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Learning French can happen in a variety of ways, ranging from methodical self-teaching software and books to immersing yourself fully in the language and figuring things out as you go, to anywhere in between. It’s possible to entirely learn french online, though you will always get the most benefit from having real conversations with French speakers.

How to Learn French with Books

One of the most convenient ways to quickly understand the basics of French grammar and French vocabulary, there are a variety of popular texts that will teach you the structural basics of the language and help you construct simple sentences quickly. However, books are obviously not great at teaching pronunciation or oral comprehension, and you may need an audio supplement if you will be traveling to a French-speaking country or otherwise need to interact with native speakers.

How to Learn to Speak French

If you will be traveling or living in a French-speaking country surrounded by people who do not speak English, your first priority will probably be able to speak and understand basic conversational French. It is arguably more important in that case to use learn French audio CDs for basic sentence structure and common phrases, and then watching French movies without subtitles to pick up on more “natural” phrases, as well as intonation and pronunciation. Podcasts are also good for teaching you French as you do other activities. Advanced software like Rosetta Stone can test your speaking and understanding ability to some extent, but verbal interaction with a native French speaker is ideal.

How to Learn French for Free Online

In general, you get what you pay for, but there are several quality French courses available online, that go into varying degrees of depth on teaching French to beginners. There are some free vocabulary and matching French  games online that teach at a beginner to intermediate level. In general, the more advanced you are in the language, the more difficult it will be for you to find a good course that doesn’t regurgitate basic vocabulary and grammar that you already know.

Best Way to Learn French Language

I recommend you learn the absolute basics from a highly-rated French learning guide aimed at those teaching themselves. Most of the books I recommend are less than $10. Most French grammar and spelling rules have some sort of reasoning behind them, so try to understand why the French language behaves the way it does. If you understand something instead of just memorizing it, you will retain the information better. Then, when you have the equivalent of a couple semesters of college-level French under your belt, you need to search for content and conversations that real French people have. You might read a French forum in a hobby you are interested in, or listen to YouTube videos by French speakers. Write down words and phrases you don’t understand, and review your notebook or .txt file every day, and delete the word when you have it memorized without a doubt.

Learn French Online Course

If you want all the resources for learning French available in one comprehensive online course, FrenchPod is one of the best portals for learning French online. Membership includes audio podcasts to download, as well as web courses and learning strategies.

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