Leo Listening Founder Cara Leopold on How She Got Fluent in French + How to Learn Languages Through TV & Films

Cara Leopold is the founder of Leo Listening, where she helps "intrepid travellers and adventurous expats improve their English listening skills so they can better understand and better connect with fast-talking native speakers through their love of films." In the interview, we talk about how she learned French and the best way to learn languages through TV shows and movies.

Concepts, Methods & Resources Mentioned

• Mental rehearsal ("motor imagery")
• Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)
• B1 Level (CEFR)
• Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative by Austin Kleon
• Anywhere Immersion
• TV5Monde
• City of God (Cidade de Deus)
• Telenovela
• Un gars, une fille (French TV series)
• The Artist (film)
• Serge le Mytho
• Verlan (French argot/back slang)
• Dune (1984 film)
• IMDB (Internet Movie Database)
• Latin Uncovered
• Grammar–translation method
• Why Duolingo Won’t Get You Fluent (But Why You Should Use it Anyway)
• Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World by Cal Newport

People, Places & Organizations Mentioned

• Erasmus+
• Martinique
• Jean Dujardin
• Alexandra Lamy
• Jonathan Cohen
• David Lynch

French Phrases Mentioned

• Je ne sais pas. = "I don't know."
• moi = "me"