30 Best Free Online French Lessons For All Levels (2024)

Learning French and looking for free French lessons to help you get started?

Free online French lessons are ideal if you want to pick up on the basics without any risk.

To make you aware of the huge amount of free French lessons you can select from, I’ve rounded up a list of the best ones below.

You won’t have to pay anything for these resources (though some do offer a paid or premium option). For a better list of recommendations, see my French resources list.

Free audio lessons to enhance your French skills

I’ve started my list of free French lessons with a selection of audio and podcasts that will help you develop your French listening skills.

They’re also ideal for modelling your French pronunciation on how French native speakers with different dialects pronounce their phrases.

French Simplified

The highly popular French Simplified courses by native teacher and influencer, Joel Ackermann, also have some free French lessons as part of their “French Travel Kit”.

The lessons are quite good despite being free, but the paid courses are really inexpensive too and worth it.

French Together

French Together features a huge selection of free French audio lessons that are ideal for starting to understand 80% of spoken conversations in French.

Dive into the essential vocabulary and grammar to give your French language skills a bit of a boost.

Open Culture

There are various free French lessons listed on the Open Culture website.

The collection features free content and audiobooks that will help you tune your ear to the French language and help you develop your understanding of spoken French.

Coffee Break French

Free lessons and audio podcasts can be accessed on the Coffee Break French website.

From absolute beginner level to upper advanced, you can immerse yourself in French conversations that focus on a range of topics. Each season has 40 lessons.

JeFrench

You’ll find all of the basics on JeFrench’s selection of free French lessons.

A large selection of themes are covered in these videos and audios, from numbers and verbs, so start here and explore the fundamentals of the French language with JeFrench.

My Languages

As well as vocabulary, you will find a selection of exercises to assist you on your way to French fluency on this website.

All lessons on My Languages are completely free to use, and there are many downloadable audios that will suit French language learners just beginning.

101 Languages

On the 101 Languages website, none of the lessons and content will cost you anything.

Get to grips with the very basics of the French language, including numbers, colours and essential vocabulary and kickstart your learning experience with 101 Languages.

French Today

An audio phrasebook is available for free on the French Today website, with over 13 hours of content.

You will also find comprehensive lessons here, and if you want to continue learning there are some paid audiobooks to help you advance.

Learn French by Podcast

Get started with French with the Learn French by Podcast’s selection of free lessons.

If you want to sample some audio lessons, the Learn French by Podcast lets you download content with which you can study a range of topics to progress.

Free French lessons to develop your French knowledge

Take a look at the free lessons we’ve listed below to help you increase your confidence in the French language.

As well as the basics of French grammar these free lessons will help you build on your existing French knowledge with the fundamentals.

ieLanguages

French pronunciation, listening and vocabulary are all available on the ieLanguages website.

There is a specific section for free lessons and authentic French listening resources on the website as well, so watch out for some French slang and exercises to help you.

Coursera

You can access free-to-audit French lessons at no cost on the Coursera website to take your French learning to the next level. Study a course for the sake of furthering your knowledge is more than possible on Coursera.

If you want to receive a certificate, payment is needed.

Duolingo

Duolingo is famous worldwide for the free language lessons it offers.

There’s no need to pay to receive good-quality French lessons that cover the basics of the language.

Find out more about Duolingo in my review.

Mondly

When you choose Mondly, you will find a range of succinct, to-the-point lessons that make studying French easy. Tracking how you’re advancing is a great feature of these free lessons, which are each condensed into just 5 minutes.

Check out my review for more details.

Live Lingua

There is a specific section for learning French through free lessons on the Live Lingua website. You’ll find that the lessons cover different topics and themes, and you can select the dialect you wish to study — all for free.

Loecsen

Want to learn some French language basics? The Loecsen website is great for this.

There are 17 different themes to study, with quizzes and crucial vocabulary that will round out your knowledge of the French language essentials.

eLearning French

There are plenty of French lessons — free lessons — on the eLearning French website.

You’ll find 12 lessons here, with two opportunities to test yourself on the knowledge you’ve gained from each free lesson. There are even pointers improving your pronunciation.

BBC French Language Archive

The BBC Languages French Archive has a substantial number of lessons and resources for learning the basics of the French language. Each lesson has video clips with transcripts that focus on a range of topics.

Free lessons include topics like ‘eating out’ and ‘shopping’.

The French Experiment

From counting in French to understanding question words, the French Experiment features a great selection of free lessons to get you learning and understanding the language.

There’s even a topic that focuses on French idioms and expressions for advanced learners.

Edx.org

French vocabulary and French numbers are covered in the free lessons on the Edx website.

It’s ideal for developing confidence with some tricky beginner topics.

You can choose to upgrade if you want to continue learning, once you’ve gained confidence with the basics.

TV5monde

The French television network TV5 Monde broadcasts various programs, but it has a specific section for free lessons in the French language.

Not only can you test your level of French, but you can also develop your understanding of the spoken language with these free lessons.

Lingua

Lingua features a range of texts and exercises as well as free lessons.

Some of the lessons include ‘colours’ and ‘seasons ‘at the beginner level, and Christmas celebration topics at the B2 level.

You can unlock more lessons and advanced levels for a fee.

Language Guide

As well as French vocabulary and grammar — such as conjugations and even the French subjunctive tense, you will also find French readings on the Language Guide website.

There are free lessons for a range of levels to help enhance your understanding of French.

Alison.com

On the Alison website, you can access free lessons and online courses such as the Basic French Language Skills for Everyday Life course.

It’s good for a range of different French dialects, teaching you vocabulary and phrases that are useful in France and Canada.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

The MIT course, which is carried out completely in French, provides a free downloadable pack with course materials on vocabulary and grammar.

Audios, videos and readings are all available from this course to help you develop knowledge of the language.

Udemy

The huge range of free lessons on Udemy covers different topics to help develop your French language skills.

As well as lessons such as French pronunciation — presented in a video format — there are also courses and tutorials on improving your French vocabulary.

Free French YouTube lessons to boost your understanding of French

This selection of free French YouTube lessons is great for learning the basics without overloading yourself.

Get to grips with your French pronunciation and practise your French listening skills while getting the hang of the essentials of the French language.

French with Alexa

The French with Alexa YouTube channel is both engaging and funny, providing a range of free lessons on a whole selection of topics.

Dive into the humorous and educational videos and start learning French (while laughing) with Alexa.

Easy French

Easy French makes learning French super easy!

Some of their free lessons and videos focus on grammar, such as French reflexive verbs.

They will teach you the French language authentically, speaking about various topics on the Parisian streets.

FrenchPod101

FrenchPod101’s YouTube channel provides audio and free lessons in video format.

You’ll get stuck into essential French topics and even find a few free lessons that specifically give you guidance on how to pronounce essential phrases in French.

YouLearnFrench

With the YouLearnFrench YouTube channel, you’ll get various free lessons on different topics.

Start learning all you need to know about French adjectives and their forms, how to pronounce French phrases related to health and many more crucial French basics.

Ouino

The Ouino YouTube channel encourages interactive learning.

There are various free lessons — in French and other languages.

From conversation practice in French to the 100 most used words in French, you start building your confidence with these free French lessons.

Learn French with Vincent

A large range of content and free lessons are available in the Learn French with Vincent YouTube channel.

Beginner, intermediate and advanced French exercises are just a few of the free lessons you will find here. Just select the ideal lesson for you and start learning!

Benefits of using free lessons to learn the French language

As I mentioned, there are many advantages of using free lessons to learn French.

Of course, the main advantage is that you don’t have to pay to acquire a new skill!

When you sample a free lesson, this will let you find out whether you’re out of your depth on a particular French language topic by testing your knowledge.

And you’ll also gain the advantage of using free French lessons to develop confidence with challenging themes, such as French numbers.

Begin your French language learning journey with free lessons

Now that you’ve got this huge selection of free French lessons you’ve just got to start practising.

Learn the basics in French until you know them competently and revisit themes and topics with these free lessons.

I recommend you use the free lessons listed here as a foundation from which you can build further knowledge so you can understand each aspect of the French language well.

Also, be sure to check out our lists of the best online French courses and apps.

Do you have any other useful free French lessons to share that we’ve forgotten?

Share them below!

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