What is the easiest and quickest way to learn French? What methods are best for beginners and advanced learners, and what about those seeking fluency?
Whether your goal is to speak French with friends, watch French movies, or read books written in the French language, this is the guide for you.
Best Ways to Learn the French Language
My experience of learning French will be different from yours. I am more of a visual learner. I enjoy reading and I pick things up quickly, but don’t have the best listening skills. More importantly, I work 12+ hours a day and spend my time reading and writing in English, so it’s not always possible to play foreign language music or TV shows in the background.
Everyone’s experience is different, and you need to keep this in mind when learning French.
Check out the sections below for some insights that relate more to your situation.
Best Ways to Learn French for Beginners
Learning French as a beginner is exciting. You will learn faster than at any other time. You’ll feel like you’re getting somewhere almost on a daily basis. At the same time, however, it doesn’t take much to knock your confidence or bore you, in which case you could quit before you really get started.
With this in mind, I don’t recommend getting too caught up in French grammar during the early stages. Stick with the basics, including these very effective methods:
Pimsleur
Pimsleur was a revelation for me and I will never stop recommending it. Initially, I dismissed it as being a tired, old, and ineffective method. I had seen the ads, and I just assumed it was BS marketing.
I was asked to review it for a language site, so I was eventually forced to use it. And I’m glad.
I first used it to learn Norwegian as a complete beginner, then to brush up on my Greek skills. Eventually, I tried my hand at Spanish, Italian, and then French.
With the exception of Greek, for which I had a very good tutor, I probably learned more from Pimsleur than all other methods. And that’s coming from someone who spends their days in silence, insists they are a visual learner, and usually struggles with the speaking/listening aspect of learning a language.
It might not be for you, but I would definitely recommend trying it out.
Duolingo
Duolingo is far from perfect and should never be your only method of language learning. But as a beginner, you will learn a lot of new words and phrases. It helps with your reading comprehension, listening skills, and speaking, and it’s also free.
More importantly, the French language course is fully fleshed out on Duolingo, so you have a lot of levels to progress through.
Short Stories in French
I love reading, so naturally, it’s one of the first things I try to do when learning a new language. Unfortunately, the options are limited. With some languages, you have a choice between children’s picture books or novels—there is no in-between.
Olly Richards has provided that middle-ground for me. I read his books in Norwegian and French and would recommend them at every level. Don’t wait until you’re ready, as you’ll understand more than you think.
As an example, I read the Norwegian stories just 20 levels (about 10 hours) into Norwegian Pimsleur.
Check out Olly’s French stories on paperback and Kindle.
Linq
As above, Linq is all about reading and it caters to learners of all levels. You can listen to stories and read them at the same time. If you don’t recognize any of the words, add them to your vocabulary list and test yourself daily.
It’s a great little app and I have used it for advanced Greek and beginner French/Spanish. The only issue I have is that the free version is very limited. So, check it out for free, see if it’s for you, and consider buying the premium option if so.
On a budget? There are plenty of alternatives, so don’t feel like you need to go premium.
Can I learn French in 3 months?
Yes…and no.
Technically, if you were to completely immerse yourself in the language (speak French every day, watch French films, listen to French music, read French books, study the language), you could reach an advanced level in 3 months.
But if we’re talking about 30 or 60 minutes a day on French learning apps, you should lower your expectations.
You’ll be able to understand a lot and can probably communicate with native speakers if they stick with basic topics. But fluency is out of the question unless you have some history with the language or are a polyglot.
How good is Duolingo for French?
The French course on Duolingo is fantastic, one of the best. But these days most major languages have extensive courses on Duolingo.
When I first used the app, I was just starting with Greek. At the time, there were only a few levels. I stopped using the app for a year or so, and when I returned, the Greek course was huge. It’s always growing and improving, and that’s one of the great things about Duolingo.
Quick ways to learn the French alphabet
The alphabet is one of the first things you learn in your native language, so it makes sense that it’ll be your first port of call when learning a foreign language.
Fortunately, the French alphabet is quite easy to learn as it’s not too different from the English alphabet. Check the table below, pay attention to the pronunciation, repeat it a few times, test yourself, and persist. An hour a day for a few days is usually all it takes.
| Letter | Sounds | Pronunciation examples |
| A | Ah | Arm |
| B | Bay | Best |
| C | Say | Sad |
| D | Day | Do |
| E | Uh | Elephant |
| F | Eff | Fire |
| G | Zheh | Gym |
| H | Ahsh | Silent |
| I | Ee | Leave |
| J | Zhee | Jim |
| K | Ka | Ko |
| L | Ell | Lion |
| M | Em | Men |
| N | En | New |
| O | Oh | Open |
| P | Pay | Pay |
| Q | Koo | Quit |
| R | Air | Rome |
| S | Ess | See |
| T | Tay | Tall |
| U | Ooh | Urgent |
| V | Vay | View |
| W | Doo-bleh-vay | Want |
| X | Eeks | Wax |
| Y | Ee-grek | Year |
| Z | Zed | Zoo |
How to Learn French for Free
YouTube is your friend if you’re trying to learn a language for free. Look for content by language teachers if you’re a beginner or intermediate; look for general content from native French speakers if you’re advanced.
FrenchPod101 is a great option for French language learning at all levels. It is attached to a premium service and you’ll see ads, but the YouTube videos are still very informative. This video from 2021 is one of the best as it covers tons of helpful French phrases and is nearly 1.5 hours long.
The BBC has some free French courses and you’ll find some great content on The French Experiment.
If you use social media, consider following some French-speaking users. It means you’ll see lots of French content every time you check your feed. You can also learn about French culture, as those users will likely talk about food, recent events, films, TV shows, and French music.
Best Ways to Become Fluent in French
Immersion is the best way to get fluent in French. Visit a French-speaking country, make friends with people who speak French, and consume as much French content as you can.
I recommend getting a tutor through a platform like Preply. They can help you with your pronunciation and ensure your mistakes are corrected. They’ll answer any questions you have about the language and provide recommendations with regard to French language resources.
Expand your vocabulary by setting yourself the goal of learning a few new words every day. Watch French films (with English subtitles if needed), and if there’s nothing you fancy, turn on the French subtitles when watching native content.
If you’re a gamer, consider switching the language of your favorite game. I have done this for years and it’s one of the best ways to push past the wall of intermediacy. I also feel less like I’m wasting time when I play video games, as I’m technically learning!
I find that strategy and text-heavy games are best for this, with Football Manager and grand strategy games being some of my favorites. But most games have multiple language options these days and it always helps, even if it just changes the menus or occasional narration.
Can I learn French fluently by myself?
Technically, yes, but it’s not recommended. If you don’t practice speaking French to others and have little listening experience, you may shut down when finally confronted by a native speaker.
If you’re a quiet and shy person, or you simply don’t know any native French speakers and can’t afford a tutor, here are some tips:
- Listen: You can spend months mastering written French and then stumble during your first conversation. You need to devote just as much time to improving your listening skills. Music, films, TV shows, and podcasts can all help with this.
- Do Something Every Day: Keep the language fresh in your mind by doing a little something every day. That could mean spending time on an app or even writing a shopping list in French.
- Check Forums and Comments: To get a feel for how French people interact, spend some time on native forums and the comments on YouTube videos. Read, reply, and converse.
- Speak Aloud: If you’re using apps like Duolingo, Babbel, and Rosetta Stone, make sure you read all texts aloud and repeat yourself to drum those sentences into your mind.
How long does it take to be fluent in French?
It varies based on your previous experience and how much you devote yourself to the language. According to the Foreign Service Institute (FSI), which trains diplomats, French is one of the easiest languages to learn for native English speakers.
With full-time study (including classroom learning, immersion, and self-study), they estimate it takes 24 weeks. That might sound very achievable, but unless you literally have nothing else to do with your time and have some incredible determination, it’s probably out of the question.
The average student can typically expect to attain fluency within 5 years, with many getting there in about 3. But of course, learning French is a very personal experience and your results may vary.