Mission: follow a radio interview
Listening at B1: predict the topic, tell the speakers apart and catch who thinks what. Listen for the opinions, not every word.
FrenchB1 · Exam levelAbout 7 min: 4 reading, 3 practiceUpdated
- Predict the topic and the words before you listen
- Tell the speakers apart and note each person's opinion
- Catch signal words for agreeing, disagreeing and the main point
- Answer questions about who thinks what
B1 exam skills: lesson 5 of 5
Try first
You haven't learned this yet, so guess. Guessing before you read helps the explanation stick. Nothing here is scored.
Already know this? Take a 3-question check and skip ahead.
Get all three right and the lesson is marked done.
Level Level B1 (around the DELF B1 exam). Real French: a radio discussion or interview about a question of the day.
What it is
Your mission: you are driving to Toulouse with your colleague Élodie, and the radio is on. Two guests discuss working from home. Élodie asks: « Alors, qui pense quoi ? » Be ready to say who is for, who has reservations, and what they finally agree on.
The DELF B1 listening paper lasts 25 minutes and has 3 exercises. Following a discussion takes more than facts: you need to know who says what.
The method:
- Before: read the questions and predict. A discussion about working from home will use le télétravail, les salariés, le bureau, la fatigue, la productivité.
- Identify the speakers: the journalist asks questions; the guests answer. Note each guest's name and role (a sociologist, a company director).
- Note each person's opinion: for, against, or in between, and one reason.
- Listen for the signal words (see below).
- Check: after listening, match each opinion with the right person before you answer.
Signal words:
| Meaning | French |
|---|---|
| agreeing | tout à fait, exactement, je suis d'accord, oui |
| partly disagreeing | pas tout à fait, certes… mais…, je comprends, mais… |
| disagreeing | je ne suis pas d'accord, au contraire, pas du tout |
| on one point | là-dessus (on that point) + je suis d'accord / je ne suis pas d'accord |
| the main point | ce qui compte, c'est… ; le plus important, c'est… ; en fait ; pour résumer |
Quick check
Tap an answer to check it.
A guest says: « Pas tout à fait. Certes, c'est pratique, mais… ». What does the guest think?
- Pas tout à fait signals a reservation
- Certes admits that something is true
Show answer
Partly agrees but has a reservation.. pas tout à fait and certes… mais… mark a partial disagreement.
Why it matters
Radio discussions, interviews and meetings all follow the same pattern: a question, two or more opinions, and often a compromise. If you can follow who thinks what, you can follow a debate, join in, and report it afterwards to someone who was not there. Those are the questions worth practising for: not only what was said, but who said it and why.
Worked example
The interview on the radio (our own example; read it aloud, or have a friend or an AI voice read it, as you would listen to it):
Paul Garnier, journaliste : Bonjour. Aujourd'hui, une question qui divise : le télétravail, deux ou trois jours par semaine, est-ce une bonne chose ? J'ai avec moi Claire Dubois, sociologue, et Karim Benali, qui dirige une petite entreprise de transport. Claire Dubois, votre avis ?
Claire Dubois : Je suis plutôt pour. Les salariés gagnent du temps et sont moins fatigués. Dans les enquêtes que je mène, la plupart disent qu'ils travaillent mieux à la maison.
Paul Garnier : Karim Benali, vous êtes d'accord ?
Karim Benali : Pas tout à fait. Certes, c'est pratique pour certains. Mais dans mon entreprise, on a besoin de se parler, et par écran, ce n'est pas pareil. Les nouveaux, surtout, se sentent seuls.
Claire Dubois : Je comprends, mais justement, il suffit de se retrouver au bureau deux jours par semaine.
Karim Benali : Oui, c'est ce que nous faisons maintenant, et finalement, ça marche bien. Ce qui compte vraiment, c'est de choisir ensemble les jours.
Paul Garnier : Alors, pour résumer : un compromis ?
Claire Dubois : Exactement. Le plus important, c'est de ne pas imposer la même règle à tout le monde.
Karim Benali : Là-dessus, je suis tout à fait d'accord avec vous.
- Claire Dubois: for. Reasons: employees save time and are less tired; most say they work better at home.
- Karim Benali: partly against. His reservation: people need to talk, and new staff feel lonely. Now they have two days at the office, and it works.
- Signal words: pas tout à fait (a reservation), je comprends, mais (a reply), ce qui compte, c'est and le plus important, c'est (the main point), exactement and tout à fait d'accord (agreement).
- What they agree on: choose the days together, and do not impose the same rule on everyone.
Real French: Là-dessus (on that point) is a very natural way to say you agree or disagree with one point of a discussion, as in là-dessus, je suis d'accord, and ça marche bien (it works well) is used for anything that works.
Common mistake
Taking the first opinion you hear as the whole discussion, or giving one guest's opinion to the other. Guests often start by disagreeing and end up agreeing. Keep a quick note, one line per speaker (Claire: pour; Karim: réserves), and update it when someone changes position, as Karim does with finalement.
And answering with a detail instead of the main point. If the question is « Sur quoi sont-ils d'accord ? », the answer is the compromise (choisir ensemble les jours), not the first example you hear.
Quick check
Tap an answer to check it.
Who says « Je suis plutôt pour » ?
- He says « Pas tout à fait » and lists reservations
- He is the journalist and asks the questions
Show answer
Claire Dubois. Claire is the guest who is in favour; Karim has reservations.
Key terms
- le télétravail
- working from home
- un salarié
- an employee
- un compromis
- a compromise
- pas tout à fait
- not quite, not entirely
- là-dessus
- on that point
- ce qui compte, c'est…
- what matters is…
- le plus important, c'est…
- the most important thing is…
- pour résumer
- to sum up
- justement
- precisely, as it happens
Practise the key terms
Tap a card to turn it over. 9 cards.
| Front | Back |
|---|---|
| le télétravail | working from home |
| un salarié | an employee |
| un compromis | a compromise |
| pas tout à fait | not quite, not entirely |
| là-dessus | on that point |
| ce qui compte, c'est… | what matters is… |
| le plus important, c'est… | the most important thing is… |
| pour résumer | to sum up |
| justement | precisely, as it happens |
Practice
Sort it
Who says it?
Les salariés gagnent du temps et sont moins fatigués.
her argument for home workingShow answer
Claire Dubois. her argument for home working
Les nouveaux se sentent seuls.
his reservationShow answer
Karim Benali. his reservation
Il suffit de se retrouver au bureau deux jours par semaine.
her answer to his reservationShow answer
Claire Dubois. her answer to his reservation
Ce qui compte, c'est de choisir ensemble les jours.
his main pointShow answer
Karim Benali. his main point
Quick quiz
Tap an answer to check it.
How many exercises are there in the DELF B1 listening paper?
- That is the A2 paper
- That is the number of reading exercises
Show answer
3. Official format: 25 minutes, 3 exercises.
Karim says: « Oui, c'est ce que nous faisons maintenant, et finalement, ça marche bien. » What does it tell us?
- He says it works, with two days at the office
- Finalement shows his experience turned out well
Show answer
His company now has two office days, and it works.. finalement introduces how things turned out: it works.
Claire says: « Exactement. Le plus important, c'est de ne pas imposer la même règle à tout le monde. » What is her main point?
- She says to avoid imposing one rule
- She is in favour of home working
Show answer
Do not impose the same rule on everyone.. le plus important, c'est… announces the main point.
At the end, Karim says: « Là-dessus, je suis tout à fait d'accord avec vous. » What does he do?
- tout à fait d'accord shows agreement
- Là-dessus refers to what Claire just said
Show answer
He agrees with Claire on that point.. tout à fait d'accord = completely agree.
Practise speaking
Studyfern has no voice tools of its own. To practise out loud, copy this prompt into a voice-capable AI assistant and talk with it.
Mission role-play. You are Élodie, my French colleague in the car, at level B1. Speak naturally but clearly, using tu. Describe a short radio discussion between two invented guests with different views on a question of the day (for example, a four-day school week or cars in town centres), in about 5 short sentences with signal words such as pas tout à fait, certes… mais, ce qui compte, c'est, tout à fait d'accord. Then ask me one question at a time in French: who is for and why, who has a reservation, and what they agree on. After each answer, tell me in English if I got it right and which signal word gave it away. When I have answered all three correctly, say « Mission accomplie ! » and give me one tip. Keep every reply under 3 sentences, except when describing the discussion.
Listen too. Listen to native speakers before and after: see the free listening and shadowing links.
Good to know. AI feedback on pronunciation is hit and miss, so check yourself against native recordings. Many assistants turn your speech into text first, so a vowel or liaison you got wrong may be silently “heard” as the right word. Don't share personal details: use a made-up name and town.
New to this? Read Practising speaking with an AI.
In short
- DELF B1 listening: 25 minutes, 3 exercises.
- Predict the topic and words from the questions before you listen.
- Identify the speakers (journalist and guests) and note each person's opinion and one reason.
- Signal words: tout à fait, exactement (agree); pas tout à fait, certes… mais… (partly disagree); ce qui compte, c'est… (the main point).
- Keep a one-line note per speaker, and update it when someone changes position.
Mastery check
Answer without looking back. Score 80% or more and the lesson is marked done. Your result is kept only in this browser.
Check yourself
Answer in your head first, then open the answer. Nothing is saved.
What does « pas tout à fait » signal?
Show answer
A partial disagreement or reservation.
Which phrase announces the main point?
Show answer
Ce qui compte, c'est… (or: Le plus important, c'est…)
What should you note for each speaker?
Show answer
Their opinion (for, against or in between) and one reason.
Further reading
- France Éducation international, DELF B1: the official exam format and sample papers.
- RFI, Journal en français facile: a short daily news bulletin with transcript, to practise catching who says what.
Finished? Mark it done to fill in your leaf on the French map.