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Online French courses are an effective way to sharpen your skills. But what if you’re just starting out and need a crash course before traveling to a French-speaking country? There are several online French classes for beginners to choose from, too.
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Featured Courses:
French Language Course for Beginners : From Scratch to A1.1
Improve your French fluency and comprehension with stories
Building Structures in French – Structure 4 | French Grammar
Quick Look: Bests Online French Courses
Here’s a sneak peek at the top online French courses:
- French for Beginners: Level 1 by Udemy
- French for Beginners: Enjoy and Master the Essentials by Udemy
- The Path to Fluency — French Basic by Udemy
- Improve your French Now by Udemy
- Practice and Perfect your French — Intermediate Level by Udemy
- Intermediate French — Improve and Reach the Next Level by Udemy
- Sound Like a Native — French Pronunciation Full Course by Udemy
- Improve Your French Fluency and Comprehension with Stories by Udemy
- Building Structures in French — Structure 4 by Udemy
- Learn French by Rosetta Stone
What Makes an Online French Course Great?
The best online French courses meet the following criteria.
1. Interactive Lessons
Interactive lessons are the best way to enhance your understanding of the material taught in online French classes. They allow you to test out your skills and work out any kinks before you attempt to communicate with other French speakers.
2. Reputable Instructor
Is the instructor fluent in French? Does he or she have experience teaching others? How is he or she rated by past students? Take a look at the instructor’s bio to gain more insight. Check out ratings on the online learning platform to see what others are saying.
3. Affordable
You may have to invest in an online French course but it’s not necessary to spend a fortune. In fact, there are courses for under $100 for all skill levels. Start with an inexpensive option and work your way up, especially if money’s tight.
Our Top Picks
You’ll find Benzinga’s top picks for online French courses below. Our top picks are taught by reputable instructors and include interactive lessons to help you learn French in a fun-filled way.
The classes are organized by level — beginner, intermediate and advanced. You will also find a description and enrollment fee for each course to help you make an informed decision.
Online French Course for Beginners
These courses are ideal if you’re a complete French novice.
French for Beginners : Level 1
1. French for Beginners: Level 1 by Udemy
- Who it’s for: Beginners
- Price: $24.99
Just $24.99 gets you a seat in this highly-rated course from Udemy that will teach you the basics of the French language. It’s designed for individuals who want to learn French and have no prior experience with the language. You may also find the course useful if you’re planning to visit France soon and want a crash course.
It includes lessons on pronunciation basics, greetings, introductions and conjugation basics. The class also covers gender, numbers, articles and pronouns.
Course material is delivered through video lectures and readings. The class includes 25 lectures condensed into 2.5 hours of on-demand video and 22 downloadable resources. When you reach the finish line, you’ll receive a certificate of completion.
The course is offered by French Toast, a French language school established in 2010. Facilitator Julie is a bilingual speaker and experienced French teacher.
French Language Course for Beginners : From Scratch to A1.1
2. French for Beginners: Enjoy and Master the Essentials
- Who it’s for: Beginners
- Price: $169.99
French for Beginners: Enjoy and Master the Essentials is another highly-rated beginner course from Udemy. It teaches the fundamentals of the language in the most efficient manner possible.
You’ll learn basic words, letters, numbers, indefinite article structures, nationalities and countries. You’ll also find lessons on sharing personal information and composing basic sentences.
Your $169.99 enrollment fee grants you access to 43 lectures condensed into 2.5 hours of on-demand video and 9 downloadable resources. The course is also backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee if you’re unsatisfied with the material.
The class is led by Benoit Kuhler, a highly-rated Udemy instructor and seasoned French teacher. He has experience teaching French at the university level, in European institutions and is a member of Alliance Française.
The Path to Fluency – French Basic
3. The Path to Fluency — French Basic by Udemy
- Who it’s for: Beginners
- Price: $49.99
Offered by Story Time Language Learning, this class teaches the basics of French through storytelling. It offers 10 lessons that focus on casual conversations you can have with family members. You’ll take part in the stories to help grasp the essentials of the French language.
You can enroll in the course for only $11.99 and receive lifetime access with 3 hours of on-demand video content right away. Enrollment also includes a certificate of completion and if the material doesn’t meet your expectations, you can request a full refund within 30 days of the original purchase.
Prepare to complete at least 3 lessons per day to get maximum results from the course.
Intermediate Online French Courses
Once you’ve completed a beginner course, consider these intermediate options to take your French skills to the next level.
Improve your French Now
4. Improve your French Now by Udemy
- Who it’s for: Intermediate students
- Price: Free
Would you like to sharpen your French skills and increase your comprehension of the language? This free intermediate course from Udemy will help you do just that and introduce you to new terms and expressions to help expand your vocabulary.
There are 11 lectures condensed into 1.5 hours of on-demand video and 16 downloadable resources. It’s broken down into 2 sections that cover masculine and feminine words in French, Christmas in France, common French expressions and so much more.
The class is led by Français avec Pierre, a native speaker and teacher. All lessons are taught in French so you should have basic French knowledge before you sign up.
Practice and Perfect your French – Intermediate Level (HD)
5. Practice and Perfect your French — Intermediate Level by Udemy
- Who it’s for: Intermediate students
- Price: $99.99
This course is designed to help you master the primary past tenses in French. You will also learn how to choose the best tense when conversing and use time expressions when discussing past events.
You’ll receive full lifetime access to 56 lectures jam-packed into 1.5 hours of on-demand video when you enroll for $99.99. The course also includes 17 articles and 16 downloadable resources.
Instructor Anne Le Grand is a certified and experienced French instructor. She’s taught French for over 10 years in several language schools and at a French university.
It’s a good idea to complete a course on French basics before you sign up. Know how to ask questions and use French in the present tense.
Intermediate French – Improve and reach the next level
6. Intermediate French — Improve and reach the next level
- Who it’s for: Intermediate students
- Price: $69.99
Want to communicate with natives during your next trip to France? Consider this intermediate course from Udemy to help you have more meaningful conversations.
Instructor Emilie Schrevens, the founder of Pablo School, covers verbs and grammar, verbs and phrases, conjugation and useful tips for comprehending instructions. You will also learn about French and Belgian history.
Enrollment is $69.99 and you’ll have instant access to 1 hour of on-demand video, 3 articles and 9 downloadable resources.
Make sure you’ve completed a beginner level French course before enrolling.
Advanced Online French Courses
Advanced French students who are interested in speaking fluent French and boosting comprehension may find these courses useful.
Sound Like a Native – French Pronunciation Full Course (HD)
7. Sound Like a Native — French Pronunciation Full Course (HD) by Udemy
- Who it’s for: Advanced students
- Price: $99.99
Sound Like a Native — French Pronunciation Full Course shares the tools needed to master French pronunciation. The course also focuses on French pronunciation and improving your accent. You’ll also learn more about the phonetic alphabet and its relationship to the French alphabet and you can walk away from the course as a more confident French speaker.
The $99.99 enrollment fee includes instant access to 81 lectures packed into 2 hours of on-demand videos, 12 articles and 18 downloadable resources. You’ll also receive a certificate of completion when you reach the end of the course.
Taught by Anne LeGrand, a certified French instructor, this class is ideal for intermediate and advanced French students.
Improve your French fluency and comprehension with stories
8. Improve your French and fluency and comprehension with stories by Udemy
- Who it’s for: Advanced students
- Price: $199.99
Let your French language comprehension soar with this popular course from Udemy. It’s ideal for students who’ve completed an intermediate French course. Make sure you have a vast vocabulary and understand grammar.
Facilitator Jeffrey Rudolph, a Udemy language instructor, shares strategies to help improve your comprehension skills. He also uses stories to demonstrate the tips in action.
The $199.99 enrollment fee includes lifetime access to 3.5 hours of on-demand video and 12 articles. The course includes a 30-day money-back guarantee if it’s not what you expected or doesn’t quite work for you.
Building Structures in French – Structure 4 | French Grammar
9. Building Structures in French — Structure 4 by Udemy
- Who it’s for: Advanced students
- Price: $199.99
This course takes a hands-on approach to learning French by breaking down sentence structures. It’s the 4th course in the French language structure series from Udemy.
Led by Kieran Ball, a language tutor with 3-Minute Languages, Building Structures in French — Structure 4 includes 49 lectures in 2.5 hours of on-demand video. You’ll have to complete the lessons in 3-minute intervals that focus on the 4th structure in the French language.
Have some familiarity with the French language and sentence structures 1 through 3 before you sign up.
Bonus Course for All Skill Levels
Check out this special offer!
10. Learn French by Rosetta Stone
- Who’s it for: All skill levels
- Price: Varies by subscription level
Rosetta Stone boasts over 25 years of experience teaching foreign languages to millions around the globe. So, they’re worth a shot if you want to learn the basics or become more fluent in the French language.
The curriculum is immersive to help you grasp the mechanics of the language faster. It also includes interactive 10-minute lessons so you can work through the course when it’s convenient for you. And you won’t have to carve out huge chunks of time in your schedule.
Enrollment is $79, $179, or $249 for a 3, 12 or 24 month subscription, respectively. Or you can purchase a lifetime subscription for $299. And Rosetta Stones offers a 30-day money-back guarantee so you can enroll with confidence and request a full refund if the program doesn’t meet your needs.
Choose the Best Online French Course for You
Whether you’re just getting started or want to hone your comprehension and speaking skills, our top recommendations can get you on the right track. There are courses for every skill level and budget to make your search simple.
Before you enroll, you want to ensure that the course meets your needs. The lessons should cover topics you’re most interested in and include activities to provide you with a holistic learning experience. Make sure you get a reputable instructor who can teach the language and other advanced concepts in a way that’s easy to understand. Start speaking French today!
Southern New Hampshire University Online
SNHU Online Offers:
- Flexible schedules
- Affordable tuition
- Online tutoring
- Access to electronic research materials
- Specialized academic advising
- Supportive online community
