LingoCulture Review: Can It Help You Learn French?

LingoCulture Overview

This LingoCulture review will tell you everything you need to know about this innovative online French scool. LingoCulture is a new platform that was created to connect French language learners with qualified teachers. They partnered with Baselang, an established Spanish learning company, and follow their same model. You get unlimited classes with native French speakers for one monthly price. LingoCulture provides an immersive environment that can get you speaking quickly.

As a French language learner myself, I was excited for an opportunity to try the platform. I consider myself to have a B1 level of French (not a complete beginner, but only able to communicate the basics), and was curious to see if LingoCulture could help me improve. My overall experience was very positive.

In general, I think LingoCulture is accessible to French learners of any level, but those with a base knowledge will benefit the most. If you are a complete beginner, it’s a good idea to supplement your lessons with other materials, such as a French language app or book to help you improve build a solid foundation and make the most of your time in class.

LingoCulture Price

LingoCulture has a straightforward price: You pay $149.00 per month for unlimited 1-on-1 online French classes. And the good news is that the classes truly are unlimited. You can take multiple classes per day, have back-to-back classes, take one in the morning and one at night…whatever you want! There are no limitations at all.

LingoCulture operates without contracts too, which means there is no obligation or commitment. If you want to take classes for only 1 month, that’s not a problem. There is also a satisfaction guarantee that definitely makes it worth a try. If you aren’t satisfied with the platform in your first 35 days, they will send you a refund. You have nothing to lose!

The monthly price of LingoCulture might seem expensive at first, but it all depends on your language goals and how you plan to use the platform. If you’re a casual learner or just want to learn a few words and phrases, a language app with a cheaper monthly subscription like Pimsleur or Mondly will be enough. 

If you want to take lessons but can’t make a big time commitment, online language tutoring platforms like italki and Preply charge per lesson. If you want to take classes casually, one of these platforms will probably be cheaper. But if you want to take 2 or more classes per week, LingoCulture is the better deal.

LingoCulture Hourly Cost​

The hourly cost of LingoCulture depends on how many classes you take each month. Since it’s a flat subscription price of $149 per month, the more classes you take, the less you pay per hour of class. The table below calculates hourly rates based on LingoCulture’s monthly price and can give you a better idea of how LingoCulture’s price compares to other alternatives.

[table “117” not found /]

LingoCulture Free Trial

LingoCulture does not offer a free trial, but it does offer 7-day trial for $1.00. During this time, you can take unlimited classes and try as many teachers as you want. You have to enter your credit card information to access the trial, and if you don’t wish to continue, you’ll need to cancel before the 7 days finish or you’ll be charged.

LingoCulture Discount

Since we’re big fans of LingoCulture, Langoly has partnered with LingoCulture to offer an exclusive discount to our readers. If you sign up with the coupon code: langoly, you’ll receive $10.00 off your first month.

LingoCulture Review: Getting Started & How it Works

Getting started with LingoCulture is easy. All you have to do is enter your name and email address. If you want to start with the $1.00 free trial, you will have to enter your credit card information. But there are no additional questions or placement tests. That will be covered in your first lesson. Now let’s take a closer look at how LingoCulture works.

LingoCulture: Booking a Class

Booking a class on LingoCulture is super simple, and you don’t need to book in advance either. You can choose to book a class by the time slot or by the teacher you want to take class with. There is even the option to see when a teacher has 2 or more free classes back-to-back if you want to take multiple lessons on the same day. 

If you want to book a class based on the teacher, you can filter them based on criteria like gender, teaching style, and what level they’re best at teaching. Each teacher also has a profile with a short introductory video and a description their interests and teaching style.

You can book a class at any time from 8 am to 2 am French time (which is usually 2:00 am to 8:00pm EST). You can usually only book classes up to four days in advance. If you mark a teacher as your “favorite” though, you’ll get access to two additional days of their schedule. I never a problem booking the teachers I liked and I was always able to book the time slot that I wanted too.

LingoCulture: What to Expect in Your First Class

I was nervous about my first class, but everything went smoothly. The teacher was patient with me and walked me through how the platform works and asked what I was looking for during the lessons . That’s something that I liked about LingoCulture: it’s totally customizable to your experience and comfort level. All teachers speak at least some level of English so even if you don’t have any experience speaking in French, you’ll still be able to communicate.

The first class is mostly an assessment of your level and an introduction. My teacher asked me to introduce myself, and then she did the same and asked me questions to test my understanding. It’s all meant to assess your level. If you don’t have any experience with French, you can say that to your teacher and they will start from the very beginning.

LingoCulture: Taking Live French Lessons

After your initial trial class and assessment, it’s up to you to choose if you want to continue to with the same teacher or choose a someone different. After each lesson, teachers leave feedback about what you learned and your progress. This helps new teachers understand your level. 

In theory, this feedback system is a good idea, but it’s not very practical. I tried a few different teachers to get an overall feel for the platform, but I noticed that I was losing a lot of time because teachers were explaining topics I already learned in previous classes. For this reason, I would recommend finding one or two French teachers you like and sticking with them. That way they can monitor your progress and build on what they know you’ve learned.

Another benefit is that the teachers can completely adapt the classes to your wants and needs. The platform is totally flexible. Before each lesson, you can send a note to your teacher and tell them what you want to learn. For example, you can tell them you want to review a specific subject, read an article, have a discussion class, etc. This is an optional step, and the teacher will have material prepared if you don’t specify anything.

LingoCulture: Extra features

The LingoCulture platform is pretty bare-bones, but there are a few features that you can use outside of your scheduled class time. One available feature is access to Memrise flashcard decks. These will help you learn the important vocabulary necessary to speak in French. On the platform, you can also access PowerPoints for the core lessons. While these are not that informative, you can get an idea of what you’ll learn in the next class so you can prepare. The focus is definitely on the live classes though, and the platform works perfectly for that purpose.

LingoCulture Review: Overall Learning Experience

Overall, I had a great experience with LingoCulture. I was nervous at first but the teachers were warm and welcoming. I was encouraged to participate at the level I was comfortable with. They all have a high level of English so even if all you can say is bonjour, you’ll be able to communicate and understand. 

I took classes with three different teachers. I never had a bad experience, but there were definitely some teachers whose teaching style was better for me. That’s the case no matter where you take language lessons though. The good news is that you can take as many classes as you want with LingoCulture and choose the teacher(s) you like best.

Based on my experience, the quality of the teachers is excellent. The LingoCulture teachers I took classes with were all highly-qualified and had a degree in a related field, such as teaching or translating. They could explain topics that I asked questions about and gave me helpful corrections and guidance. Some even assigned me homework to help practice between classes.

The platform was also easy to use. The aspect I like most is that the teachers have a short video about themselves. These help you learn a little bit about how they teach their classes and “meet” them before taking a class with them.

LingoCulture has a curriculum that teachers can use, but it’s not required. You can truly learn how and what you want to learn. In one of my classes, I asked for help practicing the past tense and the teacher was able to quickly shift gears and give me some practice exercises that we worked through together. I also asked for help with speaking and pronunciation since these are things I can’t practice on my own. I wouldn’t say I sound like a native speaker by any means, but my French pronunciation has certainly improved by using LingoCulture!

LingoCulture Review: Areas of Improvement

Although I recommend it for French learners, there are some areas of LingoCulture that can be improved. My biggest frustration was the lack of continuity if you want to use different teachers. After each class, they are supposed to write notes about what we talked about so the next teacher will know. The previous teacher’s feedback didn’t seem to make much of a difference though.

With each new teacher, we basically started over from the beginning and covered topics I already learned. And even though I told them I wasn’t a complete beginner, we almost always covered basic topics like days of the week and present tense conjugations. Of course, this won’t be a problem once you find a French teacher that you like and start taking regular classes with them.

The platform itself is very basic too. Unless your teacher gives you additional material, there isn’t really a way to practice between lessons. You will need additional resources if you want to practice independently outside of class time. The good news is that there are many helpful French language apps that you can use on your own time.

LingoCulture Alternatives and Competitors

I think that LingoCulture is one of the best online French schools. There are other options worth considering though, like Lingoda, italki, Preply, and Rocket French. Lingoda is the most similar to LingoCulture because it also offers a curriculum, while italki and Preply are strong options if you want to casually take classes. If you’re on a budget or want a self-paced online French course, Rocket French is an excellent alternative to LingoCulture.

LingoCulture vs Lingoda

Lingoda uses a similar concept to LingoCulture. You have the option to take private or group classes, and they have other languages available besides French. Lingoda has a more developed platform and there is additional practice material you can study outside of class. Similar to other tutoring platforms, with Lingoda you pay by the class, but LingoCulture gives you unlimited lessons for a set price. The better option most likely depends on how many classes per month you want to take. You can learn more in this Lingoda review.

LingoCulture vs italki

italki vs LingoCulture is an excellent comparison because both platforms aim to fulfill that same need. LingoCulture is dedicated entirely to French, but you can find tutors for almost any language on italki. The choice of which one is better depends on your language needs and dedication to learning. italki charges per lesson, so if you want to take more than 2 lessons per week, LingoCulture is the better option, even if it means a hefty upfront payment. You can read this italki review to learn more about the platform. 

LingoCulture vs Preply

Preply is similar to other tutoring platforms and connects language learners to qualified teachers. Since LingoCulture is exclusively dedicated to French, the teachers are more qualified and have much more teaching experience. In the end, it depends on how much you want to study. If you want multiple classes a week, LingoCulture is your best option. But if you’re on a budget, Preply will be less expensive. You can learn more in this Preply review.

LingoCulture vs Rocket French

LingoCulture and Rocket French are difficult to compare. While LingoCulture have the benefit of talking with native speakers, Rocket French is an independent self-study course that teaches all-around language concepts, but doesn’t have much speaking practice. Rocket French is better for complete beginners because it walks you through the basics and you can repeat the lessons as many times as you want. Intermediate and advanced learners will benefit more from LingoCulture. You can read more in this Rocket French review.

LingoCulture Review FAQ

About This LingoCulture Review

This is an independent LingoCulture review, and the company has not sponsored this article. To write this review, I used a one-month subscription and took classes with various teachers to get a feel for how the platform works. I also found additional information on the LingoCulture website to verify my findings.