Online Basic French Learning Course

Beginner French, taught around the thing that actually stops learners: pronunciation.

A third of English vocabulary came from French, so you begin already recognising thousands of words. What you do not have is any idea how they sound — French spelling and French speech diverged centuries ago, and half the letters on the page are silent.

So this course front-loads sound. Which final consonants are silent and which are not, why the feminine form of an adjective often sounds completely different, the four nasal vowels English does not have, the u that is not ou, liaison, and the flat stress pattern that is the second most audible marker of an English accent.

Then the grammar you need: gender and articles, the partitive, être and avoir, the three verb families, three ways to ask a question, and negation. Then real situations — greetings and the tu/vous judgement, introductions, requests, numbers (including the notorious quatre-vingt-dix), family, food and restaurants, travel, directions, and emergencies. The last module adds the passé composé.

What makes this course different

It takes bonjour seriously. Entering a French shop without it is genuinely rude, and this single habit explains much of the “rude Parisian” experience visitors report. The course says so plainly.

It covers the francophone world, not just France. Most French speakers today are African, and the course notes the differences that matter — including the simpler Belgian and Swiss numbers.

It covers the Arabic layer in French — algèbre, sucre, coton, magasin, chiffre, plus the modern North African borrowings in everyday French slang.

How it is organised

Six modules: getting started, sounds and spelling, first grammar, first conversations, everyday French, and the past tense with reading practice. Five review quizzes, and two free preview lessons.