THE BEST TOOLS AND RESOURCES TO LEARN FRENCH
Welcome to our list of the best resources for French learners available online. We've organized the websites and apps we chose by category to make them easier to navigate. Browse through them and click on a title or image to try one out and learn French now. Happy learning!
Our French teacher Lucie even made a video about our favorite resources for French practice if you don't know where to start. And watching it is a great way to practice your listening skills, since she speaks French in the video! There are subtitles in English if you need them, and you can always slow down the video by clicking the gear icon in the bottom corner (set the playback speed to 0.5x or 0.75x). Enjoy!
Memorizing Vocabulary
Techniques and apps for learning words and phrases
Online dictionaries
Dictionary, encyclopedia, and translation tool all wrapped into one. Larousse is a household name in the French-speaking world, and an amazing resource for native speakers and learners alike. Available online and in print (we recommend their pocket dictionary).
TV5 Monde is a French culture TV channel that can be very helpful for people who are learning the language. They also happen to have a pretty complete and easy-to-use monolingual French dictionary on their website.
Listening Comprehension
Techniques for improving listening skills
"MosaSeries: L'Homme Sans Nom" is a MosaLingua original audio series that's totally in French, and designed to help learners work on their listening skills. It's also a great resource for vocab acquisition and learning grammar through exposure. Plus, it's just as addictive as your favorite Netflix shows!
Podcasts
Pierre's podcast is a quick and interesting way to get exposure to audio material in French. He talks about lots of different topics, including language and culture. Episodes include exercises and a transcript. Pierre also sells courses for learners at any level.
Features tons of podcasts conveniently organized into categories: dialogues, grammar, articles, phonetics, verbs, and even stories! There's text that goes along with each podcast for people who can't listen to them, or just want to deepen their understanding of a certain topic.
Our list of the best French-language podcasts for learners. Listening to podcasts to learn French is a great way to improve your listening skills, and your vocabulary and pronunciation, too.
Movies and TV
Our list of the best French-language TV shows that are popular right now. Watching TV in your target language is a great (and fun) way to improve your listening comprehension skills and pick up everyday vocab.
Our favorite French movies that are especially good for language learners.
YouTube channels
Take a look around our YouTube channel for tons of smart tips and hacks about learning French – and other languages, too! We publish new videos every Tuesday. Don't forget to turn on your notifications (click the little bell when you subscribe), because you won't want to miss a single second!
Français Authentique (literally "Authentic French") is a very popular YouTube channel and website for French learners, where you'll find lots of free resources to learn and improve your French skills. A great way to get started is by subscribing to Johan's free introduction to French course.
Music
Senegalese-born MC Solaar was one of the most widely known French rappers in the 1990s and early 2000s. His catchy tunes use a lot of everyday expressions. Check out his YouTube channel if you like music and want to broaden your French vocabulary. It's easy to find lyrics to his songs online.
TV and radio stations
TV5 Monde is a French TV channel. Their website has a bunch of high-quality resources in its section for learners (and advanced learners will get a lot out of the regular site, too): interactive exercises, videos, games, and the dictionary we already told you about. There's even a short test you can take to find out your current level of French.
BFM TV is a non-stop French news channel. It's great for learners because the anchors speak clearly, use a wide range of vocabulary, and cover tons of topics in current events and politics.
RFI (Radio France Internationale) launched a website that compiles many resources and tools to help learners understand what's going on in the French-speaking parts of the world. There are audio and video, educational activities, magazine articles, special features, and more... 100% free and 100% in French.
Speaking
Online speaking courses
A 8-unit course designed for people who want to work specifically on their French pronunciation, fluency, and confidence. Our teachers will guide you step by step through each module, and by the end you'll truly enjoy talking to native speakers in your target language!
Language exchanges and tutoring
Chatting with a language partner is one of the best and most entertaining ways to improve your language skills, from speaking and pronunciation, to vocab and listening, and even culture and confidence. We tested the most popular language exchange websites and created a guide to help you decide which one is best for you.
Find lots of French speakers who are interested in forming language tandems—partner up and chat with someone who wants to learn your native language in exchange for teaching you French.
Book affordable paid lessons with a tutor. Over 15,000 teachers are registered on the app and website, and you can even book a trial session to make sure you click with the tutor before you commit to a full French lesson.
Guides and tools for conversation and pronunciation
With Forvo, learn how to pronounce nearly any word you can think of in French! Native speakers volunteer to record themselves, so that all you have to do is search for and click on a word to hear it pronounced. Sometimes there are even several recordings for the same word, so you can listen to the accent you want to learn.
Download our free French conversation phrasebook. Inside, you'll find the most useful words and phrases so that you can start communicating in French right away. It's definitely something you'll want to have handy on your next trip to a French-speaking country!
Reading and Writing
Newspapers and other media
One of the most widely read and well-established French newspapers, which reports on news in France and around the world.
Make L'Equipe your go-to news source for all things sports. Keep up with Les Bleus or read about your favorite American or British teams in French.
This news outlet is all about students and education in France. It features tons of content and resources, including practical articles, classifieds, and even job postings.
Literature for learners
Hachette FLE, Français Langue Etrangère (French as a Foreign Language), publishes a special collection of books for non-native French speakers. They offer level-appropriate versions of French classics, plus books and workbooks about grammar, spelling, and more.
Frantastique is a fun and funny way to learn French spelling, grammar, conjugation, sentence structure, etc. Their course is super practical and personalized based on your level. Each day, you'll get an email with a new lesson about Victor Hugo and his adventures in the Francophone world.
This site lets you download tons of free, public domain ebooks. Best for advanced learners, since it mostly includes classic French novels. Download books from authors like Guy de Maupassant and Émile Zola, and read them on your computer or e-reading device.
Grammar tools
This guide to French grammar was developed by the University of Texas at Austin. They have tons of clear and instructive lessons, which even include audio clips and exercises. Download the lessons in PDF form or read them online. And we just love the cute cast of cartoon characters!
Other Useful Guides and Resources
MosaTraining: How to Learn Any Language
This course was designed to give you the tools and techniques you need to learn any language (including French!). Learn the secret techniques used by polyglots, practice the most effective learning methods, and stock your proverbial toolbox with every resource you could possibly need to learn a language quickly and have fun doing it.
Bonjour de France
A free online magazine with exercises, quizzes, games, lots of lessons/explanations to help you learn French, and even karaoke! It’s a real wealth of information!
Akinator
The French version of 20 questions is a fun way to practice asking and answering questions, and you can even use it to learn vocabulary. Think of a person, object, or animal, and the “genie” will try to guess what you’re thinking of. You’ll be amazed at how good it is! Also available as a mobile app.
We hope these resources to learn French will be of a big help to you. We’re constantly searching for the best resources to help you improve your French skills and updating this page, so be sure to come back from time to time. And finally, if there are any great tools or resources we didn’t mention but that deserve to be on the list, click here to let us know about them.