While we could easily criticise how much people are on their phones, whether it's at restaurants, while walking around, or even when hanging out with friends, we have to accept that smartphones also can be really useful.
If everybody used all the time they spent on their phone productively (rather than scrolling through endless social media feeds), they could turn all this screen time into mastery of a foreign language such as French.
Did you know that educational apps are the third most popular kind of apps behind games and business apps?
This actually puts them way ahead of social media and shopping so maybe people are learning more on their phones than we first thought. That said, we still maintain that it's quite rude to be glued to your phone in a restaurant.
There are lots of excellent language learning websites as well as some amazing apps that you can install on your phone. Generally speaking, most apps have a free or lite version with the best content being the stuff that you have to pay for.
Since this is highly subjective, we'll never all agree on what we think the best apps are, we do agree they're great learning French online and these are certainly a good place to start if you want to learn the language.
Smartphone, Tablet, or Both?
Should you learn French via your smartphone, tablet, or use a combination of the do as part of your learning plan. After all, mixing things up surely can keep things interesting, right?
Before we look at the best French language apps for each kind of device, let's look at the pros and cons of each as well as what they have in common.
Similarities
- Both tablets and smartphones operate using similar operating systems, especially if you have the same brand of device. For example, an iPhone and an iPad have fairly similar functions when it comes to language learning apps.
- Both tablets and smartphones usually have a camera and the related utilities and tools that come with it.
- Tablets and smartphones both use touchscreen technology, though the size of a tablet means that you'll need both hands to use it.
- If you have a tablet and a smartphone of the same brand, you can usually sync them so that the apps are the same on both.
Differences
- As tablets have bigger screens, they are usually better devices for studying because you can see everything more clearly.
- There are certain apps that only operate on one device and not the other. Check the compatibility of any apps before installing them.
In many cases, however, app developers make their apps available both on tablets and smartphones running the same or similar operating systems, allowing you to enjoy French lessons on either device.
The key difference with apps is usually their availability on Apple products through the App Store or Android products through Google Play.
Now let's see which are the best apps for learning French.
The Best Apps for French Lessons and Practice
In 24 Hours Learn French
Firstly, we have to be really clear that you can't learn French in just 24 hours. That said, this app could be quite useful for getting you familiar with aspects of French grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, etc.
Consider trying this app to see if the exercises it offers work with you and how you like to learn. Since no two French learners are the same, an app that works for one person mightn't work for another.
Like a lot of apps, this probably isn't extensive enough to give you enough practice to become fluent in French, but it could be useful for revision or certain features of the language that you'd like to brush up on.
We'd be amiss if we didn't mention that private tutors are arguably one of the best ways to learn a foreign language as they'll give you plenty of opportunities to practise speaking and work on your pronunciation.
Busuu
Busuu is a hugely popular app for learning languages with over 120 million users and 500,000 active subscribers. Many people use this to study vocabulary, practise pronunciation, develop speaking skills, and do exercises in their language of choice.
In addition to exercises, there are quizzes to test your understanding of your target languages and you can use them to review your progress.
Busuu uses a lot of gamification to keep users interested and it can be satisfying to fill up your progress bar and see your fluency score. Like a lot of apps, however, Busuu only really teaches languages to an intermediate level and you'll have to go beyond the app if you want to actually become fluent in French.
For the best learning experience, it's always ideal to supplement learning through an app with actual online French lessons with a private tutor.
Another advantage of Busuu is the fact you can use it to connect to other members of the language-learning community and also arrange and organise language exchanges through it.
The disadvantages of Busuu are that the more comprehensive lessons are hidden behind a paywall. If you want the best French lessons, you're going to have to pay for them.
Learn & Play Languages Beginner
We all learn much better when we're having fun, which is what this app looks to do. Through a combination of games and audio and visual resources, you should be able to get started with learning French.
We really like the fact that it uses word grouping to teach vocabulary thematically, which can make it easier for certain language learners to remember.
There's also an option to make flashcards or add vocabulary to your phrasebook before you get stuck into any of the app's games.
This is another app that uses gamification to keep users on track and focused on achieving their language-learning goals. Whether you're learning French for a trip, for business, or just for fun, these games could help a lot with motivation.
As with most apps, this features a free version and a paid version.
Stuck? You might need online French to English translation!
MindSnacks
MindSnacks comes particularly recommended for learning languages because it features challenging quizzes and some really engaging games.
The app might feel a little lacking if you need to focus on verb conjugations, but a lot of users enjoy listening to and learning new phrases and vocabulary through it.
That doesn't mean that verbs aren't conjugated, though. It's just that the app doesn't really feature conjugation-specific activities for you to do if there are certain verb groups that you need to study or memorise.
You can also challenge others through the app if you find a bit of competition motivates you.
Memrise Language Learning
Memrise is one of the most popular apps for learning languages and French in particular. It includes a lot of the features you've seen in the other apps we've mentioned, but it also has thousands of videos from native French speakers so that you can learn from typical everyday situations instead of a somewhat dry classroom teaching approach.
Memrise also includes chatbots and object recognition, where you can save a photo of something and turn it into a flashcard to refer back to and help you memorise vocabulary.
If you like learning languages by listening, you may also want to consider learning French with podcasts.
Other Applications for Learning French
We've already mentioned a few apps that we thought you mightn't have heard of, but there are literally thousands of apps for learning any foreign language, including French.
Now onto a few of the honourable mentions:
- Duolingo – This is arguably one of the most popular language learning apps and many users enjoy how it makes learning languages a lot like a game.
- Babbel – This is both an app and a website, though you need to pay for a subscription to really get the most out of it.
- Rosetta Stone – This is one of the oldest language-learning companies around and offers a range of products including apps and computer programs.
- Rocket French – Rocket French offers hundreds of hours of lessons for a one-time payment.
The Best Ways to Learn a New Language
While we like all of these apps, none of them can fully teach you how to speak French. If you want to become fluent in a language, you'll need to go beyond the apps and learn either through lessons, immersion, or with a private tutor.
Private tutors are regularly recommended for learning foreign languages as they offer the one thing you can't really get with apps or even a lot of classroom learning: uninterrupted speaking practice.
However, everybody's journey is different and learning languages depends on your goals and how you like to learn.
It's always a good idea to try out different things to see what works best for you. The ideal solution is likely to be a combination of different teaching approaches.
There are plenty of ways to learn French online, but don't completely disregard traditional approaches, either!
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