Some games use a combination of visual and audio tools, which can be both fun and important to learning the correct pronunciation of French words. Many of these games are found free online from websites such as Digital Dialects and the BBC. When the game starts, you will see images of several different items on the screen. When the sound starts, you will hear a word in French. You have to match that word to the correct picture on the screen. Games like this may go on for several rounds and you'll get a score at the end that will let you know how well you have done. You can choose to focus on different subject areas, such as numbers, animals or items you might find in the mall.
Some free French games focus on words only and ask you to identify French words hidden in various puzzles. This might be in a word seek game, where there are rows of random letters. Hidden within these letters are French words written horizontally, vertically or diagonally. First you must find the French words, then you must translate them so that you learn their meaning. Word games like these can be downloaded for free from websites such as Transparent Language and French Linguistics.
"Le jeu de l'oie," or the "Game of the Goose," is a traditional French board game where you have to get your playing piece to the end first. Similar to "Snakes and Ladders," you have to roll the dice and move your playing piece the corresponding number of steps, encountering bonuses and hazards along the way that either mean you get another turn or have to move back a few spaces.
Use the game as an educational tool by asking players to only speak in French while playing the game and requiring each player to correctly answer a question in French before they can take their turn. This educational version of the game has also been created on the Jeu de L'Oie website. Users can select their level from "beginner" to "advanced" and choose what they want to focus on, from definite and indefinite articles to the use of the subjunctive.
"Mots fléchés" are French crossword puzzles, which are slightly different from other crosswords. With mots fléchés, the clues are found in squares within the crossword puzzle, rather than listed at the side. A number of websites, such as FemmeActuelle.fr and Notretemps.com, have mots fléchés available for you to download and print off for free. French teachers often use the mots fléchés to create a game in a learning environment, where students all receive the same mots fléchés and have to race against each other to complete the puzzle correctly first.