I’ve been learning French since I was in 4th grade. For a long time I had a complicated love-hate relationship with this beautiful language, thanks to many years of relentless drilling, but now I just enjoy experiencing some French and Quebecois culture by reading, listening and speaking (a love interest certainly helps).
In this post I’ve collected some resources I’ve found particularly useful. I recommend a combination of various sources. No one source alone will get you to fluency.
Any questions or suggestions? I would love to hear them and include them in this post!
LingQ
LingQ is a fantastic way to get emersed in any of the over 30 languages offered. There are guided courses for different levels, from complete beginner to advanced, but you can easily build your own course by picking from the vast array of resources such as podcasts, articles, and books – or your own materials if you like. A handy slider allows you to focus on available materials at your level. The way you identify words you don’t know yet is simply ingenious, and there is a myriad of vocabulary learning opportunities to choose from. You can even tailor your account to your preferred settings, such as selecting your preferred native language. On top of all of that, you can benefit from tutoring and support from the community of users.
The website and the apps work really well and are easy to navigate. If you do need help, tutorials are available via the website and on YouTube, and I’ve found the support team to be very responsive.
If you really want to take advantage of LingQ you’ll need a membership though, but in my experience it’s well worth it. Look out for special offers to dip your foot into this ocean of possibilities.
Duolingo
Duolingo was the first online app I used for learning languages. Duolingo is an easy to use website and app for Apple and Android, and on top of that it’s completely free.
I can imagine that beginners without any background in language learning would probably feel a little lost if they only used Duolingo to learn a new language, but to learn basic sentence structure and as a vocabulary building tool, Duolingo is great. You learn vocabulary by topic, and the method is very much based on repetition.
Larousse
The authoritative French dictionary is called Larousse. The website also features a conjugator, bilingual dictionaries, an encyclopedia, games, quizzes, and even recipes.
PONS
I remember PONS from my high school days (pre-internet mind you), and sure enough, they now have a great website translator and apps. You can even translate entire phrases, and the tool seems to do a pretty good job.
Check out the tool right here for a quick taste:
Anki
Anki is a simple but very effective and flexible tool to create your own electronic flashcards. The flashcards can even contain images and sound. It works really well, and I’ve only used the standard recommended settings.
I suggest you read the manual carefully before installing, creating and account and setting up the app, especially the bits about syncing.
Radio
Listening to radio and watching TV and movies are some of the best methods to develop an ear for the language you are learning and to improve your pronunciation.
Franceinfo
Franceinfo is a French radio/TV channel that has a vast selection of audio and some visual content so there’s bound to be something for everyone. There is also an app.
France Inter
France Inter is a French radio channel with a great selection of audio and visual content, and you can also watch the channel via YouTube.
Radio ICI
ICI is an excellent French Canadian radio channel with a great selection of podcasts. An app is also available.
YouTube/podcast/internet sources
Parlez-vous French?
Parlez-vous French is a great video learning resource aimed at people who already know some French but would like to perfect it.
The ever charming presenter Anne impresses through precise diction in a series of well-produced short videos and video quizzes available on the website. This content is also available via a YouTube channel, and there is now also a Facebook page.
Français avec Pierre
Français avec Pierre is great for advanced learners. This French-only channel is presented by a very friendly and engaging couple, Pierre and Noemi. 
Français Authentique
Français Authentique is another good channel by a French guy called Johan who presents plenty of tips on how to improve your French. He also has a 
website where you can purchase entire courses, but you can also access free podcasts and other resources.
Inner French
Hugo’s Inner French has great content on various channels, including YouTube and podcasts on Spotify. Some of his content is also available in LingQ.
Language City
Language City is aimed at more advanced learners too, but her explanations are mostly in English.
French with Jeanne
French with Jeanne, despite the name, is an all-French website for advanced learners with an interesting podcast series.
Super Apprenant
Super Apprenant is a site full of advice about learning new skills for French speakers, with a lot of free content, including videos, articles, and a podcast series called “Aux Frontières Du Possible“. Not suitable for beginners, but ideal for those wanting to improve their French.
Music
Listening to music is a fun way to internalise language and train your ear. Here is a link to my playlist of French music on Spotify. Enjoy!
Movies & TV series
You should try to watch without subtitles, or with French subtitles if possible. Netflix is better with this than Stan. Stan doesn’t offer original French subtitles. Below just some of my favourites:
Movies
- Ma vie de courgette
- Lolo (Netflix)
Series
- Dix pour cent (Netflix)
- Les revenants (Netflix)
- Lupin (Netflix)
- Les témoins
Television
SBS television
If you are located in Australia you can access a number of French-language movies and television series on the SBS channel (with English subtitles) for free.
Books
Mondes en VF is a great source for graded books in French, and you can also download an audio version for free when you buy a book.
