FRANÇAIS · Bonjour
Learn French online with a private tutor
An official language of the UN, the EU and the African Union — and the one whose written form English speakers already half-recognise.
- Native name
- Français
- Speakers
- 310M
- Hours to fluency
- ~690
- Lesson length
- 25 / 50 / 80
How long does French actually take?
The US Foreign Service Institute has been timing this for decades, and the figure everyone quotes is only half of what they publish. FSI puts French at 30 weeks — 690 classroom hours for an English speaker to reach professional working proficiency. But FSI also states that a typical week is 23 hours in class and 17 hours of self-study, so the real total is closer to 1200 hours of work. The pace below divides that full total rather than the classroom half, which is why these numbers are longer than the ones you have seen elsewhere:
One lesson a week
about 9.2 years
≈2.5 hours a week including homework
Two lessons a week
about 4.6 years
≈5 hours a week including homework
Intensive — daily
about 2 years
≈15 hours a week including homework
Worth saying plainly: that figure is for full professional proficiency, which is a much higher bar than most learners need. Holding a real conversation in French usually arrives at somewhere between a fifth and a quarter of the way in.
What the French levels mean
Teachers describe lessons using the Common European Framework. Not sure of yours? Take the free French level test — twelve minutes, no account — and your teacher starts from your result.
- A1Beginner
Introduce yourself and handle very simple, predictable exchanges.
- A2Elementary
Cope with routine tasks — shopping, directions, simple description of your background.
- B1Intermediate
Handle most travel situations and explain opinions on familiar topics.
- B2Upper-intermediate
Hold a fluent, spontaneous conversation with a native speaker without strain on either side.
- C1Advanced
Use the language flexibly for social, academic and professional purposes.
- C2Proficient
Understand virtually everything heard or read, and express yourself with precision.
Kinds of French lesson
Teachers list what they specialise in, so you can match on purpose rather than on price alone.
French tutors for beginners
Teachers who work with absolute beginners every day and can run a first French lesson entirely in a language you share.
Conversational French tutors
Lessons that are mostly you talking. For learners who can read French but freeze when someone answers back.
Business French tutors
Meetings, email, negotiation and presentations — French for the situations your job actually puts you in.
French tutors for kids
Teachers experienced with children, who keep French lessons short, build them around games, and keep a parent in the loop.
French exam preparation tutors
Teachers who know the French exam formats, mark to the real rubric, and work backwards from your test date.
Intensive French courses
Several French lessons a week with homework between them, for learners with a deadline rather than a hobby.
Native French speaking tutors
Teachers who grew up speaking French, for accent work, idiom and the register textbooks never cover.
French grammar tutors
Focused work on the French structures that keep breaking, with exercises built from your own mistakes.
French exams teachers prepare for
DELF/DALF
Diplôme d'Études / Approfondi en Langue Française
TEFAQ / TCF-Québec
French tests for immigration to Québec
DFP
Diplôme de français professionnel (CCI Paris Île-de-France)
Questions about learning French
How long does it take to learn French?
The US Foreign Service Institute puts French at roughly 690 hours of study to reach professional working proficiency for an English speaker. At two lessons a week plus homework — call it five hours — that is about 2.7 years. Conversational comfort arrives much earlier, usually somewhere between a fifth and a quarter of the way in.
How much do French lessons cost?
Each French teacher decides which lesson lengths they offer and sets a price for each — you see both before booking. Many teachers also sell lesson packages at their own price, usually cheaper per lesson. If you are still choosing, you can top up your wallet instead and spend the balance with any teacher — nothing is tied to one person.
Should I learn French with a native speaker?
For pronunciation, idiom and register, yes — a native ear catches things a textbook cannot. For grammar explanations early on, a teacher who learned French as a second language themselves is often clearer, because they remember finding it hard. Many learners use both, and there is no rule against switching.
Can I learn French from absolute zero?
Yes. Filter for teachers who work with beginners and your first lessons will be run partly in a language you already share, shifting into French as you gain ground. You do not need to prepare anything beforehand.
Which French exams can I prepare for?
Teachers on KoloLingo prepare learners for DELF/DALF (Diplôme d'Études / Approfondi en Langue Française), TEFAQ / TCF-Québec (French tests for immigration to Québec), DFP (Diplôme de français professionnel (CCI Paris Île-de-France)). Exam-prep teachers mark to the real rubric and plan backwards from your test date.
Free French guides
All French guides →- GrammarA1–A2
French verb conjugation: the three groups, and why most verbs are easy
French verbs divide into three groups. Learn the -er pattern first and you can conjugate roughly 80% of French verbs immediately.
- CostAny level
How much do French lessons cost?
What platforms publish for French tutors, how much the teacher's country moves the price, and why metropolitan-or-Canadian matters more than saving $3.
- ExamA1–C2
DELF and DALF: six diplomas for life, and a C2 that stops testing four skills
France's DELF and DALF are six separate diplomas, each valid for life. Levels, pass marks and the C2 that drops the four-skill format, read 2026-08-30.
- ExamB2
France's examen civique: 40 questions, 32 to pass, and the half you cannot see
France's civic exam since 1 Jan 2026: 40 questions, 32 to pass (80%), 45 minutes. Knowledge questions published, situational ones not. Read 5 Oct 2026.
- ExamNCLC 4–10
TEF Canada or TCF Canada: scores to NCLC, results, and the re-mark you cannot get until 2027
IRCC's own NCLC chart for TEF Canada and TCF Canada, results in 10 vs 15 business days, and TCF's re-marking pause from Sept 2026 to autumn 2027. Oct 2026.
- ExamA2 · B1 · B2
France now asks for B2. Only one of the two ways to prove it lasts
From 1 January 2026 France requires B2, spoken and written, for nationality. The law names two tests, and a test attestation lasts two years. 10 Sep 2026.
- ExamA2–C2
TEFAQ and TCF-Québec for the PEQ and PSTQ: the level 7 scores, what each programme asks, and the two-year rule
Québec's level 7 means 400 on TEFAQ or TCF listening, and 10 of 20 on TCF speaking. What the PEQ and PSTQ ask, and why TEFAQ will not do for Ottawa.
- ExamA1–C1
DFP explained: CCI Paris's professional French diplomas, the 50% and 60% rule, and a certificate that does not expire
The DFP from CCI Paris covers business, health, tourism and diplomacy. You need 50% in each part and 60% on average. Valid for life. Levels and exam day.
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