Learn French Free — 30-Day Beginner Course
KindLearn's free French course teaches greetings, everyday phrases and pronunciation from Day 1 — nearly 300 of the most-used words across 30 days, with an AI tutor to practice them on. No subscription.
Why learn French in 2026?
French is in the US Foreign Service Institute's Category I, its group of languages close to English, at 30 weeks of training (690 class hours) to reach general professional proficiency. It shares thousands of words with English, so reading comes early; pronunciation and silent endings take the work.
Those are the things to watch for in the first month: the letters you do not say, the two words for you, gendered nouns, and the false friends that look like English and are not.
Thirty days give you the foundation of A1 rather than conversation: enough to greet someone, order and ask for the bill, find your way and say what you like.
How KindLearn teaches French
Hear what is not written
Each new word can be read aloud by your device's voice, so you hear what the spelling hides: the silent x in deux and the silent l in le fils. Tu and vous, the two words for you, both arrive on Day 4.
Ten items a day
Each lesson has ten items and brings earlier days back at widening intervals — about fifteen minutes a day, roughly seven hours across the 30 days.
Use the words with the AI tutor
Practice in French with the free AI tutor — sixty messages a day when you are signed in, five without an account. It corrects grammar and word choice as you go, and you can speak instead of typing: it transcribes what you said. Tap Listen on a reply to hear it read aloud by your device.
Want a routine to wrap around the course? Read our guide: How to learn French in 30 days: a week-by-week study plan
What French looks like in the first 30 days
- Silent letters from Day 2: deux is said DUH and sept is said SET. On Day 11, le fils, the son, is FEESS.
- Two words for you on Day 4: tu es with friends, vous êtes with strangers — and s'il vous plaît, please, is on Day 1.
- You have to ask for the bill: l'addition, s'il vous plaît (Day 5). It never arrives on its own.
- A false friend: l'entrée (Day 6) is the appetizer, not the main course (in the US an entrée is the main course).
- Two ways to talk about the past on Day 25: j'ai mangé, I ate, with avoir, and je suis allé, I went, because verbs of movement take être.
The full 30-day French syllabus
Every day, every topic and every word — published in full before you sign up. 294 French words and phrases across 30 days, roughly 7 hours in total.
What you can do after 30 days
- Greet someone and introduce yourself
- Order food and ask for the bill
- Ask for and follow simple directions
- Say how you feel and what you like
- Talk about yesterday and tomorrow in simple terms
And what it is not: This is the foundation of CEFR A1, not the whole of it, and not conversational fluency. Thirty days at fifteen minutes a day is about 7 hours, and CEFR A1 is commonly estimated at 80–100 guided hours. We would rather say that than sell you a month to fluency.
Keep going with French
- Practice French with the free AI tutor
- French for children aged 4–12 in the Kids Zone
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Frequently asked questions
Is French spelling as silent as it looks?
Often. Final letters are frequently not said: the x in deux and the p in sept (Day 2), the l in le fils (Day 11). Each new word can be read aloud by your device's voice, so you hear it as it is said, not as it is spelled.
Will I learn to speak French or just read it?
Both, at a beginner's level. Every item in a lesson is introduced, pronounced, quizzed and heard, and the AI tutor lets you type or speak your replies — it transcribes what you say and corrects grammar and word choice. It does not grade your accent.
Can children learn French on KindLearn?
Yes. The Kids Zone teaches French to children aged 4 to 12: 30 days, six picture words a day, 180 words in all, starting with Chat (cat), Chien (dog) and Oiseau (bird). Each word is read aloud, and each lesson ends with a picture quiz and a listening question. There are no ads and no in-app purchases.
Can you really learn French in 30 days?
Not to fluency, and we will not pretend otherwise. Thirty days at fifteen minutes a day is about 7 hours, and CEFR A1 — the first level — is commonly estimated at 80 to 100 guided hours. What 7 hours genuinely buys is 294 of the most-used French words and phrases, which is enough to greet someone and introduce yourself, order food and ask for the bill, ask for and follow simple directions. That is a real foundation, not a finished language.
How many French words does the 30-day course teach?
294 distinct words and phrases — ten items a day across 30 days, and 6 of the 300 bring back words from earlier days, all on Day 30. They are chosen by how often you will actually meet them, so the course opens with greetings & introductions, numbers & counting, essential courtesy rather than colors and animals. Earlier days come back at widening intervals: day 1 is revisited by days 2, 3, 4, 7 and 8, and its ten words are split across those revisits, so each one returns once or twice.
Is French hard for English speakers?
The US Foreign Service Institute classifies French as Category I and expects 30 weeks of training (690 class hours) for a student to reach general professional proficiency in speaking and listening — one of the fastest, helped by thousands of shared words. The first 30 days are the easiest part of that curve, which is why a short structured start is worth more than it sounds.
What should I learn first in French?
The words you will need in the first five minutes of any conversation, in this order: greetings & introductions, numbers & counting, essential courtesy, about yourself. Day 1 is: say hello, give your name, and ask someone theirs. Many courses open with colors and animals instead; those are easy to teach and rarely the thing you need to say first.
Do I need to pay for anything to finish the French course?
No. All 30 days, the AI conversation practice and the Kids Zone are free, with no subscription, no premium tier and no ads. The AI tutor allows sixty messages a day when you are signed in. KindLearn is built by KCF LLC and funded by our commercial products, which is also why we can publish the entire syllabus on this page before you sign up.