Introduction:
French is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages. French evolved from Gallo-Romance, the Latin spoken in Gaul, and more specifically in Northern Gaul. Its closest relatives are the other languages d’oïl—languages historically spoken in northern France and in southern Belgium, which French (Francien) largely supplanted. French is an official language in 29 countries across multiple continents,most of which are members of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), the community of 84 countries which share the official use or teaching of French. Spoken by over 200 million people across the world, the language of love continues to beguile us. Romantic, melodic, and incredibly alluring, French is fashionable, passionate, and sophisticated. It is also the official language of multiple global organizations, including the United Nations and the International Red Cross.
If you are looking to dedicate some time to learning French, here are some of the very best websites, apps, and courses to get you going.
1. Multibhashi:
The Bangalore based educational platforms offer a wide range of language learning opportunities at your convenience where all are where the choice is yours. The platform is exclusively online. You can get a classroom-like atmosphere from here with lively interaction from the language expert and your classmates. The classes are of two types, Group webinar class and one to one class. Levels of learning range from beginner to advanced. The duration of the courses is 30 min per class. The minimum number of classes that you can take is 30 classes. It can be increased according to your preference. You can take the group class provided by Multibhashi or, if you prefer learning alone then you can take one class also. The fee structure of both the classes is different. The timings of the classes are also flexible and is up to you to decide. Plus point here in Multibhashi is that you can take a free demo class before deciding where to join.The result will be satisfactory!
2. Brainscape
This innovative language learning tool promises to deliver the equivalent of 4 years’ worth of high school French classes in just a few short weeks. With over 10,000 audio flashcards featuring the most common French words and phrases, you will be able to form authentic sentences and garner a really good grasp of the French language pretty quickly. Featuring a fully adaptive, spaced repetition system that Brainscape calls “Intelligent Cumulative Exposure,” you can learn new words in the context of real sentences via the use of over 10,000 audio flashcards. Unlike many of the other immersive language apps, this one explains how to speak and use the language in English to help you learn and understand much faster. It also offers a series of ongoing feedback, statistics, and visualization tools to help you to measure your progress.
3. Busuu
With over 100 million users worldwide, Busuu offers bite-sized lessons that can be enjoyed wherever you are headed. Lessons are structured around a series of useful topics and contain exercises to help you grow your vocabulary and improve your grammar. In just a few short lessons, you should start to build both your conversational and writing skills as you learn to form sentences, hold a conversation, or undertake written work. Using a range of methods, users repeat keywords and phrases to help reinforce word recognition and build confidence.
4. Coffee Break French
Offering an informal and fun way to learn a new language, Coffee Break French delivers a range of podcasts and online lessons for its subscribers to dip into when they have the time. The audio podcasts last around 15-20 minutes each, and there is a wide range of topics from which to choose. Broken down into “seasons,” learners can choose from Absolute Beginners, Lower Intermediate, Upper Intermediate, and Advanced Learner levels, all of which offer a mixed bag of vocabulary and grammar to help you build sentences or improve your existing language skills.
5. Duolingo
Duolingo is another one of the biggest names in online language learning, and its personalized, game-style learning technique is scientifically proven to work wonders. Offering lessons that adapt to suit a variety of learning styles, its tailored exercises will help you learn faster and more effectively. A series of interactive exercises deliver instant feedback so you can see which areas need more practice. If you like to be rewarded while you learn, there are virtual coins to be earned and new levels to discover as you progress on your language learning journey.
6. FrenchPod101
This innovative language learning tool aims to teach learners of all abilities in a fun, effective, and engaging way. By offering culturally-relevant podcast-style lessons, learners can grow both their confidence and vocabulary as they learn to communicate in near-perfect French. Levels of learning range from beginner to advanced, and lessons are organized into “Pathways” that offer around 25 lessons, with literally thousands to choose from. Presented by a variety of different hosts, they are designed to be fun but effective. There are lesson notes for each podcast that can be downloaded to help you learn on the go.
7. Lingoda
Lingoda offers 60-minute immersive French classes in small groups of 3 or 4 students at a time. Being taught by native French speakers, Lingoda is suitable for everyone, from beginners to advanced speakers. Teachers rotate regularly, so learners get to experience a variety of accents and natural conversation while they learn. Using a combination of speaking practice and situational training, the online classroom environment makes it easy to apply the French you learn to potentially real-life situations. The focus of the lessons is to build an extensive vocabulary that can be used to form meaningful sentences to get you speaking like a native in no time.
8. Memrise
Memrise offers a unique learning aid that works well alongside more traditional language lessons, or for anyone who wants to brush up on their existing knowledge. By working your way from 1 lesson to another, you can study a wide range of topics with content suitable for entry-level learners through to more advanced speakers. Learners are shown just a few words, characters, phrases, or concepts, then quizzed on them to help commit the new information to memory. Using both written and audio material featuring native speakers, each lesson only features 7 or so new words or phrases, making them easy to digest and remember.
9. MindSnacks French
The fun, game-style app from MindSnacks is much more than just a memorization tool — this French app is loaded with 9 great games designed to enhance your vocabulary and conversation skills. There are 1,000+ words to be mastered, and each game in the app has matching audio clips spoken by a native French speaker to help you get your accent perfect, too. The games will also help you to really grasp the nuances of French grammar, and the personalized learning algorithms will help to maximize your memory retention, making you more fluent much faster.
10. Rosetta Stone
For more than 25 years, this giant of language learning has been offering a wide range of courses to learners from all over the world. With a teaching method that aims to help you to “learn the language and not just the words,” Rosetta Stone is a very effective language tool for learners of ages and abilities. Using a honed technique that it calls “Dynamic Immersion,” the lessons combine images, words, and sounds to teach words and grammar using spaced repetition. Words and concepts are introduced to the learner in a way that has been designed to accelerate the language learning process, and group sessions are a useful way of increasing your confidence.
Conclusion
Learning French is easy with the right language learning tools. Whether you prefer joining other learners in a virtual classroom, or would rather listen from the privacy of your own car, there are numerous ways in which to learn French to suit your lifestyle. Basic survival courses will teach you enough to get you through your next vacation, while more advanced courses could have you speaking like a native in just 3 to 6 months if you are prepared to put the time in.
Happy Learning.
All the best!!!