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French, a free sleep-and-learn session

French is spoken by roughly 80 million native speakers, and used as a working or official language across more than two dozen countries. French liaisons — where the end of one word slides into the start of the next — are easier to absorb by ear than by rule, which is exactly what repeated listening is good for.

The phrases in this course focus on the everyday: greetings, ordering something, asking for directions, and a few calm lines to close out the evening. Every phrase is spoken aloud, shown with a phonetic guide, and listed in full underneath the player — read along, listen with your eyes closed, or both.

Study notes

Learning French: what to know before tonight's session

Script & sound

French is written with the Latin alphabet, with accents (é, è, ê, ç) that change pronunciation. If it looks unfamiliar, that's normal — the phonetic guide under every phrase on this page (and in the word list below the player) exists specifically so you never have to guess.

Three things worth knowing early

A common early mistake

A common early mistake is pronouncing every letter — French drops far more sounds than English does, especially at the end of words.

How to use this page: pick a theme above, press play, and let the hour run. If you'd rather browse than listen, scroll to the word list under the player — it holds the full theme in text, with a play button on every line.
Quick answers

French course FAQ

How many people speak French?

French is spoken by roughly 80 million native speakers, and used as a working or official language across more than two dozen countries.

What script does French use?

French is written with the Latin alphabet, with accents (é, è, ê, ç) that change pronunciation. Every phrase on this page is shown in that script alongside a plain-English phonetic guide, so you're never stuck if the characters feel unfamiliar.

What's a common beginner mistake in French?

A common early mistake is pronouncing every letter — French drops far more sounds than English does, especially at the end of words.

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