You can learn French with CDs or through podcasts available online. Through audio sessions in French, you develop your listening comprehension. Audio programs packaged in CDs are usually paired with beginner French books to help you match visual material with audio lessons. It is important to learn written French with spoken French, because French words are spelled differently from how they sound to a novice speaker. In addition, learning French through songs can supplement your language comprehension. Parlo.com, a website that offers language lessons, features music sections for every language that you can explore for audio learning.
Worksheets may be available with French language-lesson programs as a learning supplement. These tests assess your mastery of the lessons, helping you apply the language and build your vocabulary. Some websites, like San Antonio College's French learning site (see References), present students with fill-in-the-blank worksheets online. The application reveals the correct answer, and students learn where they made a mistake and how they can improve.
Multimedia tools also help you in learning French because you get to see the words as they are spoken on screen. Transcriptions like these help you learn how French words are spelled and how they are pronounced. Short videos may be featured in multimedia websites that illustrate French life and the French way of speaking. The BBC (see Resources) has a dedicated website for learning French, packed with multimedia tools to help you learn the language quickly.
You can go beyond interactive websites and learn with a live person through websites such as Livemocha.com. Livemocha pairs you with a native French speaker, with whom you can practice conversational French. This allows students to learn not only the language, but also colloquial phrases and cultural nuances.
Interactive games are also available, where students can build their French vocabulary with pictures and sounds in a competitive way. They can answer interactive quizzes set in multiple-choice or matching-type format. DigitalDialects.com offer lessons in vocabulary, conjugations and basic French phrases through cartoons and clear audio.