9 Best French Books For Beginners

Do you want to learn a new language and looking for best French books for beginners?

There are plenty of resources online that anyone can refer to and use any time they want. French, is one of the most fascinating and beautiful foreign languages to learn, but it is also not the easiest.

From the tricky pronunciation to the rather complicated grammar, studying French can be overwhelming for beginners.

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This is why apart from free online resources, it is wise to invest in a good French book for beginners to help in your journey towards learning the language.

9 Best French Books For Beginners

Here’s a list of some of the most popular and useful French books for beginners that you may want to check out.

1. Easy French Step-by-Step by Myrna Bell Rochester

Easy French Step-by-Step might be a suitable fit for you if you’re beginning from scratch and want to learn French with a classic grammar approach.

This book teaches French in a methodical, step-by-step manner. You begin with the most fundamental grammatical concepts and progress one step at a time.

The book includes over 300 of the most commonly used verbs, as well as a list of topics in order of importance.

There are several tasks to practice and quiz yourself in this book, as well as many engaging reading sections. Students like this book since it is basic and easy to understand, and it is also inexpensive.

2. Entre Amis by Michael D. Oates

This book, which includes more visuals than Easy French Step-by-Step, maybe a better alternative if you prefer your books to have more images.

This book is great for those who already have a rudimentary understanding of French, but it is still useful for beginners.

Many of the chapters emphasize oral interactions and teach using a performance-based approach.

So, if you can, locate a language-learning partner with whom you can practice. Unlike other textbooks, it focuses on phrases and vocabulary that you might use in real life.

3. La conjugaison pour Tous (Conjugation for Everyone) by L. Sprague de Camp

Since 1913, the Bescherelle series has included the Hatier-published collective work La conjugaison pour Tous (Conjugation for Everyone), as well as shorter publications on spelling, vocabulary, and other topics.

The series was founded by two eminent grammarians, Louis-Nicolas and Henri Bescherelle, in the nineteenth century and is easily recognized by any French student because of its crimson covers.

Verb conjugation tables, mind maps, and lists of reference verbs that can be used to conjugate other verbs are all popular features of Bescherelle. It’s easy to see why Bescherelle is so popular, as ot has over 8,000 verbs to learn.

4. Oxford Essential French Dictionary

It is essential to carry a decent dictionary of the language you are learning that you can refer to anytime.

The Oxford Dictionaries are well-known and widely used in a diverse range of languages. Over 40,000 terms and 60,000 translations to and from both languages are contained in this dictionary.

It even includes pronunciations to assist you in learning new terms, their meanings in the other language, and how to pronounce them.

5. Collins Easy Learning French Grammar Practice by Collins

Another highly recommended introductory French grammar book is this one.

It’s critical to have good grammar skills when learning and understanding any language so that you don’t make mistakes with verbs, prepositions, phrases, and other elements.

This grammar book is one of the most popular on the market, and it is simple to understand thanks to the highlighted grammatical pointers.

It includes extensive examples as well as more than 150 practice tasks to assist you in mastering the language.

6. Berlitz Self-Teacher for French

Berlitz Language Institutes, as well as publications and materials for language education, are well-known around the world.

If you’re a beginner French learner who wants to study at your own pace, the Berlitz Self-Teacher for French book may be of interest to you.

Berlitz promises to be able to teach you a language in a natural way rather than through tedious memorization and grammatical exercises.

The Berlitz system believes that students should be able to understand grammatical rules intuitively, so this book does not include numerous grammar explanations.

Their natural system is based on conversational learning. Oral exercises and pronunciation advice are also included in the book.

7. Easy Learning French Conversation by Collins Dictionaries

It is recommended that anyone interested in studying conversational French consult a good book that will help them in memorizing common conversational statements and phrases.

Easy Learning French Conversation by Collins Dictionaries is an excellent book that includes a link to a free audio file that will assist you with phrase pronunciation and tone while speaking in French.

The book is divided into 12 sections, each of which covers a distinct topic and includes a sample dialogue that might occur.

It is a good book for beginners because it provides many ordinary terms that can be used in a basic French conversation.

8. French Short Stories For Beginners by Olly Richards and Richard Simcott

As a beginner, short stories are an excellent method to learn French. It provides you extra practice with tough terms and reminds you to go over what you’ve learned. These short stories are entertaining and intriguing while also challenging your French with a variety of vocabulary and syntax.

These books are ideal if you want to spend a couple of hours studying French in a fun, relaxing manner, with captivating stories, a dictionary, and a quiz after each story.

9. Contacts: Langue et culture françaises  by Jean-Paul Valette & Rebecca Valette

This is the book for you if you are a visual learner who wants to learn basic French while immersed in the country’s rich culture.

This textbook has excellent images, relevant cultural references, pronunciation assistance, and a handy French-English dictionary in the back, so you don’t have to switch reading from textbook to dictionary and back.

If you want to do listening exercises (which are essential if you want to learn French), make sure you get the additional audio as well.