When you first arrive in a new country there’s a lot to do! Ask anyone who has moved to France to give you an account of their first few weeks and you will most probably be regaled with a long account of struggling to get utilities connected, registering with doctors, putting kids into school, finding vets and working out where the nearest DIY store is.
But once the dust has settled and you start to find your feet, discovering what is happening on both a local and national level is absolutely key to settling in.
If your French is good enough, reading and listening to the news in French will help to make it even better, as well as giving you a good understanding of what is going on in France in terms of current affairs, or affaires courantes.
SURF THE WEB AND TUNE IN TO RADIO
Obviously you can opt for a printed newspaper but in terms of language learning, news websites definitely have an edge. The images, layout and diverse content mean that it is much easier to grasp the general gist of any one story and watching short news videos is a sure-fire way to improve your French comprehension while keeping yourself informed about what is going on in the world around you.
Franceinfo, Le Monde and Le Parisien are three of the best and if listening to the radio is more your thing, then try France Inter or LCI. Both of these also contain video content; besides, having the radio on in the background all the time is a wonderful way to improve your language skills with minimal effort.
If you prefer to hear your news in English then France24 is a great resource for both global and French-based news and will help you understand current affairs from a French perspective.
REGIONAL NEWS
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