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Mar 3, 2022 · The top-5 best books for learning French are: 1) Practice Makes Perfect Complete French All-In-One, 2) The Ultimate French Review and Practice, 3) Grammaire en Dialogues – Niveau Grand Débutant, 4) Vocabulaire en Dialogues A1-A2 and 5) Exercises in French Phonics. This article will discuss why I’ve selected these titles and recommend them ...
- Best French Textbooks For Beginners
- Excellent French Textbooks For Intermediate Learners
- Effective French Textbooks For Advanced Learners
- Best French Vocabulary Textbooks
- Top French Grammar Textbooks
- Best French Pronunciation Textbooks
1. Easy French Step-by-step
This book is the number one best-seller in the French Language Instruction portion of Amazon.com. It’s popular for a good reason. The way this book is organized takes you through different modules in a way that actually makes sense. It introduces more than 300 verbs, presented in order of importance. Verbs are vital when you’re starting out. This textbook will give you a foundation for grammar, vocabulary, all while building off itself chapter by chapter. It comes complete with a ton of exerc...
2. Allez, viens! French 1
An oldie but a goodie, this textbook is targeted at middle and high school students but works as a great starting point for adult learners. It won’t get you fluent in French, but the aim is to get you proficient, with lots of coverage on colloquial language and interesting topicsto keep you engaged with the content. It also encourages you to learn new vocabulary by using contextual clues.
3. Entre Amis
If you like your books to be a little more flashy, then this may be a better choice than Easy French Step-by-Step, as it has more graphics. This text is best if you have a vague knowledge of French already, but it’s still great for beginners because it covers, well, beginner’s French. Many of the modules focus more on oral interactions, teaching through a performance-oriented approach. So if you’re outgoing, find a language-learning buddyto practice with. Unlike similar textbooks, its focus i...
5. En bonne forme
Idioms and slang aplenty! Didn’t think you’d find that in a textbook, did you? This book is serious business. If grammar is what you need help with, and you’re ready to sprinkle more advanced vocabulary into your French, then here’s your solution. En bonne forme is a great reference for all things French grammar, and it goes through the tensesand rules with great examples, explanations and attention to detail.
6. Mise en scène: cinéma et lecture
If you’re studying French, then there’s a chance that you may also enjoy French cinema. French can open doors to wonderful time periods and styles of filmmaking. And while watching French movies is certainly a viable way to learn French, sometimes having a more organized approach is best. This textbook does exactly that; it uses French-language films and corresponding texts to help expand your knowledge of culture and vocabulary, with activities that tie it all together. Cinephiles and Franco...
7. Moments Litteraires: An Anthology for Intermediate French
Bookworms, I know you’re out there, wondering if you can just read your way to fluency. Well, no, not technically, but you sure can learn about the intricacies of grammar (oh hey simple past tense) and build your vocabulary. This is an anthology of French masterpieces, dating back from the Middle Ages to present day. It also includes pre- and post-reading activities to help you get the most out of each reading.
8. Le Bon Usage
This is the pinnacle of French textbooks. This reference guide to the nooks and crannies of French usage and style is a whopping 1600-1800 pages (depending on what edition you get). It was first published in 1936 and has been revised systematically since. It may seem daunting, but if you’re serious about your French, ranging from struggling beginner to fluent professional, this book will have the answers presented in an organized manner to any little question about usage you may have.
9. Advanced French
If you’re looking for something a little more general, then this book may be more your speed. With similar topics to Le Bon Usage, it’s a little bit easier to digest because it’s made for English speakers. It has an insane amount of French examples from a huge array of texts, and will give you a detailed answer to all your grammar questions. It’s also a more normal size for a textbook (706 pages), including a very helpful index of phrases, vocabulary and topics to help make finding what you n...
10. Short Stories in French
Similar to Moments Litteraire in its teaching methods, this is a great book for more casual French reading (assuming you can read in French, that is). It has great short stories, all in both French and English(to help you out with comprehension). Though not strictly a textbook, you can use this book of short stories in the same way. If you’re looking for more books like this and aren’t ready to throw the English crutches to the curb just yet, then there are plenty of parallel texts out there....
11. Mastering French Vocabulary: A Thematic Approach
If you were a student for many years and didn’t get a lot of immersion-based experience, but somehow emerged at the end with a whole lot of grammar knowledge (teachers like to review those tenses!), then you’re probably looking for some vocabulary help. This book contains over 5,000 words and phrases(Learn all of them! All of them!), all organized by theme to make it digestible.
12. Larousse French-English Dictionary
Every French learner needs a good dictionary. While there are plenty of french translation appsout there, there’s nothing like the good-old-fashioned way of translating! They’ve got a variety of editions including editions for middle schoolers, college students, a concise version, pocket version and a big old hardcover oneif you like having big red books on your shelf.
13. 501 French Verbs
This book is invaluable. If you suddenly forget the past participle of pouvoir, you whip this book out, find the verb and there it is—its past participle and how to form it in all the major tenses. And, you guessed it, this is done with501 different verbs. A good thing to have on your shelf, no matter what level your French is at.
14. La Conjugaison Pour Tous
Whether you’re an absolute beginner trying to conjugate avoir or an intermediate learner trying to understand finer points of the subjunctive mood, “La conjugaison pour tous”offers everything you need to know about verb conjugations. Not only does “La conjugaison pour tous” cover as many verbs as even the best online conjugators, but each entry goes above and beyond by giving contextual information about how the verb is used. All tenses are given,plus additional information often not found in...
15. La Grammaire Pour Tous
Another popular installment in the Bescherelle series, “La grammaire pour tous”is a popular book in French immersion schools with millions sold. “La grammaire pour tous” presents syntax, punctuation, and sentence structurewith easy-to-follow examples, allowing you to write advanced French faster.
17. Exercises in French Phonics
So you’ve got your vocab under control, your grammar in check, but you sound pretty weird when you speak. If you need to kick your pronunciation into gear, this book is a great resource. It’s also a nice and compact book so you can take it with you on all your French-speaking adventures.
18. L’orthographe Pour Tous
This Bescherelle installment is far more than a simple dictionary. “L’orthographe pour tous”helps you memorize French spelling by grouping together words that are spelled similarly. This book explains different methods to write a given sound, in addition to providing lists of homonyms (words with similar pronunciations but different meanings) to be aware of. Each word in the glossary includes a number which directs you to its entry containing its etymology and the spelling rules for the word...
19. Savoir Dire
Even if you’re already taken classes to improve your pronunciation,“Savoir dire” serves as a great reference book for spoken French. Pronunciation remains one of the greatest stumbling blocks for French learners. “Savoir dire”breaks down complicated words into easily repeatable sounds demonstrated in an included CD and helps you master the phonetic alphabet. More than just teaching you how to pronounce French,“Savoir dire”explains how to use your mouth like a francophone when you speak.
- Practice Makes Perfect: Complete French All-in-One. Best Overall French Book. Practice Makes Perfect: Complete French All-in-One is the best overall book to learn French because it has a huge amount of study materials.
- French All-in-One for Dummies. Best for Beginners. I’m a big fan of the “For Dummies” series, especially when it comes to their language books. I’ve included them in a few different articles here on Langoly.
- Easy French Step-by-Step. Best for French Grammar. While some might argue the word “easy” should never be used when talking about grammar, Easy French Step-by-Step truly makes understanding French grammar easier.
- The Berlitz Self-Teacher. Best for Speaking and Communication. Even though it’s a little older than other books on this list, The Berlitz Self-Teacher is still the best for speaking and communication because it focuses on speaking right from the very beginning.
- “Le Petit Prince” by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Check availability on Amazon. “Le Petit Prince” (The Little Prince) is a timeless French novella that delves into the imaginative journey of a young prince from a tiny asteroid.
- “Les aventures de Tintin” by Hergé. Check availability on Amazon. “Les aventures de Tintin” (The Adventures of Tintin) is a wildly popular 20th-century comic about a Belgian reporter and his pet dog, Snowy.
- “Contes du jour et de la nuit” by Guy de Maupassant. Read for free. Guy de Maupassant is one of the world’s best writers of short stories. “Contes du jour et de la nuit” (Tales of Day and Night) includes Maupassant’s most famous short story: “La parure” (The Necklace).
- “Contes de ma mère l’Oye” by Charles Perrault. Read for free. Charles Perrault is a French author who’s credited with laying the foundations for the fairy tale genre.
Sep 21, 2022 · Allez, viens! French 1. This textbook is aimed at middle and high school students but serves as an excellent starting point for adult learners. It will not make you fluent in French, but it will make you proficient, with plenty of coverage of colloquial language and interesting topics to keep you engaged with the content.
Dec 16, 2021 · Genre: Short Stories. Pages: 252. First Page. Summary: This collection of simple stories was made with French students in mind. Written entirely in the present tense with easy-to-follow plots, the entire Short Stories by Olly series is a good first attempt for students trying to break out of workbooks and into reading.
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2. Le Petit Nicolas. The classic children’s series, Le Petit Nicolas, might include some of the best books to learn French for beginners. Written by René Goscinny and charmingly illustrated by Jean-Jacques Sempé, the books are narrated from the point of view of young Nicolas as he lives out an idyllic childhood in 1950s France.
