Easiest/cheapest way to refresh a language?

[YogaLite]

Just to keep my brain alive, I only ever learnt French at school (grammar, written etc), used it occasionally, never full-time.

I don't have any particular plans or deadlines but I feel I would like to at least refresh it or maybe even improve it.

Can't commit to classes so would have to be at home in my own random time.

Best way to start, any recommendations?

Language apps such as Duolingo I would imagine.

Duolingo is great for that.

If you have Netflix you can set the audio and subtitles to French for most films and programmes.

Damn, no Netflix :( that would have been ideal! I will have to check if any of my dvds have french subtitles.

Sky has subtitles but I don't think there is french option...

Arte TV (German-French collaboration) may have a livestream accessible from the UK. Failing that, look for TV5 on cable or satellite.

If you already know French then Duolingo is really helpful for getting back up to speed (and quite good fun). But I wouldn't recommend it for beginners wanting to properly learn the language, especially conversational French.

Also, reading is always immensely useful. Le Monde Diplomatique is accessible at good newsstands, also some weekly magazines. Or try some light reading? Agatha Christie translations are usually a good bet since it's a restricted vocabulary.

There’s a fair amount of French films and series on Netflix with subtitles.

I've been using Duolingo for about 6 months now to refresh a language I knew quite well nearly 20 years ago and definitely feel I've picked it up quite well. Some days I just do a few minutes but when I have more time, an hour or so.

Yes, or look in the charity shop for DVDs with French if you still own a DVD player. Arte and French TV are geoblocked in the UK as far as I know, but you can get around it with a VPN app.

Duolingo I use every day

You can listen to French radio stations omline for free... gets you back into the flow of the language.. start with the ones aimed at kids!!

Sundance TV has some French shows (you can access through Prime). I've found the Bureau quite easy to follow, and the subtitles are there if you need them (It's a great series too) .

And follow French newspapers like Le Monde or Liberation on social media and try and read the articles. It helped me massively. And you probably already have access to France 24 on your telly package.

Do you have Prime? Spiral definitely worth a watch.

If you live in the South of England you may be able to get French radio stations.

Thank you all! Great ideas!
Just started Duolingo and it looks fun.

Yes, we have Prime, I will check for streamed programs and also for radio stations, that's the sort of thing I was thinking about, to get used to the flow of the language.

YouTube, French websites (both specifically for grammar and just regular websites in French).

Instagram & tiktok for people posting both about grammar and just French accounts.

Use a VPN to watch French TV on demand.
RFI, Radio France International , has a free online course that combines news with exercises and activities francaisfacile.rfi.fr/fr/
I am not a fan of Duolingo . It does help you with comprehension, but that is the easy part . Expression, written or oral is the tricky part.
You can try to find a language exchange partner for French-English. To truly learn a language , you need to use it and speak it. Ideally also write it. You can do language exchange on zoom or teams or other video chat.

You can read the BBC News website in different languages (not the app unless anyone else has found a way to do it! If you get stuck you can then compare with the same English article for reference.

@Sunbird24 & Existentialist, thank u!
I will try the radio and BBC, I like the idea of listening to familiarise with the language flow/intonation.