Learn French fast by learning common scenarios.
Skip the "the cat drinks milk" phase. Type the moment you're about to walk into, like a Paris boulangerie or a Montréal café, and GigaLearner writes the French you'll actually hear and say. Hit play, slow it to 0.75×, parrot away.
Why scenarios beat word lists.
Real lines, not random words
You learn the exact French for the moment you're in, in the order it actually comes up.
Hear it the way it's said
One natural voice explains in English and speaks the French. Too fast? Slow it to 0.75× and say it back.
Silent letters, decoded
French spelling hides a lot of silent letters. Hearing every line said naturally (and slowed to 0.75×) beats guessing from the page.
5 more common French scenarios to rehearse first.
The situations that come up on day one. Each line below is the one you'll need. GigaLearner writes the whole conversation around it, so you know what the other person will say back.
- CAFÉ, LYON
Getting the bill
Rehearse this →L'addition, s'il vous plaît."The bill, please." - MÉTRO PLATFORM, PARIS
Checking your train
Rehearse this →Ce train va bien à Châtelet ?"This train does go to Châtelet, right?" - PHARMACIE, NICE
A sore throat at the pharmacy
Rehearse this →Vous avez quelque chose pour le mal de gorge ?"Do you have something for a sore throat?" - HOTEL, BORDEAUX
Checking in at the hotel
Rehearse this →J'ai une réservation au nom de Smith."I have a reservation under the name Smith." - CAFÉ, MONTRÉAL
Asking them to slow down
Rehearse this →Pouvez-vous parler plus lentement, s'il vous plaît ?"Could you speak more slowly, please?"
French in 30 seconds.
- Spoken in
- France, Belgium, Switzerland, Québec and much of West and Central Africa.
- Written in
- The Latin alphabet, with accents like é, è and ç.
- The tricky bit
- Tu or vous? Vous for anyone you don't know, tu for friends. Always start with "Bonjour" before asking for anything, or it lands as rude.
- Quick win
- "…, s'il vous plaît" after any noun is a polite order. "Une baguette, s'il vous plaît" and you're fed.
Three steps. Zero flashcard guilt.
Type the moment
Anything that's about to happen, like getting the bill. No ideas? Tap a template like At the restaurant.
GL writes the script
Seconds later: the conversation that usually goes down, line by line in French and English.
Tweak it, then hear it
Harder, easier, or what happens next. Then add voice, slow it to 0.75× and parrot away. Nobody's listening. Probably.
French questions, answered.
How fast can I learn French?
Fluency takes years, and no app can honestly promise otherwise. Getting through the moments you're nervous about takes days: rehearse a scenario a few times before it happens and the lines stick. Start with the 6 on this page.
How do I get the French pronunciation right?
French spelling hides a lot of silent letters. Hearing every line said naturally (and slowed to 0.75×) beats guessing from the page.
Which French does GigaLearner teach?
Standard French by default. Set your scenario in Montréal or Brussels and the lesson picks up the local flavour.
Is it free?
You start free with 3 minutes of lesson audio and 20 lessons, no card needed. Pro is $9.99 a month or $89.99 a year for 30 minutes of audio and up to 500 lessons every month, in every language.
Is there an app?
GigaLearner works in your browser on phone, tablet and computer today. The iPhone and Android apps are coming soon.