Best Courses to Learn French

You might be surprised if you find out that the official language status of France itself was only obtained in 1992. Thanks to Tuban law, the main doctrines are enshrined at the highest level, which helps to strengthen the status and preserve the purity of the French language. It’s worth noting that if you’re a public figure in France, allowing you to use loanwords from other languages, such as English, you’ll be mercilessly ridiculed and labeled the shameful title of “British worker”.

So if you are serious about studying the written and spoken language of Alexandre Dumas, Voltaire, Honoré de Balzac, and other greats, you will surely benefit from some free online resources that will help you improve your French level. If you are a beginner, no problem, these best course to learn French will help you learn the basics and show you how romantic and easy it is to learn French.

1.  French Classes

Summary: This programme has a huge selection of audios – divided into beginner, intermediate, and advanced – which you can download as an MP3 file, complete with grammar and vocabulary notes.

French Classes offers three online courses for three levels of French: beginner, intermediate, and advanced. However, the entire site is in French, so you need to know the basics first.

French Classes courses are primarily based on lessons featuring audio conversations. Each audio conversation revolves around a specific topic relevant to French learners. The notes focus on grammar and vocabulary in the audio dialogue to reinforce the concepts introduced in the course.

2.   FluentU

Summary: FluentU is an immersive language learning programme for all levels that teaches you French through authentic content. It exposes you to the language spoken by the locals, so you choose a natural way of speaking.

FluentU uses real French videos, such as music videos and TED talks, to create immersive and engaging lessons.

Videos have interactive subtitles that can be turned on or off depending on the group of subtitles (French and English) you want to view. You can focus on French and only show these subtitles, or turn them off completely and improve your listening skills completely.

3.  Babbel

Summary: If you’re looking for a well-structured course that focuses on practical, everyday scenarios, Babbel is worth checking out as long as you’re not an advanced learner.

Babbel is probably one of the most well-known and widely used online language learning platforms in the world. Courses on Babbel are paid courses, but instead of a flat fee per course, a monthly subscription fee gives you access to many online courses.

Speaking of those online French courses, Babbel offers these courses to learners at the beginning and intermediate stages of their French journey. In addition to this, Babbel offers several courses that focus on improving learners’ abilities in specific areas of French skills, such as listening and speaking grammar or idioms.

4.  Rocket Languages 

Summary: For beginners and intermediate learners on a budget, Rocket Languages ​​is an effective audio-based course with an emphasis on mastering French pronunciation.

This user-friendly, classroom-style course can be accessed for a one-time (somewhat expensive) fee.

Unlike many courses, it focuses on pronunciation, which is ideal as French pronunciation is notoriously challenging and often intimidating for French students. The system recognizes your voice and provides feedback, matching the pronunciation of thousands of words to that of native speakers.

The lessons are audio-based, last about half an hour, and are structured like a conversation between a learner (that’s you!) and a native. These conversations are much less staged and more casual than other French conversations created for learners.