Exercises in Written French (with an Answer Guide)
Written exercises are often seen as the bane of many students’ French learning experiences, but don’t dismiss this valuable practice tool. You’ll be reinforcing all those grammar rules you’ve been learning by honing your writing skills.
Make and Use French Flashcards
Flashcards are obviously not ideal for all aspects of French learning, but the simpler elements of the language, such as vocabulary definitions or translations, word genders, and different verb forms, can be effectively practised using homemade flashcards.
Combine French Dictations and Songs
The dictée (dictation) is a common elementary school exercise for young French children. It ensures that they learn the proper way to write in French—and it can be just as effective for learning French as a second language! All it takes is a text and someone to read it to you.
Actively watch French television and films
Choose a French TV show or movie that you believe you will enjoy. For the first time, watch it with English subtitles. You’ll have to watch it again if it’s a movie. If it’s a TV show, simply move on to the next episode. This time, instead of English subtitles, watch it with French subtitles.
Use Written French to Work on Grammar and Vocabulary
Developing writing skills can be one of the most difficult tasks to complete when learning French on your own. You won’t be able to achieve writing perfection on your own, but you will be able to improve certain skills.

Stay Current with the News
Listen to French news in slow motion. These podcasts, which are released on a regular basis, are about 30 minutes long and consist of slowly spoken recitations and analyses of the week’s top news stories in simple French. Subscribers gain access to a full French transcript, a PDF with translations, and flashcards.
Radio France Internationale (RFI) also has a podcast called journal en français facile (news in easy French). This podcast has daily episodes that last about 10 minutes, has downloadable transcripts, and is completely free.
For written news, I recommend Mon Quotidien (my daily newspaper), a children’s newspaper. Its young audience makes it an excellent choice for beginning French learners, as it contains simple articles as well as discussion questions to practise writing in French.
Mary Glasgow is another website with news for French children. While the entire magazine requires a subscription, students can read four articles for free. These articles are constantly updated, so even non-paying users can benefit from the magazine.
Make use of YouTube
Several YouTube channels are dedicated to teaching French to beginners and intermediate students. Learn French with Alexa and Learn French with Vincent, two YouTube channels that offer grammatical tutorials, vocabulary explanations, and simple French dialogues, are among the best.
Have fun while learning French.
Use online gamified apps, which aim to teach the French language in a game-like format. One of the most well-known of these is Duolingo, which makes learning French fun by incorporating mini-games, levels, and learning streaks. You can also play a variety of online games aimed at teaching French. Some of the best are Digital Dialects, Fresno Dialects, Sam Amuse or Frenchgames.net (Sam Amuses). These games are ideal for beginners who want to practise common vocabulary topics or grammar constructs like verb conjugations.
Immersion
Travel to a French-speaking country to seize the opportunity to learn new words and phrases and practice what you’ve learned on your own by talking to natives while staying with them. Of course, not everyone has the opportunity to travel. Fortunately, you can benefit from interacting with French speakers without having to leave your city or town! Another option is to join a website that allows you to find a French-language exchange partner, such as mylanguageexchange.com or italki.com.
Enrol in a Self-Guided French Course
A self-guided French course, regardless of level, can be a great way to learn French grammar and vocabulary in a systematic manner. It can also provide you with more opportunities to speak, listen to, read, and write French at a level that will be most beneficial to your current abilities. You could look into sites like ielanguages.com or informal courses such as TV5Monde (TV5World) and ToLearnFrench that offer more in the way of interactive learning as per your level.
