There are lots of sites where you can study French online. Some good, some not so good. If you are looking to learn fluent French they’re a good place to start, but would a French language CD be a better option?

To some extent the answer to that question will depend on what you want to learn French for. Do you want to learn a few words and useful French phrases because you are going to France on vacation? Are you moving to live in France? Will you be working there? How long will you be there for?

If it’s a holiday where you will mostly be in tourist areas, or a short-term job posting in an environment where you will largely be working with people of your own nationality, then you can find places to study French online that will probably give you enough information to get by. A lot of sites that offer free online French lessons are supported by advertising – and sometimes this can be intrusive – but a search should turn up one or two good ones that you will find useful.

Free French lessons will only take you so far though. As good as some of them are, they cannot compete with a dedicated French language CD that will offer you structured lessons, sound and interactive tools and games. The modern teaching methods used on these CDs makes getting to grips with your new language entertaining and fun, consequently you can learn French fast. Certainly much faster than the old style listen-and-repeat audio tapes or any French book you ever read!

A little caution is required when making a choice because, just like not all sites to study French online are useful, not all French language CDs are as good as they might be – or as comprehensive. It’s very disappointing to spend twenty or thirty dollars on a French CD only to find you have to buy additional ones to make decent progress. Far better to invest a little more for a course that will take you from beginner to confident French speaker within the same system.

Having said that, investing several hundred dollars doesn’t guarantee you will get what suits you best. Some top-end French language CDs aren’t even voiced by native French speakers, which you might find a bit disconcerting. If you want to learn Fluent French it’s very important to hear it spoken properly. There are nuances in the French language that will be missed if you hear it from an English person or someone of another nationality.

Fortunately, some of the better French language CD courses will give you trial lessons so you can try before you buy. There are also French downloads, based on these same systems. Because you download them direct to your computer they are much cheaper than competing CDs. They have all the same content, they just cost you less – and we all like a bargain, don’t we!

So do you want to study French online or go for a French language CD? Why not try online first and see how it suits you. At the same time take advantage of one of the free trials and see how you get on with that. There’s no one best way to learn French that works for everyone, but luckily you can try different methods until you find what precisely meets your needs.

Author Bio: Can I recommend a good site where you can start to study French online? Try this one: Study French Online. There are tips and ideas for speaking “real” French, plus pro lessons that you can get for nothing.

Category: Travel
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