Best French Language Learning Resources
Here are my most highly recommended resources for learning the French language.
I frequently refer to them in many of the articles I write on this site because I know they’re fantastic and they’ve been crucial to my own learning.
From time to time I use affiliate links for paid products on this site which means I get a small commission for referrals. It doesn’t affect the price of anything but doing so has helped me continue to maintain and improve this site over the last 10+ years as a helpful resource for language learners.
Most comprehensive online French courses
Rocket French
This is one of my favorite online courses which has some of the highest quality French dialogue material available.
Rocket French doesn’t follow a ‘cookie cutter’ approach like other well-known programs such as Rosetta Stone or Pimsleur, and it has a tonne of excellent audio content for all levels ranging from beginner to advanced.
Join The Guild by clicking here, select French and I'll send you a unique offer for Rocket French exclusive to my readers only.
French Uncovered
An extremely well-made and very unique French course aimed at teaching French through a unique “story learning method” (StoryLearning).
If you’re looking for a full French curriculum that leads you all the way through to fluency, and are facing difficulties getting your head around how French works, this will definitely help you.
Best personalized course to learn French
Frantastique
Frantastique is a really unique and highly popular course for French that offers 'personalized' lessons which adapt to your needs and skill level.
You receive corrections and exciting new content sent to you daily. Highly recommend this one.
Learn French with podcasts
FrenchPod101
This is an excellent French course in the form of audio podcasts and downloadable lessons.
As well as podcast-style lessons, you’ll find videos, a vocabulary database and dictionary, grammar explanations and various other useful features.
Use code MEZZOGUILD for 25% off any of their course options.
Inexpensive online French lessons
italki
Not too long ago it was really difficult or impossible to practice French without actually traveling to France.
Thankfully, tools like italki have made it possible to connect with native speakers from all over the world to practice or to take personalized lessons over Skype (see my italki review).
The great news is, French lessons over Skype through italki are incredibly cheap compared to most teachers in person (many are as low as $6-8 an hour depending on what language you’re learning!). All the frustration of payments and scheduling is handled brilliantly by italki too which makes it very easy and stress free to arrange sessions.
Lingoda
Lingoda’s an excellent alternative to italki if you’re learning French and want more “structured” lesson control and feedback.
You have the option of choosing one-on-one lessons or small classes, and each lesson is topic-based and highly practical.
It’s very inexpensive too (monthly recurring subscription).
Best French fluency course
Glossika French
This is another very unique product that improves your fluency through a highly repetitive ‘listen and repeat’ approach.
It is, in my opinion, one of the the most useful tools I’ve seen for training French listening comprehension. Definitely not a conventional course but you’ll be amazed at how effective it is at improving your French fluency if you use it daily (read my Glossika review).
Best children’s resources for learning French
Little Pim: This children’s series is the work of Julia Pimsleur Levine, the daughter of Paul Pimsleur who created the world famous Pimsleur Method for learning languages.
Little Pim is extremely popular and effective at teaching languages to very young kids in a fun way.
French For Children (Catherine Bruzzone): This is an outstanding and very popular book for young children presented by a native French speaker that includes loads of audio with songs and games, as well as full color illustrations and activities.
The Everything Kids’ Learning French Book: I wanted to include this great book here as it’s suited for older kids but is beautifully laid out with lots of activities, dictionary and plenty of detail on the French language.
Best web and mobile apps to learn French
Mondly
Mondly is a beautifully designed learning platform (also available as a mobile app) in 33 different languages including French.
It also teaches conversation in a Rosetta Stone-style way.
Read my Mondly review.
Babbel
Second to Mondly, the Babbel app is quite good for French as a web and mobile app.
If you're looking for something similar to Duolingo (but more professionally-designed by language experts), then definitely try Babbel.
See my Babbel review.
Best audio-only French course
Pimsleur French
Pimsleur is a household name and one of the most famous French courses ever made.
It's a research-backed, proven method that is audio-only and gets you speaking quickly through spaced-repetition of situational phrases.
One of my personal favorites.
Read my Pimsleur review.
Learn French using video
LingoPie
LingoPie is an outstanding library of high quality, interactive TV shows in 6 major European languages, including French.
If you enjoy learning from your favorite sitcoms and other genres, this is your best option.
Yabla French
This is an excellent site for using video to learn French where you can control the speed of playback and select words from the subtitles for definitions.
Yabla has recently had some major improvements and new video content added making it well worth a try (I wrote a Yabla review here).
FluentU French
This is a fantastic tool for learning French using subtitled video (check out my FluentU review).
It has many of the same features as Yabla but a wider array of video content to choose from.
Other free resources to help your French
Memrise: This is an outstanding online vocabulary training tool that lets you select French ‘courses’ to study (or create one yourself). Many of the courses also include audio.
AnkiSRS: A highly versatile flashcard app.
Forvo: If there’s ever a French word or expression that you’ve seen written but don’t know how to pronounce, you can search for it here (or request it) and hear a native speaker pronounce it for you.
Duolingo French: Duolingo is a fun, free and effective way to study French grammar.
Check out these relevant posts on French resources:
- French Numbers
- The Most Balanced Rosetta Stone Review You’ll Ever Read
- Honest Pimsleur Review
- Frank Review Of Rocket French
- How To Ask For Help In French
- Best Online French Courses
- How To Order Food In French
- How To Say Hello In French
- How To Say 'Please' In French
- How To Say 'Thank You' In French
- How To Say "You're Welcome" In French
- Podcasts To Learn French
- 30 French Phrases You Absolutely Need When Visiting France
- French Girl Names
- French Boy Names
- Countries Where French Is An Official Language
- French Phrases For The Wine Industry
- How To Show Condolences In French
- Definite And Indefinite Articles In French
- How To Say Maybe In French
- How To Say Good Morning In French
- How To Say You're Embarrassed In French
- Beautiful Words In French
- Animals In French
- How To Ask And Tell The Time In French
- Present Progressive In French
- French Proverbs
- French Imperative Verbs
- How To Speak Formal French
- French And Spanish Similar Words
- Quand vs Lorsque vs Pendant vs Lors De ('When' In French)
- French Is Easy To Learn
- French Pronouns
- Nouns In French
- Comparatives And Superlatives In French
- French Subjunctive
- Best Apps To Learn French
- French vs Italian
- Best French Movies On Netlfix
- Months Of The Year In French
- French Prepositions
- YouTube Channels To Learn French
- French Cartoons To Improve Your Listening Comprehension
- Resources To Learn French For Kids
- What Does C'est La Vie Mean?
- How To Form And Use The French Future Tense
- Best English To French Translation Apps And Services
- Free French Lessons
- How To Say 'I Love You' In French
- How To Say 'Goodnight' In French
- Days Of The Week In French
- Learn French Fluently
- 20 Common French Slang Expressions
- How And When To Use The Conditional Tense In French
- How To Say 'Sorry' In French
- Colloqualisms And Text/Chat Language In French
- How To Say 'No' In French
- How To Say 'Congratulations' In French
- How To Say 'Excuse Me' In French
- How To Introduce Yourself In French
- French vs Catalan
- How To Say What In French
- French Curse Words
- French For Business: Resources For Professionals
- How To Say 'Beautiful' In French
- How To Say Nice To Meet You In French
- Qu’est-ce Que C’est In French: What It Means & When To Use It
- Past Tense Forms In French
- 'Yes' In French
- How To Say I Don't Understand In French
- French Food And Ingredients
- All The French Words You Need To Talk About Your Family
- How To Say Goodbye In French
- French For Military Personnel
- Mon Chéri Meaning