Speak French for Free

From LoveToKnow French

If you want to speak French for free all you need to do is to learn some vocabulary and then find places where French speakers, also known as francophones congregate. If you make native French or French-speaking friends you will have plenty of practice and your language skills will vastly improve.

French Class

Learn the Language: Free French Courses

Before you can actually speak French for free you have to accumulate some vocabulary. The web is a great resource for free online French language courses such as those provided by the BBC. Although the instruction online is comprehensive for many courses, you don't get to have back and forth conversations, so next you need to find places to test drive your French.

Free and Low-Cost Online French Communities

Although limited, there are select resources online that allow you to speak French with others. My Language Exchange is one such site. It is free to browse and visit, but does require a small monthly fee (you can subscribe for 1, 3, or 12 months) to use the exchange program. Using the Cormier method of language exchange, native language speakers work with one another to build skills.

Live Mocha is another online language community that includes the French language. This site is free to join and use, and allows you to speak French with others via chat, along with motivational tools and French language lessons.

Babbel is another language community that includes French among it's offerings. This site is also free, and it is focused on using fun methods and social interaction to build language skills.

Speaking French in Major Cities

If you live in a major city it will be a bit easier to find francophones and therefore there will be many more options for speaking French. Most major cities have some sort of French Institute often called Alliance Française which usually has some subsidy and other connections to France.

These organizations often have stand alone buildings and offer classes, celebrations, film series and other activities meant to foster interest in French culture as well as to provide homesick French natives with a connection to their beloved country. The following is a brief list:

There are many other cities with Alliance chapters that can be found at the Alliance Française Federation Directory website.

Speaking French in Smaller Cities and Towns

Many people live in smaller towns that are not near urban centers or in rural areas. There will not usually be French subsidized organizations like the Alliance Français so finding places to speak French will be a bit more challenging.

Colleges and Universities are often located in rural areas or small college towns. Although it usually costs money to take courses, there will usually be lots of people studying French who form French Tables or Table Francaise that meet regularly to speak French. They will meet in cafes or libraries for perhaps a couple of hours of conversation per week.

Anyone can organize their own Table Francaise by posting a flyer near a university or near a cafe that serves espresso - which can now be found in almost any town. If you can't find a group already in existence in your area - consider forming your own and learning how to speak French more fluently with practice!

Traveling to Speak French for Free

Of course the best and most fun way to speak french for free is to travel to places where French is spoken regularly. In the United States Louisiana and the northern New England states of Maine, NH and Vermont near the Canadian border have significant populations of people who speak French. These French-speaking populations are typically descendants of Acadians who emigrated from France in the 17th and 18th centuries, so the form of French they speak is not exactly like what is spoken in France. However, keep in mind that accent and idiom within France also varies by region. For the most part, however, the words are the same.

Outside of the United States the following countries are predominantly francophone because French is an official language:

  • Belgium
  • Canada, Province of Quebec
  • Haiti and Martinique in the Caribbean
  • Switzerland
  • Luxembourg
  • Senegal, Ivory Coast, Cameroon and a number of other African countries

There are many other countries that have significant French speaking communities. Since the advent of the open border policy between all members of the European Union, there are large numbers of French speakers in all of the member countries.

Besides the EU, countries with large numbers of French speakers include:

  • Morocco and Algeria in North Africa
  • Lebanon
  • Egypt
  • Vietnam
  • Malaysia
  • Iraq
  • Vanuatu in the South Pacific

Finding people to speak French with is not at all difficult if you are willing to take online courses or join online communities, track down francophone neighbors, and are willing to travel.

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