The Message is the Medium

I've been watching the American TV hit 'The Mentalist' dubbed in French with French subtitles.  I've decided that watching with French subtitles first is definitely the way to go.  I watched the show first with the subtitles on (only French subs--no English), trying to simultaneously pay attention to the spoken French.  This is not an easy task, because sometimes (a lot of the time, actually) the subtitles don't quite match the French dialogue.  I presume that this is because the dubbed audio has to be adjusted so that it matches the movement of the actors' mouths.

Still, I found that when I viewed the video a second time, with the subtitles turned off, I was able to grasp much, much more of the spoken French.

Another thing I learned was that one reason it's so difficult to comprehend the spoken French of these shows is that there are quite a few words and idiomatic expressions being used that I simply don't know.  Even seeing the dialogue in subtitles won't fix this problem.  Obviously, this barrier can only be overcome by religiously pausing the video and looking up the words/phrases in a dictionary.  My French pen-pal, Denis, actually sent me a very good link for understanding French idioms and slang expressions.  It's not easy to use because it's from the French version of the Internet and everything, phrases and their definitions, is all in French.  But I find that I know enough vocabulary that this does not pose a major problem.

I enjoyed the two episodes of 'The Mentalist' I watched.  Though the series is aired on network and cable TV in the U.S., NetFlix US does not offer the series, opting instead for the heart-throb Simon Baker's earlier hit show, The Guardian--not nearly as interesting, I'd say.  It's just interesting enough to make one want to watch it all the way through, but not so interesting that you can't concentrate on the language while you're watching.