10+ Books to Learn the French Language
French is one of those languages that most of the students are thinking of learning. The demand for French tutors has been increasing rapidly. The main reason for the increasing of students learning the language is to get into the international market. Not only this most companies look for candidates who have knowledge of other languages than their native ones. In such a case, you might want to learn the language. But where to learn from is a big challenge. Therefore here we will help you to no various books to learn the French language.
Quick Takeaways
1. Ultimate French Review and Practice by David Stillman and Ronni Gordon
- Following are the books to learn the French language-
2. Grammaire en dialogues by Odile Grand-Clément
3. Vocabulaire en Dialogues by Évelyn Siréjols
4. Easy French Step-by-Step by Myrna Bell Rochester
5. Communication Progressive du Francais A2-B1 by Claire Miquel
6. The Berlitz Self-Teacher by Berlitz editors
7. Read & Think French by the Editors of Think French
8. La Gloire de mon père by Marcel Pagnol
9. Easy French Reader by R. De Roussy de Sales
10. Les 500 Exercices de Phonétique by Dominique Abry
11. French Grammar for Beginners Textbook by Frederic Bibard and Talk in French
12. Bescherelle La Conjugaison pour tous by mix authors
13. Practice Makes Perfect: Complete French All-in-One by Annie Heminway
However, you must read till the end so that you get a better understanding of the books that you can use to learn the language.
What are the different books to learn the French language?
French is such a language that is not only spoken in all over the world but is also common in Europe. Following are the books that will help you to learn the French language-
1. Ultimate French Review and Practice by David Stillman and Ronni Gordon
This book covers all the topics including grammar, vocabulary, conjunctions, etc. There are many exercises that you will be getting in this book so that you can easily understand the lessons. There are also different CDs which also have audio lessons. This book and the app-based audio platform have a high rating on the various platforms. You will be getting a lot of grammatical concepts that will be explained with different live examples.
You can choose out of 400 exercises that will help you to learn the French language. Not only this there are a lot of tests that are available to check your knowledge. These tests will help you to know your strengths and weaknesses. Further, there are a lot of quizzes and flashcards that will help you to remember the content.
2. Grammaire en dialogues by Odile Grand-Clément
If you are interested in learning the daily conversations then this book is for you. The biggest advantage of this platform is that you may get dialogues which are based on real-life dialogues. Each of the dialogues has also small explanations that will help you understand the exercises and the content easily. However, if you are thinking of using this book for self-study then it may not be a good advantage for it.
You must use this book with the tutors of the French language. This book also has a CD in which you can listen to dialogue. However, the speed of the speech may be faster which will make it difficult for you to understand the content.
3. Vocabulaire en Dialogues by Évelyn Siréjols
It is one of the French books that will help you to learn the language from start to end on the basis of structured lessons. All these lessons are based on different sections like food, clothing, shopping, etc. Obviously, these are the basics of any conversation and you can not get into your daily routine without these exercises.
However, an important thing that you must remember is that you will need to get help from the French tutors to understand the concepts of the lessons. The reason behind that is the explanation of the lessons is in French languages. Additionally, it also offers you a lot of exercises that will help you in learning the lessons. Further, there are a lot of audio lessons on different CDs that you can use to learn the language.
4. Easy French Step-by-Step by Myrna Bell Rochester
As a beginner, you can use this book, which has a primary focus on grammar skills. Each part includes lists of important vocabulary, texts to enhance written comprehension etc. You will also be getting a lot of exercises for practising, and simple explanations of grammar concepts. This book is easy to read and understand, allowing you to progress on your own and assess your knowledge.
There are 70 worksheets in the book that will provide a literacy course. It is appropriate for you if you want to learn the fundamentals of French. You can obviously learn various skills including writing, reading, pronunciation, etc. It will also include words which are necessities of life such as going to the doctor, going to the grocery store, etc.
5. Communication Progressive du Francais A2-B1 by Claire Miquel
CPD A2-B1 is a book where each session focuses on a certain topic of grammar. You will be getting grammar rules from object pronouns or reflexive verbs. This book will help you in learning a wide range of everyday topics, including socialising and making purchases. All of the units in this book include long dialogues or sorted dialogues that help you build your conversational skills. In each of the lessons, there is also a brief section on grammar and vocabulary which is present at the bottom of the lesson.
When you will go through the dialogues you will also see various exercises that you can practice on. The biggest advantage of this book is sad there is no English used in the book. It means that you can use this book if you are already a student who has been learning French for at least the past year.
6. The Berlitz Self-Teacher by Berlitz editors
It is one of the oldest books that helps you to develop your communication skills and was introduced in 1987. Although it is a very old book but is a great way to boost up your speaking skills. In this book, you will study various lessons and examples that will help you to practice what you have learned so far. It will also help you in developing your pronunciation skills which will help you to boost up your skills. Although it is a book you will also be able to understand how to have a clear pronunciation.
Having the right pronunciation is very important as many times even native English speakers find it hard to pronounce some words. Each lesson has a different topic to discuss on. When you go through different lessons you will find furious sentences along with their pronunciation. An important point that you must remember is there is no particular structure of this book but when you will complete all the lessons you will see improvement in your conversation and pronunciation skills.
7. Read & Think French by the Editors of Think French
Read and Think French is one of my favourite books that are mostly and commonly used for practising the reading of the French language. In this book, there are a lot of articles that will help you to learn the language easily. All these lessons or articles will help you to easily understand the difference between speaking words and how life is in France.
There are different sections mentioned in the book to learn about. Some of the sections are travel, traditions, celebrations, customs, etc. All the publishers of this book have a lot of words that help in the easy translation of the vocabulary. All the translations are done correctly to fit into the context of the text. The stories of this book are also available in audio format on McGraw-Hill’s website.
8. La Gloire de mon père by Marcel Pagnol
Always remember that your novels can play an important role in improving your French language. However, choosing the right novel is very difficult. There are a lot of novels available for learning the language and which one to choose will depend upon the taste and requirements of the person. This novel is the autobiography of one of the popular writers. The writer of this book has included different parts and episodes of his childhood just to give a tribute to his father. It is a great way of learning French if you love to read novels or different literature.
9. Easy French Reader by R. De Roussy de Sales
If you are looking to develop your reading skills then Easy French Readers is a book for you. There are three sections in the book which cover different topics. The first section of the book covers the dialogues between two fictional characters which are Marc and Julie. To next section covers articles on historical figures of the French language like kings and queens. The last section of this book gives you samples of writing from the biggest authors in France including Emile Zola.
All the lessons and text of the book are again available on the website of McGraw-Hill. You can obviously listen and review the lessons. The first main drawback of this platform is that the material on this platform is mainly for beginners but there are many words which are for the advanced level. Another drawback of this book is that there is less translation of vocabulary words on the platform.
10. Les 500 Exercices de Phonétique by Dominique Abry and Marie-Laure Chalaron
It is one of the books that is used for learning French languages and provides you with a lot of activities that focus on pronunciation practice. You will also find some of the exercises that are interactive and will help you to understand the link between the letters and the sounds. This book includes exercises for students at each level of the language. It also has a CD of all the files that will help you to learn the language more efficiently. Of course, it is a great choice for you as it will help you in developing your final course.
11. French Grammar for Beginners Textbook by Frederic Bibard and Talk in French
It is a book in which there is a crash course which includes all the skills you need to learn a language. It is the perfect book for you if you are thinking of going to a new country or a French-speaking country. There are over 30 lessons in the book which have different grammatical concepts and short stories. Additionally, there is also a section of phrases that will help you to develop your vocabulary. The approach of this book is straightforward and will help you to handle the basics in just 30 days if you complete a single lesson each day.
You may also get a single workbook which makes your practice go more easy. As it has a quick introduction to the language, it is best suited for travellers. This book is for beginners and therefore do not have much comprehensive grammatical knowledge. It means that it will not help you reach fluency but will help you to communicate with others without any hesitation.
12. Bescherelle La Conjugaison pour tous by mix authors
It is the reference book for learning the conjugating French verbs and therefore is one of the popular choices in learning the French language. There are generally three types of verbs that are important in French grammar which are -er, -ir, and -re. There are lots of exercises and diagrams that will help you to remember all the important rules. Not only verbs, but it also helps you to understand different tenses used in the French language.
The advantage of this book is that it uses mind maps which helps you to learn difficult things easily. It is such a common book that many teachers use this book in the schools. Further, the main advantage of this book is that it has excellent memory tools that will help you to become the conjugations of the next nature. There are around 105 conjugation tables that will help you to understand all the conjugation rules.
13. Practice Makes Perfect: Complete French All-in-One by Annie Heminway
It is one of the books that is mostly considered by students who have just started with the language or are intermediate learners of the language. The best part of this book is that it gives you French grammar lessons in a very easy and logical manner. The lessons of this book follow a particular structure which makes it easy for the student to grasp the knowledge. It is a book that you can use in the initial stages of learning the language and can still get help from it when you odd at the advanced level.
This book actually includes seven different books. You will not only get grammar but will also get verb conjugations, vocabulary, and conversations and will also learn about how to write French language. It is an excellent book for you if you are a student who loves to self-study the subjects. You will get north of different exercises in each of the lessons that are more useful.
Conclusion
The most common language that most of the students are not learning is French language. An important reason for this is that knowing the French language will help you to get into the international market and will also help you in getting a good job in big companies. If you are also interested in learning French there are some books that you can use to learn the language.
Some of the books that you can use are Ultimate French Review and Practice, Grammaire en Dialogues, Vocabulaire en Dialogues, etc. Remember that some of the books may be designed especially for the beginners whereas others might only focus on the intermediate students. However, you must make sure to choose the right boo for yourself. Try to hire a private tutor if you find any of the books hard.
