How I Study With French Short Stories Vol. 1 by Dylane Moreau

One of my new study resources is French Short Stories Vol. 1 by Dylane Moreau (The Perfect French). I love that each story comes with both audio and text—it’s a perfect way to practice listening, reading, and comprehension all in one.

Here’s the step-by-step method I use with each story:

1. Listen to the audio only

I start by just listening without looking at the text. My goal here isn’t to understand everything—because I can’t yet follow a full 2–3 minute French monologue—but to catch as many words and phrases as I can. This step trains my ear and helps improve comprehension little by little.

2. Read aloud

Next, I read the entire passage out loud. This is all about pronunciation and getting used to the rhythm of French. If I stumble over a word, I check Collins Dictionary for audio pronunciation. For longer sentences with liaisons or contractions, I sometimes use Papago to hear the natural flow.

3. Break down and understand the passage

Here, I go sentence by sentence.

• If I understand it, I move on.
• If I’m unsure, I check the vocabulary list or dictionary.
• If I’m still lost, I use Papago or ChatGPT.

Recently, I’ve been relying on ChatGPT more—it doesn’t just translate literally but explains the grammar and context. That way I understand why a sentence is structured a certain way, not just what it “means.”

4. Listen, then read aloud again

Now that I understand the story, I go back and read aloud while listening to the audio. This round feels different because I can connect the sentences and visualize the story as a whole.

5. Read while listening to the audio

The last step – where I read and listen at the same time. I see this as a review: reinforcing comprehension, checking pronunciation, and hearing how the passage flows naturally in French. I also repeat this step multiple times until I feel comfortable to move onto the next chapter.

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This method helps me practice listening, reading, pronunciation, and comprehension all in one routine. It’s flexible too—you can skip steps or repeat the ones you need most. But for me, this order keeps the process structured and motivating.