5 Best Books to Learn French (Super Easy)

Learning a new language can be very rewarding. However, starting the journey can be daunting.

French is a widely spoken language worldwide. There are more than 200 million native French speakers worldwide, and many more can communicate at least partially in the language. Therefore, it is understandable why millions of individuals want to study French each year and search for the most effective methods to do so.

There are numerous methods you can use to learn a language like French. Some of these methods include enrolling in a French school in-person or online, watching movies, listening to radio programs and podcasts.

Reading and studying books are also fantastic options for learning the French language. These methods provide a wealth of details on how to properly use grammar, expand your vocabulary, and articulate your speech.

As you read from book chapter to chapter in a book, you get a feeling of accomplishment and structured learning of French. Additionally, French books enable you to study independently and in groups.

You can learn French from grammar books, novels, and short stories. Also, French books not only help their readers master the language, but they may also provide light on the culture of the country that primarily speaks the language – France.

Top 5 Books to Learn French

If you prefer learning new things by studying a book, this post is for you. Below we will be looking at the best French books you can study on your own to increase your fluency in the language.

Easy French Step-by-step

Easy French Step-by-Step will be suitable if you want to learn French from scratch but prefer a more traditional approach. The logical progression from one chapter to the next makes this book a pleasurable read.

The book will assist you with many aspects of the French language, including the tenses and conjugations of verbs, vocabulary, syntax, and sentence structure. Furthermore, it has several fill-in-blank options, so you may practice your writing as you study.

Each section includes concise but thorough explanations of grammatical concepts, practice drills, short texts designed to boost reading comprehension, and word lists. In addition, it presents about 300 verbs, listed in order of prominence.

Learning French grammar begins with the fundamental concepts and principles. As you continue your studies, you will reach more complex levels of grammar.

So, alongside the many engaging reading sections, Easy French also includes several tasks to test your comprehension. Ultimately, the exercises expose you to your weaknesses, and you can actively work to improve them.

French All-in-One for Dummies Series

Learning with Dummies has been around for a very long time. If you love using “Dummies” books, there are several French-learning books you can use.

These books include “French for Dummies,” “French Verbs for Dummies,”  “Intermediate French for Dummies,” “French Phrases for Dummies,” “French Essentials for Dummies,” and “French for Dummies Audio Set.”

The six books in this set address different parts of French that help beginners and those with intermediate French skills grow into self-taught Language experts. In addition, these French language books are great because they employ a simple and effective approach to teach the language. Furthermore, this textbook is written in a way that makes it accessible to anybody at your level.

Finally, this French Dummies book series improves your written, spoken, and oral French. The book covers various topics, including how to pronounce the French alphabet, numbers, common greetings, dates, and times, conversation, tips for identifying gender, and tenses. Furthermore, you will learn verbs, conjunctions, prepositions, linking words, asking and answering questions, small talk, idioms, slang, etc. There are also French-English, and English-French dictionaries, and lots of games and exercises. 

Tintin

While many beginner-level dialogues are available online for language learners, most books do not include many conversations. But questions and responses are essential for language study. This is particularly because of its unique syntax and grammatical rules. In this regard, Tintin and other comics are quite useful.

Georges Remi (Hergé) is a Belgian cartoonist responsible for the Tintin classic comic book series set in the twentieth century. Tintin is a wonderful artwork, witty writing and an insightful social and political criticism book that is both entertaining and thought-provoking.

This book is about the protagonist, a teenage reporter named Tintin, and his faithful dog, Snowy. They go on adventures to investigate and solve crimes. Notably, those at the elementary or intermediate stages of their French study can benefit much from these cartoons.

However, note that some of the characters carry racial stereotypes that reflect the values of that era. 

Barron’s 501 French Verbs

Verbs are a fundamental part of every language. So, to communicate effectively with others, you must master the verbs in the language.

Barron’s is thus your best bet if you are looking for a thorough guide on French verbs. The book examines 55 crucial verbs. Therefore, as a beginner, you can avoid wasting time on less important and less used verbs and instead concentrate on mastering the most important ones.

You can learn the conjugations for each verb in all the common French verb tenses. If you ever forget the past participle of a verb, just pull out this book, and look up the verb. Then, you will find the past participle of the verb. Also, you will learn instructions on how to use the verbs in each of the main tenses.

Finally, Barron’s book also offers various sample sentences, similar verbs (conjugated using the same patterns), and associated phrases and idioms for each verb.

Practice Makes Perfect French All-in-One book

There are books in the “Practice Makes Perfect: All-in-One book” series for learning several languages. The Practice Makes Perfect Complete French All-in-One book could be right for you if you are hoping to start learning French with a beginning book and then go on to other advanced books.

The Practice Makes Perfect French All-in-One book covers every aspect of French. The Complete French All-in-One book includes seven books. The books include “Basic French,” “Complete French Grammar,” “French Sentence Builder,” “French Conversation,” “French Verb Tenses,” “Intermediate French Grammar,” and “Advanced French Grammar.” In addition, the book added over 500 exercises spread over 37 different classes.

This book will help you become fluent in French by teaching you the language’s most important concepts, including the tenses of the verb, sentence structure, and more.

The book includes an app with flashcards, audio exercises, and activities to help you improve your pronunciation.

Furthermore, it enables you to compose proper phrases while still learning grammar and vocabulary. So, this book is excellent for independent study and may even aid test preparation. This comprehensive workbook gives clear explanations supported by many practical practice tasks.

Conclusion

If you do not like the idea of taking courses or meeting one-on-one with a tutor, books let you study at your own pace. All the books above are excellent for learning French.

You need to determine your French learning goals and then pick a book. Once you have decided on the French learning book that suits you best, you must stay committed to the book.

Additionally, you can take the book with you everywhere you go or study on your device. This way, you will have all your grammar and vocabulary courses in one convenient location.

While studying French, you should remember that you must be consistent and practice a lot. Then, in no time, you will notice that your French is improving.