Learn French Free with the FSI Basic Course

Who this is for

This page is for someone who wants to learn French and does not know how to start. The method is the one the Foreign Service Institute used with US diplomats: a short dialogue, then repetition and pronunciation, until the lines are automatic. Vento is the same public-domain course, laid out as lessons you can do on a phone. It is free. It is not a game and it is not affiliated with the State Department.

The source course

FSI French Basic Course. Foreign Service Institute French Basic Course. Vento lists 24 units, starting with street conversation. This catalogue has 24 units.

The first lessons you will actually open:

• Unit 1: Dans la rue
• Unit 2: Dans un petit hôtel
• Unit 3: À la gare
• Unit 4: Au café
• Unit 5: Demander son chemin
• Unit 6: À l'hôtel

How a lesson works

1. Listen to the dialogue and follow the line that is playing.
2. Repeat it aloud. The course is built on that repetition, not on tapping translations.
3. Do the drills, then check pronunciation in your browser (Chrome, Edge, Safari).
4. Come back to the same unit before you pile on a new one.

A fuller explanation of the drill cycle is on the FSI method page. Hours and categories are on the difficulty ranking.

How long it takes

690 class hours (30 weeks) is the State Department figure for full-time class to ILR 3, speaking and listening. Studying alone for an hour a day is a different pace. Use the number to see how large the language is, not as a date you will be fluent.

Figures for categories and class hours are from the U.S. Department of State, “Foreign Language Training” (https://www.state.gov/foreign-language-training), describing full-time classroom study to an ILR 3 in speaking and listening. They are not a promise about self-study. state.gov/foreign-language-training

Questions