How to Learn French Online for Free

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While there's plenty of expensive French language learning software on the market, it's also possible to learn French online for free. If you're a little uncertain about studying French, free online French lessons let you learn a little about the language before you invest in a full course. For more advanced learners, learning online is also a good way to put together a personalized French language course.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

Computer with Internet access
Microphone and headset

Step1

Choose an online French language course. There are plenty of free French courses online complete with grammar exercises, vocabulary builders and listening activities. If you're an absolute beginner, stay with one course until you have the basics. If you already know a little French, you might blend several courses. For instance, you could choose one for grammar and another for vocabulary building.

Step2

Find French to listen to. Listening to French is critical if you want to develop a good accent. Music from French radio stations online is a good place to start, but you'll need to hear spoken French, too. Look for French language news broadcasts, including videos and Podcasts in French.

Step3

Track down some French language reading material. Beginners can find simple French stories by searching online for "contes pour les enfants" (stories for children) or "contes de fées" (fairytales). Intermediate learners can learn from Canadian government websites, which have addresses ending in .gc.ca. These provide an English and French version of every page. If you need advanced material, try newspapers like Agence France-Presse and Le Monde.

Step4

Find a language exchange partner. Without speaking practice, you could develop a bad accent that renders your French unintelligible to native speakers. Just chatting with a fluent French speaker can clear up your accent and give you confidence, too. Find a partner at a language exchange website and set up a microphone and headset on your computer so you can communicate.

Step5

Create a syllabus for yourself. You've probably heard French is easy to learn, but this is only true if you put in regular effort. Following a syllabus will help you stay on track. Once you've gathered your resources, define your goals and decide exactly how you plan to reach them. Language schools and universities often post their syllabi online and you can use these as guides.

Tips & Warnings

Use your French in the real world. You can learn a lot online, but real communication skills come from talking with fluent French speakers. Look for local French cultural centers or language clubs where you can practice. If there's an art theater near you, go to any French-language films they offer.
Don't assume one online course will give you a solid foundation. A course created by a university or French language teacher should be reasonably good, but even these can miss things. Learn about the common problems English speakers have with French (such as using the past tenses or adverbial pronouns), so you'll know which areas to you might need extra work on.