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Of course, you know the saying "time is money". Do you know that it is applicable to second language acquisition? Learning a new language actually requires a financial commitment – up to several thousand dollars – and a lot of time.
According to some training companies, becoming bilingual may be achievable in just a few weeks. You would waste your time and money if you believe and follow their advice! At Premiere Class, we estimate that around 250 hours of private lessons on a regular basis are required to be able to "interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without strain for either party.” (source: B2 Level, Common European Framework of Reference for Languages)
To develop your French skills, we would recommend being exposed to the language as much as possible by listening, speaking, interacting, reading, and writing. Therefore, you will find below some free and accessible tools to practice your French online in between two sessions with your instructor – up until now, nothing can replace the support of a teaching professional in your learning.
Beginner to advanced levels
Online platforms
Ideal for developing your oral comprehension, you can find educational content platforms including videos, clips, interviews, etc. online. Choose those that offer a categorization of their resources by CEFR levels (A1, A2, B1, B2…) and subtitles to facilitate your understanding. Check out TV5 Monde, Francolab, IDÉLLO, etc., they offer online activities!
Language learning apps
You can have access to language learning apps anywhere anytime and most of them are free. Use several apps such as Babbel, MosaLingua, Duolingo, Mondly, and Memrise to develop your vocabulary and listening comprehension or learn new grammatical concepts depending on the application.
Linguistic exchange apps and websites
The concept of linguistic exchange apps is pretty straightforward: once your account is created on a website or an application such as HelloTalk, Bilingua, Tandem, etc., you are put in touch with people who want to learn your language and who speak the one you want to learn. These language exchange apps are a great way to develop your oral and written interaction skills.
Intermediate to advanced levels
Podcasts
Listening to audio documents such as podcasts or French-language radio shows such as “Le journal en français facile” (RFI Savoirs) will help develop your oral comprehension and your vocabulary. A piece of advice: choose podcasts that last about 2-3 minutes to start. Transcripts are sometimes provided which you can use to check your understanding and work on pronunciation.
Online newspapers
Through the Internet, you have access to many online local and international newspapers from French-speaking countries (LeMonde.fr, CourrierInternational.com, etc.) and Francophile communities in many cities like in Toronto (l-express.ca, lemetropolitain.com, etc.).
Streaming platforms
Streaming platforms such as Netflix and Prime Video offer French-language films and series in their catalogs. You can always add subtitles in French, English or in your first language if available. YouTube also offers many helpful videos on cultural specificities and grammatical concepts, idioms, etc. carried out by teachers. As an example, some of our students cook by following video recipes in French!