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5 websites to learn French for free

Do you learn French on your own or do you want to supplement your lessons? Good news, you can find almost anything on the web! But the problem is that sometimes it is difficult to sort through all the available choices, to validate the quality and the accuracy of a content. This is where I come in

So I selected 5 websites to help you learn and progress in French! The first question to ask is:
What do I need to learn or improve my French?

This may be :
1. to see or review the grammar rules or vocabulary in French;
2. do self-correcting exercises to assess myself on my own, see my progress and areas for improvement;
3. listen to or read content in authentic French (not created for teaching) on various themes to enrich my vocabulary and learn while having fun;
4. The three

Because it is interesting to alternate ressources authentiqueseducational content, specially designed for learning French, and ressources authentiques authentic resources, created for French speakers, I have divided this article between French learning sites and sites which offer online courses, in French, on different themes.

1. French lessons

TV5Monde

The international French-speaking television channel TV5 Monde has a website dedicated to learning French. As you can see in the presentation video below, you have access to a rich and varied catalog of resources in French, with video lessons followed by self-corrected exercises from beginner to advanced level. By creating an account on the site, you will also have access to your progress in French as on a real e-learning platform.

Useful: Do not hesitate to browse through the different sections of the site: it is a real gold mine in terms of resources! Indeed, you have free access to live or replay TV, reports, a digital library (618 books available!) …

Lingolia

Lingolia is a very useful site for learning French, and in particular for reviewing grammar: whether it is for the conjugation of verbs at all times, forming adverbs or using articles. I often use it to help me prepare my lessons. You have a free access that allows you to do self-corrected online exercises and a premium access (paying) to access additional exercises.

Useful: This site does not only offer lessons and exercises in French, but also in German, English and Spanish!

Le français pour tous

Despite its austere (and a bit old-fashioned) appearance, the website lefrançaispourtous is a very complete site for reviewing French grammar. For each grammatical point, you have, on one side, the explanation and on the other, many exercises followed by the correction to check if you have understood the rule well.

Useful: You also have a section called « Phonétique et dictée » to help you improve your listening comprehension and pronunciation.

2. Courses in French

Fun MOOC

Fun MOOC is the reference platform for French-speaking MOOCs. MOOCs are online courses open to everyone and mostly free (sometimes you have to pay to get a certification or access the next level). On this site, you have access to a multitude of courses on very different themes: health, technologies, chemistry, law, management. There is something for everyone! Learning French by following courses on a theme that you like is a much more fun and natural way to learn and assimilate grammar and vocabulary. With the video courses, you also work on your listening comprehension and pronunciation (you can activate the French subtitles).

By creating an account on Fun MOOC, you have a personal space where you can find the courses you have registered for and follow your progress. There are also French courses offered by the Alliance française for levels A1, A2 and B1.

Useful: In online courses, there are often activities proposed to be done in pairs, i.e. with other learners: it is a good way to motivate yourself!

MOOC culturels Fondation Orange

Based on the same principle as the previous site, the Orange Foundation offers cultural Mooc on various subjects: history, dance, the origin of the telephone, comic books and special effects in the cinema! At the end of each chapter, you have a quiz to evaluate your knowledge and additional resources if you want to go further.

Useful: If you pass the quizzes and participate in the online activities, you can sometimes win gifts such as a comic book signed by the author.

3. Bonus

mk2 Curiosity

This site is a nugget for all moviegoers! If you want to see French films (and foreign films with French subtitles) less commercial than those offered on Netflix or Prime Video, subscribe to the mk2 Curiosity Newsletter. You can watch or re-watch classic movies but also more recent auteur films.

Useful: If you subscribe to the mk2 newsletter, you will receive every Friday a selection of 5 films to watch for free during 7 days.

To conclude :

Whether you are learning French on your own or looking for resources to continue practicing and stay in touch with the language, there are many sites on the Internet that offer a variety of quality educational content. I invite you to consult these sites and browse through the different sections to make a selection of what you like and what suits you best to improve your French. These online courses fit very well into a learning routine.

These sites offer real courses and self-corrected exercises for a more pedagogical approach but you can of course complete your learning of French by listening to podcasts, watching videos on YouTube or even French series available on streaming platforms.

Click here to read the article in French 🇫🇷