Imagine waking up in a remote town in the French countryside, where no 1 speaks English. Would you be able to get by in French?

If your answer is "non", yous're in adept company.

French is ane of the nearly studied languages at school, yet well-nigh people can only retrieve a few random phrases similar "Où est la bibliothèque?"

That's because at schoolhouse, y'all usually learn grammar, vocabulary lists and phrases, but no one teaches how to really utilise them in conversation. The result: y'all end up sounding like these guys.

If, like most people, y'all studied for a few years and didn't get very far, you'd be forgiven for thinking it must take decades to speak fluent French.

Luckily for united states of america, that'south merely not truthful.

Using the incorrect tools makes things seem more difficult than they actually are. Trying to larn a language the way most of us did at school is similar trying to chop wood with a kitchen knife: it'll accept y'all a lot longer than information technology should and you lot'll get very frustrated along the way.

The right resources for learning French

There is no one size fits all, best mode to acquire French. Lot's of different methods piece of work. But from what I've seen, they all have ii things in common:

  1. They don't spend a disproportionate amount of time learning grammar and vocabulary for the sake of it.
  2. They assistance yous larn past doing.

It makes sense really. Speaking French is a practical skill, like riding a bike or learning to swim. Merely as you can't learn to swim by reading a volume, y'all'll never be able to accept a chat in French past memorising a few verbs.

Yous've got to do using French in realistic situations.

The best resources for learning French are geared towards helping you speak and empathise French in real-life contexts. They should:

  • Teach yous how to build new sentences then yous can express yourself.
  • Evidence you realistic examples.
  • Requite you the take a chance to do.
  • Assist you understand how French is spoken in the real world.

These 17 resource for French learners will do exactly that, from beginner to avant-garde level:

Picking upwards the basics: French resources for beginners

The best French resources for beginners bear witness you how to build sentences right from the showtime. The tools in this list will help you lot pick up words and grammar easily through repetition and show you how to apply what you learn in new situations.

1. Michel Thomas French

The Michel Thomas method is probably the best resource I know of for picking up basic French in a flash.

The audio-simply course helps you remember grammar painlessly by organising verbs into groups that are piece of cake to remember and most importantly, shows you how to use these verbs to build useful sentences.

The course also shows you how to take advantage of the 30% of English language words that have a French equivalent (known as cognates), like information, conversation, fauna, original, distance, importance… Of course, the pronunciation is a bit different, but all you have to do is put on a French accent and voilà – you lot know loads of French words!

I've used Michel Thomas to become off the starting cake for French, Italian and Castilian and I'thousand always surprised by how much I tin can say after only a few hours of listening.

ii. Coffee Break French

The Coffee Interruption French series is a lovely, relaxing manner to pick upwardly French. The fun and interactive lessons help yous larn the basics at a dainty pace and presenter Marking Pentleton throws in lots of cultural anecdotes, which make the lessons a pleasure to heed to.

But don't allow the laid-back tone fool you – the Java Break French series is a very efficient manner to acquire bones French.

And there are enough episodes to accept you further along your French journeying – the serial goes from beginner correct upward to advanced, and the podcasts are gratuitous.

Getting conversational

Now you lot've picked up the basics, y'all tin can do using French in real-life situations. Information technology's time to jump in and have a go at speaking (even if you don't feel ready yet!) and gradually start doing stuff in French that you enjoy doing in your native linguistic communication.

As you venture into the world of existent French, you'll demand plenty of support from subtitles, and slow, clear speech. You'll also demand a good dictionary and a manner to remember all those new words!

iii. Language exchanges

When yous kickoff start practising your speaking skills, it tin feel a scrap awkward to strike up a conversation with a French person – what if they reply too fast and yous don't empathize what they're maxim? What if you forget a word mid-judgement?

Linguistic communication exchanges are the perfect training basis for speaking French because your partner knows you're a beginner (be sure to tell them!) and they're at that place to assistance. This takes the force per unit area off as they don't expect you to be able concord a total chat yet: information technology's OK if y'all don't understand what they're saying or forget a word mid-sentence!

However, there are a few pitfalls to scout out for. For example, if you lot're a native English speaker and you team up with a French person who speaks vivid English, it might experience easier to speak in English almost of the time. To get around this, you should set a specific time, say ½ hour French, then ½ hour English language. If you discover a partner who keeps speaking English when they should be helping you with French, it'south fourth dimension to look for a new one.

I've had some brilliant experiences with language exchanges: as well equally helping y'all do your French, they're a bully way to become to know French people and larn more virtually French culture.

If y'all go to France, I highly recommend setting up a linguistic communication commutation at your destination. I did this in Paris and I met some lovely Parisiens who took me to their favourite hangouts – a fab fashion to learn the language and get off the beaten tourist track!

To find language substitution partners at abode or abroad, effort www.conversationexchange.com.

4. Italki

If yous like the thought of improving your speaking skills quickly and cheaply without leaving your living room, you should give italki a try.

It's a website where you can get 1-to-1, online conversation lessons with French conversation tutors – called community tutors – sometimes for less than $10 an hour.

And you don't need to worry about speaking slowly, making mistakes or sounding silly – tutors are there to help y'all learn and nigh are friendly, patient and used to working with beginners.

If you'd like to try italki, you tin can go a free lesson by clicking any of the italki links on this page. All you take to do is sign up, book your first lesson and you lot'll get the adjacent lesson gratis (up to $10).

I don't get any commission if you buy through this link, but I do become a free lesson with my French conversation tutor on italki, which helps me save money and spend more time writing articles like the i you're reading at present – merci!

Italki is also handy if you desire to work on your writing skills: you lot tin can post your writing on the "notebook" section and a native speaker will correct it for y'all.

If you like the idea, but you lot're not sure where to start, voilà a tutorial on how to use it:

italki: How to learn a language with an online tutor

I unremarkably practise my speaking skills on italki, a website where y'all can book conversation lessons with native speakers.

v. News in Slow French

News in Boring French makes a refreshing alter to the boring and overly simplistic topics commonly on offer for learners. The presenters comprehend the week'south news in a light and entertaining style, in French that's slow (hence the name!) and like shooting fish in a barrel to follow.

6. Journal en Français Facile

Although the name translates literally as "The News in Piece of cake French", this news show by Radio France Internationale is a lot more challenging than News in Slow French. Frequently, the pace doesn't seem that different to the normal French news, but that makes it great way to challenge your listening. On the Journal en Français Facile website they take the transcripts and then yous can cheque your agreement and read along as you listen.

seven. Easy French

Follow the presenters of Like shooting fish in a barrel French "on the streets", as they pose interesting questions to French passers-by such equally "What would you lot do to make the world a better place?" The interview format is perfect as y'all hear the same question over and over, and the answers are usually entertaining. To help you lot follow along, there are big subtitles in French and smaller subtitles in English. Information technology'due south the perfect way to ease yourself into listening to existent, spoken French.

8. Wordreference

Once you start engaging with real French, y'all'll need a good lexicon to wait upwardly the new words you come across. Wordreference is one of the best: information technology gives you examples of how the word is used in real sentences, which helps yous sympathize how to use the give-and-take yourself later on. At that place's also a "verb conjugator", which shows you how to use French verbs in unlike tenses.

9. Memrise

As well as a proficient dictionary, yous'll need a way to remember the new words yous learn. The Memrise app helps yous learn French words faster, using a method known as spaced repetition.

It'due south based on scientific studies which bear witness that nosotros call up information meliorate when we acquire it a few times over a longer period of time, compared to many times within a short space of time. The app quizzes yous on words y'all've learnt at specific intervals which optimise learning.

Memrise is huge in the language learning community and you'll observe lots of French courses with fix made vocabulary lists already on there. However, it'south better to make your ain course with case sentences that you've already seen or heard being used in real life, for the following reasons:

  1. Learning words in sentences (rather than in isolation) helps you understand how to utilise them later.
  2. Learning words that yous've already see in real life helps you form stronger memory associations.

Advanced

Now y'all tin can concord a chat and empathise elementary spoken French, it's time to hone your skills past listening and reading things intended for native speakers. Moving onto native speaker materials is a great feeling – y'all tin:

  1. Really start to empathise how French speakers communicate with each other.
  2. Learn a lot nigh French civilization.
  3. Better your French while doing things you enjoy, like watching films or reading the paper.

Here are a few of my favourites.

10. France 24

The France 24 website is packed with French videos. Information technology's a news channel, then they have lots of programmes nigh current affairs, just they also cover other topics including art, science, culture and travel. The presenters usually speak quite slowly and clearly, so it's a great resource to span the gap between intermediate and native speaker materials.

11. Your web browser

With the Google Interpret Chrome add together-on, you can turn any French website into an interactive French dictionary. When you click on a discussion you don't know, the English language translation pops up on the aforementioned page, so you y'all can read websites without constantly stopping to look up words.

12. Le monde

Le Monde is i of the nearly famous newspapers in French republic. On the website, you can grab upward on electric current affairs with articles, videos and blogs. The YouTube channel is specially practiced because they have 3 minute videos that explain of import issues in electric current diplomacy or trivial snippets of French culture. And they accept French subtitles, then you can turn them on and read anything you missed in the listening.

13. Le Gorafi

If you lot prefer something a piffling lighter, try reading le Gorafi. Information technology's a parody newspaper with fake news manufactures, similar the French version of The Daily Mash. If you bask this kind of humor, it'south a brilliant resource for stretching your French reading skills. Riina, a member of the joy of languages Facebook group, recently said that you tin say you're fluent in a language "when you can empathize jokes". If you get this kind of satire, you tin can be confident that your level of French is pretty good.

Le Gorafi also gives you loads of cultural insights most France, from small details, like how people in the South often drinkable pastis, to more than serious things, like the turn down in popularity of the Socialist Party.

14. Buzzfeed

If you're later something even lighter, take a become at reading French BuzzFeed. The "listicle" manner articles with pictures are a great way to practise reading real French, without having to get your head around large amounts of text.

YouTube

Now you're advanced, the whole world of French YouTube is open to y'all. Here are a few channels to get you lot started:

15. United nations gars et une fille

This Quebec sitcom shows short scenes in the life of a couple who are often getting into funny squabbles. They speak very fast but the videos are only a few minutes long, and so it's a great way to train your listening in short but intense bursts. And equally the subject is very light, it leaves your brain free to concentrate on the French.

16. Cyprien

Cyprien is one of the most pop YouTubers in France. He's a comedian who likes to point out the giddy in everyday situations. Here'southward his take on "people on the net".

His channel is fab for advanced level French listening. Similar most YouTubers, he speaks inhumanely fast, merely that's actually quite good for pushing your listening skills: once you can empathize Cyprien, French conversations at normal speed will be a cakewalk! He has subtitles in French and in English language, which means y'all can read along in French if the audio solitary is as well tricky, and use the English language ones from time to time to cheque your agreement.

If y'all enjoyed that Cyprien video, yous might like Norman and Squeezie's channels too.

Thanks to Christine for recommending these French YouTubers in the comments section of my last post: how I'm becoming fluent in French from my living room.

17. Simplissime

The simplissime cookery channel, with the tag line "the easiest recipes in the world" is some other cracking resource to ease y'all into listening to native speaker materials. The narrator speaks slowly and the words often appear on screen, which makes things a lot easier to follow for u.s.a. non-native speakers. To run across what I mean, picket this quick video on how to make a chocolate mousse.

https://www.youtube.com/scout?v=1TmN1cf7CBY

And as a bonus, you'll come abroad with some cooking tips too!

Eastward voilà! Those were my 17 all-time resources for learning French from beginner to advanced, I hope you found them useful.

Over to yous

  1. Which of these resource do you retrieve is the virtually useful for learning French? Why?
  2. Can you add whatsoever more to the list? I'm on a French mission at the moment so I'm always looking out for new resources – recommendations in the comments please!