Lots of people are choosing to learn a language rather than waste their money on possessions. Learning a language is great for your brain and an amazing way to learn more about other people and cultures.
A lot of people are drawn to the French language for the following reasons:
- French is spoken natively across several continents.
- French is the official language of 29 countries and 8 territories.
- French is the official language of many organisations.
- French is a Romance language and can help you learn other related languages like Spanish, Italian, or Portuguese.
These aren't the only reasons, though. French is one of the most widely-taught languages around the world, often being second only to Spanish.
The most obvious benefit of learning French is that you'll be able to communicate in another language! After all, most people learn to speak a foreign language so that they can speak said foreign language.
Other benefits include reducing the risk of dementia, improving memory and problem-solving, and a whole heap of other amazing advantages!
Let's take a look at the best tools for learning this beautiful language.
Websites for Learning French Online
It's been suggested that in the age of the internet, younger generations are likely to be the most multilingual because of how connected they are to the rest of the world and speakers of other languages.
Whether it's social media, chatting online, or websites, young people have a lot of opportunities to learn foreign languages. In the past, learning languages was only ever done by immigrant communities learning the native languages of their new home or students learning languages very formally through their time at school (if they were lucky enough to attend school).
At this time, those learning French formally were likely very wealthy as they'd have to be able to afford education, trips abroad, etc.
Nowadays, internet access and public education have allowed many students to learn languages, travel, and even study in universities or schools in French-speaking countries.
Without travelling, you could use the best websites to learn French.
Bonjour de France is one such website.
As with a lot of language learning resources, especially those for European languages, this website uses the Common European Framework of Reference for Language, or CEFR, to describe different levels.
The six levels (from lowest to highest) are A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, and C2. C2 indicates fluency similar to that of a native speaker of the language.
The first thing you'll need to do is work out your level. Are you a beginner, intermediate, or advanced speaker of French? Levels A1 and A2 are fairly foundational and this means that you'll likely struggle to have a conversation but may know enough to get by on a trip to France.
Levels B1 and B2 are more conversational and you should be able to comfortably hold a conversation on a range of topics, even on things you're not an expert in.
At C1 and C2, you should be comfortable in the language in almost any situation and rarely doubt your own ability to understand the language or to communicate in it.
Once you have a better idea of your level, you can start working towards improving it and choosing the right lessons and resources.
The CEFR levels are particularly useful as they can be applied to lots of resources and not just those on this site. You'll also be able to find vocabulary lists, grammar lessons, and expressions arranged by CEFR levels.
If you're looking to teach your children French, the Hello World website is particularly suitable for younger learners with shorter lessons, games, songs, flashcards, and worksheets all designed for kids.
Should you place more emphasis on your child(ren) learning French, you may direct yourself to Hello World, a language learning site designed specifically for young students.
Learn French with Podcasts
Traditional language classes would have students sit and repeat after their teacher. While drilling vocabulary and conjugations can help memory, it's hardly an engaging way to learn and we've since discovered way more effective ways of teaching languages.
When you speak a language, you shouldn't have to recite all the conjugations each time you want to use them and it's much better to learn vocabulary and grammar in context.
The problem with some of the older ways of teaching languages was that they focused on teaching students language skills in order to pass standardised tests (though this is still quite often the case) rather than teaching students the skills they needed to be fluent speakers in the language.
Learning languages can take hundreds of hours and regular practice, which is more than a few hours at school can offer. This is why podcasts are a great way to regularly listen to French. No matter where you are, you can listen to a podcast in French and it's a much more productive use of your time than endlessly scrolling through social media feeds.
According to Apple, educational downloads are third behind gaming and business apps, which means there are definitely some great options out there for you.
Check out some of the best French podcasts to get you started.
Podcast Français Facile, for example, is designed with absolute beginners in mind. Just click on débutant to start and download the mp3. There are also accompanying worksheets and resources you can download and print out for your lessons.
This podcast is structured around DELF, which is the France-issued qualification for French language skills, but the levels line up with the CEFR levels.
There are also pages on French grammar covering everything from the basics to prenominal forms and the dreaded subjunctive. While there are lots of useful resources, you should be aware that everything's in French and it can be a bit daunting for beginners.
FrenchPod101 is another that we recommend and has everything organised according to CEFR levels.
You have to put your level in when signing up, which is free. From there, you can start improving your French language skills.
You're free to choose to learn however you want and while there is an order to things, you can jump around if there's something that requires your attention.
An added bonus is the community forum where you can ask questions about the French language to other students.
You can also install the app on your smartphone or tablet to learn on-the-go.
Learn French with Apps on Your Smartphone or Tablet
You've likely gathered that the internet is a great resource for learning languages whether it's through websites or apps. There are a lot of free websites out there, but many feature premium features or have to be paid for once your free trial is over.
Are the free resources worth it, or do you get what you pay for?
Here are some free resources that we think are worth your time and among the best apps for learning French.
Memrise Language Learning
Memrise is an app where you can take a photo of something and the app will give you its name in French. You can save this and add it to your own French visual dictionary.
There are video lessons designed around real-life scenarios and you can also search by topic to learn exactly what you need to.
MindSnacks
MindSnacks is another app you can use to learn French. This one focuses particularly on the fundamentals through games that focus on essential vocabulary and conversation skills.
Like with games, you'll need to complete quests before you can unlock the next level. Unfortunately, unlike some of the other resources we've mentioned so far, MindSnacks doesn't offer much in the way of customisation.
The Best Online Translation Tools for Learning French
Sometimes, you won't know what a word or sentence means. Don't worry, though. This happens to everyone and at some stage, you'll be able to ask people to explain in the target language, but for the time being, you can just look up what it means.
While you might have a nearby textbook, vocabulary lists, or even flashcards, it's much easier to just type the word into an online translation tool or dictionary and find out exactly what it means. Popular tools include Google, Microsoft Translate, and Babylon.
Keep in mind that these tools aren't 100% accurate and while useful for quickly looking up a word, avoid using them in an official capacity as they could land you in trouble if the translation is wrong.
It's much better to use these to understand the language you're learning rather than trying to make it produce anything in French. Use these tools to help you if you're lost, but don't use them to speak French for you.
There are so many ways that these translation tools can get things wrong and something as simple as a typo, a missed diacritic mark, or unclear language can result in inaccurate translations.
Fo English to French French translation, there are better options.
French-English Dictionaries
This might seem like a really old-school solution, but dictionaries are still some of the best tools when you need to translate between two languages or understand something in another language.
Nowadays, you can find dictionaries online and they can give you equivalents for words, phrases, and even idiomatic expressions. A dictionary is a powerful tool because it can give you multiple suggestions for words, which are often context-specific.
Dictionaries can also be used for conjugations, agreements, and grammatical gender.
If a dictionary or online tool doesn't do the trick, you might want a human translator.
WorldLingo offers a free translation service for documents and websites. You just need to upload the documents or provide a link, select the target language, and you'll usually get your translation back within a day.
It's worthwhile remembering that they only offer free translations for a limited number of words and you'll have to pay for longer translations.
Day Translations offers translations for official documents and provides a quote within 10 minutes.
Learn French Online with a French Teacher
While there are lots of resources for learning to speak French online, don't forget that you can still learn with French teachers or tutors online.
Here are a few of our favourite ways to learn French online in classes or with teacheers.
Rocket French
Rocket French is a subscription-based language learning programme that offers a free trial. The subscription comes with a lot of benefits including:
- Language and culture lessons
- Audio lessons and pronunciation practise
- Flaschards
- A mobile app
- Forum access
- Progress tracking
Think carefully about how you like to learn, what your goals are, and how much you're willing to spend before deciding which online resources are right for you.
Enjoyed this article? Leave a rating!
Loading...
