How to Learn French Fast: 10 Steps to Go From Beginner to Fluent

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Bonjour! French is the language of love, but trying to learn it can feel more like a bad breakup. Where do you start? Why are there so many verb conjugations? And what’s the deal with those nasal sounds? 

But have no fear! In this article, we’ll look at the steps you can take to start learning French and make it stick. We’ll also look at some common mistakes, and more importantly, how to avoid them. Ready? On y va! (Let’s go!)

Learn French With the Natural Approach

Before we dive into the specifics, let’s take a step back and look at the general approach to language learning. While memorization was popular in the past, thankfully, that’s no longer the case. The Natural Approach is a much more effective (and interesting) way to learn a language. 

In a nutshell, you learn a second language similar to the way a child learns their first language: through exposure and communication rather than focusing on grammar rules and exceptions. Think about how you learned your first language as a baby. 

Did your parents teach you the specific nuances of verb conjugations and prepositional phrases? Probably not. Instead, you picked up on these rules intuitively by being exposed to the language. 

Nowadays, the experts recommend that you learn a second (or third or fourth) language the same way. Let’s look at the stages you’ll go through as you progress in your French studies.

1. Pre-production: While you might not be able to say anything yet, you’re absorbing the language. Maybe you’ve already picked up a few words from a friend or a movie. This stage is all about listening and processing.
2. Early production: Once you’ve received enough exposure, you’ll be ready to try a few words and phrases on your own. This generally includes introductions, basic phrases, and common French vocabulary.
3. Speech emergence: Over time, you’ll notice your words and simple phrases transform into longer phrases and sentences and you’ll be able to express basic ideas. 
4. Intermediate fluency: While complete fluency may never happen, you will be able to achieve a certain level of speaking and understanding by continued exposure to the language and practice.

As you begin studying French, you’ll naturally work through these phases. It probably won’t happen as fast for you as it does a child learning their first language, but you’ll be able to measure your progress as you go from one stage to the next. The key is to keep at it and don’t be afraid to start speaking from an early stage.

How to Learn French in 10 Steps

Now that you know the technical process behind learning a language, let’s look at some specifics for French. While French is a somewhat easy language for English speakers to learn, it still has many unique challenges that need to be acknowledged, appreciated, and studied.

1. Start with the ABCs

Since the Natural Approach is all about acquiring a language the way a child would, what better way to start than by learning the ABCs in French? While French and English both use the Latin script, each letter has a slightly different pronunciation, especially the vowels. Learning the alphabet can serve as a foundation that will help you with tricky pronunciation as you move to words and phrases.

You’ll also need to learn the differences in pronunciation. Many French learners are surprised by the nasal sounds that are necessary for correct French pronunciation. For example, the letter “e” in French is pronounced like “uh.” But the sound changes completely when the letter “e” is followed by the letter “n.” It now makes a nasal sound created by pushing air through both your nose and mouth at the same time.

It sounds a bit crazy, but the video below explains it well and gives you tips on how to make these French sounds.

2. Learn New Vocabulary

Once you have the alphabet and basic rules of pronunciation down, it’s time to learn some words! The good news is, if you already speak English, you already know many French words. While there’s no official number, it’s estimated that English shares 30-50% of its vocabulary with French. I’m sure you already know a few French words like soiree, matinee, ballet, rendezvous, and more.

But of course, you’ll need to learn more French vocabulary. This is an easy and fun stage! You can use an app like Mondly to learn new words in a fun and interactive way. You can also keep a notebook where you write down words that you didn’t know. Some people even label objects in their houses with sticky notes with the French translation. Use whatever works best for you!

Just be careful of false cognates. These are words that sound like an English word, but mean something different in French. For example, “bras” in French i