The Root of Today's French Language People have spoken French for more than 2200 years. One important document proving its early existence is the Les Serments de Strasbourg*, dated from 842. From the ninth century, a common language, le Francien, appeared necessary for trade and commerce in what is today Île de France, the region where Paris is located (called Lutèce under the Roman Empire). It was the place to meet to exchange goods; a place where people speaking different dialects from the other regions could only understand each other through a common language evolved from the common forms of the various dialects. Le Francien spread and rapidly gained prestige, as it was the language of the king. King Hugues Capet** in 987 was... Show more

French comes from the Romance language family of the Indo-European languages, which is divided into various groups of languages. French is a Romance language because it descends from Latin, the language of the ancient Romans. Historians have traced the earliest development of the French language to just after the Neolithic period (considered to be the last part of the Stone Age) and to three groups of people: The Ligures (located in Provence, a region on the Mediterranean coast, and the northeastern part of Italy), The Ibères (from the Languedoc region located in southern France near Spain), The Aquitains (from the southwestern region of France). Each group left some traces in modern French as suffixes in names of places,... Show more

Speaking is usually the #1 weakness for all French learners. This is a common issue among language learners everywhere. The reason for this is obvious: When language learners first start learning a language, they usually start with reading. They read online articles, books, information on apps and so on. If they take a class, they spend 20% of their time repeating words, and 80% of the time reading the textbook, doing homework or just listening to a teacher. So, if you spend most of your time reading instead of speaking, you might get better at reading but your speaking skills never grow. You get better at what you focus on. So if you want to improve you speaking skills, you need to spend more of your study time on speaking. Here are... Show more

Hello Listener, You’ll want to know about these 2 new French learning tools and features. They’re great for reviewing, motivation and progress. One is an unofficial sneak peek. So what are they? The brand new Achievement Badges and the Word Bank! And... if you want to master French, unlock our proven learning system at 26% OFF and get a Bonus 6.5-hour Audiobook! In this month’s newsletter: 72 Hours Left! Click here to get 26% OFF + FREE 6.5-Hour Audiobook New Feature! Achievement Badges Now Available for Premium PLUS Sneak Peek: Save & Review Vocab with this Study Tool 1. Ends Friday! Learn French with 26% OFF & a FREE Audiobook! No school. No stress. Learn French at your pace and start speaking in minutes... Show more

There are plenty of destinations where you can get by with English, but sometimes you want to do better than just ‘get by’. Here are 6 reasons you should learn the basics of the language of your next trip destination. 1. You will be able to discover your destination better than other tourists. Getting by is one thing, but actually experiencing a trip abroad is quite another. No amount of guidebooks and online research can compensate for a basic lack of language ability. Speaking the language of your destination permits you to explore that destination beyond the regular tourist traps. Your language skills will not only allow you to dig into all the hidden gems of your destination, but they will also allow you to mingle with the... Show more

Hello Listener, Did you start this year out with a resolution to learn French? Haven’t found time to make it happen yet? Well, with students everywhere going back to school this month... Now’s a perfect time to renew your dream of truly learning French. Even if you’re a complete beginner. Even if you’re out of school... You can and will learn French with 150+ hours of lessons from real teachers. The Too Cool for School Sale at FrenchPod101 starts today: Click here to get 26% OFF & a free Audiobook! Start speaking French from your very first lesson and get our entire French learning system at 26% OFF! That’s just $2.96/month with Basic or $7.40/month with Premium and up to $62.40 in savings. So if you upgrade now, you... Show more

Hello Listener, The Summer of French is in full swing at FrenchPod101. That means we’re helping thousands of people like you to learn French this summer! Yes, we are helping to make your dream of learning French easier and more affordable with a LIMITED TIME 29% OFF Basic and Premium. Up to $69.60 in savings! Click here to get a BIG 29% OFF! Ready to learn French? During our Summer of French Sale, you gain full access to our ENTIRE learning system – 150+ hours of French audio and video lessons from real French teachers, exclusive apps, plus loads of additional study tools and resources for just... $7.10/Month for Full Access to Our Premium Plan $2.84/Month for Full Access to Our Basic Plan But you might be wondering:... Show more

1. Schedule your time. One of the most important factors in keeping your motivation up is developing it into a habit. Whether it be 20 minutes or 3 hours, schedule time to study every day and stick to it. Regular exposure solidifies what you learn and keeps you progressing. To make sure you stick to your routine, a great idea is to build a schedule for your day and decide that every day/Monday/weekend, you study from 6pm to 8pm. Just remember that 30 minutes a day, every day, is better than a binge 8-hour study session at the end of the week (though it’s obviously better than nothing). 2. Learn a word a day with our great Word of the Day learning tool. Trying to learn everything at once and getting overwhelmed by the sheer number... Show more

“To have another language is to possess a second soul.” - Charlemagne Learning a new language is an achievement anyone can be proud of and it's exciting and beneficial at all ages. It offers many practical, intellectual and aspirational benefits. A wave of new research shows the incredible psychological benefits of learning a second language. These benefits extend far beyond being able to order a cup of coffee abroad or ask directions to your hotel. 1. Learning a Foreign Language Boosts Brain Power Medical studies have shown the positive effect learning a second language has on the brain. A foreign language is a whole new system with distinct rules, etymology, and meaning, which are just a few of the complexities of a language.... Show more

Incredible news from our friends over at Ultralingua, the online and mobile dictionary specialists. A good French dictionary can be hard to find, but with Ultralingua and FrenchPod101 by your side, you’ll be armed with 2 of the most powerful French learning tools online. Ultralingua Cyber Monday Sale! Save up to 66% on on Ultralingua Dictionary products! Sale begins Sunday, November 25th, 2012 and ends at midnight Cyber Monday. (That’s November 26th, 2012!) Check out some of their amazing deals: The All New Ultralingua Dictionary for iPhone and iPad: Free to download, save 25% on all In-App Upgrades until Monday! Click here to download it free! Original Ultralingua iPhone and iPad Apps: Save 25% instantly when you purchase... Show more