You want to improve your vocabulary. And the only way you’ve found is to learn lists and lists. Which you forget a week later. All for nothing. I suggest you improve your French by playing. What kind of game? Here are 5 game ideas to expand your vocabulary while having fun.
Note: You can find all these games in specialist shops: in your town or on the internet .
Dobble
Easy and quick / Playable in English / Game: 3 minutes
The point of Dobble is to learn the words in the drawings and be able to recall them very quickly. You don’t need to know how to spell the words.
Dobble is a round card game with symbols. It’s a fast-paced game where you have to recognize the common patterns on two cards.
Each game of Dobble is quick (less than 3 minutes) and the game offers 5 different rules.
I really like it, excellent “aperitif game”. An aperitif game is easy to understand and quick to play.
Plus, it comes in a small iron box that fits easily into your bag.
Tip: If you’re playing with French speakers, give yourself permission to say words you don’t know in English. Otherwise, it’ll slow you down!
Dixit
Easy / Playable in English / Game: 60 minutes
With Dixit, you’ll learn even more vocabulary on each topic because you don’t want to be easily recognized by your opponents! No need to know how to spell words.
Dixit is a world-famous game where you have to find cards based on a single word. The cards have beautiful designs, and it’s up to you to interpret them.
Scrabble
All levels / Game: 60 minutes
Scrabble is a great classic and I often recommend it. I won’t explain the rules to you again! 🙂
Several options. If you’re playing with someone who speaks French, it’s a great way to learn a lot of new vocabulary (but don’t expect to win!). If you’re playing with someone at your own level, it’s a great way to practice the vocabulary you know. And watch your spelling!
Consider using a dictionary! And play with French Scrabble.
Tip: You can play Scrabble on Facebook against friends.
Djam
Medium / Part: 15 minutes
Djam is easy to carry (it fits in a pocket) and is a great way to work on your vocabulary and spelling
A bit like Scrabble: you need vocabulary AND knowing the spelling
In Djam, you draw a theme at random (for example: cuisine). Then you draw dice which give you 5 letters (for example: lscia). And you have to find words from the theme which contain these letters (for example: casserole). The more letters from the dice there are in your word, the more points you earn! (for example: 4)
Tip: If you’re playing with a French speaker, you can apply a “difficult” rule for French speakers: the first letter of the word is imposed by the dice. It gets tricky!
Linq
Medium to difficult / Game: 30 minutes
Linq is a great game to build your vocabulary of compound words and phrases.
This is a pretty challenging game because you have to remember each other’s words AND find the spies’ word associations. That makes it a really great game.
One of my favorite games (I play it very often) and a good challenge for intermediate and advanced levels.
In this game, you have to make word associations, like in the Pyramids game.
For 6 players, each player receives a card. For 2 players, there is a word on this card: they are spies. The other cards are blank. No one but you knows what’s on the card.
Each player says two words. At the end of the round, the spies must find each other and the others must identify them.
Tip: If you are playing with French speakers, ask to write the words down so you can remember them and think about them.
Have fun!
Geraldine