Is dictation a good way to learn French?

Yes. It makes you hear every word and spell it, so it shows the gaps comprehension questions hide: endings you don’t hear, agreements and sound-alikes.

Do I have to type the accents?

Yes, accents are part of the spelling. On a phone, press and hold a letter to get its accented forms.

Can I slow the audio down?

Yes. Replay each sentence as often as you like, at normal or slow speed.

French dictation: listen and write

Dictée

Listen to a sentence, replay it or slow it down, then type it with its accents. You see straight away which words were right and which weren’t.

5 min a round
Free, no sign-up
Listening
Writing

Turn your sound on: this game speaks French.

Level

How to play

1Listen to a sentence (replay it, or slow it down).
2Type it with the accents.
3See which words were right and which were not.

What it trains

Listening for every word and spelling what you hear, in 96 sentences: silent endings, agreements, elision (l’, qu’) and sound-alikes such as a/à or ces/ses.

Why it matters for TCF and TEF Canada

Dictation joins two skills the exam tests separately, listening and writing. It shows exactly where your ear or your spelling lets you down, especially the silent letters French keeps in writing (ils parlent, elles sont arrivées).

Practise listening in the real format: TCF Canada listening practice · TEF Canada listening practice

Learn while you play

Rules and tips to remember

Listen for meaning, then detail
First play: understand the sentence. Second: write it. Third, slowly: check the endings.
Silent endings follow the grammar
You can’t hear the -ent of ils parlent or the -es of arrivées: find the subject and make the verb and the participle agree.
Check sound-alikes by meaning
a or à? If you can replace it with avait, it’s a. ces (these) or ses (his, her)? Ask whose.

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