Want to learn French without the hassle? Take a quick look at our recommendations of the best apps that will have you speaking French in no time!
Have you always dreamt of ordering a baguette with a flawless French accent? Many expats that come to France want to learn the language as quickly as possible in order to integrate into French life, but can't manage to attend language schools for learning French in Paris, or even online language courses.
The good news is that there are a whole host of apps and sites offering online language learning tools for you to study easily and at any time of day. But the question remains, which ones are the best when it comes to learning French?
In this article, Mister Bilingue shares his expert opinion on making the right choice and finally speaking the French of your dreams while enjoying your morning croissant!
Babbel allows you to learn more than a dozen languages and has already garnered more than 40 million users worldwide! Designed by linguists, the courses offered on Babbel are nicely put together and allow each person to learn a language according to their level, their availability, and, most importantly, their motivation.
Never spoken a word of French in your life? Or maybe it's the opposite and you already know all of Aya Nakamura's lyrics by heart? Either way, it's not a problem! With this app, you can study French at your level, thanks to its adaptable learning method based on oral comprehension and vocabulary revision (with the added bonus of personalized recommendations for each course)!
The nice thing about Babbel is that you can select your courses according to the themes and subjects that interest you the most. If you want to become more familiar with the world of cooking, for example, the app will suggest lessons focused on that theme, complete with relevant vocabulary and expressions. So, if you're aspiring to become Paris' next Michelin starred chef, now's the time to get started!
Time to talk about the app's fees. A subscription costs about €10 per month, although a year's subscription will work out at less than €5 per month, which is a pretty good deal for a high-quality learning app. Plus, if you'd like to give it a try before you get started, the first lesson is free!
If you're looking to develop your communication skills on specific subjects of interest to you, this might be the app for you. Babbel has a very complete offering, even including a bonus feature that uses voice recognition to help you to work on your pronunciation and accent. Gone will be the days when your order at the bakery is met with looks of bafflement and incomprehension – a few sessions on this app and your accent will be the envy of all your expat friends!
So, does the idea of learning enough French to stun your local baker in just one week sound interesting? That's right, Babbel users have risen to the challenge!
With 36 languages available (even including languages like Navajo and Gaelic), Duolingo has been downloaded more than 300 million times worldwide and counts Bill Gates, one of the richest men on the planet, among its users. No big deal! Look, we can't guarantee that you'll become a billionaire just by downloading Duolingo (sorry), but we can say with some certainty that you'll make progress in French… all while having fun with your friends!
Everything comes down to learning by playing on this app, based around a system of points and rewards to keep you motivated. Right at the get-go you have to take a placement test to establish which areas you're strongest in, and which areas need a little extra attention. Each time you complete a category, you unlock points that allow you to access rewards within the app. You could say it's even as addictive as Candy Crush!
The other major plus point of this app is how it establishes a community around language learning. You can invite friends to play, join clubs for mutual support, and even organize tournaments with other teams to challenge yourself that bit more!
While being less focused on learning concrete communication skills or tackling everyday subjects, Duolingo is still a good way of expanding your vocabulary and discovering a multitude of new words with the help of lessons lasting from 5 to 20 minutes each day. That's not bad for a free app (with ads) that bring a little fun to language learning!
To sum up, if you like learning in a fun way or if you need a little moral support from your friends, Duolingo is definitely the app for you!
How do you like the sound of Victor Hugo telling you a funny story to help you learn French? Well, this is exactly what Frantastique has to offer!
Launched in 2013 by Gymglish, this app offers content that is fun, interesting and adapted to your specific level. Your learning journey is shaped by artificial intelligence, which picks up on your errors, corrects them and helps you to improve.
But what really sets this app apart is culture! And what better way to learn a language than by immersing yourself in its culture?
The app emails you one to five times a week with scripted lessons that make use of written, video and audio support. Lessons include a variety of activities to practice and keep track of your progress in real time. Fully developed situations have been professionally put together to help you apply your new language skills to your daily life. What's more, you can even learn to recognize the subtle differences between different French accents (for the beginners among you, good luck with the provincial accent!).
At the end of each lesson, you're rewarded with a small dose of culture. The app encourages you to engage with typical French cultural references through recordings and videos (like, for example, a clip from the cult film OSS117, a gem of French comedy).
Frantastique is also the perfect app for gaining professional recognition of your language skills. When your training in complete, the app can provide you with a diploma certifying your level and including statistics that reflect your participation and progress.
Frantastique is pricier than the others, coming in at €29 per month for a one-year subscription. But, if it's learning all the subtleties of the French language through vocabulary and grammar that interests you, this app is the way to go!
There you are, you now know which are the best apps for learning French in line with your needs and motivations. There's not a minute to waste, the quicker you get started, the sooner you'll be able to unravel the mysteries of the French language and become one of the 300 million French-speaking people in the world!
If you're thinking about moving to France for work, make sure to take a look at our bilingual job offers for your job hunt!
We hope that these tips will serve you well in your job hunt and all that's left to say is, good luck!
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