Course description

Always wished you could speak French, or got stuck after "bonjour" and "merci"? This course takes you from the alphabet to real conversations, step by step, so you can get by in France, chat with French speakers and keep learning with confidence.

It's a full course, not a phrasebook. There are 10 sections and 52 step-by-step written lessons, and every lesson ends with practical tasks you say out loud or write. Every section has a practice pack of word lists, verb tables, practice exercises with answers and flashcards you can import into a flashcard app. Throughout the course you follow a retired railway signaller from Shrewsbury as he learns French from scratch before a trip to Paris and a cycling holiday along the Loire.

What you'll learn

• Sounds: the alphabet, vowels, silent letters, nasal sounds, the French r and linking words, with a pronunciation guide for every new word.
• Talking about yourself: introductions, nationality, work, family and describing people.
• Everyday life: present-tense verbs, questions, saying no, numbers, dates and telling the time.
• Getting around: directions, trains, the metro, buses and hiring a bike.
• Food, shopping and hotels: cafés, brasseries, bakeries and markets, clothes shops, check-in and the pharmacy.
• Plans and the past: daily routine, free time, the weather, making plans, the passé composé and the imperfect.
• Real-world French: messages, phone calls, tu or vous, French around the world and everyday etiquette.

Two final projects

You'll introduce yourself and your life in French, then plan a trip and talk your way through it, from the station to the restaurant.

Who this course is for

• Complete beginners and anyone restarting after school French.
• Holidaymakers, cyclists and walkers who want to do more than point and smile.
• People with family, friends or property in France.
• Anyone planning to spend more time in a French-speaking country.

How the course works

Read each lesson, say the French out loud, then do the Try it tasks and check them against the answers in the practice pack. The course teaches French as spoken in France and explains the main differences elsewhere. It aims at roughly CEFR level A1 and into A2, and gives no formal qualification. You keep lifetime access, so you can come back whenever you need a refresher.

What will i learn?

• Pronounce French clearly, including silent letters, nasal sounds and the French r
• Introduce yourself and talk about your family, work and daily life
• Use the present tense of regular and key irregular verbs
• Ask for directions, buy tickets and get around by train, metro, bus and bike
• Order food and drink, shop, check into a hotel and get help at a pharmacy
• Make plans, send messages and talk about the weather and free time
• Talk about the past with the passé composé and the imperfect
• Know when to use tu or vous, and understand French around the world

Frequently asked question