YOUR NEXT DISCOVERY
Learn French: From Your First Words to Independent French
Start with bonjour. Build the French to understand, connect and express yourself.
30 Units152 MissionsAbout 62 hours

Complete the Course to Earn a Certificate and Join the Hall of Fame

A CLOSER LOOK
Listen and understand
Connect with people, manage everyday tasks and express increasingly detailed ideas in French.
See it. Try it. Make it yours.
- ◒
Listen and understand
- ↔
Speak and interact
- ✦
Read for meaning
Absolute beginner progressing toward B2 French · What to know before you start
Bring with you: Read short everyday English explanations and the Latin alphabet; no French is assumed. Recognise ordinary whole numbers and familiar daily situations. Grammar terms are taught before use.
Connect with people, manage everyday tasks and express increasingly detailed ideas in French.
Begin with no French and build toward independent use. Practise all language modes; keep listening, reading, speaking and writing evidence distinct. Repeated real communication remains essential.
By the end, you can…
- Follow familiar exchanges, announcements, stories and longer arguments, using listening strategies.
- Practise clear pronunciation, take turns, repair misunderstandings, negotiate and defend a viewpoint.
- Read everyday messages, instructions, articles and arguments; separate facts, opinions and implied attitudes.
- Build accurate sentences, then connected messages, narratives, formal requests and supported arguments.
- Use core French sounds, spelling, vocabulary and grammar to communicate increasingly precise meanings.
- Adapt politeness, explain information to another person and communicate across Francophone settings.
For another Course
- C1/C2 literary, specialist academic or highly idiomatic proficiency.
- An official DELF qualification or a guaranteed CEFR result from finishing screens.
- Learner audio collection, microphone access, recording submissions or automated pronunciation scoring. Learners listen to course recordings and practise aloud using solo self-checks.
- Debsie staff or teacher review of learner work. No reviewer or practice partner is required to use this course.
- A single national accent as the only correct French. Core models use clear contemporary standard French and explain common variation.
YOUR LEARNING PATH
One idea leads to the next.
Your first French exchange
Start, sustain and end a tiny exchange even when you know very little French.
- 1Mission 1 of 152Hello, goodbye and who you are speaking toChoose bonjour, bonsoir, salut and au revoir for a stated situation.Up next
- 2Mission 2 of 152Please, thank you and getting attentionUse merci, s’il vous plaît, pardon and excusez-moi for different purposes.Up next
- 3Mission 3 of 152Say your name and ask a nameIntroduce yourself with je m’appelle and distinguish familiar and polite questions.Up next
- 4Mission 4 of 152Ask for help when French is newAsk someone to repeat, speak more slowly or explain a word without pretending to understand.Up next
- 5Mission 5 of 152Put your first exchange togetherOpen an exchange, give a name, request repetition and close politely in a new situation.Up next
Connect sounds to writing
Use sound and spelling patterns to make unfamiliar French less mysterious.
- 6Mission 6 of 152Letters and the marks above themSpell a name, recognise common accent marks and distinguish a letter name from its sound in a word.Up next
- 7Mission 7 of 152Hear and make u and ouContrast /y/ and /u/ using lip and tongue position and short meaningful listening pairs.Up next
- 8Mission 8 of 152The different e soundsDistinguish common é, è/ê and unstressed e patterns without treating spelling rules as exception-free.Up next
- 9Mission 9 of 152Let sound pass through the noseContrast the main nasal-vowel groups with an oral vowel plus a pronounced consonant.Up next
- 10Mission 10 of 152Which letters do you hear?Read frequent consonant groups, practise French r, and notice common silent final letters and exceptions.Up next
- 11Mission 11 of 152Words join when we speakDistinguish a usual liaison, a forbidden liaison and ordinary consonant linking in familiar phrases.Up next
- 12Mission 12 of 152Speak in meaningful groupsGroup words, keep vowels clear and use intonation to distinguish a statement from a spoken question.Up next
Talk about yourself and other people
Give simple personal information without translating English word by word.
- 13Mission 13 of 152Who is doing or being something?Select je, tu, il, elle, on, nous, vous, ils and elles for explicit people and contexts.Up next
- 14Mission 14 of 152Say who someone isUse the present forms of être with names, descriptions and professions.Up next
- 15Mission 15 of 152What you have and how old you areUse avoir, distinguish possession from identity, and express age with avoir rather than être.Up next
- 16Mission 16 of 152Where you are from and what you speakUse common country and city expressions, nationalities and language names in a short introduction.Up next
- 17Mission 17 of 152Introduce someone elseExtract details from a short profile and produce a new personal introduction with suitable pronouns.Up next
Name and describe things
Build a noun phrase whose small words and endings work together.
- 18Mission 18 of 152Learn the little word with the nounUse un and une, learn lexical gender and avoid guessing it from an object’s real-world sex.Up next
- 19Mission 19 of 152A thing or the thing?Contrast un/une/des with le/la/l’/les in introduced, identified and general references.Up next
- 20Mission 20 of 152One and more than oneBuild common written plurals and hear how the article often carries number information.Up next
- 21Mission 21 of 152Make the description matchForm common feminine and plural adjectives, including useful irregular forms.Up next
- 22Mission 22 of 152Where does the describing word go?Place common colour and nationality adjectives after a noun and frequent short adjectives before it.Up next
- 23Mission 23 of 152Point to things and say whoseUse ce/cet/cette/ces and mon/ma/mes, ton and son families with the noun’s form.Up next
Numbers, dates and meeting times
Understand and communicate quantities and times accurately.
- 24Mission 24 of 152Count from zero to twentyUnderstand, say and write 0–20, distinguishing frequently confused numbers in short exchanges.Up next
- 25Mission 25 of 152Prices and larger numbersBuild 21–100 and common hundreds, recognise regional alternatives and read prices and decimal commas.Up next
- 26Mission 26 of 152Days, months and datesGive dates, distinguish le lundi from lundi, and ask when an event happens.Up next
- 27Mission 27 of 152Tell the time and read timetablesInterpret everyday and 24-hour time, half and quarter hours, and schedules.Up next
- 28Mission 28 of 152Exchange numbers without losing meaningSpell a name, interpret a French phone-number grouping and confirm an address or appointment detail.Up next
Describe an ordinary day
Talk about repeated actions, ask questions and say what does not happen.
- 29Mission 29 of 152Build a present-tense verbForm common -er verbs, explain the subject–verb link and distinguish written endings from spoken forms.Up next
- 30Mission 30 of 152Ask rather than guessUse intonation, est-ce que and common question words to ask for a specific missing detail.Up next
- 31Mission 31 of 152Say no, not and not anyBuild ne…pas, recognise common spoken omission of ne and use de after a negative quantity.Up next
- 32Mission 32 of 152Go, do, take and comeUse aller, faire, prendre and venir in practical present-tense exchanges.Up next
- 33Mission 33 of 152Talk about your routineUse common reflexive verbs with the correct pronoun and order actions with routine time expressions.Up next
- 34Mission 34 of 152What you like and how oftenUse aimer/préférer, infinitives and frequency expressions to describe and compare routines.Up next
Order, buy and choose
Handle a simple café or shop exchange with quantities and preferences.
- 35Mission 35 of 152Talk about mealsRecognise core food vocabulary and distinguish a food category from a particular item in context.Up next
- 36Mission 36 of 152Some bread, some waterUse du/de la/de l’/des, quantities plus de and the difference between liking a food and consuming some.Up next
- 37Mission 37 of 152Make a polite orderUse je voudrais and suitable replies to order, clarify a choice and request the bill.Up next
- 38Mission 38 of 152Size, colour and priceAsk a price, specify a size or colour and interpret a short shop dialogue.Up next
- 39Mission 39 of 152Solve a new shopping taskCombine a budget, quantities and a stated preference without relying on the earlier café script.Up next
Find your way and make a plan
Use local information to reach a place and arrange to meet.
- 40Mission 40 of 152Say where things areUse il y a, c’est, common place words and spatial expressions with visible locations.Up next
- 41Mission 41 of 152Follow and give a short routeUse basic imperatives, à gauche/à droite/tout droit and landmark-based directions.Up next
- 42Mission 42 of 152Take the right bus or trainInterpret a simple timetable, buy a ticket and check destination, departure and platform.Up next
- 43Mission 43 of 152Talk about the weatherUse core il fait/il pleut forms and connect weather with suitable plans and clothing.Up next
- 44Mission 44 of 152Say what you are going to doUse aller plus an infinitive, distinguish it from physical movement and state a near-future plan.Up next
- 45Mission 45 of 152Invite, accept and suggest another timeArrange a meeting, decline politely and propose a workable alternative.Up next
Describe your surroundings
Use familiar vocabulary to describe people, a home and activities.
- 46Mission 46 of 152Introduce people in your lifeDescribe relationships, distinguish son/sa from the owner’s gender and use inclusive real-life examples.Up next
- 47Mission 47 of 152Describe a homeLocate common objects, use prepositions with articles and describe a simple room arrangement.Up next
- 48Mission 48 of 152Describe a person clearlyCombine appearance, clothing and descriptive agreement without equating appearance with character.Up next
- 49Mission 49 of 152Can, want and mustUse pouvoir, vouloir and devoir with infinitives for ability, permission, desire and obligation.Up next
- 50Mission 50 of 152Write a useful everyday messageWrite a greeting, key information, a request and a closing for a familiar reader.Up next
Use your first French independently
Bring A1 knowledge together and choose what needs more practice.
- 51Mission 51 of 152Understand a new day outExtract who, where, when and a preference from new short written and spoken materials.Up next
- 52Mission 52 of 152Meet, arrange and repairRehearse a fresh introduction and meeting arrangement, including an unexpected need for clarification.Up next
- 53Mission 53 of 152Your first independent messageProduce and review a personal introduction and practical message using an explicit A1 checklist.Up next
Tell someone what happened
Build a sequence of completed events and describe its background.
- 54Mission 54 of 152Start the passé composéUse present avoir plus a past participle to say what happened, rather than what is happening now.Up next
- 55Mission 55 of 152Common past forms you needUse regular participles and frequent irregular forms in meaningful event descriptions.Up next
- 56Mission 56 of 152Some past actions use êtreUse common être verbs and agreement, distinguishing movement uses that take a direct object.Up next
- 57Mission 57 of 152Describe your day in the pastForm common reflexive past actions and handle straightforward agreement without inventing a universal rule.Up next
- 58Mission 58 of 152Set the scene in the pastForm the imparfait and use it for past habits, ongoing background and descriptions.Up next
- 59Mission 59 of 152Event or background?Choose passé composé or imparfait from the intended viewpoint in a new short story.Up next
Compare options and look ahead
Choose between alternatives and explain a future plan.
- 60Mission 60 of 152More, less and as muchCompare qualities and quantities with plus, moins, aussi and autant, including meilleur and mieux.Up next
- 61Mission 61 of 152Choose the best fitUse superlatives and justify a choice with several stated constraints.Up next
- 62Mission 62 of 152Talk about what will happenForm the futur simple, recognise common irregular stems and distinguish it from the near future.Up next
- 63Mission 63 of 152Ask and suggest gentlyUse common conditional forms for requests, wishes and advice with register-sensitive examples.Up next
- 64Mission 64 of 152Build a workable travel planRead accommodation and travel information and explain a choice using comparisons and future forms.Up next
Explain a need and resolve a problem
Handle everyday services clearly and politely.
- 65Mission 65 of 152Explain how you feelName common body parts, use avoir mal and simple feeling expressions, and ask for ordinary help.Up next
- 66Mission 66 of 152Make and change an appointmentGive availability, understand confirmation and negotiate a change in a phone-style exchange.Up next
- 67Mission 67 of 152Understand practical instructionsUse affirmative and negative imperatives and follow a sequence of everyday instructions.Up next
- 68Mission 68 of 152Explain what is wrongDescribe a missing or faulty item, give essential details and make a practical request.Up next
- 69Mission 69 of 152Write a clear service messageProduce a short appointment or service message with reason, requested action and polite closing.Up next
Avoid repetition and connect ideas
Use pronouns without losing track of who or what they refer to.
- 70Mission 70 of 152Replace the thing or person directly affectedIdentify and use me/te/le/la/l’/nous/vous/les before a verb in clear present and past contexts.Up next
- 71Mission 71 of 152To whom?Distinguish a direct object from common verb-plus-à person constructions and use lui/leur.Up next
- 72Mission 72 of 152Replace a place or a quantityUse y for common place references and en for quantities and de phrases, retaining a stated number.Up next
- 73Mission 73 of 152Me, you and them after a prepositionUse moi/toi/lui/elle/nous/vous/eux/elles for emphasis, comparison and common prepositions.Up next
- 74Mission 74 of 152Join two ideas about one person or thingDistinguish qui as subject from que as object and form a relative clause with a clear antecedent.Up next
- 75Mission 75 of 152Explain why and what followsUse parce que, car, donc and pour with suitable structures and distinguish purpose from cause.Up next
Manage an ordinary problem
Combine description, past events, plans and requests in new situations.
- 76Mission 76 of 152Read linked everyday informationCombine details from a notice, timetable and message to make a justified practical decision.Up next
- 77Mission 77 of 152Follow a change of planUnderstand a new multi-turn recording with a changed time, reason and requested action.Up next
- 78Mission 78 of 152Tell a short storyProduce a connected account with background, main events and an outcome; review tense choices.Up next
- 79Mission 79 of 152Resolve a booking problemRehearse a service exchange, request clarification and negotiate an alternative using new role information.Up next
Tell a fuller story
Connect events, perspective and detail without confusing the timeline.
- 80Mission 80 of 152How long, since when and how often?Distinguish depuis, pendant, il y a, en and pour in explicit duration and time-reference contexts.Up next
- 81Mission 81 of 152What had already happenedForm the plus-que-parfait and place one past event before another in a coherent account.Up next
- 82Mission 82 of 152Build a narrative the reader can followOrganise a setting, change, consequences and reflection with clear references and sequence markers.Up next
- 83Mission 83 of 152Tell someone what another person saidReport statements, questions and requests with present reporting verbs and suitable introductory words.Up next
- 84Mission 84 of 152Follow a longer accountTrack speakers, events and changing attitudes without needing every word of an unfamiliar recording.Up next
Give reasons and consider another view
Make a supported point and respond respectfully.
- 85Mission 85 of 152A view, a reason and an exampleDistinguish a claim from its support and build a short French opinion with relevant evidence.Up next
- 86Mission 86 of 152Respond without shutting down the conversationAgree partly, disagree politely, ask for clarification and acknowledge another person’s reason.Up next
- 87Mission 87 of 152If this happensUse si plus present with present, imperative or future to express realistic conditions.Up next
- 88Mission 88 of 152Imagine another possibilityUse si plus imparfait with conditional for a hypothetical present or future situation.Up next
- 89Mission 89 of 152Advice is not the same as a ruleCompare devoir, il faut, avoir besoin de and conditional advice with attention to tone.Up next
Communicate at work and in study
Explain experience, organise a task and take part in a practical discussion.
- 90Mission 90 of 152Describe what you can contributePresent experience and skills with concrete examples and suitable tense choices.Up next
- 91Mission 91 of 152Write an application messageMatch relevant experience to a stated opportunity and write a clear, polite application email.Up next
- 92Mission 92 of 152Take part in a short meetingAsk for the floor, clarify a point, make a suggestion and summarise a practical decision.Up next
- 93Mission 93 of 152Explain how something worksOrganise a process, distinguish sequence from condition and check the listener’s understanding.Up next
- 94Mission 94 of 152Read and take useful notesIdentify main ideas, paraphrase key information and separate quotations from personal notes.Up next
Make your sentences more precise
Control reference, negation and connected clauses in longer sentences.
- 95Mission 95 of 152Never, no longer, nobody and onlyUse ne…jamais/plus/rien/personne and ne…que with correct scope and distinguish restriction from negation.Up next
- 96Mission 96 of 152Two pronouns in one sentenceOrder common object-pronoun pairs, including changes in affirmative commands and practical past constructions.Up next
- 97Mission 97 of 152Where, when and whose relationUse où and dont, identify the underlying de relation and avoid adding an unnecessary possessive.Up next
- 98Mission 98 of 152Say how something happensForm common -ment adverbs, place frequent adverbs and distinguish an adjective from an adverb.Up next
- 99Mission 99 of 152Focus on what happened rather than who did itForm the passive, preserve tense and agreement, and choose a natural on construction when appropriate.Up next
Express wishes, needs and uncertainty
Choose a form from the speaker’s meaning instead of memorising isolated endings.
- 100Mission 100 of 152Why French changes the verb hereRecognise the subjunctive after common need and wish expressions and contrast it with a stated fact.Up next
- 101Mission 101 of 152Build useful subjunctive formsForm regular and common irregular present subjunctives in complete meaningful clauses.Up next
- 102Mission 102 of 152Who wants whom to do something?Choose an infinitive or que clause based on the subjects and construction.Up next
- 103Mission 103 of 152React to an event or question its certaintyUse common emotion and doubt constructions and distinguish uncertainty from a positive factual opinion.Up next
- 104Mission 104 of 152Give a thoughtful recommendationCombine practical reasons, wishes and needs in a new recommendation without forcing the subjunctive everywhere.Up next
Sustain connected communication
Handle an unfamiliar situation and explain your response in connected French.
- 105Mission 105 of 152Follow a report and a discussionIdentify key points, reasons and speaker views in new B1-level written and spoken materials.Up next
- 106Mission 106 of 152Negotiate a solutionCompare proposals, respond to a complication and reach a reasoned agreement in a role-based task.Up next
- 107Mission 107 of 152Write a connected account or viewpointPlan, write and revise a connected text using criteria for task, organisation, language and clarity.Up next
- 108Mission 108 of 152Speak beyond memorised sentencesPrepare a short talk, respond to follow-up prompts and review clarity, repair and interaction separately.Up next
Express contrast, purpose and limits
Connect clauses precisely enough to represent a nuanced position.
- 109Mission 109 of 152Although, despite and even ifDistinguish bien que, malgré, même si and pourtant by structure and meaning.Up next
- 110Mission 110 of 152Explain a chain of causes and effectsSelect precise cause and consequence expressions and avoid confusing correlation with an asserted cause.Up next
- 111Mission 111 of 152Goals and conditionsUse pour que/afin que and common conditional connectors, keeping subject and mood choices clear.Up next
- 112Mission 112 of 152Before, after and whileUse avant que/après que, quand/lorsque and pendant que with appropriate tense and mood.Up next
- 113Mission 113 of 152Connect actions economicallyUse en plus present participle for a shared subject and distinguish it from other participle constructions.Up next
Keep meaning clear in complex sentences
Control pronoun reference, agreement and reformulation in extended discourse.
- 114Mission 114 of 152Refer precisely after a prepositionUse lequel-family forms and distinguish de plus lequel constructions from appropriate dont clauses.Up next
- 115Mission 115 of 152Refer to an idea rather than a named nounDistinguish ce qui, ce que and ce dont from personal and relative pronouns with explicit antecedents.Up next
- 116Mission 116 of 152Check agreement in a longer sentenceApply common past-participle agreement rules, including preceding direct objects and useful reflexive contrasts.Up next
- 117Mission 117 of 152Explain the same idea another wayReformulate, exemplify and define a term without changing the speaker’s claim or certainty.Up next
- 118Mission 118 of 152Make reference easy to followRepair ambiguous pronouns, vary reference deliberately and organise paragraph-level links.Up next
Discuss possibilities, regrets and reports
Place events and viewpoints accurately across time.
- 119Mission 119 of 152What will already be finishedForm the futur antérieur and distinguish completion before a future point from a simple future action.Up next
- 120Mission 120 of 152What would have happenedForm the conditionnel passé and express a regret or unreal past result with appropriate context.Up next
- 121Mission 121 of 152Imagine a different pastUse si plus plus-que-parfait with conditional past and interpret carefully chosen mixed-time consequences.Up next
- 122Mission 122 of 152Report a past conversationShift tense, pronouns and time references when reporting past statements and questions.Up next
- 123Mission 123 of 152How sure is the speaker?Interpret probability, reported claims and distancing expressions without treating all conditional forms as certainty.Up next
Read articles and arguments critically
Understand what a text says, how it supports it and what remains implied.
- 124Mission 124 of 152Find the argument beneath the sentencesIdentify thesis, reasons, examples, objections and conclusion in an original extended article.Up next
- 125Mission 125 of 152Distinguish facts, views and toneSeparate a reported fact from evaluation and infer a writer’s stance from identifiable language.Up next
- 126Mission 126 of 152Read what is suggestedInfer a reasonable implication while distinguishing textual evidence from unsupported guessing.Up next
- 127Mission 127 of 152Compare two accountsReconcile shared facts, identify different perspectives and summarise disagreement without inventing consensus.Up next
- 128Mission 128 of 152Read strategically under a purposeScan for a needed detail, read a difficult passage closely and decide when a dictionary is useful.Up next
Follow longer spoken French
Track a line of thought through connected speech and varied delivery.
- 129Mission 129 of 152Follow the structure of a talkUse spoken signposts to separate introduction, main point, example, contrast and conclusion.Up next
- 130Mission 130 of 152Hear agreement, hesitation and emphasisInfer a speaker’s attitude from words, intonation and qualification with an evidence-based explanation.Up next
- 131Mission 131 of 152Follow who thinks whatTrack speaker changes, references, interruptions and partial agreement in an original discussion.Up next
- 132Mission 132 of 152Recognise familiar words in natural speechNotice common reductions, linking and omitted ne without requiring the learner to imitate every informal reduction.Up next
- 133Mission 133 of 152Turn a talk into useful notesRecord key points and supporting details, then give a faithful summary without transcribing every word.Up next
Discuss, negotiate and respond
Keep an exchange moving while representing your own position fairly.
- 134Mission 134 of 152Enter, hold and yield a turnUse appropriate phrases to enter a discussion, finish a point and invite another speaker.Up next
- 135Mission 135 of 152Defend a position with reasonsDevelop a point with evidence, acknowledge a limitation and answer a follow-up challenge.Up next
- 136Mission 136 of 152Work toward an agreementEstablish priorities, compare trade-offs, propose a compromise and confirm the agreed action.Up next
- 137Mission 137 of 152Keep going when a word is missingClarify an ambiguous statement, paraphrase a missing word and verify shared understanding.Up next
- 138Mission 138 of 152Adapt your voice to the situationChoose suitable register, address and politeness for a friend, colleague, service provider or institution.Up next
Write clear, detailed French
Plan, develop and revise a text for a real reader and purpose.
- 139Mission 139 of 152Build a paragraph that develops an ideaOrganise a topic sentence, explanation, example and link without applying a mechanical sentence quota.Up next
- 140Mission 140 of 152Write a persuasive formal requestState context, justify a request, address practical concerns and close appropriately.Up next
- 141Mission 141 of 152Develop a balanced argumentCompare options, acknowledge objections and support a clear position in an original extended text.Up next
- 142Mission 142 of 152Inform and evaluateDistinguish an informative report from a review and choose evidence, organisation and tone accordingly.Up next
- 143Mission 143 of 152Revise meaning, structure and accuracyEdit a draft in separate passes for task fulfilment, coherence, grammar, vocabulary and spelling.Up next
Connect people across contexts
Explain and discuss unfamiliar information with cultural care.
- 144Mission 144 of 152French belongs to many placesRecognise Francophone diversity, common regional number and vocabulary differences and limits of cultural generalisations.Up next
- 145Mission 145 of 152Avoid a plausible wrong meaningInterpret frequent false friends and transparent everyday expressions from context rather than literal English resemblance.Up next
- 146Mission 146 of 152Make information usable for someone elseSelect and explain relevant information from a French source for a specified listener without adding unsupported claims.Up next
- 147Mission 147 of 152Collaborate in a written exchangeContribute to an online discussion, clarify responsibilities and summarise an agreed decision with appropriate tone.Up next
Put independent French to work
Demonstrate an integrated set of B2-oriented abilities and make a continuing practice plan.
- 148Mission 148 of 152Understand a new issue from two sourcesCompare an original article and recorded discussion, identify stance and extract evidence for a decision.Up next
- 149Mission 149 of 152Make a reasoned written proposalProduce an extended proposal for a defined reader, using evidence, counterarguments and a practical recommendation.Up next
- 150Mission 150 of 152Present and defend your proposalRehearse a structured spoken case, respond aloud to supplied follow-up prompts and use an explicit self-check; live interaction is optional extra practice.Up next
- 151Mission 151 of 152Explain the decision to another audienceAdapt the same source information to a different reader or listener while preserving its meaning and limits.Up next
- 152Mission 152 of 152 · Mastery ChallengeReview your independent FrenchCombine assessed comprehension and bounded written responses with separate production self-checks, identify gaps and select a continued practice plan without claiming measured spoken proficiency.Up next
A Debsie Course · Absolute beginner progressing toward B2 French
