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Original poster

Free way to learn another language?

26 replies

Turnitupto11 · 08/01/2022 23:01

Is there a way to do this for free? An app you'd recommend? I've looked at Duo (?) but it seemed very limited, just a few phrases.

I learnt French at school, but would like to learn more/ refresh my knowledge. Are there any good websites out there? Free online courses?

TIA

OP posts:
SuperLoudPoppingAction · 08/01/2022 23:03

If you keep going with duo lingo it's pretty good.
It starts basic but you can do a test to assess your level and also do tests as you go along if it suddenly all comes back to you. It has audio books as well.

Original poster
Turnitupto11 · 08/01/2022 23:06

Thanks, is that all for free?

OP posts:
SuperLoudPoppingAction · 08/01/2022 23:19

Little grammar guides and stuff. I studied French at uni but I'm finding it useful as a refresher

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SuperLoudPoppingAction · 08/01/2022 23:20

You can pay if you want, or use it for free but you get 5 lives so if you make mistakes you have to leave it for a bit and come back.

Frazzled2207 · 08/01/2022 23:21

Duolingo is worth having a proper go at, is free but by paying I think the ads go away.

Original poster
Turnitupto11 · 08/01/2022 23:22

Ah ok! I've signed up again, so will take a look at it tomorrow. It took me through a test and put me in unit 2. Thanks.

Little grammar guides, is that the website?

OP posts:
Sportsnight · 08/01/2022 23:23

Which language? French - you could just get the textbooks quite cheaply or find a tutor on italki to practice chatting with.

converseandjeans · 08/01/2022 23:24

Memrise
Quizlet
Seneca

Look at KS3 French sections.

BurntToastAgain · 08/01/2022 23:24

French is one of Duolingo’s flagship languages. So it’s got all the features and some intermediate material.

WildishBambino · 08/01/2022 23:25

Your local library will probably have a 'learn a language' section with a wide variety of books/DVDs etc which would be expensive to buy.

hkwses · 08/01/2022 23:27

I found duolingo great for German but as the course got harder for me, I really used up the 5 mistakes quickly and lost interest unfortunately. Must get back into it though

SuperLoudPoppingAction · 08/01/2022 23:31

The grammar guide was a screenshot from the duo lingo unit I'm on- was just showing it gets a bit more complex later. It's nearly at the subjunctive.

Original poster
Turnitupto11 · 09/01/2022 00:00

@SuperLoudPoppingAction

The grammar guide was a screenshot from the duo lingo unit I'm on- was just showing it gets a bit more complex later. It's nearly at the subjunctive.
Thanks!
OP posts:
Skinnyankles · 09/01/2022 00:21

I'm learning French. I learned a little through books and cds. I'm now watching lots of familiar Netflix films set to French and French subtitles in the settings. It's really accelerated my learning.

BadLad · 09/01/2022 05:07

@SuperLoudPoppingAction

You can pay if you want, or use it for free but you get 5 lives so if you make mistakes you have to leave it for a bit and come back.
That's the app.

The website version doesn't restrict you to five lives.

MarmiteyCrumpets · 09/01/2022 05:15

Duolingo is brilliant for getting to an intermediate level. I much prefer the website to the app. They also have short stories and many online events at all levels. For more practice you could have some tutoring via iTalki - not free though.

MarmiteyCrumpets · 09/01/2022 05:16

For French I also recommend RFI's Journal en Français Facile - 10 minute news broadcast in simplified French, with a transcript.

EmpressaurusWitchDoesntBurn · 09/01/2022 07:01

Have a look at the coffeebreaklanguages.com/ podcasts too, they’ve got a range of languages. I use them along with Duolingo for learning Italian.

TillyTopper · 09/01/2022 07:17

I'm learning Russian and use youtube a lot. Just search "free French lessons" or whatever you need to brush up on. There is lots of stuff out there.

MimiDaisy11 · 09/01/2022 07:33

Duolingo is good for revision and doing little exercises that said they’ve improved it a lot over the years. With French you’ll get the story section where you follow dialogues and put in missing words. They’ve also tried to improve their oral assessment and have more exercises for that. There are podcasts from Duolingo too however they’re irritating to listen to for me. Coffee break French is a much better podcast. Having said all that about Duolingo I’d be surprised if someone got to a good level with it alone. You really need proper regular speaking practice to get comfortable using a language and so I’d also recommend some apps where you can do a language exchange with someone learning English. If you do a search for ‘language exchange app’ you’ll get some. I’ve not used them in a while but I thought HelloTalk and Tandem were good but not used them in a few years.
These are all free. You also get good YouTube French lessons. I like Learn French with Alexa, but there are lots.

ffscovid · 09/01/2022 08:07

For French, I like the podcast 'One Thing in a French Day'. It's about 5 minutes of a Parisian lady talking about something she's done during the day (could be anything from taking a child to the doctor to buying cakes in a shop). It's aimed at learners so the pace is slow-ish and you can download the transcripts from her website.

I also like the Coffee Break French podcasts and Duolingo.

Not free, but I've bought a few French editions of children's books that I know well (Charlie & the Chocolate factory / Harry Potter etc.) and am (slowly) reading through these. I have the English copies to hand too if needed to help with understanding. I try and do a chapter a week - so just a few pages at a time. If you're in London there's a few French bookshops in S. Kensington or else I bought mine online here:

www.little-linguist.co.uk/french-chapter-books.html

Original poster
Turnitupto11 · 09/01/2022 16:28

Thank you very much for the recommendations, I'll check them all out. I particularly like the idea of a French exchange.

OP posts:
LIZS · 09/01/2022 16:29

Futurelearn online courses

MissMinutes24 · 09/01/2022 16:30

There's one called Drops that's really good too