Learning French? These 16 French YouTube Channels Will Help

  • Adrien Renault
    Written by Adrien Renault
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Learning French? These 16 French YouTube Channels Will Help

If you’re looking for ways to enhance your French learning experience, you’ve got tonnes of resources at your disposal on YouTube — it’s a great way to learn! 😊

Today’s post is not about French courses, apps, songs or movies (although they’re very useful too) but instead, here we’ll be focusing on the best quality YouTube channels for learning French.

YouTube is packed with high quality French videos.

So, from grammatical lessons, to comprehensive verb lists, to lessons on gender, French articles and vocabulary, the content of the educational French videos that you find on YouTube are some excellent French resources.

As each French YouTube channel might be suited to different learning styles, the goal of our list is to guide you and help you make your choice.

Keep reading for the best YouTube channels to learn French.

But first, let’s get a couple of things straight.

Key reasons why you should take advantage of French YouTube channels

Why use a French YouTube channels to learn French?

There are several reasons, actually.

As I mentioned there are plenty of French learning resources available on the Internet and they vary in terms of their style. If you’re interested, here are our top suggestions for the best French tools and resources.

The biggest no-brainer is that YouTube is completely free.

If you’re a French language learner just starting out, the ideal thing to do is to stockpile as many free resources as you can to build up your knowledge base first without any risky investments.

Unlike some French language resources, no commitment is needed when you use French YouTube channels to boost your knowledge.

You can stop watching whenever you want. That’s another little perk! 😊

But, the benefits of YouTube channels to learn French don’t stop there. As there are actually millions of videos to select from, you’re bound to find the best ones that match your learning style. Some might be suited for a more structured learning approach, while others are more humorous and fun.

Once you’ve found the right one for you, the content you watch can really make an impact and help you remember what you’ve learned as it’s likely to be more engaging for you.

Plus, don’t forget that with the millions of videos you can choose from, there are range of French language YouTube channels that offer something for all levels.

Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced level student, YouTube has something.

And one of the other great things about watching French YouTube channels is that you’re automatically recommended other videos that are (usually) ideal for your level.

This makes accessing more resources so much easier.

Best YouTube channels for learning French

So, here’s our list of the top French language YouTube channels that will give your French skills a push in the right direction. Dive in!

FrenchPod101

FrenchPod101’s playlists not only give you a real slice of French culture, they offer you a good level of immersion into the French language with vocabulary videos and best practices to study. These immersive videos go over the basics of the French language and are also available for different levels.

The YouTube content gives a good teaser of the FrenchPod101 course.

FrenchPod101’s ‘Ask a French Teacher’, delivered in an informative and fun way, is just perfect for students studying at an upper intermediate or advanced level. It will help you iron out any grammatical queries you might have come across.

See our review of the FrenchPod101 platform.

Français Avec Pierre

The great thing about the Français Avec Pierre YouTube series is that all of the videos are spoken entirely in French. This is the best way to immerse yourself in the language, particularly if you’re studying in a non-French speaking country and prefer a completely immersive learning experience.

If you’re a beginner just starting out with French, and are wondering if you’ll be able to fully understand these videos, don’t panic! You can make use of the handy French and English subtitles to help you.

You Learn French

With You Learn French, well, you learn a lot French — that is, you’ll explore French vocabulary, grammar, expressions, verb conjugations, how to introduce yourself and so much more! There is even a selection of dialogues set in different contexts, such as ‘At the doctor’s’, ‘Rent an apartment’ and ‘How to cut hair’.

The main advantage of the You Learn French channel is that if you’re a beginner, you will appreciate the English translations that are featured below each line of dialogue in the videos.

Comme une Française

Want to learn more French vocabulary and sound like a native? Comme une Française is the ideal educational French YouTube channel for you. This series of videos is one of the best for learning how to pronounce new French expressions, vocabulary and phrases. But what’s more, Comme une Française even features videos that teach you about slang phrases.

You’ll also be able to learn about French culture with unique videos such as ‘12 Common French Gestures’, ‘Why You Should Never Say “Mon Ami” in French’ and ‘Why You Should Never Say Garçon (to signal a waiter)’.

Learn French with Alexa

If you choose Learn French with Alexa to start out your French learning journey, you’ll notice the casual and humorous tone of voice she uses to keep your attention. These bite-sized French language videos (approximately two minutes long), focus on a range of elements of the French language. Some videos, for instance, feature specific verb conjugations to help you brush up on verb tenses and verb subjects.

What’s great about this YouTube channel is that you’ll sometimes come across live videos, so getting the definitive answers to your French language queries is a breeze.

Kendra’s Language School

Kendra’s Language School is an YouTube channel for languages that primarily features a wide range of educative French videos. Practicing your French listening skills couldn’t get easier with the extensive selection of French dialogues that take place in a variety of contexts.

The videos featured by Kendra’s Language School are structured, and some have a specific learning method that will help take your French to the next level. For instance, with some of the French listening videos, you’ll be expected to listen to the voice that is played twice and repeat what they say. It’s good preparation for an exam, will help you tune your ear and you’ll even have subtitles to help you.

Learn French with Pascal

The visual aids featured by Learn French with Pascal go beyond some of the other educational French YouTube channels featured here. This makes it easier for new vocabulary and expressions to stay in your head if you’re a visual learner. Many of the videos, for instance, make use of slideshows and images, and Pascal’s website also features free transcripts to assist you with your French learning.

From challenging topics such as verb conjugations and object pronouns, Pascal covers a wide range of topical content in a vast selection of contexts.

Learnesty

What you get with the Learnesty educational French YouTube channel is a selection of structured videos that take you through various topics in French. They combine slideshow presentations with a native French speaker who will guide you through each topic. Topics include ‘Parler de son plat préféré’ (talking about one’s favourite food), and some fun bingo videos that are ideal for revising your French numbers.

Learnesty’s more advanced themes can be found on their website, but this YouTube channel is ideal for beginners and lower intermediate level French students.

InnerFrench

The advantage of using the InnerFrench educational French YouTube channel to study French is that it features various cultural topics, which is vital to understanding phrases in context. From answering questions such as ‘Why are French people never “excited”?’ (with key expressions to help you understand how to express emotions in French), and ‘Why French people don’t like luxury cars’, you’ll get a level of cultural immersion that surpasses some other French YouTube channels.

Spoken completely in French, with English subtitles, you’ll be able to start practicing your listening skills and picking up on French words and phrases from the very beginning with InnerFrench.

Easy French

Take yourself to the streets of France and immerse yourself in the day to day lives of local French people with this great French YouTube channel. The best thing about Easy French? You’ll get more and more familiar with French culture and hear exactly how it’s spoken in authentic contexts.

With some basic subjects, such as French colours, you might think this series is suited to beginner’s only. But as they even feature some subtleties of the French language such as irregular, masculine and feminine forms, you’ll find that these French videos can even benefit those studying at an upper intermediate level too.

Radio France Internationale

If you’re studying French at an advanced level, the Radio France Internationale YouTube channel is just what you’ll need. Featuring some of the most intriguing videos on current global events, the Radio France Internationale YouTube channel is a public broadcast service that’s spoken all in French.

It’s the ideal way to hone your fluency and develop expert-level French listening skills. From football, and news on the Covid-19 pandemic to information on American politics you can explore events across the world, whilst enhancing your French skills.

TV5Monde

Looking for a really entertaining, French YouTube channel that covers current events from around the world? TV5Monde is where you’ll get it. Like Radio France Internationale, this French YouTube channel takes you on a journey and features news story topics such as French and American politics, as well as the latest occurrences with the Covid-19 pandemic.

With TV5Monde you’ll be able to plunge into the deep end and get the latest global news all in French.

Français Authentique

If learning French effortlessly is your goal, using the French channel Français Authentique will help you. These videos are structured yet fun, informative yet light and will take you through various topics.

So, from essential adverbs and French expressions and sayings, to the differences between ‘de’ and ‘du’ with usage examples, and key tips that will help you retain your vocabulary, you can fully immerse yourself in the French language and begin to use it more confidently.

Parlez-vous French?

The tone used by the French YouTube channel Parlez-vous French is both enthusiastic and inviting. Honing your French skills is easy with this engaging YouTube channel, hosted by Anne Le Grand.

You’ll dive into a whole range of engrossing stories suitable for beginners, intermediate students and those studying at advanced level. You’ll also get to test your knowledge with quizzes and exercises.

If you’re only just starting out, one perk is that you get access to transcripts on the Parlez-vous website, and if you want to further enhance your knowledge, the website also offers comprehension activities for the stories you’ve listened to.

Lingoni French

Lingoni French offers French learners a structured set of lessons. These lessons have a similar feel to being taught by a French teacher in a private lesson.

There are videos for complete beginners studying A1 level French, and there are also lessons for lower intermediate students studying at B1 level. Each set of the Lingoni French videos feature topics such as grammatical tutorials and typical French expressions.

One thing that might appeal to you if you’re a beginner is the combined use of French and English to guide you through topics that you might be unfamiliar with.

JeFrench

What sets JeFrench apart from some other educational French YouTube channels is that you can expect an interactive experience with their videos. JeFrench uses a particular structure with listening and repetition required for you to hone your skills.

Featuring slideshows and images to help you remember tricky verb conjugations and vocabulary, Je French takes you by the hand and guides you through new, unexplored words. This YouTube channel is just perfect if you are a visual learner!

How to use YouTube to learn French

So, you should first know that there are various methods to using YouTube to your advantage.

With French YouTube channels that feature TV programmes, movies and music in French, for example, the ideal way to glean more vocabulary is by pausing or slowing down each video until you’ve understood the meaning.


Slow the video down to 0.75 speed (but not slower than this).


Tools like FluentU and Yabla are even better for this.

It’s also great to use videos with transcripts to enhance your learning experience. This makes it much easier to understand and follow the underlying message of the song or film.

Aside from music, movies and programmes, the specific type of educational French channels that we’ll mainly look at here can be accessed by searching YouTube for ‘French language courses online’.

These types of French YouTube channels are specifically for French language learners.

Learner videos can offer a more immersive experience if you listen to native speakers. But if you’re still not entirely confident, starting out with channels that feature English-French translations can be a good way to begin.

Start your French learning journey with educational French YouTube channels

French YouTube channels are great resources that you shouldn’t overlook.

The best ones will not only enhance your level of cultural immersion, they’ll entertain you too!

This list of YouTube channels for learning French just scratches the surface I’m sure, as there are simply loads of them (feel free to let me know about others).


Know of a great YouTube channel for learning French that I didn’t mention?

Share it below in the comment section.

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Donovan Nagel
Donovan Nagel - B. Th, MA AppLing
I'm an Applied Linguistics graduate, teacher and translator with a passion for language learning (especially Arabic).
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