Best French Podcasts for Teenage Students: Improve Your Listening Skills Naturally

If you’re a VCE or HSC French student, I strongly encourage you to find a French podcast you genuinely enjoy listening to. It’s one of the easiest ways to add French to your everyday life, while doing something you actually like. Podcasts are a powerful tool to improve your listening skills. It’s something I love sharing with my students because podcasts had such a huge impact on my own language learning journey.

🎙️ Why French Podcasts Are the Best Way to Boost Your Listening for VCE & HSC

The first time I started listening to a podcast in a foreign language was over ten years ago, when I was learning Spanish. I accidentally stumbled across a podcast called “Radio Ambulante” and I still remember it vividly today.

I listened to every episode in just a few weeks (some of them more than once!). I was completely hooked. Each episode told a true, extraordinary story that fascinated me so much I’d often end up googling more about it afterwards.

That podcast was a turning point in my Spanish learning journey. It didn’t just improve my listening comprehension, it gave me a huge motivation boost. Realizing that I could follow a 45-minute episode in Spanish and genuinely enjoy it unlocked something in my brain. Suddenly, all those workbook exercises, homework tasks, and oral exams felt worthwhile. My schoolwork became more concrete, less abstract.

So podcasts have a special spot in my teaching and that's why I spend so much time finding podcasts for my own students, hoping that they too, find the one that unlocks their language learning journey.

📚 My Top French Podcast Recommendations for Students

I’ve put together a curated list of my favorite French podcasts for VCE and HSC students. You can grab the full list under the "Free Resources" tab of the website. It's podcasts that are engaging, student-approved, with good quality audio and easy to fall in love with. Tested and approved by my own students multiple times.

Below, I’m highlighting a few of my favorites to get you started. Each one offers something unique: whether you’re into stories, interviews, culture, or personal reflections.

🎧 Podcasts Made for French Learners (VCE & HSC Level)

French Through Stories

Short stories and anecdotes, sometimes fictional and sometimes true. Each episode lasts about six or seven minutes, short enough to fit into your daily routine. Episodes begin in French and end with an English explanation and translation, which makes this podcast accessible even if you’re not super confident yet.

Why I love it: It’s different from most French podcasts for learners. It's engaging, authentic, and easy to follow.

French Mornings with Elisa

I’ve followed Elisa on YouTube for years but only recently discovered her podcast. I love her soft, clear voice. She talks about cultural topics like the history of French fashion, la guillotine, or Astérix et Obélix. Sometimes, she invites guests to discuss themes like bilingualism, French life abroad, or travel.

🎧 Start with:

• Episode 22 – Être trilingue (feat. Loic Suberville). You might know Loic from TikTok! This episode gives you a great insight into his background and passion for languages.

InnerFrench (with Hugo)

Hugo is a French teacher whose content I’ve followed for years. His style is perfectly balanced: part storytelling, part teaching. He takes time to explain tricky words and expressions without interrupting the flow, which keeps it engaging. The topics are highly relevant for VCE and HSC students: French culture, school life, traditions, politics, and current events.

🎧 Start with:

• E170 – La guerre des boulangeries

• E129 – Les habitudes bizarres des Français

Authentic French Podcasts

Listening to authentic French podcasts might feel intimidating for French VCE or HSC learners. I highly recommend it because it's a very gratifying experience. The first time might feel particularly hard, but with time, I promise your ear will adapt.

Remember that to make it easier for yourself, you can

• Read the summary of the podcast before listening to it. It will help with comprehension considerably.

• Slow down the pace. Most apps allow you to play with the speed... so make the most of it!

• Read the transcription for the tricky parts.

👧 French Podcasts For Teens (great for VCE and HSC students)

Ma Vie d’ado

A podcast by teenagers for teenagers, created by the magazine Okapi. French teens talk openly about their friendships, family, teachers, and everyday life: the funny, the awkward, the emotional. It’s real French teen life, unfiltered.

🎧 Start with: 

• Ma pire honte au collège (My most embarrassing school moment)

Ma Vie d’ado au collège

Another Okapi podcast, co-created by students and teachers. It features two parts: Les Débats (where teens discuss topics like cheating, uniforms, or discipline) and La Salle des Profs (where they interview teachers about their own teenage experiences). It’s a fascinating window into the French school system from both sides of the classroom.

🎧 Start with: 

• Les devoirs, l’uniforme, mon prof – cette terreur

Nouvelles Héroïnes

This uplifting podcast celebrates inspiring women — past and present — who’ve followed their dreams and broken barriers. From athletes and scientists to artists and entrepreneurs, each story shows courage, creativity, and resilience.

It’s perfect for anyone who wants to hear empowering stories while improving their French.

🎧 Start with:

• Dua Lipa – quitter le Kosovo à 2 ans pour vivre son rêve

• Bouchra Baibanou – première Marocaine à gravir les sept sommets du monde

Heure Miroir

Marie Lopez (you might know her from YouTube) shares honest reflections on topics like friendship, body image, entrepreneurship, and growing up online. It feels intimate, positive, and real. It's perfect for students interested in personal growth and modern life.

🎧 Start with:

• Elle était amie avec moi pour mon argent (et c’est pas grave)

• Ça fait 15 ans que je suis sur internet

🗣️ True Stories and Testimonies

Transfert

Each episode tells a true personal story, narrated by the person who lived it. It’s surprising, emotional, and deeply human: full of reflection, life lessons, and unexpected twists.

It’s not an interview but a narration, one voice sharing their experience. Some episodes are behind a paywall, but many are free.

⚠️ Some episodes include mature themes.

🎧 Start with:

• Le coup de trop

• L’ami prodigieux

Ex

Don’t be fooled by the title, this podcast isn’t about exes! It’s about real, extraordinary love stories that could be straight out of a movie. Most episodes have happy endings and will leave you smiling. Each story is told by the people themselves. If you love storytelling podcasts, this one won’t disappoint! It’s full of relatable and “no way!” moments.

🎧 Start with:

• Merci Romain, M.

Bourlinguez

This one’s for travel lovers. Bourlinguez interviews people who’ve had incredible adventures around the world. It’s about travel, human connections, and self-discovery.

🎧 Start with:

• 136 – Manon x Syrie — a fascinating journey through Syria after the fall of the Assad regime.

Interviews and guests

La Leçon – Le podcast sur l’art d’échouer

A beautiful reminder that failure is part of success. Artists, chefs, comedians, and creators share stories of the moments that didn’t go to plan, and what they learned along the way. For an authentic French podcast, I find the host to speak slower and more clearly than in other podcasts... In other words, it's perfect for French learners.

🎧 Start with:

• Épisode 292 – Nina Métayer : “Je voulais devenir boulangère… mais personne ne voulait de moi !”

• Épisode 273 – Nathanya Sion : “Se reconstruire et apprendre à s’aimer après une enfance difficile”

InPower – par Louise Aubery

If you enjoy interviews, you’ll love InPower. Louise, a French YouTuber, invites a wide range of guests: from philosophers to athletes, journalists to nutritionists. The diversity of voices means there’s something for everyone, and each episode leaves you inspired.

🎧 Start with:

• Louane – chanteuse et actrice : derrière le conte de fées, la vérité

• Psychologie du choix : pourquoi on prend presque toujours de mauvaises décisions (with neuroscientist Romain Bouvet)

📄Where to Find the Full VCE & HSC French Podcast List

You can download the complete printable podcast list under the Free Resources tab on my website. It's not just a random list: these are student-approved, engaging, and handpicked to make your French listening practice both enjoyable and effective. Whether you want to improve comprehension, discover new accents, or simply immerse yourself in real French, you’ll find something here that fits your style.