Learning French
French is widely considered one of the world’s most beautiful spoken languages, but its reputation for being difficult is equally well founded. Although learning French may seem daunting, the Web is full of useful resources to get you started.
Expand All Guide SectionsBasic French
Whether you don’t understand a word of French or you’ve gotten rusty over the years, there are plenty of online resources designed to teach basic French.
Insights for Basic French
- Alliance Française provides classes, lectures, films, performances and much more to French speakers everywhere. Visit the site to find out about classes and events in your area.
- There are a vast number of computer programs available to teach yourself French. Top Ten Reviews has a yearly review of the products on the market, and ranks and reviews them point by point.
Top Sites for Basic French
To get started with basic French …
Transparent Language
has survival vocabulary with accompanying audio clips, games and quizzes, a free version of their most basic software and a guide to the French restaurant experience. They also sell a wide variety of their French learning software.
Loquella
has about 30 hours of audio-visual language lessons that range from beginner to advanced. The audio components can be downloaded in MP3 form for use on an iPod for about $50 per level (or 13–16 hours).
Indo-European Languages Tutorials
has a large reference sheet with verbs, vocabulary and grammar. It also provides a separate tutorial on French slang usage, as well as several MP3 lessons for free download.
For basic French vocabulary, grammar and verb conjugation …
LearnFrenchVocabulary.com
has a simple online flash card system: Words and phrases are displayed, you choose the correct answer, the “card” is removed, and you continue and repeat until you’ve learned them all.
ZapFrench
provides basic vocabulary lists, all with accompanying audio files for pronunciation.
Ultralingua
provides translations, dictionary definitions, synonyms, complete verb conjugations, grammar resources and the ability to view foreign Web pages with a dictionary definition mouse-over for each term.
Tex’s French Grammar
from the University of Texas at Austin is an illustrated, exhaustive grammar resource that explains and outlines all the important basics. It also provides a verb conjugator tool and conjugation quizzes, tests on all aspects of grammar, downloadable PDFs, MP3s and chapter podcasts.
Learning Conversational and Advanced French
After you’ve got the basics down you can start working on your fluency by learning ... read more »
Teaching French
No matter the age or proficiency of your students, this section provides materials and inspiration ... read more »
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