Top French Site Awards

The internet is a amazing tool for learning French. But with so many sites to sift through, it can be tough to find the best learn French sites.

That’s why I created the Top French Site Award to honour the cream of the crop on the internet. Below is the list of winners, I’ve split the list into topics to make it easier to sort through.

Did I miss a worthy site? Leave your comments and let me know.

Educational Resources

The quality of free learn French material online is astounding. My hat goes off to all the sites below.

BBC French - The mother of all learn French websites. I reviewed BBC French in a previous post.

About.com French - Comprehensive resource for learning French.

Carnegie Mellon Free French - The prestigious university’s French courses aren’t easy, as they feature natural French speakers – but they are high quality and free!

French Assistant - Free French language lessons, with over 150000 French words and phrases.

French Revision - Interactive French lessons for the younger crowd (11-18).

Anne Fox Learning French - A collection of educational tools to help your French.

French Culture dot org - The official website of the Cultural Services of the French Embassy has tons of links to educational resources throughout the USA. Fantastic design on this site - something you don’t see often on government sites.

French in Action - Dozens of instructional learn French videos.

Wild French - A site that compiles various online learning resources that are made available through courses and textbooks.

Learn French with Quebec Gov’t- This is the official Quebec immigration site aimed at helping new Quebeckers master French. Quizzes, exercises, resources and more.

Zut Junior French - Between 9am and 4pm, this site offers free French activities to help kids learn French.

Frenchtastic People – Fantastic resource with lessons, exercises, and exams broken into 23 weeks.

French Teachers dot net - This site run by three French teachers in the UK started as a way to share teaching resources with other teachers. It has since grown into a site packed full of great learning resources.

Interactive French- Great resource from the University of Texas. Video and audio lessons will help your French.

Francophone Louisiana - This site was created by the Consulate General of France in New Orleans. Rich in learning resources and links.

French as a Second Language - French teacher Pierre Renaud has put together a great site with activities and print-outs for kids.

Mango French - Free French courses with slideshows and quizzes. Also features a number of other languages.

Blogs

I love the blogs below because they each give you a different perspective to French and learning French.

Foreign Language Fun - Diane, a French teacher, has put together a great blog here.

La Dame Dragon - A Canadian blog that focuses on corporate training of French.

I Heart France - Warm and funny blog by a high school French teacher in Texas.

Bringing up Baby Bilingual - Fascinating blog about raising a bilingual child. By a former French teacher.

The French Corner - Learning French Blog with lots of links. Check out their custom French Facebook applications!

Polly Vous Francais - Great blog about an American in Paris.

Naked Translations - Céline Graciet is an accomplished English-to-French translator who authors this engaging blog.

Too Many Frogs & One Brit - Hilarious blog about a Brit in France. Be prepared to laugh!

The French Journal - A great blog on French culture. Unfortunately the author does not post as frequently as I’d like to see!

Le Franco Phoney - Funny and well-written blog about life in France from an Australian’s perspective.

French Culture and Life

While these sites may not directly teach you French, they will give you a deeper insight into what it means to be French. The more cultural knowledge you have, the richer your understanding of French will be.

This French Life - Robust and active site focusing on French life. A must read if you want to move to France.

The Paris Blog - Group blog covering life in Paris.

Paris Daily Photo - The title says it all - one picture from Paris everyday by skilled Parisian photographer Eric.

From Paris With Love - A cool Paris blog for those planning to visit.

Montreal City Blog - Kate McDonnell’s blog about Montreal will keep you up on life in Canada’s coolest city.

Web in France Magazine - An English magazine about life in France.

Link Lists

In my searches I found a number of fantastic link lists to high-quality French sites. Many of the sites on this list were orginally discovered through the sites below.

Best French Websites - University of Northern Iowa’s Jim Becker has put together a massive list of recommended French resources. I’ve spent many an hour on this site following Jim’s links.

Tennessee Bob’s French Links - Loads of great French sites are linked from the University of Tennessee Martin’s teacher site.

College City of San Francisco’s Links - A huge list of French sites can be found here.

French Links - Geoff Hare’s site currently contains over 700 French sites.

Fred Riley’s French Links - 50+ great French links.

The French Connection - Australian National University French links. UPDATE: Unforunately this page is no longer live.

Fun

Sometimes you need a break from studying - on your break be sure to check out these fun French sites.

Social Networking for Languages - Busuu.com lets you connect with native speakers of the French language. Offers standard educational components too.

Live Mocha - Social networking site that connects you with free learn French tools and a way to connect with French speakers that want to learn English.

Real French - Thousands of games and activities to help you learn French.

French Slang - Finally, a site that teaches slang! Features audio and lessons.

French Mystery - If you can already read some French, this is a great site to help you brush up without making it feel like work. Play a detective and solve a mystery – in French!

French Podcasts

Podcasts are a great use of technology. They allow you to learn French on the go - whether it’s the gym or the train, you can be brushing up on your French!

Beginner French Podcasts - Great series of podcasts for those just starting out.

Daily French Podcast - Learn French via podcasts! A great use of technology to help you learn.

The Verbcast - The Verbcast is a podcast that focuses on French verbs and their tenses.

French Pod Class - 100 French podcasts from Sebastien.

Peace Corps Podcast - 17 podcasts by the Peace Corps to teach you the French spoken in Mali.

Congratulations to all the winners!