Our Verdict
4.5/5
FrenchPod101 is a great podcast for learning French with good value for money, a great lesson structure, and excellent extra features. However, they suffer from aggressive email marketing and limited free content.
Pros
- ✓Value for money: Over 850+ lessons included in the membership
- ✓Great lesson structure with just enough grammar explanations
- ✓Portable and DRM-free: Download all the lessons
- ✓Great extra features like the word bank, flashcards, and study tools
- ✓Detailed lesson notes (PDFs, cultural notes, additional grammar information)
Cons
- ✗Aggressive email marketing even to existing customers
- ✗Bonus lessons are very short
- ✗The lessons use a lot of English to explain
- ✗Limited content for free
FrenchPod101: French Lessons Online
FrenchPod101 Review: Table of Contents
Audio Lessons
- Dialogue at normal speed
- Dialogue slowed down
- Dialogue with English translations
- Vocabulary discussion
- Grammar discussion
- Cultural pointers
The Online Lesson Player
- Lesson Notes - including bonus examples and explanations not in the lesson itself.
- Transcripts
- Checklists
Video Lessons
Flashcards
- They're based on spaced repetition theory, which just works.
- They are the same vocabulary you hear in the main lessons, so you get to hear them being used in practice and you get more exposure to them.
- The main word bank features 2000 words with pronunciation and example sentences for all entries. If you know 2000 words you're quite fluent in a language, usually. Once you've mastered the 2000 words on FrenchPod101 you can "graduate" to getting your vocabulary from native material such as books, newspapers and television.
- The interface works fine. It's not as good as Memrise, but I can live with it.
Mobile Application
- You can download ALL episodes in DRM-free mp3 format and simply transfer them to your mobile device.
- You can download the Innovative Languages app from the app store and stream any lesson.
What does it cost?
- Basic: Grants you access to all the lessons for a few bucks per month. You get no access to full transcripts and the many tools they have, but in terms of value for money this is incredible.
- Premium: Gets you access to everything from comprehensible transcripts and a vast array of tools you can use to make your learning more fun. The recommended level.
- Premium+ is like Premium, but you also get access to a teacher from FrenchPod101. If you are super motivated and have the money this is a luxury option.
- Premium: Starting at $18.75 per month, with the 25% Actual Fluency discount applied.
FrenchPod101 Coupon Code
FrenchPod101 Review Conclusion
What I like
- Value for money: Over 850+ lessons included in the membership
- Great lesson structure with just enough grammar explanations
- Portable and DRM-free: Download all the lessons
- Great extra features like the word bank, flashcards, and study tools
- Detailed lesson notes (PDFs, cultural notes, additional grammar information)
- Teaches French culture as well as the language
- Continually updated
What I don't like
- Aggressive email marketing even to existing customers
- Bonus lessons are very short
- The lessons use a lot of English to explain
- Limited content for free
