Top 10 French Language Courses in California [Free and Paid]

Are you a Californian wanting to score 67+ points while applying for permanent residency in Canada? Or, do you wish to land your dream job in Travel and Tourism, as a translator, or an Immigrant Officer? Or, maybe you’re fascinated with the French language and want to speak more than Bonjour, Oui, or Merci in French. Whatever the case may be, we have listed the Top 10 French Language Courses in California in this article to help you choose the best course for yourself (or maybe your loved one!).

A quick fact:

Do you know French is the second most widely learned language in the world? Yes! Currently, around 1.2 million people are studying the French language. Also, it is the official language of 29 countries.

French learners, here’s what Charlemagne famously said about learning a new language, “To have another language is to possess a second soul.”

So, if you’re on a quest to possess this second soul and are passionate about learning the French Language, then you’ve landed on the right page.

On this page, we’ve analyzed the 10 best French Language Courses available in California to help you take forward your passion for learning. 

Before we dive into our list, let’s make your goal a bit clearer by understanding the importance of taking French language classes.

What is the importance of learning French Language courses in California?

French is one of the most commonly spoken languages in California and is widely spoken throughout the world and has been for centuries. Additionally, it’s a valuable skill for business professionals and has also been widely used in academia, and politics.

If you’re thinking about taking up a French language course in California, here are some reasons why learners should consider taking up this course:

• It’s a great choice if you’re planning on entering a career that requires fluency in the French language. 
• You can use French to expand your horizons and open up new opportunities in the world of business, science, academia, and more
• French is an official language in Canada and several other countries around the world, including France, Belgium, Switzerland, and Quebec. So, if you’re planning to do business in any French-speaking country, enrolling in French language classes is the key.
• French is a relatively easy language to learn, which makes it an ideal choice for beginners.
• Learning French can help you prepare for a career in international business or academia (as many academic journals and conferences are published in French).
• Learning French can help you prepare for a career in the arts, fashion, or entertainment.

10 Best French Language Courses in California

Below are our picks 10 best French language courses in California.

1. Henry Harvin: French Language Certification Course

The first course on our list is the French Language Certification Course offered by Henry Harvin.

Henry Harvin’s French language course is designed to help students develop their skills in comprehension, written and spoken expression, vocabulary, and grammar.

If you’re looking to ace the DELF and DALF exams or master the French Language up to the C2 level, then I bet you won’t regret enrolling in Henry Harvin’s French Language Certification course.

Why Henry Harvin, you may ask?

Your French trainers at Henry Harvin are Certified Native French Trainers, which means you don’t have to worry about investing your money in upskilling yourself and gaining no value in return.

The French Language Certification Course includes 66 hours long training, which comprises 40 hours of training, 16 hours of Group Discussion, and 10 hours of exam preparation.

The French Language Certification Course from Henry Harvin is best for California residents preparing for important French language exams such as DILF, DELF, DALF, DCL, & TCF. It’s also great for beginners aiming to ace the language and become proficient at it. So, if you fall into any of these categories, then you definitely don’t want to miss enrolling in Henry Harvin’s French Language training in California.

Apart from being able to prepare for exams, the French language training offered by Henry Harvin in California helps you gain fluency in A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, and C2 levels. The French language classes are 100% practical and offer 24×7 Lifetime Support and Access.

Duration

The French Language Certification course is 66 hours, a trainer-led program. The span of the course depends on which batch you enroll in. 

Fees

Fees for the course is INR 15,000.

You can get more information about the French Language Certification Course in

California here.

Other cities where Henry Harvin offers French Language Courses:

Bhopal, Ernakulam, Noida, Chennai, Cochin.

Check out other language courses:

Post Graduate Programme in French Language

French Language Translator Course

Mandarin Language Course

Korean Language Course 

If you’ve any questions, make sure to stick through this article to the end/till the end!

The next on the list is the world’s largest online learning platform—Coursera.

2. Coursera: Étudier en France: French Intermediate course B1-B2

Coursera’s Étudier en France: French Intermediate course B1-B2 is an Intermediate level course. As the name of the course suggests, it is a B1-B2 level course, which requires you to have an A1-A2 level knowledge of the course.

Coursera is the world’s leading online learning platform, providing online assistance to students worldwide. Coursera partners with various leading universities and brings the best in the class courses to students.

The French language certification course from Coursera is offered by Ecole Polytechnique, a university situated in Palaiseau, France.

Coursera’s Étudier en France: French Intermediate course B1-B2 comes with both free and paid versions and gives you the flexibility to learn at your own pace. The difference between the free and paid versions of the course is that with the paid version you can test your knowledge with graded assignments not available in the free version otherwise. With the paid version you can also earn a certificate that’s shareable across any platform and comes with no certificate expiry.

Duration

The French language course from Coursera is approximately 46 hours long program. The course description mentions its duration spans from 1-3 months, however, it completely depends upon your pace of learning and the dedicated time you give to learning the language.

Fees

The course’s cost is INR 2,376 or you can subscribe to Coursera Plus program at INR 4,834 per month and get access to unlimited courses on the platform.

3. Polyglottist Language Academy: French Classes

Polyglottist Language Academy is a USA-based academy located in Berkeley. The academy offers online and physical French language classes for beginners to advance levels. Their French language classes are divided into 4 levels—Beginner Classes, Intermediate Classes, Advanced Classes, and Individual classes.

The levels covered by the academy include beginner, low-intermediate, intermediate, pre-advanced, and advanced. They conduct 60-minute classes once a week and 90-minute intensive classes on demand.

Their beginner’s level course will help you start speaking simple dialogues and fill out registration forms in French-speaking countries. The academy complements its teaching by sharing cultural knowledge about France and French cities.

Duration

The beginner’s level course is 6 hours program.

Fees

The fee for the beginner’s level course is $240. 

4. Udemy: The Complete French Course: Learn French Beginners

The Complete French Course: Learn French Beginner is a course created by Yohann Coussot on the Udemy platform. It is a beginner’s course for A0-A2 levels. You can take this French language course in California or anywhere in the world.

This course will help you master the basics of the language, and build and develop basic communication skills like, speaking, listening, reading, and writing. After completing the course, you can easily express yourself and introduce yourself in the French language.

The French language course from Yohann on Udemy is clubbed with 16 hours of on-demand videos, 12 resources, 116 downloadable resources, a completion certificate, and Lifetime access. 

Since it’s a beginner’s level course, there’s no requirement for the prior French language, you can ground up from the beginner’s to basics or low-intermediate level.

Udemy is another MOOC platform offering learning services to learners worldwide. The platform offers a great opportunity for trainers from around the world to share their knowledge with anyone, no matter where they are.

Duration

The course is structured with 28 lessons, spanning 16 hours long pre-recorded video training. Since it is a self-paced course, the completion of the course depends entirely upon how you divide your time to learn.

Fees

The fees on the Udemy platform vary from time to time. Sometimes you can get 86-90% off on the course’s original price and at other times you may get the course at the original price only.  

[Psst… If you’re looking to enroll in this course, then make sure to keep an eye on offers! 😉]

5. Beverly Hills Lingual Institute: Learn French Online

Beverly Hills Lingual Institute offers beginners level, intermediate-level, and advanced-level courses. They also give semi-private or private French language classes for any level. They have a comprehensive schedule of online French language training, considering their student’s needs and requirements. 

Beverly Hills Lingual Institute is a Los Angeles-based institute providing various language training online to students worldwide. They have a rich and supportive atmosphere for learning and teaching languages to students.

They also have curated a course ‘Little Linguals’, specially designed for children aged 6-11.

Duration

The French language courses from Beverly Hills Lingual Institute run online for 8 weeks with 80-minute classes per week. In one batch they take up to 10 students only.

The Little Linguals classes run for 60 minutes once a week for 8 weeks. 

Fees

The French language classes of all levels (beginners, intermediate, and advanced) are offered at $245, and $275 for Little Linguals.

6. UCSan Diego Extended Studies

UCSan Diego Extended Studies offers 6 variations of French language classes—French for Communication 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and French Refining Fluency, Part C. Their variations of French language classes upgraded learners from beginners to a basic understanding of the French language via their Communication courses and refine their French skills in French Refining Fluency course.

UCSan Diego offers professional education and training and is located in La Jolla, California. So, if you’re a Californian and seeking a physical French language course in California, you can check out this one! You can learn French language courses from UCSan Diego virtually and physically both. 

Duration

The UCSan Diego covers a batch in 3 months with biweekly classes that run for 90 minutes.

Fees

The fee for the French for Communication 1 course is $350 and for the fees for French Communication 2, 3, 4, 5, and French Refining Fluency, Part C is $325.

7. Lingoda

Lingoda is a virtual school that teaches various languages online. They offer both small group classes and private classes online available 24/7. Their 24/7 teaching methodology gives maximum flexibility to learners to study whenever they want to.

Their French language course includes absolute beginner, beginner, intermediate, and upper-intermediate levels classes. 

You can learn to speak basic words and phrases with an absolute beginner course; simple interactions with beginners course, everyday conversation with the intermediate course; and converse on complex topics with an upper-intermediate course.

Lingoda’s plan of learning ranges from 5 classes a month to 40 classes a month. And their course price starts from €62.99 for 5 classes to €339.99 for 40 classes a month. You can also opt for a 7-day free trial before enrolling for the batch.

8. Duolingo

Duolingo offers bite-sized lessons for learning any language in the world. It is an American-based EdTech company, redefining the way of learning languages. Just take out 5-minutes from your busy schedule and learn something new every day. The learners can download the app from their app store and start learning their desired language that minute.

Duolingo on the learner’s phone can be bona fide combined with a structured course. It offers a 100% free, personalized and fun-learning experience.

9. FluentU

Unlike Duolingo, FluentU is a paid language learning app. It also offers a personalized learning experience by asking you a few questions about your level of language understanding. 

FluentU teaches language to learners using video dictionaries, multimedia transcripts, music videos, and audio lessons.

You can choose to either opt for 5-min daily learning, 10-min, or 15-min as per your convenience. FluentU offers a 14-day free trial and a 20-day money-back guarantee. By subscribing to their plan, you can access FluentU on the website, iPhone app, iPad app, or Android app.

They use Spaced Repetition algorithm to help learners memorize what they have learned.

Fees

Their monthly subscription costs $30 per month or $20 per month when billed annually.

10. San Jose Learning Center

San Jose Learning Center is a foreign language school for adults (Age 18+), based in Santa Clara, California. Their offering includes group classes, private lessons, and corporate training.

They conduct classes online, in person, and in a hybrid environment. San Jose Learning Center’s French language classes consist of various levels and courses. 

With the French Level 1 course, learners with no prior French language experience can learn to start a basic conversation in French. 

In the French Level 2 course, learners will be able to expand their vocabulary and improve their pronunciation.

By French Level 3, learners will be able to express quantity, ask for prices, order food, and much more. 

From French Level 1 to French Level 11, you will be able to ace the basics and become an intermediate-level learner. Starting with the French intermediate course, you will practice reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills. 

Fees

They have a standard price for all French courses—$299.

How to choose a course for your learning needs?

Before clicking that ‘Buy now’ button, read this to help you make the wise decision for selecting the course that best fits your learning needs.

• Career Goal

Never buy any course randomly based on the fancy words they use. Always ask yourself, what is my goal in acquiring a new language? Do I have to prepare for exams? Will I be applying for a job in French-speaking countries? Or, Am I learning French because it fascinates me? When you have a specific goal in place, making a decision to purchase a course becomes a lot easier. 

• Curriculum

Always check what’s included in the course you’re buying. Is it a comprehensive learning course? Does it offer a bit of information only?  

• Instructor’s expertise

Never leave out this factor while buying a course online. You may get scammed by buying a course that teaches you what you can learn on YouTube videos. Always check your instructor’s expertise.

• Course quality

You can assess the course quality by checking out what other alumni are saying about it. Check out their ratings and reviews, and you’ll have an idea if the course is worth your money.

• Support and Assistance

While learning a new language, always check if the course provides support and assistance. Learning a new language takes work. Imagine two scenarios. 

1. You have questions and no one to assist. 
2. You have questions and an instructor always clears your doubts. 

Which one will you choose?

Recommended Reads:

• Top 10 French Language Courses Online
• Best Ways to Learn French Online in 2023
• 15 Good Reasons to Learn French Language Basics
• Top Frequently Used French Words You Need to Know before you travel
• Is French easy to learn for Indians?
• Scope of French Language Course
• Top 20 French Language Interview Questions and Answers
• 10 Best French Language Learning Apps 2023

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

We know you’ve waited this long to come to this section! Below we’ve answered a few frequently asked questions about French Language courses in California.