Bonjour tout le monde! Just curious, could anyone share their views on what would be the best accent for the purpose of conversation in French (if any)? Merci beaucoup.

We might similarly ask, what is the best accent for English conversation?  The answer to each question is the same -- there may not be a best one.  The one we speak with is determined by where we learned the language.  That said, I speak English with a western Canadian accent, which is quit different from some American accents and many other accents from the English speaking world.  I can readily understand other native English speakers, regardless of their accents, and conversely, they can also understand me.

The RF tutors each have slightly different accents one from another; Marie-Claire is from Paris.  If you aren't already studying the Level 2 lessons, listen to Lesson 9.0, and you will hear Eric from the south of France, and a bit of Lauren from Canada.  You'll notice that each one's accent is different from Marie-Claire's. 

Our own French accents will also be influenced by the particular English accent we use.  I think that the important thing is to try to emulate the native French speakers on RF and other French sources we listen to.  Work toward sounding as native as possible.  This is where the Play Back feature of RF is handy; we can listen to, and compare, our own speech with that of the native speaker.

Thank you for your response, Diana! Will work on the accent as much as possible.

Also, could you recommend a TV personality that is worthy to listen to from Paris? Merci beaucoup.

Maisarah, vous trouverez que la plupart de téléjournalistes (ou même les personnages dans des émissions de télé) parlent avec un accent standard, c’est à dire, avec un accent français qui vient de Paris. Donc, vous pouvez choisir n'importe quelle émission française qui peut servir cet objectif.

Moi, j'enregistre l'émission Télématin sur TV5 Monde tous les jours parce que j'aime bien le mélange d'actualité, de reportage et d'émission-débat. Vous pouvez regarder des extraits là, sur France2.fr : http://www.france2.fr/emissions/telematin

Bonjour Torusan! Merci beaucoup pour les recommandation.