Education

Top 35 Resources to Help You Learn French

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Learning a new language like French can feel like a daunting task. Many people learn it in high school for a few years. However, they come out of it only remembering a few words and feeling very disappointed. You don’t need to be one of those people! In fact, you can easily learn French online. Check out below for the top 35 resources to help you learn French.

General Resources to Learn French

  • Duolingo – This is one of the most popular free online resources to learn French or even almost any new language. It provides a lot of dictation and writing lessons as well as a lot of games to help make it very fun. What is even better, is that there is a mobile version, so you can practice your French on your phone almost anywhere!
  • FrenchPod101 – One of the best courses around that provides material for all levels of French learners from complete beginners to advanced.
  • Français Authentique – A popular resource for people learning French. Here you can find a lot of free material including lessons, podcasts, and videos.
  • Learn Some French with BBC – A great practical and thorough resource for learning all the French basics.
  • Bonjour de France – A great free online magazine that has a lot of explanations, games, tests, and exercises to help you learn French.
  • Oh là là Speak French – A great French learning resource that includes plenty of activities, useful expressions, tips, and videos.

Learn French Pronunciation

  • Forvo – Pronouncing French words can be difficult, especially for English speakers. However, with this is a great tool you can easily learn how to pronounce any French word. All you have to do it type the word you want to know the pronunciation for and then listen to a native speaker saying it.
  • Flenet.UniLéon.es – This is a great diverse resource that contains numerous audio exercises and recordings to help you perfect your French pronunciation.

Talk with a Real Person to Learn French

  • Italki – One of the best ways to learn French is through talking. Italki provides a platform that makes it very easy to find great and affordable French teachers and tutors to help you.

Learn French Vocabulary

  • Glossika – Learning French vocabulary is not always the one of the most fun things. However, with Glossika, you can easily get your French vocabulary training in. It uses artificial intelligence to make sure that you are learning the correct things at your own pace.
  • Anki – This is one of the best vocabulary flashcard programs out there. It uses spaced repetition to help maximize your memorization.
  • Memrise – Another great online vocabulary resource that includes audio.
  • Wordreference – A great language dictionary. Not only does it provide the meaning of the French words you are looking for, it also provides many additional meanings so that you can best understand the subtle meanings behind French words.

Learn French Grammar

  • Le Point du FLE – This resource is actually meant for French teachers. However, it is also a great resource for self learners in French. The exercises are varied making it much less likely for you to get bored.
  • Lingolia – This website provides a nice and clear structure including exercises, examples, and easy to understand explanations to help you learn French grammar.
  • Learning French Lab – A great resource when you need a quick refresher on your French grammar. This website is meant for people who might already know a bit of French and just need a refresher. In fact, it doesn’t offer exercises, but it does offer clear explanations of different French grammar concepts.
  • Tex’s French Grammar – A great free French grammar resource from the University of Texas.
  • Bonjour de France – This a a great British site that provides great grammar lessons and exercises for all levels of French language learners from beginner A1 students to advanced C2 students.
  • Bescherelle Complete Guide to Conjugating 12,000 French Verbs – One of the hardest parts about learning French is French verb conjugation. There are so many rules that it can be difficult for new French learners. However, this book is a great resource to help you on your French language journey.

Learn French Idiomatic Expressions

  • Blagues Carambar – Learning humor is one of the most difficult things to learn in a new language. For English speakers, learning French humor can be quite difficult. However, to truly learn French, it is important to learn the humor as well. This website is great as they provide great tid bits of humor in easy to digest packages. In fact, most of the humor is target for children, which should make it even easier for French language learners to grasp.
  • La Connasse – This is a great place to go for the more advanced French language learner. It provides short episodes of the titular show that follows the life of a French woman who humorously shows all the characteristics of a shrewish modern French lady. This is a great way to learn not only French idiomatic expressions, but to also learn more about the culture.
  • Vie de merde – This is the best place to go to if you want the most up to date French slang. This website if filled with stories submitted by real French people. In fact, it helped inspired the creation of websites such as the English equivalent “FML”.

Learn French Through Reading

  • Bien-Dire Magazine – This magazine is a great resource for French learners. It has a range of articles from everything such as cheese to actors. This is a great way to learn a bit about France while also learning some French. In addition, the magazine comes in two different levels of difficulty, making it great for French language learners of all levels.

Learn French by Watching TV

  • TV5 Monde – This is an international French TV channel. In addition, to watching French news, they also provide French language courses for people of all levels.
  • Les Revenants – This is a French supernatural drama. It follows the story in a small French Alpine village where a seemingly random collection of people return to their homes to be met with shock and confusion as they have all been dead for years.
  • Spiral – The perfect French TV show to watch for those who love crime dramas.
  • Yabla French – This is a great website to learn French by watching videos. One of the great features is that you can control the speed of playback to make it easier to hear. In addition, you can select words in the subtitles that you don’t know to get the dictionary definitions of them.
  • Une petite fille qui raconte une drôle d’histoire – In this viral video, an adorable little French girl tells an amazingly creative story involving hippopotamuses and other magical creatures. In addition, she clearly pronounces each word making it much easier for French learners to understand.

Learn French Through Listening to Podcasts

  • Un peu de français avec Steffi – A great podcast with a French girl with a great accent. Great for beginners.
  • The Actual Fluency Podcast – A great podcast for language learners who wish to be inspired, informed and entertained by a weekly show.
  • Le sujet de la semaine avec Alexa Polidoro –  A great French language podcast for French learners that want to hear French in context. She presents quotes, poems, songs, and many other French material. In each of her podcasts, she focuses on particular vocab words to help you learn. In addition, she speaks slowly and clearly.
  • Le français interactif – An online French course from the University of Texas at Austin with nearly 300 podcasts to improve your French!
  • Coffee Break French – Great short French lessons that you can listen to when taking a quick coffee break!

Learn French Through Writing

  • Bon Patron – This is a great website to perfect you French language writing skills. It is a French autocorrect tool where you can practice your writing skills by typing in sentences and have it correct the grammar and spelling errors it finds.
  • Rhino-Spike – Another great French writing tool. However, in this website, it you can submit written texts in French to have native French speakers both correct and read them out loud for you. A great way to get in your writing practice while also getting in you listening practice!

Ideas for the top 35 resources to help you learn French were taken from the following sources.[1]Fluent in 3 Months – BENNY’S TOP RESOURCES FOR LEARNING FRENCH[2]fluent – 9 of the Best Resources for Starting to Learn Some French Online[3]mosa lingua – Resources to Learn Some French[4]FluentU – The 10 Best Websites to Learn Some French at Any Level[5]Daring to Live Fully – 30 Free Online Resources for Learning French[6]The Mezzofanti Guild – French language resources

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