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Sunday, March 26th
LingQ (which is pronounced like the word "link") was created by Steve Kaufmann out of his personal experiences with learning languages. He believes that one's own motivation is the biggest key to learning French - and what could be more motivating than trying to make sense out of authentic examples of the language? This is the only program of French lessons in our review that encourages and even expects users to interact with real samples of the language, to upload their own examples (like song lyrics or social media posts), and to interact frequently with native speakers.
The good news is that it's free to try LingQ. You can create an account that lets you try 5 lessons and use 20 LingQs - words or phrases that you want to remember - with no need to subscribe. If you're thinking that 20 words doesn't sound like much, you're right! To really see how LingQ works, you'll need to choose between their two monthly subscription plans:
Unfortunately, at the time of our most recent review, the sample lesson video on the LingQ site wasn't working. Previously, we had watched the video and came away less than encouraged; we felt that there wasn't enough structure or research-based language strategy employed by the LingQ methodology.
But, there's a noteworthy number of people who have good things to say about their experience using LingQ. If you're interested and motivated by real-world use of French - maybe you have a group of friends from a French-speaking country or your travels regularly take you to one - you might benefit from LingQs structure that specifically targets authentic samples of the language.
For all of these reasons, LingQ continues to earn an average rating, and we still encourage potential users to create a free account and try out all of the available features before committing to a subscription plan for their French lessons.
In order to know which type of French instruction would work well for you, ask yourself this question: "Why do I want to learn French?" For some, learning French is a requirement for school or work. In that case, choosing a provider of French lessons that will deliver the necessary vocabulary and grammar, reading and writing skills, and even pronunciation will be important.
You may want French lessons that will help you be a better-educated traveler. If you frequently visit any one of the 29 countries where French is spoken as an official language - not just France and Canada but also Switzerland, Haiti, Togo, and Madagascar, to name a few - being able to speak French fluently could make a huge difference. And, who wouldn't want to be able to confidently order coffee and a croissant in a Paris cafe?
Finally, individuals with family trees that extend into French-speaking cultures may be interested in learning more about their heritage and connect with living relatives.
With so many options for studying the language independently, what should you look for in the ideal French lessons? Here are some aspects to consider as you evaluate the many programs currently on the market:
TopConsumerReviews.com has reviewed and ranked the best French lessons available today. We hope these reviews will help you get on the path to fluency in French quickly and affordably!
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