Tools to Learn French
I always come across this question while teaching students: should I use flashcards to memorize vocabulary or conjugations? Well, it all depends on how comfortable you feel with this method. We all have used in our life different ways to learn and memorize for exams. I have myself used very often flashcards in high school and college. Back then, no apps were available and making your own flashcards was a real burden! However, things are different today and I’ve found great tools to make your life easier.
Mobile Apps
MosaLingua French
It’s one of my favorite app so far, dialogues are good and realistic and it’s user friendly.
This app focuses on teaching words and phrases that will be most immediately useful to learners. You can learn through flashcards, dialogues and pronunciations provided by native French speakers.
Quizlet
Quizlet is not bad either: it allows you to create your own flashcards by attaching pictures and recording your voice. There are also thousands of French language learners on this site sharing their existing decks.
CleverDeck
I’ve also tried CleverDeck for French: they focus on those first 1,000 words, ideal for beginners. For intermerdiate, the beginning might be too easy for you so feel free to skip some words and practice more complex language. Each flashcard has its own audio pronunciations, images and usage examples to get the meanings of words across. They grouped all words into thematic categories so it’s easier to develop relationships between words.
Good old flashcards
If you still prefer paper flashcards, I’ve found pamphlets and cards ready to go on Amazon. They offer a good summary of French grammar and verb tenses, some students bought these and find them helpful as a quick reference.
Podcasts
Finally, podcasts are amazing to develop your comprehension skills, regardless of your level.
News in slow French
For beginners and intermediate levels, these are fun podcasts. Mark Pentleton, originally from the UK has a perfect French accent and records interviews with French native speakers. He then analyzes their grammar and explains the rules in English.
Coffee Break French
Have fun learning!