Are you looking for French language books that will help you improve your understanding of French? Our experts know a thing or two about that. In this article, they’ve gathered together 8 of the best books to learn French.
One of the best ways to learn a new language is to get comfy with a fantastic book. Books allow us to escape into other worlds, they enrich our minds and – when it comes to language learning – they also enlarge our vocabulary.
However, our language learning experts are also aware that not everyone has the patience to read huge novels. After all, 500 words of French can get a bit exhausting! For that reason, they’ve decided to mix things up by including a few comic books in their selection. Comic books are great learning resources in that they combine images with engaging language.
Let’s take a look at the best books to learn French. These are just some of the great French language-learning resources available on this site.
Le Petit Prince
Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince) is one of the most famous children’s stories in the world. But while it’s ostensibly a children’s story, it’s just as popular with adults. It’s also a novella, which means that it’s a tad shorter than a novel (less than 200 pages).
Why is this beloved piece of French literature so popular? Well, it tells the unique story of a young boy who – yes – journeys around the universe. The beauty lies in the subtext, as the author reveals eternal truths about man’s innate flaws. This runs alongside the amusing peculiarities that exist in the world. Definitely one of the best books to learn French!
As we mentioned, it’s not a long read, but it is a magical story. Beginners or intermediate learners should be able to get to grips with it fairly easily, and they should also find that it’s a very useful resource. There are a few – shall we say – challenging words here and there, while the unusual usage of the simple tense also presents a bit of an obstacle. But, hey, it’s great for practice, and you’ll surely feel all warm and fuzzy inside by the end of the story.
Le Petit Nicholas
Le Petit Nicholas is a series of children’s books that are perfect for beginners who are new to the French language. Author Rene Goscinny pinned them, while illustrator Jean-Jaques Sempe provided the cute drawings. The stories unfold from the point of view of Nicholas, a happy young boy who enjoys a serene childhood in fifties France.
Each tale overflows with humour, which makes them super easy to read and super enjoyable for beginners. And while they’re all quick and snappy reads, they still give you the chance to learn more about French culture. Moreover, there are some challenging sentences here, thanks to the rather casual tone adopted by the young narrator.
If it turns out that you really love Le Petit Nicholas, you should check out the movie version, too!
Arsene Lupin, Gentleman Cambrioleur
Another great books to learn French is Arsene Lupin, Gentleman Cambrioleur. This is an entertaining slice of crime fiction by the French author Maurice Leblanc. It centres around the mischievous comings and goings of Arsene Lupin, a happy-go-lucky thief. It’s not a novel, though – instead it’s a collection of riveting short stories.
The stories are easy enough for beginners to read, although intermediate learners should derive some benefit from reading them, too. The vocabulary used to describe concepts and people is especially interesting, and although a lot of it is related to the justice system, there is enough variety in terms of the adjective agreements, time adverbs and other grammatical nuances to make reading the stories useful.
Asterix et Obelix
Perhaps one of the most famous French-Belgian creations of all time, Asterix et Obelix is a fantasist comic series that was first launched in the 1950s by co-creators Albert Uderzo and Rene Goscinny. The adventures of Asterix the Warrior and his rather gigantic sidetrack were so popular at one point that they inspired a movie! And despite being first launched way back in 1959, the comic strip is STILL going!
Leaning heavily on French humour, the comics are great fun to read. They’re ideal for beginners in French, but intermediate learners will reap a lot of benefits here, too, especially from the colloquial phrases and social criticism.
TinTin
Ah, no list of books that can help you learn French would be complete without the Adventures of TinTin!
Okay, so TinTin is actually a Belgian reporter created by a Belgian artist. But they are French language comics. TinTin and his loyal dog, Snowy, travel all around the world (including France) getting to the bottom of all kinds of mysteries.
The drawings are truly captivating, the stories are breathtaking, and the socio-political commentary is stimulating, and can help you improve your understanding of the French language (because context is so important, right).
Plus, there’s a lot of witty one-liners here to keep you entertained and amused for hours on end.
L’Elegance du Herisson
This is a fairly short novel (around 300 pages). The author is Muriel Barbery, who is both a philosophy professor and a French author. It’s still fairly new (it appeared in 2006) and considers contemporary themes such as class consciousness.
At the heart of the story is a humble concierge who, though mightily intelligent, hides it from people. It takes a precocious young girl to come along and uncover him!
Ideal for beginners and intermediate learners, and resplendent with vivid vocab and descriptive adjectives, L’Elegance du Herisson is essential reading.
Le chat du Rabbin
The Rabbi’s Cat is another comic book. This time it’s centred around a cat who, after swallowing a rabbi’s pet bird, begins to, um, talk.
The story is highly original and highly engaging. For beginners and intermediate learners alike, it’s a treasure trove of the French language.
Monsieur Ibrahim et les Fleurs du Coran
Mr. Ibrahim and the Flowers of the Koran was originally a French play. It explores the relationship between a Muslim grocer and a young Jewish boy living in the same city, Paris.
Religion plays a central role in the novel but not at the expense of a fairly absorbing plot. Again, beginners and intermediate language learners will benefit from reading this gripping book, and you’ll get to acquaint yourself with a number of French words that are tied to religion. If you have anything to add to our list of best books to learn French, why not leave is a comment?
