—perfect for bridging classroom → real life. (Wikipedia)

  • Short & consistent: ~10 minutes, new episode every weekday—easy to make a habit. (Apple Podcasts)

  • Read while you listen: The transcript is right there; many pages provide a synced view so you can follow along line-by-line. (Apple Podcasts)

  • Practice built in: RFI adds exercises at multiple levels. (Francais Facile)

Small reality check: RFI publishes the French transcript. You won’t usually find an official English transcript for the same episode. That’s okay—we’ll make one (see below). (Francais Facile)

The 15-minute Aix-friendly routine

Steal this plan for your bus ride down Cours Mirabeau or a coffee at Les Deux Garçons (I’ll be the one whisper-shadowing into a croissant).

Minute 0–2 — Set up

  1. Open today’s Journal en français facile episode on RFI’s “Français Facile” site. Start the audio; open the transcript view. (Francais Facile)

  2. Grab an English helper transcript: quickly paste the French transcript into your favorite translator to generate an English reference. (We’re not marrying it; it’s just a map.)

Minute 2–6 — English understanding pass (eyes on meaning)

  • Read your English helper alongside the opening 2–3 paragraphs in French.

  • Highlight headline words (dates, numbers, names, verbs). Your brain loves anchors.

Minute 6–12 — French shadowing pass (ears + mouth)

  • Play the same 2–3 paragraphs again.

  • Shadow: speak with the audio, half a beat behind. Use the synced transcript as your rails.

  • Loop each 15–30 second chunk twice. (Pro trick: slow playback to 0.9× if needed, then bump back to 1.0×.)

Minute 12–15 — No-training-wheels pass

  • Hide the English. Keep only the French.

  • Shadow once more, focusing on rhythm, liaisons, and chunking. Celebrate every sentence that feels easier than five minutes ago. (Victory pastry optional but recommended.)

Repeat tomorrow with the next episode. Tiny reps, big gains.

Making your English transcript (quick & clean)

Because RFI doesn’t ship an English version of each episode’s text, create your own reference: copy the French transcript into a translator, or write a bullet-point English gist of each paragraph. The goal is confidence, not poetry. (If you’re game, post your English gist in the comments so future learners can benefit too.) (Francais Facile)

What to click (starter pack)

  • Journal en français facile (episodes + transcripts + exercises). (Francais Facile)

  • You can also follow via podcast apps; episode notes link back to the synchronized transcript on RFI’s site. (Apple Podcasts)

Shadowing tips from the “Pronounces ‘pain au chocolat’ like a TED talk” department

  • Chunk it: 1–2 sentences per loop beats 3 minutes of drowning.

  • Mouth first, brain second: exaggerate vowels/consonants; speed comes later.

  • Numbers & names: write them once; say them twice. They’re the potholes of comprehension.

  • Don’t chase perfection: chase consistency. Ten imperfect minutes daily > one heroic hour on Sunday.

  • Make it Aix: do one pass outside—your ear will learn to ignore scooters, fountains, and joyful pétanque heckling.

A tiny practice snippet (made-up example)

FR: Le gouvernement a présenté aujourd’hui un plan pour rénover les écoles. Les travaux commenceront en janvier.
EN (helper): The government presented a plan today to renovate schools. Work will begin in January.
Try three shadows: (1) slow + transcript, (2) normal + transcript, (3) normal, eyes off page.

Common questions

Is the French really “facile”?
Facile-ish. Clearer than the 20:00 news, but still real French. That’s the magic. (Hacker News)

Where are the exercises by level?
RFI groups listening exercises by CEFR level (A1–C1). Pair your episode with a B1 exercise on a similar theme for extra reps. (Francais Facile)

Join in (community bit!)

  • Post the episode date you tried, your English gist (3–5 bullets), and one new word you actually used at the market.

Small confusions, big smiles. See you in the comments—shadowing like a pro by next week, and ordering baguettes without fear by next month. 💪🥖

Sources: RFI’s podcast listing and site describe the daily learner-news show with transcript (often synchronized) and exercises; see details and examples here. (Apple Podcasts)

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