Many French learners stall in the same place. They can read a menu and know the main verb forms, and they still can't follow two people talking at a cafe. Spoken French drops many of the letters on the page, so parle (I speak), parles (you speak), and parlent (they speak) all sound the same. Verb tables and word lists don't turn into understanding on their own. Comprehensible input is the fix: you spend the same study time reading and listening to French where you already know almost every word, so the few new ones explain themselves.
What Comprehensible Input Looks Like
Each row below is a sentence. The gray bars are words you already know, and the purple bar is the one that is new.
About one new word per sentence.
At this difficulty you keep reading, because everything around the new word tells you what it means. You work it out yourself, and a word learned that way stays with you far longer than one memorized from a list.
Your Roadmap by Level
Bubblegum sorts every lesson into six levels, and each level is described by a sentence about the learner. Find the sentence that sounds like you, and the row tells you what to read and what to do.
- Level 1
I'm just starting out or know only a few words.
Read short dialogues with audio and a translation, and play each line as you read it so you hear which letters are silent. Then watch Alice Ayel tell easy stories in French on YouTube.
Level 1 lessons about ordering at a cafe - Level 2
I can handle simple exchanges.
Read dialogues about topics you care about with the translation hidden, and look up only the words that stop you. Add the slower Super Easy videos that Easy French makes for beginners on YouTube.
Level 2 lessons about cafes and bakeries - Level 3
I follow conversations on familiar topics.
Listen to Journal en français facile, RFI's short news show in simple French, and read its transcript after you listen. Play each lesson once more without reading along.
Level 3 lessons about ordering food and drinks - Level 4
I understand most content but miss some nuance.
Listen to InnerFrench, a podcast for intermediate learners, and watch TV5MONDE EDU's news and film clips with French subtitles.
Level 4 lessons about French food - Level 5
I read complex topics but rare words slow me down.
Watch films and series from France, Quebec, and Africa on TV5MONDEplus, TV5MONDE's free streaming app, and look up only the words that block the plot.
Level 5 lessons about ordering at a cafe - Level 6
I read at near-native level.
Read French novels and the news for their own sake.
Move up a level when the current one starts to feel easy, and move back down if you lose the thread by the third line. If a lesson is easy to read and hard to follow by ear, play its audio a few more times before you move up.
Try It on a Real Lesson
The lesson below comes from Bubblegum, where Poppy, your AI tutor, writes French lessons at your level. You can read it here just as you would in the app. Switch between its levels and notice which one you can follow while still looking up a few words.
One Situation, Three Levels
From Bubblegum’s guide Ordering Food and Drinks at a French Cafe. It works here the way it works inside Bubblegum.
I can handle simple exchanges.
Ordering a coffee
Hugo enters a small neighborhood café. He wants to order a drink.
Hello, I would like a coffee, please.
Hello! Of course, how many sugars would you like with the coffee?
One sugar, please. And how much does it cost?
That comes to two euros fifty. Do you come here often?
No, this is my first time here. And I would also like a glass of water, please.
Thomas prepares the order with a smile.
Frequently Asked Questions About Comprehensible Input
Do I need to learn noun genders first?
No. Every French noun is masculine or feminine, and the word in front of it usually shows which: le pain (the bread) is masculine, and la table (the table) is feminine. Save each new noun with its le or la, and you will learn its gender as you meet it again in sentences.
Is watching French TV comprehensible input?
From Level 4 with French subtitles, yes. Below that, most of an episode passes too quickly to learn from, so the videos and podcasts made for learners in the plan above are the better starting point.
Can I learn Quebec French this way?
Yes. Bubblegum has Quebec French lessons, written and voiced for Quebec, and Mauril, an app from CBC/Radio-Canada, teaches with Radio-Canada shows and podcasts. Our guide to Quebec French lists more shows, podcasts, and apps.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn. It holds lessons that other learners asked Poppy for. A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons.
The French lessons on this site are also free to read and need no account.
