Do you want to progress in French without spending a penny? Here are five free apps that are easy to use, effective, and suitable for all levels. Tested by thousands of learners, they cover vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation and conversation — the essentials for improving your French quickly.
1) Duolingo
Duolingo remains a go-to choice for starting or maintaining a daily routine. The playful format (short lessons, points, and reminders) encourages regularity — essential for memorizing vocabulary and basic structures. Tip: Activate oral exercises and spaced revisions to work on pronunciation and consolidation in the long term.
2) Memrise
Memrise uses spaced repetition and mnemonic cards to anchor vocabulary. The free version offers many topical listings, often with videos from native speakers. Ideal for enriching the concrete lexicon (travel, work, common expressions) and improving listening thanks to authentic recordings.
3) HelloTalk
To move from theory to practice, HelloTalk connects learners with native speakers. Exchange by message, voice or call and benefit from real-time corrections. It’s perfect for working on written and oral expression in natural conversations, learning idioms and gaining fluency.
4) Tandem
Similar to HelloTalk, Tandem emphasizes language tandems and the quality of exchanges. Find a partner based on your interests, practice via text, audio, or video, and ask for targeted feedback. Use regular sessions to structure your progress and receive personalized corrections.
5) Beelinguapp
Beelinguapp offers parallel texts (French and mother tongue) with audio playback. It is a gentle method to improve reading comprehension and listening: read stories, articles or short stories while listening to the narrator. Combine this app with Duolingo and Memrise to boost vocabulary and overall sense.
How to get the most out of these apps
– Mix them: combine daily training (Duolingo), memorization (Memrise), reading-listening (Beelinguapp) and conversation (HelloTalk/Tandem).
– Set a realistic goal (15–30 minutes a day) and track your progress.
– Practice actively: rewrite, record and ask for corrections.
These five free applications form a complete range to improve your French: initiation, vocabulary consolidation, comprehension and real interaction. Start today, stay consistent, and you’ll see fast, sustainable progress.
