6 Best French Audio Lessons and Courses
Have you ever tried using audio courses as part of your French studies? French audio lessons are actually often overlooked as a good way to learn French, but as you’ll see below, they really do the trick.
I’ll show you my seven favorite French audio courses that present language concepts in a logical, effective way, with expert hosts.
Contents
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1.
French Audio Course by Collins is a useful resource for beginners, covering everything from basic greetings to useful phrases for specific everyday situations you might find yourself in.
This French audio course offers a set of six CDs as well as an accompanying booklet with useful information to help you with anything from holidays to business trips
As well as accessing this course via the CDs, you can also download and listen to the audio course on Audible, so you can listen on the go!
2. One-day French
You only have one day to learn French—what do you do? Well, that certainly is a pickle to be in, but with this audio course you’ll learn the bare basics in 75 minutes.
Hopefully, once you’ve blasted through this course and returned home from your last-minute trip to France or Quebec, you’ll be inspired to continue forward. No language can be mastered in one day, let’s get real.
One-day French with Elisabeth Smith has a cute storyline for you to follow along with. On a plane from London to France, Elisabeth is challenged by the passenger next to her to teach them enough French to get by on their holiday. Apparently, she succeeds.
This French learning audio course also includes a booklet with a written account of the CD, so you can see everything spelled out on the plane ride over.
3. Learn French with Paul Noble
This guy is a language “guru.” His method is similar to that of Michel Thomas, which really does qualify him as a French language guru. The big difference here is that Noble cuts more to the point than Michel Thomas, so if you want something more soothing then go with Michel, and if you’re a no-nonsense kind of learner, then go for Paul Noble.
The course has 12 CDs and is almost 13 hours long.
You’re put into role-playing situations, which is always fun and informative. In addition, the audio course makes sure that you’re learning more than just how to talk about yourself and in the present tense. It presents many tenses, and in first, second and third person.
You can also access this French audio course on Apple Books and Audible.
4. Coffee Break French
The word “coffee” just makes you want to try this one, doesn’t it?
This French learning audio course is also available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and is the perfect length, roughly about the time of uhm, a coffee break, for each episode. With four seasons, this fun course is good to pick up in Season 1 if you have no French knowledge, or in Seasons 3 or 4 if you’re transitioning into intermediate or need a refresher.
If you get weak in the knees at the sound of Scottish accents, then you’re in luck. The course is presented in such a relaxing manner as Mark and his student Anna discuss the French language and go over vocabulary. It goes at a nice and easy pace, and may go even easier if you drink a ton of coffee while you do it.
5. Pimsleur Conversational French
Pimsleur is another big name in the language learning world. In this course, you’ll focus on dialogues, breaking them down and, most importantly, concentrating on pronunciation.
Like a lot of audio courses, you’ll be asked to speak and break down the sounds.
The French audio lessons are only 30 minutes each, making it a very manageable amount of time to spend studying per day.
This isn’t the best tool for in-depth grammar lessons (hey, that’s what textbooks are for), but it can get your vocabulary in check.
6. Behind the Wheel French
Everyone loves a French audio course that starts with an accordion!
This course’s method tricks you into building your own sentences based on things you have learned. You learn with Celine (no, not Celine Dion, sigh), with whom you’ll pronounce beautiful French words. It can serve as a great way to review your French if you’re rusty or working with half-functional high school French. It also covers quite a lot of idioms.
Behind the Wheel doesn’t just list off endless random vocabulary, but shows you how to use them (no use listing off French words in France with no context). It also concentrates on the most used words in everyday French, which is helpful for obvious reasons. It’s made with commuters in mind, hence the name.
So if nothing else, make sure to pop this one into your car’s CD player and see where it takes your French. If it tickles your brain’s fancy, you can buy all three levels.
Why Learn French with an Audio Course?
It’s So Easy a Monkey Could Do It
Well, I’m not sure a monkey would understand everything that’s going on, but you get what I’m driving at. The nice thing about a French audio course is that you hop into your car and pop in the CD, or download it onto your MP3 player and just… listen (and speak along).
If you spend a lot of time running or driving, then you suddenly are making better use of your time just by incorporating a French audio course into your schedule.
It’s almost like… magic! Well, not really—you do need to pay attention. Listen to French audio lessons in the car, on your bike, at the gym, at your in-laws’, in bed, while you eat, while you box, while you garden, while you do a puzzle, on the roof, in the basement and—well, you get it.
It Gets Your Ears All Trained Up
French can pose some challenges for English speakers in the listening comprehension department. English (especially for English speakers) sounds like separate words, not so flowing. When you first start learning French, it can all sound like one, long, never-ending word.
With a French audio course, you’ll learn language concepts while listening to French and building those comprehension skills. It’s something textbooks can’t offer.
Audio courses can be the bridge between learner content and authentic content. Once you’ve graduated from French audio courses, your ears will be ready to take on French music, audiobooks and podcasts. You’ll also be ready to start delving into authentic French videos, which are a whole world of their own.
When you’re ready, you can take the next steps with an immersive language learning program like FluentU.
FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.
You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app.
P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)
Here’s a video lesson using a French-dubbed episode of “Friends” to give you an idea of how it works:
It Gives You a Reason to Talk to Yourself
The best part about French audio courses is repeating what they’re saying. For all you out there who love the sound of your own voice, then this is your ticket. It gives your pronunciation lots of practice, which can often be difficult to find an outlet for if you’re otherwise learning via visual sources.
Many French audio courses concentrate on conversational French (given the nature of audio learning), so not only will the sentences be broken up for comprehension, but you’ll be asked to pronounce the individual sounds that make up the word, which is great for beginners.
It’s a Jumping Off Point
By no means are audio courses the be-all and end-all of French language learning. It’s not a good way to improve reading and writing, and it’s not immersion training. But if you’re just starting out and want to ease into French, it’s great to just pop your earbuds in and get started on the go!
You’ll be sure to want more and when you do, there is everything from French books to movies to TV series and more to get you to the next level.
If you’re still hesitant, trying out just a track or two may be a good idea to see if you learn well with a French audio course. Even if it’s not your preferred method of learning, they’re not the “dull and boring” learn-in-your-car courses that you may have imagined.
Plus, I’m sure you can sacrifice listening to your favorite CDs over and over again in your car for 15 minutes of a French “guru” trying to teach you something. The more you learn French audio-style, the more you’ll see that it really does work.
Bonne chance ! (Good luck!)
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
And one more thing...
If you like learning French on your own time and from the comfort of your smart device, then I'd be remiss to not tell you about FluentU.
FluentU has a wide variety of great content, like interviews, documentary excerpts and web series, as you can see here:
FluentU brings native French videos with reach. With interactive captions, you can tap on any word to see an image, definition and useful examples.
For example, if you tap on the word "crois," you'll see this:
Practice and reinforce all the vocabulary you've learned in a given video with learn mode. Swipe left or right to see more examples for the word you’re learning, and play the mini-games found in our dynamic flashcards, like "fill in the blank."
All throughout, FluentU tracks the vocabulary that you’re learning and uses this information to give you a totally personalized experience. It gives you extra practice with difficult words—and reminds you when it’s time to review what you’ve learned.
Start using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)
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