Bienvenue, dear learner, to our Tour de French Learning!

Whether you associate the French language with musicians like Céline Dion and Stromae, scientists like Marie Curie, political leaders like Toussaint Louverture and Josephine Baker, or any of the other pioneering French speakers throughout history, there are *a lot* of reasons to learn French!

French is the sixth most widely spoken language in the world, with over 333 million people using it as a first or second language. It’s the official or co-official language in 29 countries on five continents, and it’s one of the official languages of the United Nations and the European Union.

A brief Tour de French

Maybe you’re new to the language, maybe you’re looking to add another course to the mix, or maybe you want to come back to French after learning a little bit in school. No matter your reasons, French is a great language to study! Here are a few things every learner should know:

  • French is a Romance language, which means it evolved from the dialects of Latin that were spoken in modern-day France. It’s closely related to Italian and Spanish, and more distantly related to English and German (among many, many others!).
  • English and French share a lot of vocabulary. Long ago, French speakers invaded southern England and brought their language with them, which means that even if you’ve never studied French before, some of it will still look familiar! We’ve also borrowed words from French more recently, including chic, gourmet, boutique, souvenir, and bureau, which you can easily recognize if you hear them in French:
    chic
    ,
    gourmet
    ,
    boutique
    ,
    souvenir
    , and
    bureau
    !
  • French nouns are either masculine or feminine. French has grammatical gender, which means even words that have nothing to do with people are all either masculine or feminine. That can be surprising for English speakers, but there are a lot of patterns to look for!
  • French has formal and informal versions of pronouns and verb endings. For example,
    tu
    is the way you say you to a person you know well or to a child, while
    vous
    is a formal version of you that sounds more polite, for people you need to show respect to or when talking to strangers. The verb form you use changes, too: To say you speak French, you’d say
    tu parles français
    in informal speech, but
    vous parlez français
    when speaking formally.
  • Some sounds are notoriously difficult to learn! For example, the French “r” sound (like in the word
    rouge
    , meaning red) doesn’t exist in English—it’s a little like if you tried to hold a hard “g” sound and say an “h” at the same time. There are also uncommon vowel sounds, like the “u” in words like
    salut
    (hi), and nasal vowels, in which air flows out of your nose (instead of your mouth, like with most other vowels). Compare the vowel sound in
    beau
    (beautiful) to the nasal vowel sound in
    bon
    (good).
  • French adjectives go after the noun in most cases. In English, we say the blue house, but in French you’ll say
    la maison bleue
    (literally the house blue).
  • French is known for its silent letters. French often uses several written letters to represent just one sound (
    l’eau
    , which means water, sounds like it could be spelled lo!). It’s confusing at first, but there are some patterns to it!
  • French verbs change their endings. In French, you change the ending of the verb to show who is doing the action, sort of like how in English we say I eat but she eats. But, since French has so many silent letters, this is sometimes only reflected in the writing: Compare
    je mange
    (I eat) to
    ils mangent
    (they eat).

How to learn French

French is a great language for new learners to study, especially if you already know English. There are enough words that will look familiar that you can focus on learning the interesting differences. It’s also easy to find opportunities to practice French, since it’s used widely online and in social media by people around the world, and there might even be speakers in your own community to connect with!

Here are some simple tips to help you dive in:

  • Start with Duolingo’s French course. Our French course can now take you further than ever! It’s free, fun, and packed with features like Stories, DuoRadio episodes, and Practice tab exercises to help you stay motivated.
  • Create a playlist with songs in French. Tune your ear to your new language by listening to French music! You can explore new artists and genres including Mika, Stromae, Gims (Maître Gims), Emma Peters, Jul, Angèle, and Corneille.
  • Follow French accounts content creators. Find accounts and creators that post in French on the social media platforms you hang out on anyway. Look for accounts about the topics you already care about; that way, you’ll start learning relevant vocabulary and lots of culture, too! You might like @michelle1furtado on TikTok and Cyprien on YouTube.
  • Make the most of your favorite streaming service. Yes—watching TV counts as studying! With series like Lupin, Call My Agent! (Dix pour cent), The Bureau (Le Bureau des Légendes), and A Very Secret Service (Au service de la France), you can practice French from your couch. As you get more comfortable with the language, try switching the English subtitles to French!
  • Learn about culture through books and podcasts. Beginners have a great resource at their disposal: children’s books. And for intermediate and advanced learners, find French versions of what you love! If you’re a foodie, look for books or blogs in French about French cuisine (and try recipes in French, too!). If you’re a history buff, read about the history of the French diaspora around the world. And don’t forget to check out French-language podcasts, too, where you’ll learn about French traditions, cultures, and speakers around the world!

On y va ! (Let’s go!)

Learning French is an exciting journey, and Duolingo is here to support you along the way! Get started on our app, or check out these other posts about French learning: