How YouTube Videos Can Boost Your French (And Other Languages)
Recently, we enjoyed a week's visit of family from French Switzerland. Since only Daniel, the young father, spoke any English, we were delighted to have our world dipped into French.
Focusing only on French - without resorting to translation - can give your language skills an enormous boost. But if you really want to stay only in French, you already have to have a decent level of comprehension and speaking ability in the language.
No surprise that I learned a lot from nine-year-old Michelle. She spoke fast, could only explain things in French, and relentlessly corrected my French, pronunciation and all.
I love those long, leisurely French-style mealtimes. Besides catching up on our lives and discussing current politics in Europe and the U.S., we talked of course, about language learning. We're always eager for new ideas and resources.
Daniel had a good suggestion for us, one that he uses to improve his English. It's just as useful for French, and I'm happy to pass the idea on.
French YouTube Videos
For anyone with a good basic knowledge of French, YouTube videos in French are a great resource. 
I mean especially the ones that explain in French how to do things. These are excellent for broadening your vocabulary and tuning your ear so you'll understand various regional pronunciations.
Besides, you can learn (in French) anything you want: from fixing things, to cooking local French dishes, to philosophizing about life. There are computer tips, gardening tips, beauty tips, decorating tips, fashion tips. You name it.
YouTube: Cuisiner
If you're a budding chef, it's fun to watch and follow cooking and baking instructions on YouTube.
Michelle loves desserts, like all kids (young and old), and she's already acquiring all kinds of knowledge about how to make some of the famous French "patisseries."
Her favorite YouTube channel is called Commentfait Ton (a play on words, the host's name is "Ton"). But as you can imagine, there are countless easy-to-find YouTube cooking channels in French.
YouTube: Minecraft
If you (or your French-learning kids) are into Minecraft, there are lots of tutorial videos in French. Here's a link to an early one: Chambre secrète minecraft fr
Here's a more recent one that gives you translations: Modern French Practice with Minecraft, Ma maison et Subjonctif
You can search (countless) others by typing in something like: "tutoriel minecraft en français"
Wildly Popular French Channels:
The YouTube channels listed below are popular ones in France, and I'm sure with French learners too. They are definitely worth a look.
• Cyprien - Humorous sketches about daily life, in French with English subtitles.
• Norman - Funny videos in French, sometimes with English subtitles.
These are just a couple of possibilities. You can certainly look for specific tutorials, by putting in the French phrase for what you're looking for.
For do-it-yourself odd jobs, home-improvement stints, etc., the key word in French is "bricolage."
• Pratiks ("des videos pour tout faire") is a also popular channel in French.
To really benefit, it's a good idea to write down any words that you want to learn and to review these a little later. It also doesn't hurt to watch the same video a couple of times.
PS: And if you are interested in other languages – just search for similar topics in that language – and:
Have fun, and keep learning!
Bio: Ulrike Rettig is the co-founder of GamesforLanguage.com. She is a lifelong language learner, growing up in Austria, the Netherlands, and Canada. You can follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and leave any comments with contact or below.