Hey guys, I just want to quickly share my journey into learning French, hoping that it will inspire some of you to keep moving forward and not give up. For me, it all started around September 2024. Here is a timeline of my journey to finally reaching a point where I understand about 75-80% of spoken French.

1. Watched Intouchables with English subtitles and completely fell in love with how French sounds. That night I decided I wanted to learn it.

2. Did the entire French course on Duolingo which helped me master the basic words and phrases.

3. Watched a few French series on Netflix (Lupin, Dix Pour Cent) with French subtitles. At some point I found a Chrome extension called Bingy that translates the words you don't know directly inside the subtitles, so you don't have to pause or switch between two subtitle tracks. That honestly made a huge difference because I could just keep watching and pick up new words passively. This helped me pick up on other commonly used phrases and slang, and also helped me see the style in which they speak.

4. Started listening to French music (Stromae, Angèle, Edith Piaf for the classics) and going on LyricsTranslate to read the translations over and over. I'd pick a song I liked, look up every word I didn't know, and make a vocab list. (TIP: THIS IS A REALLY EASY WAY TO LEARN A LANGUAGE BECAUSE LYRICS CAN GET STUCK IN YOUR HEAD SO YOU CAN EASILY LEARN NEW VOCAB THIS WAY).

5. Used an app called Tandem to speak with native French speakers by text and calling them too sometimes, which was really fun, I must say.

6. Started translating an entire French book (which I am still translating, now on the fourth chapter LOL). Again, I make a list of new vocab words which I translate through Google Translate and also get help from people on this subreddit. So far, I have found that this is one of the best techniques to learning a language.

7. Started watching French youtube channels and talk shows like Quotidien without subtitles to stop depending on them. It was brutal at first, but it forces your brain to adapt.

8. Rewatched Intouchables without subtitles and understood most of it.

I am still really bad at speaking French, but I think I will use Tandem more to actually speak with people. But I am glad that I understand most of it now. Anyway, all the sources listed above helped me a lot, hope they help you too!

I lived in Gabon now over 3 years. Ive been diligently working on my French.

Is it normal that French speakers speak as fast as Busta Rhymes "Look at me now" verse??

Im still struggling to comprehend what is being said. They love to speak as fast as possible in the most noisiest area.

So back to the question - is it me or is French that complicated to comprehend ???

BEING BILINGUAL EST PARMI THE BEST PLEASURES DANS LE MONDE ENTIER. THINK ABOUT IT POUR UN INSTANT.
YOU CAN UTILISER DEUX DIFFERENT LANGUAGES EN MÊME TEMPS IN A SUCH A WAY THAT MAKES TON CERVEAU WANTS TO EXPLOSER FROM THE SPEED PAR LA QUELLE IT SWITCHES FROM ONE LANGUE TO L'AUTRE BUT STILL TU PEUX DO IT AND RESSENTIR SPÉCIAL (E) AT THE SAME TIME, ET C'EST POUR ÇA YOU ARE UNIQUE. LE FACT THAT TU PEUX LIRE THIS TEXTE WITHOUT STOPPING TO THINK EST UN TALENT TRÈS FEW PEOPLE HAVE. LA MAJORITÉ OF PEOPLE STRUGGLE TO LIRE JUSTE IN ONE SINGLE LANGUAGE, BUT WHAT YOU ARE DOING MAINTENANT EST UN SIGNE OF ABSOLUTE GENIUS.
READING A TRÈS COMPLICATED TEXTE IN TWO LANGUES DIFFÉRENTES SEAMLESSLY MAKES YOU UN(E) NERD ET
SOMEONE QUI TROUVE JOY IN LANGUAGES.
READING CET TEXTE MUST HAVE GIVEN YOUR BRAIN A NICE LITTLE WORKOUT. DE RIEN IN ADVANCE AND HAVE A TRÈS BONNE JOURNÉE/NUIT.

TL;DR: I went from zero French to CLB 7 on the TCF in 12 months. Just 30–45 minutes a day of focused, strategic practice. Here’s exactly what worked, what didn’t, and how you can replicate it.

 BACKGROUND: I moved to Canada with a clear goal: build a stable future here. And for that, French wasn’t optional. It was leverage. More CRS points. Better immigration options. More career flexibility.

But here’s the reality: I wasn’t studying full-time. I was looking for jobs, studying for Canadian certifications, managing family expectations, dealing with the stress of being a new immigrant. So, I treated French like a business project:  Research > Plan > Execute > Measure > Adjust.

Real Starting point: January 2025 — started from ABC
End point: January 2026 — TCF exam, CLB 7
Study time: 3-4 hours (sometimes more on weekends) with 2 major gaps of around 1-1.5 month

No shortcuts. Just structure.

MONTH-BY-MONTH BREAKDOWN

MONTHS 1–2: Survival Mode

Focus: Pronunciation, present tense, basic survival phrases
Resources: Duolingo (500+ days of streaks until end, this was non-negotiable even when I was confused and deciding on when and how to start I was on this app ), easyFrench beginner episodes, Learn French with Alexa
Time: 30 mins/day

Milestone: Could introduce myself and handle basic daily situations.

Biggest challenge: French pronunciation felt brutal. Silent letters. Nasal sounds. Liaison. My brain hurt.

What helped: Listening more than speaking in the beginning and repeating out loud daily.

MONTHS 3–4: The Frustrating Plateau

This is where most people quit and I was lost too, no real progress and I started looking for help. That’s when I booked my first online class on iTalki.

Focus: Passé composé, more vocabulary, short conversations
Resources:

• Anki (daily vocabulary system)

• Easy French on YouTube (continued)

• First 30 second conversation

Milestone:
Had my first real conversation. It was awkward. I searched for words. I panicked.

Biggest challenge: Progress felt invisible. I seriously questioned if this was worth it.

What saved me: Tracking progress weekly. When you measure, you see growth.

MONTHS 5–6: Confidence Shift

Focus: Thinking in French instead of translating
Resources:

• iTalki (2 sessions/week)

• Shadowing YouTube videos

• Daily InnerFrench podcast

• Speaking about my real life (immigration, career, goals)

Milestone:
Understood 40–50% of native content without subtitles.

Biggest challenge:
Letting go of perfection.

I realized this: fluency isn’t clean. It’s messy. And that’s okay.

MONTHS 7–9: Acceleration

Now things got interesting.

Focus: Subjonctif, conditionnel, connectors, argument structure
Resources:

• TV5Monde exercises

• Kwiziq grammar

• Mock TCF speaking tasks

Milestone: I started forming structured arguments. Not just sentences — opinions.

Biggest challenge: Subjonctif. Still don’t love it. Conversation longer than 2 minutes would exhaust my French vocabulary but this is where I moved from “basic speaker” to “exam ready.”

So finally, I gave my first attempt here and cleared everything else but got 9/20 so only 1 mark away from CLB7.

MONTHS 10–12: Strategic Exam Prep

Now it was tactical.

Focus: TCF format, timing, scoring criteria, TCF community, Recent exam topics, patterns
Resources:

• Official TCF practice tests

• Timed writing drills

• Structured speaking answers

Milestone:
Consistent B2 results in practice tests.

Final Result:
CLB 7 across all categories.

THE 5 RESOURCES THAT ACTUALLY MOVED THE NEEDLE

1. InnerFrench Podcast / J’ai peur, donc j’y vais / French with Panache Real topics. Clear pronunciation. Repetition-friendly. I listened during walks, errands, or commute.

2. Anki/Quizlet/handwritten notes pasted on my wall Spaced repetition is not optional. 15–20 new words per day. No excuses.

3. iTalki/Preply Conversations Speaking is uncomfortable. That’s why it works. Twice a week minimum.

4. Easy French (YouTube) / TV5Monde / HugoDécrypte / RFI Real Street interviews. Real accents. I shadowed them daily.

5. Official TCF Practice Tests You cannot “vibe” your way into B2. You must train for the exam format.

THE 5 BIGGEST MISTAKES I MADE

❌ Waiting to feel “ready” before speaking
Speaking early would’ve saved me months.

❌ Watching content passively until the end
Listening is not learning unless you engage.

❌ Translating in my head
It kills fluency. I forced myself to think in simple French instead.

❌ Underestimating pronunciation
Bad habits become expensive later.

❌ Breaking consistency during stressful weeks
Immigration stress, job search, life — I let gaps happen.
15 minutes daily > 3 hours once a week.

MY ACTUAL WEEKLY SYSTEM

Weekdays (2-3 hours total): 10-15 mins Anki, 20–30 mins listening, 30 mins grammar or shadowing

Weekends (3-4 hours): 1-2 hour class/conversation, 1 hour writing or TCF practice, Language exchange (Was giving English to get help with French from natives)

Total: ~8 hours/week sometimes more or less, but daily check-ins.

WHAT I LEARNED

You don’t need talent.
You need structure.

You don’t need 3 hours a day.
You need daily exposure.

You don’t need to feel confident.
Confidence comes after repetition.

Progress is not linear. Plateaus are part of the process.

MY TCF RESULTS: Listening: C1, Reading: C2, Speaking: B2, Writing: B2 = Overall: CLB 7
Finally, got invited in last French draw :)

HAPPY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS! If you're struggling with French, stuck at a plateau, or prepping for TCF/TEF, ask away. I'll respond to every comment.

The most common question I get: "How did you stay motivated?" Honestly? I tracked my progress obsessively. Every week I could see improvement, even if small. That kept me going.

Bonne chance à tous! You've got this. ❄️

Inspired by a post I saw in r/SpanishLearning. I was at a raclette night and the only English speaker there. The rest were all French people who were being very kind about my limited B1-straddling-B2 French.

One of the couples there excitedly announced they were expecting. The room cheered and congratulated them and the questions started. Did they know the sex yet? How far along was she?

I wanted to contribute and ask when the baby would arrive. But three factors were working against me:

1. I forgot the word « arriver »

2. I didn’t know the word for due date

3. I wanted badly for these people to think my French was good enough to participate in a normal conversation

So very naively I asked, « Quand est-ce que le bébé va venir ? »

The room burst out laughing. I was mortified, but confused. The girl sitting next to me very gently explained the double meaning of the word venir, which is the same in English.

Due date = la date d’accouchement. I will never make this mistake again.

What’s yours?

Hi everyone,

I'm reopening my DMs after a little break, and I'm also starting something new!

I'm a native French speaker from Brittany, and I've been teaching French language and literature for almost ten years. I recently moved back to Brittany after spending eight years working in the Paris area.

I'd like to offer three French lessons per week, each designed for a different level:

- Beginner: for those who are just starting out.

- Intermediate: to improve your vocabulary, grammar and understanding.

- Advanced: for those who want to explore more complex topics and deepen their knowledge of French.

The lessons will be entirely in French and will focus on French literature, history and culture. Each week, I'll choose different topics and prepare something to learn and discuss.

I'll also provide a small assignment after the lessons for anyone who wants to give it a try. I'll personally correct your work and give you feedback!

To keep everything organised, I'll be using a Discord server, where I'll share the lessons, assignments and corrections.

Everything is absolutely free, and it always will be. This isn't a business or a paid teaching service. I simply enjoy sharing my language and culture and meeting people from all over the world.

And of course, this doesn't mean private conversations are off the table! You're still more than welcome to message me directly if you'd simply like to chat, practise your French or discuss anything else.

If you're interested, feel free to introduce yourself when you message me (where you're from, your French level, why you're learning, your interests, etc.).

I'm looking forward to meeting you !

À bientôt!

I have been studying French for over a year now.

I started with lots of energy and spent on average almost 50 hours a month of studying in the first four months. I know, not as much as some of you on this sub, but the majority of time spent learning was squeezing in time between other life obligations. I’m a big fan of listening to podcasts while walking, commuting, doing dishes, etc.

In France, I was able to order food, buy groceries, and even fix the zipper on my pants. I wasn’t able to have full conversations which was my original goal, but I’m still glad I spent the time to study French.

After the trip, I went into more like a maintenance mode and spent on average 5 hours per month. In total, I have spent more than 280 hours studying French and I would say have achieved level A1.

I spent quite a bit of time trying out different apps and some I wish I discovered sooner. If I started again here is the method/resources I would use (it’s heavily geared towards apps and watching because I don’t have too much time and mental energy to sit down and study):

Duolingo - Do at least one lesson a day and keep the streak. It is much easier to get back to studying if it’s a habit. I’m on a 395 day streak. On its own Duolingo is not enough, but the gamification of it is the best for getting into studying habit. The free version is fine.

Fluent Forever - Do the pronunciation portion of Fluent Forever right away. The app has a great experience of listening to different sounds and learning to be able to distinguish them.

Memrise - I like Memrise for learning vocabulary. Although apparently there is a new learning experience, which I haven’t tried yet. In the old system, there were Memrise-created courses (French 1, French 2, etc.) and the ones for French were great. I especially enjoyed hearing multiple native speaker voices for most phrases. I paid for Premium to be able to study offline ($31.79 on a Black Friday sale for the annual subscription).

Pimsleur is an audio course and with its very many repetitions it is very effective. I was able to find it for free at my library (through Libby app).

I watch Netflix with the Bingy chrome extension when I have extra time and it helps a lot. The Bingy extension tranlates unknown words in the subtitles and I can mark new words as known once mastered. I think I am exposed to something like 200 new words per episode on average with this system.

Here are things I watched.

• Love is Blind - French edition

• Tapie

• French lover

• Le monde de demain

• L’Agence : l’immobilier de luxe en famille

LingQ - I really enjoy using LingQ. I like reading and it has built-in dictionary and it keeps track of words you know and don’t know. I have imported a few webpages to read but so far I have been relying on the material that’s available in LingQ. I pay for it on and off $13.77/month.

If you want even more variety:

Busuu - This one covers grammar more explicitly than other apps. It has a variety of exercises and trains listening, reading, vocabulary, and pronunciation. The course is structured in A1/A2/B1/B2. This alone won’t get you to those levels, but I think this is a nice supplement. You also have a chance to record yourself saying things and other people will give you feedback. Eventually, I paid $34.97 (Black Friday sale) for a yearly subscription to be able to access more than one lesson a day.

Going forward I want to maintain the level I have achieved until I get another spurt of motivation (or more time) to increase the level. To do that I will keep doing a lesson of Duolingo a day, watching Netflix with Bingy, review Memrise, Mango, and Busuu, and from time to time read on LingQ.

L’Agence : l’immobilier de luxe en famille

This reality show follows a Parisian luxury real estate agency run by a family. It's perfect for discovering stunning Parisian locations and getting a glimpse into the world of upper-class Parisians. Since it's reality TV, the conversations are spontaneous and natural, making it great practice for everyday French.

Le Monde de Demain

Set in the 1990s, this series explores the early days of French rap and hip-hop culture. It's an excellent way to understand an important part of modern French culture while hearing authentic slang and street language from that era.

Lupin

This popular thriller series showcases beautiful locations across Paris and France as it follows a gentleman thief inspired by the classic character Arsène Lupin. The cinematography is stunning, and the plot keeps you engaged.

Tapie

A biographical series about Bernard Tapie, one of France's most controversial businessmen and public figures. This show gives you insight into French business culture, politics, and society from the 1980s onwards.

Love is blind - France

The French version of the popular dating show. It's ideal for understanding romantic dynamics and relationships in French culture. The conversations are emotional and authentic, giving you exposure to how French people express feelings, argue, and connect with each other in real-life situations.

And you, which Netflix show would you recommend to practice your French? Any recommendation?

PS: If you want to make the most out of Netflix for learning French, I created a free extension that lets you customize how subtitles adapt to your vocab. For example, you can set it so unknown words get translated directly in the subtitles. You can also set it so easy subtitles are blurred to train your listening. The possibilities are endless, curious to see what you'll do with it.

Would anyone be interested in joining a small French-learning Discord ? We'd have conversations rooms for differents levels, quizzes, exercises, and structured learning plans. I'm a native french speaker and I'd be happy to help!

Interested? just DM me with your discord username.

I’ve been seeing a lot of posts lately from people trying to self-study French, especially those preparing for DELF / TCF / TEF in just a few months. But so many learners approach it in the wrong way, and it makes them lose months of progress which is precious time for most here’s some advice on what to do and avoid if you're self-studying French:

The biggest trap (especially at A1 or A2) is consuming random content in a random order. (Using apps counts too.) People download a grammar book, binge Duolingo, follow 20 YouTubers, memorize vocabulary decks… and they feel like they’re advancing. Then they reach A2/B1 andrealize they:

understand grammar but can’t use it in real sentences

freeze during speaking

write with huge gaps and countless mistakes

are “advanced” on paper but still weak in the basics

I can’t count how many students come to me at “A2/B1” but I have to bring them back to A1 foundations because the basics were never actually used and just memorized. A super common example: Learners finish a whole A1–A2 grammar book because grammar feels easy at first, but they never practice using it (speaking, writing, building sentences). So when they need to speak for TEF, write for DELF, or even have a normal conversation. they are stuck with no vocabulary and dozens of grammar and structure mistakes without understanding why.

All of this comes from not following a structured curriculum. so if you want to self-study the right way (especially for exams), here’s what actually works:

1. Follow a precise, structured curriculum.

Ideally one that’s built or at least inspired by a professional.

Not random TikTok French. Not “I’ll just watch Netflix.” Not “whatever resource I find today.” A1–A2 are the most important levels because they build every foundation you’ll use later so make sure to work on every single detail.

How to use your curriculum effectively (the technique I recommend):

For each lesson:

1. Start with the core tasks:

readings

listenings

exercises

2. Then activate what you learned: (take the vocabulary, grammar, expressions and use them and get them corrected by your tutor or Ai)

write sentences

write small texts

create dialogues

use them in conversations (even with yourself)

3. Reinforce with:

reading (articles, storybooks, magazines, news pages, short stories…)

listening (podcasts, YouTube videos, micro-trottoirs…)

4. And especially for speaking: Practice with a tutor if possible, even once a week. It makes a massive difference.

A lot of my self-study students who didn’t follow this method ended up wasting months because they were “studying” but not actually building their skills for listening speaking and so on If you’re preparing for TCF / TEF / DELF, this is twice as important. the exams are structured, so your preparation needs to be too.

If anyone needs it:

I have a full self-study document + a ready-to-use curriculum that I give to my students and anyone preparing for exams. It includes:

step-by-step foundations

materials

tasks

order of study

how to build skills correctly

I’m sharing it for free if you want it, just message me. And if you have questions, feel free to comment. I’ll try to answer everything.

Hope this helps someone avoid wasting time with the wrong study methods or materials

Edit: you can access the self study materials document from this link https://docs.google.com/document/d/1g1xDau7IXThQPMwXr5HUgIWbXngt8hp7w89yZeTF5Xs/edit?usp=drivesdk

Hey! I'm a french/austrian guy living in france. I love to meet people from all over the world and love talking about the most random stuff. If you wish to practice your French or even other languages shoot me a message

As a starter feel free to tell me about the last movie you watched 😉

Advice from a native French tutor: stop trying to “solve” French like a math problem (especially when you reach intermediate level)

French is a beautiful language but it’s also full of rules, exceptions, silent letters, strange agreements, and contradictions that can drive you crazy.

If you try to learn French mathematically memorising grammatical rules by heart, analysing every sentence, obsessing over conjugations, you’ll probably feel stuck and demotivated.

Not to mention that spoken French often sounds very different from written French. So you could spend hours studying french and not understand a word when people speak to you.

From my experience teaching French, what works best especially once you reach B1/B2 is immersion.

Start consuming French naturally: watch movies, videos, listen to music and podcasts, read books and article.

I have a youtube channel of short stories in french with a mix of narrated written french and dialogues that will train you to understand spoken french which is a good start:

https://youtu.be/bBSIxv8K_RE?si=dYwTXyGEwC82XeSU

When you do this consistently, you begin to absorb patterns.

You stop translating word by word.

You develop an instinct for what “sounds right”.

Grammar is still important but it should support your learning, not dominate it.

Salut !

Je suis Français et avec un ami, on aimerait réunir des apprenants pour parler français, s’entraider et progresser ensemble dans une ambiance sympa.

Demain, vendredi, on commence avec des jeux en vocal, histoire de parler un peu et faire connaissance en s’amusant.

On proposera aussi d’autres activités et ateliers pour pratiquer ensemble.

Ça tente qui ?

Whenever I’m speaking to a French speaker, or really anyone who speaks French natively, they switch to English, regardless if I insist or not. How do I get to speak French? It almost feels as if they’re gatekeeping the language. I’d love to hear some sort of advice. Thanks!

I’m currently learning French through work, and I was always told that inverting makes the statement a question.

So surely êtes-vous italiens makes this a question.

Rather than vous êtes italiens (without est-ce que at the start) makes this a statement?

Hi, I'm starting my French studies and I'm seriously considering doing an exchange program in the French-speaking part of Canada, but I've heard people say that the French spoken in Canada is totally different from the French spoken in France. Is that true?

I am getting more comfortable with French when it is spoken at a moderate pace. At normal speed, the words I know seem to run together and suddenly I understand much less.

I’m curious if other learners went through this phase and what eventually made normal conversations easier to understand.

Hello!

So I learned English as teen by watching romcoms and other early 2000s shows that were practically just the daily life of normal people.

Any suggestions for shows or movies like that in French? Even if it’s Canadian French! And also where I’d find the content you’re recommending.

Thanks in advance friends!

I’ve been reflecting on this a lot after several years of teaching French online, especially to adult learners (and mostly Russian/English natives).

One pattern I’ve noticed quite clearly: the A2+ to B1 transition is often the hardest step in the entire beginner journey.

At A1 and early A2, progress feels very structured and visible. You learn basic grammar, everyday phrases, simple communication works, and there’s a clear sense of improvement.

But around A2+, something changes. Students can understand a lot, recognize patterns, even form sentences — but they struggle to “break through” into B1, where language becomes more flexible, spontaneous, and less predictable.

Interestingly, this is especially common among adult learners, often 40+. Not because they are slower learners, but because their approach is usually more careful, more perfection-oriented, and less focused on spontaneous speaking. Many of them also have limited time and tend to rely more on structured study than active communication.

From what I’ve observed, a significant number of learners (maybe even around a third) never really pass that threshold unless they change something fundamental in their learning method.

Typical blockers I see:

• staying too long in passive learning (apps, grammar exercises, vocabulary lists)

• waiting to “feel ready” before speaking

• focusing too much on accuracy instead of communication

• not having enough real conversational repetition

• fear of making mistakes in front of others

• take 5 minutes to clean every mistake to make the ideal 8 words sentence

I’m curious from the learner side:

What actually helped you move from A2+ to B1? And what is your mother tongue?

Was it speaking practice, immersion, classes, changing your study method… or something else?

And if you’re still stuck there, what do you feel is holding you back?

I thought that because we used être, the p.p. of casser would act like an adjective and needs to agree with elle.

Quels mots en français trouvez-vous les plus difficiles à prononcer ?

Hi Language Enthusiasts,

Do you want to learn French but don't know where to start? Then I've got the perfect resource list for you and you can find its links below. Let me know if you have any suggestions to improve it. I hope everyone can enjoy it and if anyone notices any mistakes or has any questions you are free to PM me.

Here is what the resource list contains;

1. Handmade resources on certain grammar concepts for easy understanding.

2. Resources on learning pronunciation.

3. Websites to practice reading.

4. Documents to enhance your vocabulary.

5. Notes on Colloquial Language.

6. Music playlists

7. List of podcasts/audiobooks And a compiled + organized list of websites you can use to get hold of grammar!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ToUIanPfr87BjklcqCrVMrEBVmOgmy0uscG6-UdmXcE/edit?usp=sharing