subject: Free Learn To Speak French Sites - What Do You Expect? [print this page] If you're looking for a free learn to speak French site or free online French lessons, what can you really expect? You certainly shouldn't expect the same content that you will get from the kind of comprehensive French course that you have to pay for - but are all these free sites and blogs just a waste of space?
It's true that you can easily get frustrated with the huge amount of advertising that some of them throw at you. We might expect that free French lessons would be supported by some kind of advertising - we all have to eat - but do we have to wade through endless pop-ups and visual clutter before we find anything useful?
Of course it would be unfair to categorize all free French blogs and websites under the same heading. If you persist - or if someone can point you in the right direction - there are those which are not only useful but really quite entertaining. Some might seem a bit bland and basic but others can be informative and have plenty useful French phrases that you can use in "real" every day situations.
Having said that some people's efforts should be seen in a positive light, we must also realized the limitations of any free online French lessons. If learning to speak fluent French is your goal - if you are in a "must learn" situation - through work, for example - then you will quickly reach the point where free lessons just aren't helping you to achieve your goals. You need to invest in a complete solution that can give you a confident command of the French language as quickly as possible.
There are a number of such systems around - and modern French downloads are amongst the best designed and most accessible. They use advanced teaching methods which involve you, immerse you, and move you forward. Using them, you can learn French remarkably quickly.
There's a price to pay for rapid progress, but the downloads are cheaper than equivalent French CD lesson sets and arguably better in some cases.
If you aren't under any pressure, try the free learn to speak french sites. Also try some of the free trial lessons offered by the commercial French language courses. See what you feel comfortable with.
If you are under pressure and you need to learn French fast, you are going to have to make a bit of an investment.
