How to Learn French Online

Wondering how to learn French? It can be as easy as turning on you computer and finding an English to French translator or French-language Web site.

There are hundreds of sites online that offer information on learning a new language, including some that are free. In addition to the actual courses you can take online, there are also translation sites that offer pronunciation guides. 

Learning French Online
Though the French language also uses the same 26-letter alphabet as the American alphabet, many of the letters are pronounced differently. That makes it important to not only see the words but to hear them being pronounced correctly. Some Web sites offer this service for free, while others charge for this service.

It's a good idea to start out with a free site that offers French instruction. Learning online is quite different from learning in a classroom, and it's not for everybody. You'll need the discipline and organization to keep up with lessons and to find time to practice. Take a free online course and see how it goes. If you find you can learn easily online, then don't hesitate to pay for an in-depth course. If you find yourself struggling, then you know your money is better spent on a course offered in a classroom.

Features to Look for
Before you sign up for an online class, get a sense of its target audience. Some sites offer courses in conversational French, while others are meant specifically for travelers or businesspeople. Match your goals to the types of classes that are offered, so you can get the most for your money.

The best online classes include audio that lets you hear the language spoken by someone who's fluent. You should be able to pause and rewind these audio files as much as you need, so that you can correct any mistakes in your pronunciation. Classes that include a visual element, asking you to match pictures to words, tend to be better than classes that only use words. One of the keys to learning a foreign language is to learn to think in that language; visual elements help to cement French words in different parts of your brain, making it easier to recall them when they're needed.

Getting the Most from an Online Class
Once you have chose a Web site for lessons, don't fall into the routine of learning only what the site offers or suggests. When it comes to learning online, you will have to do the majority of the work on your own. Any Web sites will only give you a certain amount of words and phrases; the rest is up to you to discover.

To make sure you pick up all of the phrases and words you'll need to know, it's smart to make a running list of all of the items and things in your home, including items in the closet, the kitchen cupboard, the garden and in the junk drawer. In order to be fluent in another language, you'll need to have a word for every item you own or know about. After you are fluent with words that pertain to your home, expand your horizons and write a list of things that you might need to know once you leave the comfort of your home, such as all the words you would need to recognize and pronounce in order to drive.

After you are fluent in driving words, expand even farther so that once you step out of your vehicle, you can converse with others. Learn pleasantries as well as emergency information, and how to conduct yourself politely in public. It's helpful to find a friend, or preferably a mentor who's fluent in French, to help you with these steps. Get together often and talk in French, practicing what you've learned. The main advantage to a mentor is that this person will help you correct subtle mistakes in pronunciation that a fellow learner might miss.