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Saturday, February 15th
Italki started out in 2006 as a social network for language exchange. A couple years later they created an environment where students could pay teachers online for language lessons. They've continued to grow, and now offer over 150 languages from 20,000 teachers available from anywhere in the world.
Easy to start
Signing up with Italki is so much easier - and cheaper - then flying to France so you can learn French from a real French-speaking person. You don't have to sign up for a long-term plan and you don't have an auto-renewing subscription. This is so simple, it feels like it should be harder. What it's not is an online set of French courses where you'll use cute flashcards to learn vocabulary and play matching games to see if you have retained the material. There are no prizes or clapping kitties when you pass a level. There's no set progression from beginning French lessons to advanced lessons in a set curriculum. And that's okay. If you would like that, and there's nothing wrong with that, you can find an excellent online French learning program from our list. And then, you can use italki to practice what you've learned in a real conversational setting.
Italki itself is a facilitator
Sometimes you just want the human factor when learning something. Maybe you've taken online classes where you have spoken in the mic and you listen to yourself. In that situation, no one gives you feedback so you know if you can carry on a conversation. What you'd want instead is italki. Italki is a facilitator to connect you with a real, live person to help you with your French. You decide what you want to learn and they'll teach it to you. Or if you're already taking a course and want a tutor, get one from italki.
No long-term subscriptions to sign up for
With italki, you select your teacher and then sign up for a lesson in their available time slot. That's it. Sign up for as many or as few sessions as you need, and sign up whenever you want. You're not paying italki on a monthly plan or a yearly subscription - you're making an appointment with a tutor like you would any other professional.
Choose a teacher
Go on the italki website and click on French. You'll see a ton of teachers to choose from. From their bio you can see what their native languages are, how much French they know, how other students have rated them, and more. You would let them know your needs: if you need help with your current French class, if you want to practice speaking French with someone, or if you want to learn French for business or travel. There are so many French speakers to choose from; you can stick with one or switch it up to hear a different accent or learn from someone new.
Two types of teachers
First, there are actual teachers. They have a degree in education or a teaching certificate, and these teachers can charge more as they are qualified in this area. The other type of teacher is a community tutor. They tend to be less expensive and wouldn't have the credentials. All of that said, not all actual teachers may teach the way you want to learn; and on the other hand, there may be community tutors that are very good at teaching. The community tutors can tend to try really hard as their pay starts out less and they want to earn higher pay with more fabulous reviews. See what - or who - is best for you.
Language partners
This is a unique, free feature where you can find someone to speak French with, and they'll want to speak English with you. This is like meeting a new friend - it is not a format for classes or lessons, though. Wouldn't you like to chat with a native French speaker? Well, they would like to talk with you, too. Share time speaking each language, and maybe an online friendship could occur.
Easy to schedule a session
After you've selected a tutor, italki shows you the available times for lessons. If you like the tutor but they don't seem to be available when you are, you can message them if they could meet you when you are available - the worst they can say is no, right?.
There's no set curriculum
Italki doesn't offer courses. It offers French speakers to help you. Many of them have taught French courses before, so you can ask if they are willing and able to teach you beginning French, or French for business, or help you do well on your high school French AP exam, or if they have courses they could teach you. Whatever your French language needs, there should definitely be someone to help you. If you just want to learn French, though, and there's no consistency in curricula from one teacher to another, what do you do? Well, let's find out.
So what can they teach you?
That depends on the teacher. Click on a teacher. Watch their video where they describe how they teach. Read about them as a teacher and their teaching style. Under their teaching style, they might list the resources they have available, such as flashcards, text documents, presentation slides, and homework. Feel free to message them to tell them what you want to learn and see if they are willing and able to help you meet your goals. If so, see if their price works with your budget and give it a go.
You can even do a combination
Maybe you want a set curriculum from an online French course, so italki isn't for you. Well, we have several highly rated online French programs for you to choose from. Learn and practice with that French program, and when you want someone to converse with as a change of pace, sign up with someone from italki and improve your conversational skills. Or get personal help from an italki teacher if you're stuck in a lesson. There's so much you can do and learn when talking with a French-speaking person, and italki is where you'll find them.
Costs
Italki prices are pretty straightforward:
Trial lessons
Italki allows you three trial lessons at a reduced price to check out the program and try a few teachers. They're not free because there's an actual person helping you and they should receive at least some pay for their time.
Refund policy
All payments are final, and remember, the person you're working with deserves to be paid for their time. That said, you can receive either a refund or credit toward another class if you have canceled a class in time, your teacher has canceled a class, or if you have reported a problem with the session.
Italki is ideal for improving French conversational skills
It's fun to learn a language, but there's nothing like the thrill of speaking it and having someone actually understand you. It brings your lessons alive and opens up your world. With italki you have more than 1,000 French teachers who can teach you exactly what you want to learn, or you can choose people to converse with so you can become proficient and confident in your French speaking skills.
For what it is, it's fabulous
In our normal world, it's not easy finding someone to practice French with. In an italki world, it's easy as pie. Sign up to improve your conversational skills or for lessons. Improve your conversation and improve your French accent. Because the teachers may or may not be consistent with each other, you may have to work with a few different people until you get someone that can meet your educational needs. Some have curricula that can work with you, some don't. Or if instead you choose to sign up for a traditional online course that we can recommend for you, use italki teachers for tutoring and actual French conversation. Either way, italki has a lot to offer that you simply won't find anywhere else.
When we think of someone speaking French, we think soothing and seductive, as it's simply dreamy to hear. We think of the romance of Paris with the Eiffel Tower, of Southern France with the rolling lavender fields, of the Alps with the snow-capped mountains, of the coast with the warm sandy beaches. And of course there's the decadent French food and wine.
Learning French allows you to more fully enjoy French culture. When you learn French, it opens the door to learning phrases that the French speakers use in conversation, manners and mannerisms, how the French live and interact in everyday situations, and perhaps gaining an appreciation and insight into their art and history. There are so many doors to be unlocked once you take the first step.
Naturally, when we think French we think of France. Yet French is actually a global language and the official language of 29 countries, so you can practice your French language skills in more than one place. French is also a heritage language in all or part of Belgium, Switzerland, Canada, and even the US - like Louisiana.
Picking up the French language may be easier than you might think. Some of us are intimidated by the unusual sounds and the silent letters, but did you know that there are many words that look like English? We'll bet you know these French words: table, responsable, ambiance, brilliance. There are about 1,700 words in French that look like the English word, so there's a good start.
When choosing among the several options for online French lessons, here are some things to consider:
Top Consumer Reviews has researched and ranked the most popular French courses available today, to make it easy for you to choose how you'll want to learn French. Whether you're thinking of learning French for the first time or brushing up on what you may have taken in high school, now is a great time to learn French online as there are such a variety of French lesson programs out there. We're sure you'll find at least one that you'd like to try.
Select any 2 French Lessons to compare them head to head