Video can give you useful listening practice, especially when you choose material you can partly understand and actively replay or copy. The channel descriptions below are recommendations, not a claim that watching alone guarantees learning.
To do that, you could listen to a podcast, watch French TV or watch French movies.
Or you could go to Youtube and learn French with one of the Youtube channels I selected for you.
Whether you’re a beginner, intermediate or advanced French learner, there is a YouTube channel for you here!
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YouTube channels for beginner French learners
Choose videos that give you enough French to practise while remaining understandable. How much English is useful depends on your level and purpose, so treat that balance as a practical preference rather than a universal learning threshold.
Here is a selection of YouTube channels with French lessons, listening material and examples of spoken French. We checked the sample links and channel attribution, not their teaching quality. Try the samples to choose a style and difficulty that suit you.
FrenchPod101
FrenchPod101 publishes videos on French vocabulary and listening comprehension. The sample above introduces ten phrases; browse the channel before choosing material for your level.
Comme une Française
Comme une Française publishes bite-sized lessons for beginner and intermediate learners, with topics including pronunciation and spoken French. The sample above uses a discussion of debate in French culture; check the channel for its broader lesson catalogue.
Oh La La, I Speak French
Oh La La, I Speak French presents the linked video as the first episode of Hollywood Speaks French, beginning with introductions. A second linked sample is included below. Check the videos themselves for subtitle options and difficulty before using them as a sequence.
The linked episodes and season material remain available on the channel. Whether its style suits you is a matter of preference, so try the sample before committing time to the series.
Damon and Jo
DamonAndJo's archive mixes travel and culture videos with French-language material. The sample below is FRENCH OU FAUX; use it to judge the presenters' style for yourself.
The original DamonAndJo French videos remain available. Damon Dominique also has a separate channel; treat these as different archives rather than assuming either follows a current lesson sequence.
Walk, Talk and Learn French
Walk, Talk and Learn French is presented as an episode-based series on the Coffee Break Languages channel. Start with the linked first episode and decide whether its street-based format fits the way you like to learn.
This linked episode is published by Coffee Break Languages. Treat it as a self-contained series rather than expecting a current upload schedule.
Learn French with Vincent
Learn French With Vincent publishes French lessons, including the linked first day of a five-day series. Start with the sample rather than assuming every video forms one continuous beginner-to-advanced course.
Learn French With Pascal
Learn French With Pascal publishes French lessons; the linked sample is the channel's free-course trailer. Check the current channel page for its topic range and choose a lesson that matches what you want to practise.
Alexa Polidoro
Learn French With Alexa publishes French lessons for learners at different levels. The linked sample and channel page are the best places to judge whether the presentation fits you.
The channel includes lessons for different levels and a Conversational French Vocabulary playlist. Check each video's available captions rather than assuming the same subtitle format across the playlist.
French in Action
French in Action isn’t a YouTube channel but a multimedia beginner course created by Yale teacher Pierre Capretz. Yale University Press lists the Part 1 course book, and its official course-resources page lists lesson audio for registered users.
We could not verify an authorized current home for the complete 52-episode video series. Avoid unofficial YouTube reuploads unless Yale or the rights holder confirms that they are authorized.
YouTube channels for intermediate and advanced French learners
Easy French
Easy French publishes street-interview videos. The early sample above was filmed in Paris; check its captions and pace to decide whether it fits your current listening level.
Français Authentique
Français Authentique publishes French-language material for learners. The linked sample introduces Johan and Céline; browse the channel for current topics and choose videos whose pace you can follow.
Français avec Pierre
The linked video introduces the Français avec Pierre channel. Use that sample and the current channel page to decide which of Pierre's lessons matches your level and interests.
Golden Moustache
Golden Moustache wasn't made specifically for French learners. The linked sample, Movies vs. Life, is authentic entertainment rather than a structured lesson; check its available captions before relying on subtitles.
Treat the linked sketch as an archive recommendation, not a promise of a current upload schedule.
Copycat Cafe
Full disclosure: this one is ours.
You can browse the Copycat Cafe channel for our French-learning videos.
You can click here to subscribe.
French comedians to explore on YouTube
Do you enjoy stand-up comedies?
Comedy can expose you to fast, informal French, but captions and clip availability vary. Here is a selection to explore. Where an older embedded clip has disappeared, use the linked official channel or search suggestion and check that the uploader is authorized.
Florence Foresti
The Florence Foresti clip we originally shared is no longer available. Search her name on YouTube, then prefer her official channel or an authorized broadcaster rather than assuming every sketch or full show is licensed.
Gad Elmaleh
Browse Gad Elmaleh's official channel for authorized sketches. The linked Valentine's Day clip below still resolves, but it is uploaded by Wepost Tunisia rather than his official channel.
This sample concerns Valentine's Day. Check the pace and captions before choosing it for listening practice.
Patrick Bosso
To explore Patrick Bosso's comedy, search his name together with “marseillais” and prefer an official or authorized upload. For context on one word associated with informal speech, see our article about “putain”.
Cyprien
Cyprien publishes French-language sketches on his official channel. Browse the current uploads and check caption availability before choosing one for listening practice.
Two websites to learn French with videos
If you want built-in study tools rather than a standard YouTube player, these two paid platforms take different approaches:
- FluentU offers a curated, levelled video library with interactive captions, word explanations, and controls to slow or loop video. Its Chrome extension also supports Netflix or YouTube videos that have subtitles in the language you're learning.
- Yabla French offers a library of native-speaker videos with dual-language subtitles, plus activities including dictation, pronunciation practice and flashcards.
Those are current features described by the companies, not the result of a hands-on comparison for this update. Check each official site for current access, compatibility and pricing.
And if you want to discover even more Youtube channels, check out this list of the best French youtubers!