r/learnfrench

So I have been learning French on and off for a few years now. While I'm decent till the A2 level, I feel I'm lingering around B1 and not able to move further. It has become more challenging and there's too much to learn and remember. I have taken classes at Alliance Francaise, private tutoring in a smaller group, but I still feel exhausted at my lack of progress. Has anyone felt this way? How did you move on? How did you push yourself and challenge yourself to learn when it got tough? Coz, A1 and A2 were not as difficult for me as this is turning out to be.

Hi,

I’ve started learning French again after a gap of many years. I started again in June via Duolingo (I still do 30 mins every day) but I almost immediately started listening to podcasts (I listen for around 1 hour per day of French with Panache, Inner French etc) I hava a text book that immediately started listening working through a few times per week and I’ve been doing online 1-2-1 speaking with a French teacher for around 6 weeks. I also watch French TV shows (with French subtitles on Netflix such as Lupin and 10% pour cent.

My French has improved out of sight from the very low start point in June. My one big gap is reading as I don’t do much. I’ve tried reading a French book by Guillaume Muso but I just didn’t find it very interesting.

Can anyone recommend any good apps or resources for reading articles at around the B1 level? I’m particularly interested in the news, energy, climate and economics.

Thanks in advance.

Hello and good day! I am looking for a French teacher! Hopefully someone who can do weekends or after 6 on weekdays. I’m looking for 2 classes a week. I really really want to learn French. It’s a passion and I need to learn it! Pretty please!

Hi everyone!

I have started learning French a few days ago for tcf and im looking for a good book for self study so that I can solidify my foundation. I came across practice makes perfect by Annie and easy French but not sure which book to go with. Im looking for something to build a base in grammar and vocabulary both.

Please suggest me a good book yall thanks

Salut tout le monde!

Je dois transcrire quelques phrases pour une exercice, et je voudrais vérifier si elles sont naturelles. J'espère qu'elles sont pas trop formelles, et qu'elles sont plus conversationnelles. Merci a tous!

Excuse me.  Sorry to bother you but do you speak French?

-> Excusez-moi.  Desolée de vous déranger, mais vous parlez français?

Thank God.  I’m from Marseille and my English is terrible.

-> Dieu merci.  Je suis (viens?) de Marseille et mon anglais est nul.

bonjour à tous,

My boyfriend (A1, literally just started last week) is currently trying to learn french but his first language is spanish (caribbean specifically). he finds it more difficult to learn when he has to translate french to english and then spanish, so I was wondering if anyone knew of any good resources for learning french with spanish as the base language. He describes french courses in english as "playing 5d chess while trying to do the dishes" so I'm really hoping there's something out there that's easier for him.

He already uses LinQ for vocab at the moment, but we've been struggling to find additional high-quality resources that fit his needs. Thank you to anyone who answers!

From where should I start ?

I’m planning to take the TEF exam in the next three months. I’ve already taken it once and received a 4 in all the modules. However, I find the writing section particularly challenging.

I can understand NCLC 7-8 sentences, but it’s difficult for me to naturally produce sentences. I’ve tried writing 2 essays and 1 fait divers every day, but I haven’t seen any progress. Even with AI I barely get a 5.

My grammar and context to topic seem to be my weak points. Every topic is different, and my mind starts thinking in English. I’ve been studying all day but I’m still not making any progress.

I can form simple sentences and make the present, past, imparfait but when time pressure and off topic are added, my brain completely freezes and I forget connectors , rules and everything.

Any tips would be appreciated.

Update: thanks a lot for your responses everyone! I went ahead and booked first lesson with the teacher, very excited to start learning!

I found an affordable highly rated French teacher on italki. She’s Algerian. Will it be a bad idea to learn with her as a complete beginner? I’m moving to a south of France next year and worry that the accent/pronunciation difference will be an issue?

I am practicing french now for almost 10 months and I am currently at lower B1 level because I was not serious until now and was just procrastinating. But currently I am looking for a speaking partner with whom I can practice and he/she can as well. Just a heads up, I am an Indian (M 22). So, please dm, if anyone is interested.

Currently, preparing for the TCF. Booked exam for Nov 29th. Currently, I believe I’m at high to mid B1 but not as confident for my listening. I have heard a lot of people suggested to memorize past questions as a lot of it is repeated, if not all of it. So, for those who have written it. How true is this, can I get B2 (CLB 7) from past questions alone, atleast for listening. Also, any recommendations to improve listening and other competencies. I start past question mock this weekend.

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I’m looking for a serious and committed study partner who is genuinely interested in learning French. I’d like us to practice consistently, support each other, and stay motivated throughout the learning process.

I’m particularly looking for someone who is willing to commit long-term and maintain regular practice rather than losing interest after a short period of time.

If you’re genuinely committed to learning French and looking for a consistent study partner, feel free to reach out.

The number of “give me a plan to learn French” and “how do I reach X level in X amount of time” posts are out of control. People are not even doing the most cursory search before posting. The number of learning resources is finite, and the answers aren’t going to be any different since the day before when it was answered four times. Megathread? Sidebar with a summary of commonly recommended resources? More moderation? Something? Anything?

Hey everyone,
I’ve been trying to work on my French recently, and I’m looking for a study partner who might be in a similar situation.
I recently took the TCF Canada, even though I knew I wasn’t really ready. I mainly wanted to experience the test format, see what the atmosphere was like, and understand what I need to work on. It was actually useful for realizing that I need to focus more seriously on my French.
My biggest problem right now is procrastination. When I was taking online French classes, I was pretty regular with studying. But since switching to self-study, I keep delaying things. I do study, but nowhere near as consistently or as long as I would like. my French is around A2. I can understand some French, but my listening and speaking are definitely not strong yet.
That’s why I thought having a study partner could help. We could listen to French together, practice speaking, discuss different topics, correct each other, or simply keep each other accountable. I’m honestly open to figuring out what works.
I’m in Mountain Time and usually work during the day, so I’m generally free after around 5 PM. I’m 23 and male.
I’m not looking for anything romantic just someone who genuinely wants to study French and be more consistent with it.
I don’t have huge expectations from this post, but if anyone else struggles with procrastination or has found something that helped them stay consistent with language learning, I’d also really appreciate any advice.
At the end of the day, I know nobody can study for us and we have to do the work ourselves. I just think having someone to study with might make it a little easier to stay accountable.
Feel free to comment or message me if you’re interested!

Beaucoup de Canadiens évitent les vacances aux États-Unis. Certains sont en colère contre les droits de douane imposés par le président Donald Trump et ses remarques sur le Canada. D’autres disent que le dollar canadien est plus faible, ce qui rend les voyages aux États-Unis plus chers. Les Canadiens ont fait environ 800 000 voyages en moins aux États-Unis en avril par rapport au même mois de 2024. À cause de cette baisse du tourisme, les États-Unis ont perdu environ 2,35 milliards de dollars l'année dernière. Certains Canadiens voyagent plutôt vers des pays comme le Mexique et le Costa Rica. D’autres choisissent des vacances au Canada, dans des endroits comme la Nouvelle-Écosse et l’Île-du-Prince-Édouard.

Vocabulaire : éviter = to avoid / vacances (f pl) = vacation / droits de douane (m pl) = tariffs / remarques (f pl) = comments / faible = weak / rendre = to make something be / chers = expensive / par rapport au = compared to / baisse (f) = fall / plutôt = rather

English translation

Canadians choose other travel destinations instead of the United States

Many Canadians are avoiding vacations in the United States. Some are angry about the tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump and his comments about Canada. Others say the Canadian dollar is weaker, which makes trips to the US more expensive. Canadians made about 800,000 fewer trips to the US in April compared to the same month of 2024. Because of this fall in tourism, the US lost about $2.35 billion last year. Some Canadians are traveling to countries such as Mexico and Costa Rica instead. Others are choosing vacations in Canada, in places like Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

You can read more stories at Le News, In Easy French.

Hi, I’m looking forward to reaching CLB 7+ in French. I have to give the test around Next June. Is it achievable. Any Suggestions?