Online Französisch lernen – unsere Tipps!

Language apps take you up a level step by step, and most have a free tier.

• Duolingo: short, game-like daily lessons with regular review; used worldwide.
• Memrise: uses spaced repetition to fix vocabulary in your memory; free to start, with a paid upgrade.

These mix language tips with a feel for daily life in France.

• Lawless French: a thorough free resource from Laura K. Lawless (who previously ran About.com's French section), covering grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation.
• Talk in French: approachable articles on the language and life in France.
• French Today: articles on French with an emphasis on real, spoken usage.
• French Together: the language explained in a clear, encouraging way.
• Nathalie FLE: a blog written entirely in French, best for advanced learners.

Video puts pronunciation and real speech in front of you for free. Reliable, active channels include:

• Learn French with Alexa
• Français avec Pierre
• InnerFrench (spoken slowly, all in French, for intermediates)
• Easy French (street interviews with subtitles)
• FrenchPod101

Reading builds vocabulary and idiom, and the society and sport sections are usually easier than politics.

• Le Journal des Enfants: a weekly aimed at French children aged 8 to 14, so the level suits beginners.
• 1jour1actu: a clear daily news item, good for beginners and improvers.
• Le Monde: one of France's most respected papers, for keeping up with current events.
• Libération: a major national daily, co-founded in 1973 with the involvement of Jean-Paul Sartre.
• L'Équipe: the French sports daily, ideal if you follow football, rugby or cycling.

Structured courses give you a path to follow, and several are free.

• The French Experiment: a friendly introduction to the basics, with audio for pronunciation.
• Alison: free courses by level, once you create an account.
• Bonjour de France: exercises organised by what and how you want to learn.

Note that the BBC's old free French course is no longer updated, though its material can still be found archived.

If grammar is your sticking point, these focus on it.

• Tex's French Grammar: a well-loved reference built for French students at the University of Texas at Austin.
• The French Tutorial: an online course centred on grammar.
• YouLearnFrench: a YouTube channel devoted to French grammar.
• Digital Dialects: quick exercises for applying the rules.

Read books and use a dictionary Reading a whole book in French is one of the most effective and enjoyable ways to learn, so pick something gripping and start below your reading level to stay motivated; rereading a favourite you already know in English works well. Keep a good dictionary to hand for new words: Larousse, WordReference and Leo are all reliable and free.

Find a conversation partner
In the end, we learn a language to speak it, and nothing beats regular conversation with a native speaker. A language-exchange (tandem) partner is the easiest way in:
search for a "language tandem" group for your city on social media, or ask a local university whether it runs an exchange scheme.

The best way to learn French online is to combine types of resource: listen to a podcast like News in Slow French, drill vocabulary on Duolingo or Memrise, watch a
channel like InnerFrench or Easy French, read from Le Journal des Enfants up to Le Monde, and shore up grammar with Tex's French Grammar.

Then put it to use with atandem partner. Free tools take you a long way, and the fastest progress of all comes from using French with people, ideally on a course with SPRACHCAFFE.