Level Up with 10 of the Best Online French Courses

Planning a trip to France in 2023 but feeling tongue-tied? Don’t worry, and you’ve come to the right place.

Free online French courses, such as the Udemy French Course Free, can only be accessed with proper guidance. If not, you might have a bad experience, or worse, decide not to pursue your dreams of going to France! We will guide you through 10 free and best online French classes and lessons in 2023 while also explaining why you must explore these courses for a wholesome experience and learning process.

Are you ready to check ‘eat a croissant at a cute cafe by the riverside’ off of your bucket list? Let’s go!

1. Free Udemy French Course

Featuring over 400+ French language courses taught by experienced French teachers, Udemy’s content is both beginners friendly and advanced as well. Not only does it encompass the fundamentals of the language, but it also delves into the dialect and pronunciation aspects.

One such class is the ‘3 Minute French – Lessons for beginners’ which is a collection of online lessons over 1.5 hours that enable you to speak French quite simply. The lessons start with simple words and build up to you being able to express yourself fluently with new vocabulary and grammar in French, all with these 3-minute short chunks of lessons!

Another class that can help you pick up French faster is ‘Improve Your French Now,’ which encompasses a series of audio and video content supported with exercises to help improve your French! This 1.5 hours duration course helps you comprehend spoken French with an expansive vocabulary and aims to improve your understanding of French culture as well.

All the lessons are created with a specific theme in mind, ranging from understanding everyday expressions, and choosing the right tense in any situation, to learning the use of grammar and vocabulary with relevant explanations.

Designed with an easy-to-use interface that is simple and clean, Udemy also has phonetic videos with exercises which can enable you to improve your French speaking skills as well. So don’t wait; check out Udemy French Course for Free today!

2. Getting Started for Free in French [TV5Monde]

We must admit, this isn’t a traditional way to learn French, but it does seem to work wonders! Boasting an extensive collection of French media content, such as videos, programs, and news reports to choose from, TV5Monde provides free content for French learners to choose from. From high-quality articles, exercises, videos, games, and vocabulary exercises, this website makes learning French that much more fun.

Check out their ‘Première classe’ that covers the basics from greetings, hobbies, housing, meals, work, health, and travels; all the essentials you need as a beginner to pick up French the easy way! 2000+ exercises come in handy to improve your oral comprehension. From vocabulary, information on culture, homophones, grammar cards, and more, you’ll be on your way to learning French in no time if you give 20 minutes a day for 3 weeks!

TV5Monde promises to be fun and entertaining. While the website navigation may pose a slight challenge, it’s well worth the effort to get on there as soon as possible!

3. Free French Lessons [The French Experiment]

If you’re looking for an easy, laid-back way to learn French, The French Experiment is the perfect online class for you. Around 15 free online classes cover an unbelievable number of French elements through short visual stories represented by hand-crafted images accompanied by audio transcriptions.

The French Experiment has covered everything from lessons on negatives and possessions, numbers, time concepts, idioms, conversational content, expressions, grammar, days and numbers, and more!

Here’s what’s interesting, though: they have an entire section dedicated to stories and fairy tales as well, which features audio support and translations for each paragraph!

Additionally, you can access even more free learning content and other learning tools by signing up for their newsletter.
We recommend you experiment with “The French Experiment” today!

4. French Course [Language Transfer]

Tired of cumbersome courses that are time-consuming? Introducing ‘Language Transfer – Introduction to French’, a free-only audio-based course for beginners! Basic building blocks are broken down by the host and are introduced in a way that sticks to your memory. There are no written materials; all you have to do is simultaneously listen and participate with the host and student alike.

Another unique trait lies in the fact that all the smaller segments in a lesson lead to a more giant puzzle, with no unnecessary extras in the middle, helping you learn and communicate faster in French.

By using something known as the “Thinking Method,” Language Transfer enables you to self-study and understand at your own pace, rather than following the “brute force repetition” method.

All in all, it’s an easy-to-understand, positive, and encouraging way for beginners to grasp the intricacies of French.

5. Coffee Break French [CoffeeBreakLanguages]

Podcast lovers, we have something special just for you – entertaining, comprehensive, short, and effective French audio courses for free.

Introducing Coffee Break French, a podcast-only French course that contains easy-to-consume content anywhere between 5 and 20 minutes. Although speaking and listening seem to be the focal point, grammar and vocabulary are also looked at with almost the same intensity.

Presented in a soothing, relaxed format by its Scottish founder Mark, you’re bound to be entertained as you immerse yourself in the first season for beginners, with 40 episodes each. Guest native speakers also come on the podcast from time to time for pronunciation practice and valuable insights.

Coffee Break French can be found on any popular podcast streaming service, so grab your headphones, and start your journey to learning French within the perfect Coffee Break time!

6. Learn French in Just 5 Minutes a Day [Duolingo]

Why look for paid courses when you can get the best resources for free on Duolingo?

‘Learn French in just 5 minutes a day for free’! Don’t take our word for it; get on the Duolingo app or website and see for yourself.

Duolingo offers bite-sized French lessons that are gamified to feel more like a game than a textbook for ease of learning, as well as to provide effective teaching. With personalized learning to suit your needs and pace, lessons take a functional approach and focus on real-life situations, along with a few quirky elements to up the fun! These courses are proven to help you with reading, listening, and speaking skills in an efficient yet light-hearted manner. With both implicit and explicit learning models, you can access tips on various grammar and vocabulary exercises.

Entertainment is elevated by Duo, the owl mascot, who provides engaging games and challenges, as well as beloved daily reminders.

7. Frenchpod101 [Youtube]

If you’re an avid fan of YouTube and prefer to watch videos to learn, FrenchPod 101 (originally a podcast with extensive courses) is also available on YouTube for free!

Choose from a variety of short, easy-to-learn videos that focus on vocabulary, common phrases and idioms, slang words, daily activities, French culture, and more. The content is sometimes simply a list of words, while some have short quizzes incorporated into them. With native French speakers as your guides who use simple terms and ways to explain, it’s a great way to understand and familiarize yourself with the accents.

With over 1 million subscribers, these videos are a sure-shot way to learn the basics of French at your own comfort. Go on, subscribe today.

8. French for Beginners [Alison]

Alison helps you take your first steps towards being fluent in French for free! From learning the French alphabet to maintaining a conversation on your own in French, Alison’s modules pave the way for you with ease in any situation.

One such course is ‘French for Beginners,’ which helps you effectively tackle day-to-day situations in French! You can now move from a beginner level to an intermediate in these 4 modules that cover an introduction to French with greetings, directions, verbs, gender, dates, time, verb conjugation, family trees, and more. Each lesson is accompanied by relevant exercises and examples to help you master French, with a course assessment to certify you on your new skill!

With a simple yet attractive website UI that includes multiple categories across various topics, get ready to learn French the fun way for free!

9. Learn French Online [Babbel]

If you’re looking to learn the absolute basic/lower levels from an app that’s well-known and widely popular, look no further than Babbel. With an excellent course structure and logical lesson progression, Babbel offers engaging classes to make learning French less intimidating, with lessons for listening, grammar, speaking, and even idioms!

With short and comprehensive lessons and an easy-to-adapt platform, practicing is more convenient, easy, and fun. The layouts vary with each course, but dialogues with audio options are usually available to help reinforce concepts learned around building grammar.

Additionally, you can practice efficiently with regular reviews and other such activities to keep you on your toes! Don’t forget to indulge in the conversation exercises to understand the natural contexts of the language in everyday life.

Overall, this platform helps you grasp the basics of French by learning from experienced instructors; a huge plus point indeed!

10. Free French Lessons [Rocket Languages]

If you’re looking for a well-balanced and well-planned course to learn French from, Rocket French is your solution. With ‘interactive audio’ courses, French Rocket ensures you can absorb the language through repetitive conversations. The lessons have unique characteristics; interesting yet adventurous real-life situations involving two French hosts that are usually light-hearted and humorous.

With lessons that last around 20 minutes, it’s super convenient to listen to them while you multitask. You could be going to work, picking up groceries, or even doing the dishes while you listen to your course and earn basic conversational skills in French!

For specifics on grammar, French Rocket also has the ‘Language and Culture’ course that covers typical classroom French learning! Not just that, you also get access to notes after each lesson, with audio lessons for the same. The lessons are reinforced with fun activities that involve flashcards, games, and culture lessons as well.

For those worried about how you sound when you practice French, the Rocket Record tool has you covered. Each audio example comes with one, so you can record yourself and playback it to correct yourself. Quite a handy tool, indeed! It’s a one-stop solution for all your queries. Go sign up for that free trial today!

Conclusion

With an array of options available (although we must agree Udemy French course free seems to take the number 1 spot), most courses might require you to pay a basic amount after the free trial expires, but having said that, learning French from the comfort of your home has never been easier. Let us know how helpful you found this article!

Bonne chance! 🙂