Written by Gabriela Estrada

The press is a powerful medium for developing reading skills in any language and keeping up to date with the news. This is why students of French, whether at zero or advanced level, can use it to acquire new vocabulary, both associated with the media and other contexts in general.

In French, the press ("la presse" ("the press")) refers generally to the written media, including newspapers and magazines. In Spanish, "prensa" also has this broad meaning, but in many Spanish-speaking countries it is more commonly used to refer specifically to newspapers.

Today we will talk about the presse to learn vocabulary in French and enhance the area of reading. Join me until the end of the blog and take note of the strategies to improve reading in French. Let's get started!

The press and its influence on reading 

In French-speaking countries, journalism and the media have a great influence on society, not only because they are many and diverse, but also because they are committed to freedom of the press, so there is motivation to read without restrictions. One could say that the press can enhance the reading process and that helps then to learn new vocabulary in French.

Without further ado, let's take a look at the French words associated with the press.

Key vocabulary about the press

Types of press

• Newspaper (le journal)
• Magazine (le magazine/la revue)
• Written press (the written press)
• Digital press (the digital press)
• Yellow press (la presse à sensation)

Elements of the press

• Article (l'article)
• Report (le reportage)
• Publisher (l'éditorial)
• Interview (l'interview)
• Titleholder (le titre)

Professionals of the press

• Journalist (le journaliste)
• Publisher (le rédacteur/la rédactrice)
• Correspondent (le correspondant)
• Announcer (l'animateur/l'animatrice)

Common French expressions about la presse

• Lire le journal (read the newspaper)
• Écrire un article (write an article)
• Publier une interview (publish an interview)

Strategies for developing reading proficiency with the press

Reading newspapers and magazines in French helps improve reading comprehension, expand vocabulary and develop analytical skills. Here are some effective activities to help you make progress:

1. Start (always) with a panoramic panoramic reading. Before reading in detail, look at the headlines (headlines) and subtitles to identify the main topic.
2. Remember the value of inference of unknown words. To do this, use context, this helps to narrow down the meaning of new terms without resorting to the dictionary immediately.
3. Perform a structure analysis. To do this, identify the introduction, development and conclusion of an article so that you can better understand its message.
4. Don't forget the underlining and annotations! Whenever you read the press, mark key words and write synonyms or explanations in the margins to reinforce learning.
5. This last task is very enriching! comparison sources. That is, read the same news in different media (journaux) to analyze differences in approach and language.

Are you encouraged to analyze a press article in French? This will help a lot to improve your reading comprehension.

Here are 5 steps to guide you:

1. Select an item.
2. Identify key words and try to infer their meaning before looking them up in the dictionary.
3. Recognize the structure: introduction, development and conclusion.
4. Determine the arguments and examples within the text.
5. Memorize or generate thematic lists of words to expand your vocabulary.  

Learn French with Planeta Immiland Education

We are the first immigration language academy for Canada and our certified teachers can teach you how to speak French and English for work, academic, personal or immigration purposes. In addition, we are certified by Languages Canadawhich guarantees a good language learning adapted to the Canadian reality.

Understand the vocabulary associated with the press in French is essential for analyzing news and accessing information from a variety of international sources. In addition, it expands the possibility of obtaining job opportunities.

If you want to improve your French with our courses, click here and learn with a dynamic methodology focused on the use of the French-Canadian language.

Do you know your level of French? We invite you to fill out our free testwith instant results and a special discount at the end of the test. Visit our website with the courses available at Planet Immiland Education.

Thank you very much for reading! See you in the next blog!

With love, 

Planeta Immiland Education