Learn French by reading real French

What to read in French

Today, the daily edition, has headlines from French outlets, including RFI Journal en français facile, franceinfo Culture, The Conversation France, Futura Sciences and Numerama. Open one and the article opens in the reader, where every word can be tapped.

RFI's Journal en français facile is written for learners, which makes it a good first stop on Today before the regular outlets.

The Store has French classics such as Madame Bovary, Les Misérables and Jules Verne's Voyage au centre de la Terre, plus articles to start with.

You can also bring your own French: import a PDF, save a link to a web article, or paste text. Whatever you read, it stays in French, and help appears only where you ask for it.

How a tap helps

The word turns bold and a note opens under its sentence with the meaning it has here, in your own language. Word analysis gives the root and the form. Select a few words or a sentence to translate just that part.

Every word you tap is saved with its sentence and comes back as a card, at longer and longer gaps, until you know it. Listen reads books, PDFs and your texts aloud in a natural French voice, sentence by sentence.

Is it right for you?

ContextCat works best once you know enough French to follow a simple text and want to read more of it. If you are starting from zero, begin with a course, and come back when short texts feel within reach. The guides have ideas on where to start.