What is the best way to learn French?

Hey language learners,
How are you?

I self-taught myself Arabic over the past 2 years; I have reached a proficient stage where I can now communicate with native speakers, read, write, and explain what I did in my day (with a few errors sometimes). Arabic is considered one of the most difficult languages; however, I find it quite straight forward and easy to grasp.

I would say I have crossed the intermediate stage (for Arabic).

However, I am now learning French and would need some advice as French has a lot of similarities with English. I learnt a bit of French in school, but I literally forgot almost everything. Does anyone have any advice on how I can start off with French? I know there are plenty of resources online and I reckon I can self teach myself French (because I have self-taught myself Arabic).

I don't really enjoy studying with teachers (due to the textbook and methodological approach), I prefer using Language Learning apps such as HelloTalk as I find them more beneficial and more fun.

A big difference between French an English is the pronunciation which I must work on.

I have learnt
- French Greetings
- Weekdays
- Colours


Today I'm learning:
- Important French Verbs (about 10)
- Personal Pronouns

What are your experiences with learning French? Do you have any advice or tips on how I could structure my study plan? How difficult would you consider French?

Hi, I've been studying French my whole academic life. I'm currently doing French and Spanish at university and I achieved an A at A-levels and a 9 in GCSEs so I think I might have some ways that could help you.
In my experience, one tip that I have started implementing in my vocabulary learning is thinking of any words in English that I want to know the French meaning of. If I don't know how to say it in French then I write it down on my list on my phone and then at the end of the week, I put all of them into a quizlet and try and learn and implement them into my speaking. So far, it's really helped with speaking with natives.
In terms of listening and more colloquial speaking, I would highly recommend (if you don't already) watching movies or TV shows in French. To begin with, use English subtitles then when you feel more confident, watch it with French subtitles (any words you're unsure of, pause, jot them down then continue watching). I tested this out with Lupin S3 (great show and would highly recommend) and I learnt so many new words plus it helps me to rely on my listening skills, especially when everything is in French (subtitles and audio). I would also suggest listening to podcasts. When I was doing my GCSEs and A-Levels, I listened to (and sometimes still do) the French Duolingo podcast. It covers different topics and real-life stories. The storytellers speak in French at an intermediate level and the podcast host chimes in with English for context. Music is a good way to learn as well however the artists use a lot of colloquial language so if you're just beginning, I would recommend starting with podcasts.
When it comes to reading and writing, I would recommend reading news articles in French from websites such as Le Figaro and Le Monde. This is a great way to stay informed about what's happening in the Francophone world and also improve your vocabulary. I have been reading an article every other day (I alternate with Spanish) and I note down the words I don't understand. Sometimes they give you the option to listen along with the article and read it at the same time.
Grammar can sometimes be a bit tedious but the way I made it fun was by creating a colour-coded map of all the different tenses. When it came to the other topics, the only other way to learn is by doing exercises because the more you practice the more you'll get better at it and be able to use it in everyday conversation.
I hope all of these tips help and if you have any other questions or want any other recommendations for music, podcast, films or shows, let me know (I also have lots of resources I could lend you but my PMs aren't working at the moment but once they are I can let you know).