Learn French for beginners

French uses the Latin alphabet, so you can read and sound out words from day one.

French drops or links many letters when words meet, and it has nasal vowels English does not use. Reading a sentence silently teaches you little about how it sounds. Hearing it, typing it and then saying it is the quickest fix.

• Bonjour: hello
• Merci: thank you
• Je voudrais un café, s'il vous plaît.: i would like a coffee, please.

1. 1

   Listen first

   Hear the French sentence before you try it so your ear knows the target.

2. 2

   Say it out loud

   Say the sentence three times. Slow first, then natural speed.

3. 3

   Build it

   Rebuild the sentence from its words so the word order sticks.

4. 4

   Repeat tomorrow

   Start the next session with yesterday's sentences.

• Only reading and tapping, and never saying anything aloud.
• Memorising word lists with no sentences around them.
• Waiting until you feel ready to speak. You get ready by speaking.
• Studying for two hours once a week instead of fifteen minutes daily.
• Expecting fast results. French takes about 700 hours to reach working proficiency, but basic spoken French comes much sooner.

Go deeper with most common French words, useful French phrases, and French verb conjugations.