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French

Free French course

French is spoken in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Canada and much of Africa. The course teaches standard French as spoken in France.

Below you'll find how the course works, what the levels mean and where everything is. If you'd rather start right away, chapter 1 assumes no French at all.

Start with chapter 1No sign-up needed.
The Eiffel Tower and the Pont d'Iéna over the Seine in Paris
Bonjour ! Ça va ?Hello! How are you?

How the course works

The course takes you from your first words to everyday conversations with native speakers, in 48 chapters over four levels. Work through the chapters in order: each one builds on the words and grammar of the ones before.

  1. Listen

    A short dialogue from everyday life. Listen to it whole, then line by line, at normal or slow speed.

  2. Understand

    The new grammar and words, explained in plain English with examples you can play.

  3. Practise

    Exercises that tell you straight away if you're right, and sentences to say out loud.

  4. Check

    A five-question quiz. Finish the chapter to add its words to your review deck.

Time. A chapter takes about 30–45 minutes. You can stop after any step and come back later.

Remembering. The words from finished chapters come back in Review at growing intervals, just before you would forget them.

Your progress is saved in this browser. A free account keeps it safe and lets you continue on any device.

The four levels

The course has four levels of twelve chapters: Beginner, Elementary, Intermediate and Upper intermediate. Each one says what you'll be able to do when you finish it.

The codes in brackets, A1 to B2, are from the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages), an international scale used by many schools, employers and language exams. You don't need to know it to use the course.

Where should I start? If you're new to French, start with Beginner, chapter 1. If you already know some, take the beginner test: it shows which chapters you can skip, and each level has its own test.

Finding your way

The bar under the site's header takes you to every part of the French course, wherever you are:

Course →
This page, with every chapter in order. The list on the left of each chapter takes you to any other chapter.
Grammar →
32 short pages, one rule each, with tables and examples. Each chapter links to the pages it uses.
Verbs →
Full tables for 48 common verbs, in every tense the course teaches, with audio.
Vocabulary →
Every word the course teaches, level by level and topic by topic, with audio.
Phrasebook →
Ready-made phrases for 10 everyday situations, from greetings to emergencies.
Review →
Flashcards with the words of the chapters you've finished, and a passport with a stamp for each chapter.
Before you start
How the letters are pronounced, with audio:

All chapters

Beginner (A1)

12 chapters

You'll be able to: Introduce yourself, order food and drink, ask for directions and understand simple, slow speech.

Test yourself (24 questions)All the words of this level

  1. Hello and goodbyeBonjour et au revoirSay hello and goodbye in French at any time of day, introduce yourself, say where you're from and ask how someone is.
  2. Numbers and pricesLes nombres et les prixCount from 0 to 100 in French, including the tricky 70s, 80s and 90s, ask how much something costs and understand prices.
  3. At the caféAu caféOrder a drink and a croissant in a French café, ask for the bill, and learn when to say tu and when to say vous.
  4. Getting aroundSe déplacer en villeAsk where places are in a French town, understand simple directions and say what there is nearby with il y a.
  5. Family and friendsLa famille et les amisTalk about your family in French, say “my” and “your” with mon, ma and mes, and give ages with avoir.
  6. My homeChez moiName the rooms and furniture of a French home, say where things are with sur, sous and dans, and describe them with colours.
  7. My dayMa journéeDescribe your daily routine in French with regular -er verbs and se lever, and ask and tell the time.
  8. Food and shoppingFaire les coursesBuy food in a French shop: ask politely with je voudrais, say “some” with du and de la, and ask for quantities like a kilo of…
  9. Time and datesLes jours et les datesLearn the days, months and dates in French, make an appointment on the phone and talk about plans with aller + infinitive.
  10. Likes and dislikesJ'aime, je n'aime pasSay what you love, like and hate in French, make sentences negative with ne… pas, and agree with moi aussi and moi non plus.
  11. Hobbies and free timeLes loisirsTalk about sports and hobbies in French with faire and jouer, say how often you do things, and invite a friend with pouvoir and vouloir.
  12. Your first conversationVotre première conversationA longer conversation that brings together all of A1: meeting someone, talking about where you're from, work and hobbies, and asking questions.

Elementary (A2)

12 chapters

You'll be able to: Handle shopping, travel and everyday errands, and talk about your work, your home and what you did last weekend.

Test yourself (24 questions)All the words of this level

  1. Talking about the pastParler du passéSay what you did yesterday or last weekend with the passé composé, using avoir or être, and time words like hier and il y a.
  2. Travel and hotelsÀ l'hôtelCheck in at a hotel, ask about breakfast, make polite requests with pourriez-vous and explain a small problem in your room.
  3. At the doctor'sChez le médecinSay what hurts and since when, use reflexive verbs in the past, and understand a doctor's advice with vous devez and il faut.
  4. Home and housingChercher un logementVisit a flat to rent, ask about the rent and the neighbourhood, and compare places with plus, moins, aussi and meilleur.
  5. Work and studiesLe travail et les étudesTalk about your studies and past jobs, describe what things were like with the imparfait, and say how long with pendant and depuis.
  6. Weather and seasonsLa météo et les saisonsTalk about the weather and the seasons, understand a forecast and say what will happen with the futur simple.
  7. Clothes and shoppingLes vêtementsBuy clothes: say your size, ask to try things on, point with ce, cette, ces and replace nouns with le, la, les.
  8. Plans and invitationsFaire des projetsSuggest something to do, accept or turn down an invitation, change a plan, and use y to mean “there”.
  9. Directions and transportPrendre le trainBuy a train ticket, ask about platforms, delays and changes, and give and understand instructions with the imperative.
  10. Describing peopleDécrire quelqu'unDescribe what people look like and what they're like, say what someone was like in the past, and link ideas with qui and que.
  11. Phone calls and messagesAu téléphoneMake a phone call, leave a message, spell your name in French and use lui, leur and me, te, nous, vous.
  12. A weekend awayPartir en week-endTell a friend about a weekend trip and help them plan one, combining the past tenses, the future, the imperative and pronouns like en.

Intermediate (B1)

12 chapters

You'll be able to: Get by on your own when travelling, describe experiences and plans, and explain your opinions.

Test yourself (24 questions)All the words of this level

  1. Stories and memoriesHistoires et souvenirsTell a memory from start to finish with the passé composé, the imparfait and the new plus-que-parfait, and put events in order.
  2. Opinions and reasonsOpinions et argumentsGive your opinion, agree and disagree politely, explain why with parce que, comme and donc, and meet the subjunctive after je ne pense pas que.
  3. News and current eventsL'actualitéUnderstand simple local news, use the passive (a été inauguré, sera fermé) and report what someone said with il a dit que.
  4. Feelings and relationshipsSentiments et relationsReact to news and talk about feelings with the subjunctive (je suis triste que tu partes), say “each other” and give a friend advice.
  5. Hopes and wishesRêves et souhaitsSay what you would do with the conditional, imagine situations with si + imparfait, and talk about hopes and dreams.
  6. Solving problemsRésoudre un problèmeTake something faulty back to a shop, explain the problem, talk about real conditions with si, and use two pronouns together.
  7. Culture and traditionsCulture et traditionsExplain a tradition with on for people in general, and link ideas with the relative pronouns qui, que, où and dont.
  8. Work and careersTravail et carrièreHandle a job interview in formal French, describe your experience, and say why you do things with pour, afin de and pour que.
  9. Health and lifestyleSanté et mode de vieTalk about eating, sleeping and exercise habits, give advice with il faut que and il vaut mieux que, and use the gérondif (en marchant).
  10. Money and everyday servicesL'argent et les servicesOpen a bank account, make polite formal requests with the conditional, say “only” with ne… que, and read and say large amounts.
  11. Travel storiesRécits de voyageTell the story of a trip that went wrong, react with surprise, and imagine a different past with si j'avais su.
  12. Telling your storyRaconter sa vieTell your life story and talk about your plans, combining all the B1 tenses, and stress an idea with ce qui and ce que.

Upper intermediate (B2)

12 chapters

You'll be able to: Hold normal conversations with native speakers, follow most films and news, and write clear, detailed texts.

Test yourself (24 questions)All the words of this level

  1. Discussing and debatingDiscuter et débattreDefend a point of view, admit a point with bien que and même si, contrast ideas with pourtant and en revanche, and take the floor politely.
  2. Work in depthRéunions et négociationsNegotiate with a client, set conditions with à condition que and à moins que, talk about deadlines with the futur antérieur, and ask for feedback.
  3. Film, books and mediaCinéma, livres et médiasTalk about a film and a novel with nuance, sum up a plot, recognise the passé simple of written stories, and say “the best film I've seen”.
  4. Science and technologySciences et technologiesExplain how an online scam works, say what was done to you with se faire + infinitive, use the passive with care, and link causes and effects.
  5. Society and the environmentLa société et l'environnementDiscuss an environmental problem and its solutions, use every kind of si clause, including mixed ones, and express concern with je crains que.
  6. Public lifeLa vie publiqueReport what was said and asked at a public meeting with every tense change, report instructions, and use the verbs of news reporting.
  7. Education and learningL'école et les étudesTalk about school and training choices, express regrets with j'aurais dû and j'aurais aimé que, and use the past infinitive: après avoir fini.
  8. Idioms and everyday speechExpressions et langue de tous les joursUnderstand and use common French idioms, fillers like du coup, en fait and bref, and the short forms of relaxed speech: t'as, c'est pas.
  9. Humour and informal languageHumour et langage familierRecognise familiar French and verlan, understand irony and understatement, and put words first for emphasis in speech: mes fringues, je les ai rangées.
  10. Formal writingL'écrit formelWrite a formal letter or email of complaint with the right set phrases, link ideas with written connectors, and use the present participle: ayant constaté.
  11. Giving a presentationFaire une présentationStructure a talk, guide your audience, answer questions, stress key points with c'est… qui / que, and use lequel, auquel and duquel.
  12. Final reviewRévision généraleFollow a long, natural conversation that uses the whole range of B2 French, and learn n'importe qui, n'importe quoi and quoi que.