In my never-ending quest to bring you high-quality sites that can help you learn French, I wanted to profile a fantastic online French community, Francophilia. Pamela, who runs Francophilia, was kind enough to answer some questions I had – read on to see how you can use her site to further your French!

•    Why did you start Francophilia?

In the late 90s, when I couldn’t find a Bastille Day celebration in San Diego, I decided Francophiles like me needed a website where they could go for information about anything related to French culture in North America: events, businesses, organizations, classes, etc. But it wasn’t until late 2007, when open source social network platforms were widely available and I moved to Paris, that I launched Francophilia. My vision is to harness the collective intelligence of Francophiles worldwide to provide one-stop-shopping for info about French culture all over the world.

•    Who is the typical user of your site?

About half of the members are American, but there are members on every continent and from over 60 countries, including a number of native French speakers from various francophone countries. They range in age from 18 to over 80, and many are professionals, students, and artists. The thing I’ve discovered about Francophilia in my travels is that anyone can catch it, even if they’ve never been to France or taken a single French class!

As for our members’ French-speaking abilities, I think most of them have had some French-language training, and probably about half of them have indicated that they want to improve their French!

•    How do you see the internet changing how people learn and practice French?

Having been a student and teacher of French myself, I know it’s difficult to study alone with written material and really make progress. Fortunately, thanks to the social Web and the proliferation of multimedia tools online, people now have options for oral and aural practice as well as interaction with instructors and other students. However, I don’t know of anyone who offers a comprehensive online program that includes all of these crucial elements, although maybe you do! My impression is that users have to get creative and motivated and cobble together solutions that will provide a well-rounded learning experience. Your site is a great resource for people who want to put together a program for themselves!

•    How can French speakers of different levels use your site to improve their French?

Laura Lawless, the French Language Guide on About.com is a member of Francophilia, and she created the Learn & Practice French group on Francophilia. A few members have joined, but the group is not very active. As I said, learning a language requires motivation! It’s also time consuming, and people do have very busy lives.

Francophilia also has a built in IM system, so members can chat one-on-one with each other live when they’re both online. There is also a Chat room, where any number of members can get together to chat in French or to have discussions about French language issues (or anything else, for that matter). It’s just a question of a few motivated members organizing things like this. And they should definitely not forget to contact the native speakers for practice too!

•    Any tips on getting the most from your site?

The best way to get the full benefit of the site is to contribute, participate and interact. Our nearly 1,000 members have a shared passion and a wealth of knowledge and, chances are, if members take the initiative to propose group chats in French, create special-interest groups, or arrange real-world Francophilia meetups for French conversation in their areas, they’ll discover other members who will be glad to participate. In fact, the first Francophilia meetup in Paris will be happening in a few months!

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Post a comment below (no longer than a paragraph or two) on what you would do if you could speak perfect French! It’s that simple. Maybe you want to chat up Carla Sarkozy or watch classic French films in the language they were intended to be seen in.

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Free French Fun!

Before you go dipping your hand into your wallet to pay out for a learn French software package, take a look at the BBC’s free online resources. While you don’t have the luxury of a voice recognition package to measure how good your pronunciation of French is developing, this site offers an excellent, easily accessible range of exercises and activities to everyone from absolute beginners jetting off on a package holiday to France, to seasoned veterans who want to brush up on the latest street lingo.

Varied Approaches To Learning

The BBC Languages site recognizes that different people learn French in different ways. For example, you have the option to watch short videos of everyday French people going about their business, read the transcript in French, or download the transcript in English and French.

From very basic vocabulary to get you through the essentials whilst holidaying in France, to the “Ma France” section which covers topics as varied as DIY house renovations to the florists who make up bouquets for the winners of the Tour De France, you’re bound to find a topic which is genuinely of interest to you.

At the end of topics, you can test yourself to see how much French you’ve taken in, and the BBC Languages French site now offers MP3 downloads so that you can keep learning whilst you’re on the move. This is ideal once you’ve had a chance to take in the basics and are accustomed to the accents and vocabulary.

A Slice Of French Life

What sets the BBC site apart from some of its competitors is its well thought-out content, which is very relevant to everyday French life and appeals to a variety of age groups, and the lack of annoying pop-ups and advertising surrounding the activity boxes. What really appealed to me were the “Ma France” videos and transcripts, as the situations were quirky and sometimes very amusing. I particularly enjoyed the “Speed Dating” section, which included one video of a guy trying to chat up his intended in less than 30 seconds! The images in the videos help you to focus on what you do know, rather than what you don’t. There are lesson ideas for language teachers included with many of the sections, making it perfect for use in group learning environments.

Overall, the BBC Languages French site may be a bit more similar to the classic ways of learning French used in schools than the more robust French software, but as a free resource it makes an excellent starting point. Visit the BBC French language site.

French Knowledge For Nothing

A great example of how the internet can save you a fortune when it comes to learning languages can be found at About.com. Their French learning site has a plethora of brilliant French learning materials including interactive games, blogs and forums in English and French, top learning tips and much more!

Once you’ve got over the cluttered layout, which is packed with rather annoying ads for other sites and services, you will find some very accessible, fun activities. I like the way in which the site is fronted by their resident French expert, Laura K Lawless, whose quirky little quibbles on the intricacies of the French language fascinated me and boosted my learning because I really wanted to understand the finer points of French.

French Games Galore

From quizzes and puzzles to fun interactive activities, About.com seems to have things pretty much covered when it comes to learning French. The site offers an insight into common errors which students make, and I found myself laughing at some of the more “delicate” mistakes – thank heavens I realised before I said the same thing! You can test your own French knowledge and see which areas you need to improve.

Keep in mind though, this site is not a dedicated individual learning package, your learning very much depends upon whatever is on offer that day, and you may find that some of the material is way beyond you! However, material for beginners is mixed in with the more complex stuff, and it’s worth persevering. For dedicate individual learning – check out the French learning software product reviews on the right hand side.

About.com French also features a lot of cultural information which will really get you into the French way of living and thinking – it even tells you the Saints’ days and gives background on the national and local holidays. This is something which is sadly lacking in many other French websites, and I felt as though I had a much better understanding of France thanks to About.com.

The Tough Stuff!

The “Language Lab” allows you to listen and respond to conversations which have been well chosen to represent typical real-life situations, and grammar and vocabulary are covered in various formats. If you need a quick reference tool for conjugating verbs, for example, you can just type in the word you’re looking for and get an immediate response.

As an online reference tool with some excellent learning materials and good links to other French learning sites and programs, About.com is a great free option. However, if you’re looking for a package which takes you through the French language from beginner to expert, you’ll be frustrated by the nature of this site as it doesn’t really link from one part to the next.