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French

LanguagePod101 — All Languages, Pod101 and Class101

Updated November 20, 2023

If you want a language learning podcast that consistently adds new content to keep you motivated, you will find the “Pod101” and “Class101” series quite useful.

One great thing about LanguagePod101 programs is that they do publish new content ALL THE TIME. And their pricing structure allows language learners of any mastery and commitment levels to find contents that are useful. The pricing starts at a mere few dollars per month, and the top subscription called Premium PLUS gives learners personal feedback and a personalized program to follow.

Visit Language Learning Programs in the LanguagePod101 Series

Click the icon to visit the site for the language you want. Purchase or just check it out. Happy Learning!

You can also read ALR independent reviews for each language’s program in the following section.

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Babbel Review French

Babbel French Review – Reasonably Priced Solid Program

Babbel French

Rating 4.3

Summary

Babbel French app aims to get learners to a conversational level as quickly as possible through the use of a variety of exercises and spaced repetition for review. The courses are well put together and relatively inexpensive.


Quality 4.5

It’s well-designed and the content is immediately useful.

Thoroughness 4.0

The material provided is effective and covers a lot, but isn’t ideal for advanced levels.

Value 4.3

The value for what you get is very attractive.

I Like
  • The content is practical for real-life use
  • It’s easy to use
  • The lessons are fairly short
I Don’t Like
  • The exercises can get repetitive
  • The review exercises don’t include grammar concepts
  • Speech recognition isn’t the best way to learn pronunciation
Price

Babbel uses a recurring subscription model and offers a 20-day money-back guarantee. Price per month depends on the length of the subscription and only includes access to one language.

Monthly – $14.95/mo Every 3 Months – $12.65/mo Every 6 Months – $11.15/mo Every year – $7.45/mo

The prices listed here are for customers in the United States; they otherwise vary by region.

Babbel Spring Sale! Get 60% off on Babbel subscriptions. See details on the website. Offer ends on 3/17/24.

Start Babbel French

Introduction

Whether you just need to pass a college French class or you want to become fluent for a trip abroad, you have probably looked into the popular Babbel French course. Babbel is a subscription-based language learning app that offers a tailored learning program aligned with your skill level and interests, such as culture vs travel. 

Babbel French Review – Reasonably Priced Solid Program Read More »

Pimsleur Review French

Pimsleur French Review: Great Choice If Your Goal Is To Get Speaking French Quickly

Pimsleur French

Rating 4.3

Summary

Pimsleur is one of the most popular and longest-standing resources out there for learning a foreign language. Pimsleur French courses place a strong emphasis on aural and verbal communication skills, paying less attention to grammar explanations and reading or writing skills. The bunk of the material is taught with audio lessons, making it an ideal app for people on the go.


Quality 4.5

The platform is extremely well designed and easy to use. The content seems to be of high quality at all levels.

Thoroughness 4.0

Timely repetition and active practice work well, and lessons build on each other nicely, but the “intermediate fluency in 30 days” claim may be a stretch.

Value 4.5

The subscription option provides good value for French learners. It is worth paying $1 more to get the All Access subscription with 51 languages.

I Like
  • The lessons are structured well and are an appropriate length.
  • There are both male and female native speakers.
  • Lessons build on each other nicely.
  • The platform is easy to navigate and visually appealing.
I Don’t Like
  • There’s very little visual content.
  • Lesson speed isn’t customizable.
Price

Subscriptions of either $14.95/month or $19.95/month are available for courses with at least 60 lessons. Prices otherwise range from around $20 to over $500. All purchases come with a 7-day free trial.

Introduction

Are you ready to take the plunge and commit to learning French? For real fluency and a solid foundation in French, you may want to try a big-name program like Pimsleur. With fifty years of history behind it, this famous method promises to engage you in a participatory recall process as you learn French. It is nothing glamorous, but we are a big fan of the Pimsleur Method.

Pimsleur French Review: Great Choice If Your Goal Is To Get Speaking French Quickly Read More »

Rosetta Stone Review French

Rosetta Stone French Review: Good For Vocab. That’s About It

Rosetta Stone French

Rating 3.0

Summary

A Rosetta Stone French course could be most suitable for learners that don’t mind repetitive exercises and prefer to learn from pictures and context rather than translations and explanations. It’s probably not a good option for anyone wanting to significantly improve their speaking or writing skills, or those looking for an engaging course.


Quality 3.0

The platform is a bit clunky on desktop, but the material is accurate and presented clearly; lesson mechanics are fairly intuitive.

Thoroughness 3.0

Without much opportunity to build your own sentences, I don’t think you’ll reach a conversational level with any notable speed.

Value 3.0

Lifetime access could be a great value for learners who like Rosetta Stone methodology.

I Like
  • The audio quality is very good.
  • Lessons progress naturally and logically.
I Don’t Like
  • It’s repetitive and boring.
  • You don’t get to generate your own sentences.
  • Speech recognition doesn’t work very well.
  • No grammar explanations in core material.
Price

A three-month subscription to one language is $35.97, which works out to be $11.99/month.
A year-long subscription to one course is $95.88, which is $7.99/month. Both of these subscriptions are automatically recurring.
Lifetime access to all Rosetta Stone language courses is available for $199.

ALR Readers Exclusive Holiday Deal!! Get the Lifetime Subscription for 25 languages for $179 (everywhere else it’s $199 right now!). See details on the website.

Introduction

Learning fluent French will help you communicate anywhere in the world, as this beautiful language has native speakers on every continent! Rosetta Stone promises to deliver an immersive French program that focuses on everyday vocabulary and pronunciation practice. Will completing the course make you fluent in French? 

Rosetta Stone French Review: Good For Vocab. That’s About It Read More »

Story Learning Review French

StoryLearning French Uncovered Review

StoryLearning French Uncovered

Rating 4.0

Summary

StoryLeaning French Uncovered comes from Olly Richards, the creator of the super popular polyglot blog. It’s quite a bit different than most courses as it revolves around an engaging story. It can be a bit more challenging than other courses, as you begin reading somewhat long texts right off the bat. Overall, I found it to be a more fun way to approach language learning that will be great for some but not ideal for others.


Quality 4.0

The instruction is clear but can have too much information crammed into a single lesson.

Thoroughness 4.0

You’ll practice every aspect of the language.

Value 4.0

It has a pretty high price, but if you stick with it, you’ll get good value from it.

I Like
  • Unique course structure
  • Strong focus on listening comprehension
  • Immersion approach to building fluency
I Don’t Like
  • No direct speaking software
  • Costs more than many app-based subscription courses
Price

A one-time purchase costs $297. Multiple course bundles offer huge discounts. There’s also a 7-day free trial.

StoryLearning’s French Uncovered course promises to help you learn French fluently in the natural way a child learns language, by communicating via story. The program’s unique teaching method does not use the parrot-like match or repeat structure associated with many other language learning programs. 

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Best Way to Learn French

Best Way to Learn French: Logical, Practical, & Useful Tips

10 Best Ways to Learn French

1) Take a French course

One of the best ways to learn French is to work through a course that follows an immersion based approach. Traditional French courses and classes use a translation method to teach you French. You’re given a list of French words with their English translations and you’re expected to memorize them or recall them during a quiz or exercise.

Best Way to Learn French: Logical, Practical, & Useful Tips Read More »

Best Courses French

27 Best Online French Courses: We’ve Tried Them

You may have noticed that there is no obvious choice for the perfect online course if you’re interested in learning French. Generally, foreign language courses have a variety of options but they vary for every language. This post will help you find the best online French classes or courses and what they have to offer. There are so many, in fact, that going through each of them can be overwhelming. Whether you’re looking for a French crash course, how to teach yourself French, or online French classes, we got you covered here. 

27 Best Online French Courses: We’ve Tried Them Read More »

Lingoda Review – Positive Experience But Room For Improvement

Lingoda

Rating 4.0

Summary

Lingoda is an online language learning platform where you can take private or group classes at any time of the day. They offer lessons in Spanish, German, French, and English. There are a large number of lessons available for everyone from absolute beginners to more advanced levels. It’s a good option to get the structure of a course with the guidance of a teacher, at an affordable price.


Quality 4.0

Both the platform and the content itself are easy to use and presented well.

Thoroughness 4.0

Although there are hundreds of lessons, they could use a bit more variety and you’ll need to study them with a teacher to get much benefit.

Value 4.0

It’s an affordable option that gives you access to good teachers and a comprehensive course.

I Like
  • The flexible hours mean that you can pretty much take a class whenever suits you – whether that’s 3am or 3pm!
  • Right from the start, the teachers speak almost entirely in the language that you’re learning.
  • There are hundreds of different classes covering different subjects for all levels.
I Don’t Like
  • The quality of your class and how much content you cover relies to a large extent on the other students. This also impacts how much time you actually get to speak.
  • The lesson materials all look quite similar and there is not much variation between lessons.
Price

There are lots of different plans available whether it matters how many classes you want to take or if you want to do individual or group.

For group classes, it is $399.99 a month, which gives you access to 40 class subscriptions.

For private classes, the plan is $799.99 a month for 40 classes.

There are a lot of smaller plans than these so take a look as to what is interesting to you.

There are also “marathon” plans for three, six, or twelve months that offer lower per-class rates and a chance to earn cashback if you attend 90% of your classes.

It’s an affordable option that gives you access to good teachers and a comprehensive course.Lingoda is an online language learning school where classes take place 24/7 and native speakers teach you either English, French, German or Spanish (depending on what you sign up for). The lessons progress in difficulty following a course and the teachers help you out along the way in both private and group lessons where you’ll be with up to four other people.

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