When you’re trying to learn French, nothing trains your ear better than listening to native speakers use the language. One of the most efficient ways to get that listening practice and immerse yourself in the language is through audio courses. In addition, many courses help you train your speaking skills too. All while getting on with your day, since you can take audio lessons while doing chores, driving your car, or walking your dog.
In this review, I’ll dive into the best French audio courses available today, breaking down what each one offers, their unique approaches, and any potential downsides you should be aware of. The list is split into two parts: classic audio courses (in some cases with supplementary learning resources) and audio-based apps that provide a more comprehensive learning experience. Whether you’re a beginner looking to get started or someone with a little experience seeking to refine your skills, there’s likely a course on this list that you will enjoy.
Sidenote: If you’re interested in more than just audio-based learning, check out these great reviews of the best French courses and the best French apps.
Best audio courses by category
There are many courses out there, and most of them are good at something. Something that you might care about and like. That’s why I suggest trying a few different options to see which one works best for you. However, if you’re in a hurry and need a simple answer, here are the best courses for the most popular cases.
- Best course for beginners:
- Audio: Coffee Break French
- App: Pimsleur
- Best course for intermediates:
- Audio: InnerFrench
- App: Rocket French
- Best speaking course:
- Audio: FSI – Introduction to French Phonology
- App: Pimsleur
Audio courses
The majority of audio courses started as free podcasts that evolved into paid products with supplementary video lessons, written instructions, and interactive exercises to practice new skills. Although, many of the best and most comprehensive options have always been available only as paid products.
These courses can quickly improve your listening and sometimes speaking skills. However, they aren’t great at explaining grammar and aren’t long enough to teach new vocabulary beyond the basics. While paid courses often address the grammar gap with additional materials, it’s still a good idea to supplement them with some visual and more structured learning tools.
Now, let’s explore some of the most interesting options.
Coffee Break French
A popular free podcast that offers well produced and easily digestible lessons designed to fit into a coffee break. The course is divided into 4 seasons, each targeting learners at different levels – from absolute beginners to advanced. Every season features 40 lessons, each lasting 15-20 minutes.
For those looking to deepen their learning, Coffee Break French offers premium courses for each season, including bonus audio materials, video episodes, and lesson notes. Although, the price is quite steep. Also, some learners find that the later seasons have a bit too much English.
Free course:
- Official site
- Spotify
- Apple Podcasts
Learn French by Podcast
A well-structured series of free French lessons designed for beginners and early intermediate learners, focusing on practical language use. Each episode begins with a dialogue or scenario in French, which is then broken down and explained by the host, covering key vocabulary, grammar, and usage. If you wish to delve deeper into the material, you can buy PDFs on the official website.
Free podcast:
Learn French with Paul Noble
This popular audio course gets you up and running in French very quickly without focusing on memorizing vocabulary or doing exercises. Its intuitive approach is similar to the Michel Thomas method and Language Transfer, with its own twist: you only hear Paul’s explanations and native speakers giving you pronunciation examples.
The course is split into two parts: one for complete beginners and the other for early intermediate learners. Both parts combined take about 20 hours to complete. It’s a very good and affordable starting point for learning French, but you might want to supplement it with resources that provide more vocabulary and practice.
Courses:
- Learn French for Beginners
- Next Steps in French (for intermediate learners)
Language Transfer
Language Transfer is a free beginner-level course that teaches French in an interactive and exploratory way, referred to as “the thinking method.” This approach emphasizes understanding the structure of the language over rote memorization of vocabulary and grammar rules, much like the Paul Noble and Michel Thomas methods. The lessons mimic a classroom, allowing you to follow alongside another student.
The course is relatively short, with 40 lessons lasting about 10 minutes each, and doesn’t teach too much vocabulary. Nevertheless, it can be a valuable supplement to other learning resources.
Free course:
French Made Easy
A free podcast by Mathilde Kien that helps beginners master French through simple, bite-sized lessons. Each lesson focuses on practical vocabulary, pronunciation, or grammar, and makes complex topics easy to understand. In addition to the audio lessons, on her site Mathilde provides free cheat sheets and exercises.
Free podcast:
The FSI French Courses
In the 1970s, the Foreign Service Institute developed several language courses to train U.S. diplomats for overseas assignments. These free courses offer extensive audio drills and detailed written lessons aimed at quickly building language proficiency. While considered classics by generations of learners and highly effective, they are demanding, repetitive, and somewhat outdated. However, if you can get through one, you’ll learn a ton.
Free courses:
- Introduction to French Phonology
This course focuses on helping learners develop accurate pronunciation. It spans a little under 10 hours and covers various topics, including vowel and consonant sounds, intonation, and rhythm. It’s suitable for learners at any stage. - French Basic Course
This intensive course is designed to build conversational proficiency through dialogues, drills, and exercises. With about 90 hours of audio and detailed written materials, it focuses on grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation. - French Fast Course
This course focuses on the rapid acquisition of practical language skills, emphasizing essential phrases and everyday dialogues. Unlike the more comprehensive FSI courses, it includes less than 4 hours of audio, intended only to supplement the textbook and classroom practice.
French Easy Learning
This paid course by Collins is geared towards travelers preparing for a trip to France. It focuses on listening and speaking without delving into complex grammar, making it ideal for learning on the go. It’s a solid beginner course, however, some learners find the pace too slow and the content too basic, particularly those with prior knowledge of French. The course includes nearly 7 hours of audio, along with a 96-page booklet that complements the lessons.
Course:
Michel Thomas Method
Michel Thomas was a famous Nazi hunter and linguist who developed his own language teaching method. It focuses on building conversational skills quickly by understanding the logic of the language, without requiring memorization or drilling. Designed primarily for beginners, Michel’s courses emphasize learning through listening and speaking, with lessons structured like a virtual classroom where learners follow along with two other students.
While these courses are effective for rapidly gaining basic conversational abilities, they lack native pronunciation (Michel was not a native speaker), as well as reading and writing practice, and they teach limited vocabulary. Michel’s method influenced several others, like Paul Noble and Language Transfer, which some learners prefer as more modern, digestible, and affordable options. Although, Language Transfer is much shorter.
Courses:
- Official site (all courses)
- Foundation French
- Intermediate French
- Vocabulary (intermediate)
- Insider’s French (advanced)
Learn French With Alexa
A podcast hosted by the popular teacher Alexa Polidoro. It offers 20-30 minute lessons for beginners that cover various aspects of the French language and culture. While the total number of lessons is relatively small, each lesson is fun and engaging, making it a great intro to learning French.
Free podcast:
InnerFrench
InnerFrench is a great free podcast designed to help intermediate French learners enhance their comprehension skills through full immersion in the language. The host, Hugo Cotton, speaks clearly and slightly slower than natural speed, making the content accessible while still challenging for listeners. Each episode, which runs about 30 minutes, delves into a variety of topics, from French culture to personal insights, without relying on any English translations. If you struggle to follow along, full transcripts are available on the official website.
For those looking to take their French to the next level, InnerFrench also offers paid courses for intermediate and advanced learners. Unlike the podcast, they provide a structured learning roadmap, with topical videos, grammar lessons, and interactive exercises. The courses are on the pricier side, but many learners swear by them, especially those who needed to sharpen their grammar.
Free podcast:
News in Slow French
News in Slow French offers free weekly lessons designed to help you improve your listening and comprehension skills by presenting current events and cultural content at a slower pace. This format makes learning more interesting and helps intermediate learners transition to content for native speakers, although they have some episodes for beginners too. Each episode comes with interactive transcripts, vocabulary flashcards, and pronunciation guides.
To get access to older episodes and to be able to filter them by level, you’ll need to buy a subscription through their site or apps.
Free podcast:
Learn French by Dailyfrenchpod
A free podcast offering short, story-based lessons. Each lesson begins with a brief news item or cultural fact, which is then broken down into its key vocabulary and grammatical elements. The host, Louis, explains the usage of new words and phrases, often providing examples and occasional English translations. Primarily in French, the podcast is well-suited for intermediate learners looking to build their comprehension, but won’t help much with grammar or speaking.
Free podcast:
Learn French in Your Car
This free repetition-based audio course by Henry N. Raymond is designed for learners who already have some knowledge of French. It focuses on practical phrases and conversational skills, featuring clear pronunciation from native speakers. However, it doesn’t cover grammar in depth, making it not ideal for complete beginners.
Free course:
FrenchPod101
This free podcast offers bite-sized audio lessons for beginners and intermediate learners. You can start from older lessons that teach French from the very basics (although there aren’t many of them available for free), or listen to frequently published new lessons, that are available for the first few weeks before being removed.
For those seeking access to the whole course, FrenchPod101 offers a paid app that also provides extra learning tools like flashcards, quizzes, progress tracking, and detailed lesson notes.
Free podcast:
Frenchclasses.com
FrenchClasses.com is a free website offering a structured course across three levels: beginner, intermediate, and advanced. It features 36 beginner lessons that gradually lead to full immersion at higher levels, with a strong focus on listening skills through over 30 hours of audio content. Each lesson includes a transcript, contextual notes, grammar explanations, and exercises.
Audio apps
There aren’t many good French apps that focus on learning through audio – three, to be exact. At their core, they are similar to classic audio courses: the learning experience revolves around pre-recorded lessons where you receive instructions and examples in both English and French. What these apps do better is providing practice tools. They offer various built-in activities that help you train and test your new skills. Additionally, they are easy to use and typically cost less than traditional paid audio courses.
Let’s take a look at what these apps are.
Pimsleur
Pimsleur is an app based on an old, battle-tested learning method. Its lessons revolve around practical conversations between French speakers, which are broken down into manageable parts for you to practice. You start from separate sounds and words, then put words together into sentences, and eventually participate in a short conversation. The app makes you listen and repeat everything after a native speaker, helping you develop an ear for the language’s sounds and rhythms, as well as practice your pronunciation.
Besides an audio recording, each lesson offers additional activities to train your pronunciation, reading, and memory. Lessons last about 30 minutes, and while some people find them slow and repetitive, the repetition is meant to help the new information stick. The subscription is quite expensive compared to most other language learning apps.
Language Transfer
Language Transfer is a short, free audio course that exists in many forms, including an app. I’ve already covered it in the audio section, so I won’t repeat myself here. However, it can be useful to compare it to Pimsleur, as they are often mentioned together as similar methods.
Language Transfer focuses on the logic and structure of the language, it’s more about intuition and understanding, while Pimsleur emphasizes practical phrases and repetition. They’re significantly different and can be used at the same time.
Rocket French
Rocket French is a comprehensive language app structured around audio lessons that guide you through real-life conversations between native French speakers. Each unit begins with a 20-30-minute audio lesson where you’re prompted to listen and actively participate by repeating phrases and responding to questions. This part of the app is similar to Pimsleur, but it’s faster-paced and more lively, making it more interesting, though sometimes harder to follow.
After the audio portion, the app offers text-based grammar lessons and a variety of activities to solidify your new skills, like pronunciation exercises, grammar drills, and flashcards. While this section is full of useful content, it feels quite heavy and less engaging, more like traditional textbooks. This is the main downside of Rocket French, along with its high price tag.
Want to try apps that go beyond audio learning? Check out these reviews of all the best French apps and the best free apps.
Frequently asked questions
How can I learn conversational French?
To learn conversational French, focus on methods that get you speaking and listening as much as possible. Start with audio courses or apps that use real-life dialogues to help you pick up common phrases and practice pronunciation. Try to chat with native speakers regularly through language exchange programs, conversation groups, or online platforms like iTalki. Watching French movies, listening to podcasts, and using apps with speaking exercises can also boost your skills. The key is to practice speaking consistently so you can build confidence and fluency over time.
How can I learn French for free?
Apps like Duolingo and Memrise offer free courses that cover basic vocabulary, grammar, and conversational skills. For audio learning, free podcasts like “Coffee Break French” or “Learn French by Podcast” are great for on-the-go lessons. YouTube channels like “Learn French with Alexa” also provide free lessons on everything from basic phrases to advanced topics. Additionally, language exchange platforms like Tandem or HelloTalk let you practice speaking with native French speakers for free. By using these tools, you can build a strong foundation in French without spending a dime.
What is the best audiobook for learning French?
One of the best French audiobooks is “Learn French with Paul Noble,” which offers a clear and easy-to-follow approach, focusing on building confidence and fluency without overwhelming learners with complex grammar. Another good option is the Michel Thomas Method, known for its interactive style, where you learn alongside other students and get immediate feedback, making it a dynamic and engaging way to grasp French. Both of these audiobooks are highly effective for developing your French language skills.
Can I learn French by listening to music?
You can learn some French by listening to music, but it should be part of a broader learning strategy. Listening to songs helps you get familiar with pronunciation, intonation, and the natural rhythm of the language. It’s also a fun way to pick up new vocabulary and phrases in context, especially colloquial expressions that you might not find in textbooks. However, while music is a great supplementary tool, it won’t provide comprehensive grammar instruction or structured language practice. To effectively learn French, combine listening to music with other methods like courses, language apps, or practice with native speakers.
Wrapping up
Audio courses are a powerful way to enhance your French listening and speaking skills. They immerse you in the language, allowing you to develop an ear for pronunciation and conversational flow. However, it’s important to supplement audio learning with additional tools to cover grammar and expand your vocabulary. By combining different resources, you can build a stronger foundation in French.
