French speaking practice with shadowing

Try this line first

Je m’appelle Marc.

Listen and record

1:00–1:05 · Opens on “After the speaker” · Free, no account

Meaning: “My name is Marc.”

Three more lines, from short to long

Try the first line twice, then choose a longer line below. Return to this guide to choose the next exercise.

Next line

Je parle un peu français.

Listen and record

1:17–1:22 · Opens on “After the speaker” · Free, no account

Meaning: “I speak a little French.”

Next line

Je bois du café le matin.

Listen and record

2:16–2:20 · Opens on “After the speaker” · Free, no account

Meaning: “I drink coffee in the morning.”

Next line

Je mange du pain avec du beurre.

Listen and record

2:25–2:30 · Opens on “After the speaker” · Free, no account

Meaning: “I eat bread with butter.”

French shadowing for beginners: a 10-minute routine alone

All four lines above come from one French Shadowing lesson, a short self-introduction and breakfast, so they make a routine you can do without a partner, shortest first: copy a real speaker, then change the line to say something true about you. At A1, stay with the first two steps for a few days.

1. Warm up with “Je m’appelle Marc.” (“My name is Marc.”): listen, then record it after the speaker twice. The last e of appelle is silent, and French puts the beat on the last syllable of the group, here Marc. Then say your own name the same way: “Je m’appelle …”
2. Record “Je parle un peu français.” (“I speak a little French.”). The ç is an “s”, and the final s of français is silent. Then add your own language: Je parle arabe et un peu français. or Je parle anglais et un peu français.
3. Record “Je bois du café le matin.” (“I drink coffee in the morning.”). Bois sounds like “bwa”; for du, say “ee” with rounded lips. Then say what you drink: Je bois du thé le matin. or Je bois de l’eau le matin.
4. Finish with the longest line, “Je mange du pain avec du beurre.” (“I eat bread with butter.”). In pain the n is not said: the vowel goes through your nose. Say it after the speaker until you no longer stop in the middle, then choose “With the speaker” and say it along. Then change it to your breakfast: “Le matin, je mange …” (un fruit, des céréales).

Sada compares your takes of the video lines with the captions. It does not score the sentences you make up, so say those aloud and match the speaker’s melody by ear.

French shadowing by level: A1, A2, B1 and B2

Start from your level, not from the hardest video. The levels here are our estimate of these lines and videos, not an official rating.

• A1: start with the two shortest lines, after the speaker, not with them: “Je m’appelle Marc.” and “Je parle un peu français.” Choose 0.75× under “More options” if you need it, and say each line three times before moving on.
• A2: the four lines on this page in order, shortest to longest. Then open the French Shadowing lesson they come from (A2–B1, hand-written captions) and repeat it line by line after the speaker.
• B1: the same lesson, now “With the speaker” at normal speed. Then try Bonjour Brilliant’s daily speaking routine (A2–B1) and the Easy French street interview on jobs (B1) after the speaker.
• B2: the Easy French street interview on living in Paris (B1–B2), “With the speaker” at normal speed, without pausing between lines. People in the street speak fast and drop sounds, so this is the hardest video here. Its captions are automatic, so listen to the original before you trust the text.

At every level: record, then open Compare and play your take against the original. Sada shows the words it heard and missed and your timing; it does not grade individual sounds.

Video and caption sources

Exercise text and ranges checked against the captions Sada uses on 2026-10-04. Captions may change; automatic captions can contain errors.

• Learn to Speak French in 20 Minutes | Shadowing — French Shadowing · 18 min · level A2–B1 · hand-written captions
• Your Daily French Speaking Routine (15-Min Shadowing) — Bonjour Brilliant · 19 min · level A2–B1
• Why Do You Live in Paris? — Easy French · 9 min · level B1–B2
• What’s Your Occupation? — Easy French · 8 min · level B1

French sounds to listen for

• The French R: Made at the back of the throat, like a soft gargle, as in “Paris” and “rouge”.
• Nasal vowels: In an, on and in the n is not said; part of the air goes through your nose: “bon”, “vin”.
• u and ou: The ou in “vous” is like “oo”; the u in “tu” is “ee” said with rounded lips.
• Liaison: A silent last letter is sometimes said when a vowel follows: “les amis” sounds like “lay-za-mee”.

How to practise

1. Open an exercise from this guide. The link selects the exact line, with “After the speaker” chosen. Read it once and check that you understand it.
2. Press Record. Listen first, then say the line after the 3, 2, 1 count; recording stops automatically. Press Stop if you need to end early.
3. Keep the speaker’s pauses and rhythm. Use a comfortable voice; headphones help keep the original out of your recording.
4. Record a take, then open Compare and play your recording and the original. Review words and timing; Sada does not grade individual sounds.
5. Record the same line again, changing one thing you heard. Return here for a longer line; choose “With the speaker” when you are ready to speak along.

How well does Sada hear this language?

Compare shows recognised and missed words against the captions, plus timing feedback when usable word timings are available. It does not grade individual sounds or certify your accent. Automatic captions and recognition can be wrong, including around accents, apostrophes and numbers: replay the original and your take before deciding what to change. Earlier synthetic-voice tests (2026-09-25) are not evidence of accuracy for learner recordings.

Other languages

• Japanese shadowing
• Korean shadowing
• German shadowing
• Spanish shadowing
• Italian shadowing
• Portuguese shadowing
• European Portuguese shadowing

All languages →