Consuming the news in French is a great way to immerse yourself in the language and pick up new vocabulary while learning about current events. With French news apps, this is more convenient than ever.
Keep reading for a curated list of the ten best French news apps you can download today to read, watch and listen to the news in French.
TV5MONDE is a respected French-language TV network. Their app will let you watch the news on the go and hear native French accents talking about local and global current events.
A great show for language learners on TV5MONDE is “Destination Francophonie,” which covers French-speaking regions of the world and international French language learning initiatives.
If you want to expand your news intake beyond just France and Europe, check out “Le journal Afrique” (The Africa Newspaper). Or tune into Radio Canada to hear what’s going on in Ontario and Quebec.
If you want to watch the news in French with interactive tools for language learners, FluentU is a great option. You’ll find an expansive library of videos in French, including over 200 clips from the news.
Every video comes with interactive subtitles so you can learn new words and phrases as you watch. Just hover over or click on an unfamiliar word to see its meaning, grammatical information and more.
Personalized vocabulary quizzes and flashcards will help you review and memorize this new vocabulary. With these tools and more, watching the news in French becomes an effective and engaging language lesson.
The France News app is a resource that collects news from various French newspapers. The app is simple to use: just choose a news source and start reading.
This app is perfect for language learners who don’t want any extra, unnecessary features. If your ultimate goals are following French news and improving your reading skills, then this app can meet your standards.
Follow French news with newspapers such as Le Figaro to keep up with politics, Eurosport to follow soccer and ZDNet to stay up to date with the latest technology updates.
French Newspapers is another great app for improving your French reading skills. It conveniently lets you read all the top French-language newspapers and magazines in one place.
The material is organized into six categories: general, regional, economics and politics, sports, celebrities and fashion. You can easily switch between different regions or topics to learn a variety of French vocabulary.
While the France News app has a much simpler user experience, French Newspapers has a wider range of news topics. You can choose which one works best for you or download them both.
France 24 is a media company owned by the French government. If you want a variety of media, this could be the app for you!
It covers both French and international news, so it’s great for language learners who want to follow a wide range of news stories. You can read articles in French and watch interviews and broadcasts to improve both your listening and reading skills.
France 24 also makes it easy for you to share your favorite content on social media. Many users complain that there are too many ads, but that’s often the trade-off for a free app.
Le Monde (The World) is a popular, daily left-wing newspaper published in France. It’s extremely well-respected and known for high-quality journalism.
With the app, you can receive notifications about news stories on your preferred topics before they even hit the print newspaper. You can also “react” to articles the same way you would react to social media posts.
Some reviews also complain that Le Monde forces too many ads on you. That can be a make-or-break issue for some users, but if ads don’t bother you too much, this is a fantastic app otherwise.
You may have already heard of VOA, or Voice of America, a U.S.-based radio news broadcaster. The VOA+ app offers news from VOA and other news sources in a variety of languages.
You’ll find news in French from five different sources: VOA60 Afrique (VOA60 Africa), Le Monde Aujourd’hui (The World Today), Votre Sante Votre Avenir (Your Health Your Future), Vous + Nous (You + Us) and Washington Forum.
These news stories are in video format and don’t include subtitles, so this app is best for more advanced learners who want to test their listening comprehension without relying on extra support.
RFI(Radio France Internationale) is a French public radio service. It covers international, French and African news stories.
With the app, you can access live news broadcasts or go back and read or listen to stories you missed. You can even download audio files and articles so you can learn when you don’t have internet access!
This app is especially great for beginners who need a little assistance. The app is available in multiple languages, and it’s very easy to switch back and forth between English and French to double-check your understanding.
BFMTV is a 24-hour news channel in France that leans to the right. It’s one of France’s most-watched news networks, so by tuning in, you’ll definitely be immersing yourself in French culture!
You can use the app to watch videos or listen to audio reporting any time of day, seven days a week. You can squeeze in your French news for the day while jogging on the treadmill or sitting in traffic on your way home from work.
You can also read the latest articles with the app. This makes BFMTV perfect for French language learners who like taking in their news by watching videos, listening to audio or reading. One app for almost any learning style!
Readle is an app designed for language learners. It uses real-world news and stories on a variety of topics to help you learn French in context.
It offers over 1,000 stories you can listen to and read in both French and English. With grammar tips and vocabulary flashcard training, these stories become convenient language lessons.
You can tap on any word to see its translation with an instant dictionary. Plus, the stories come with comprehension quizzes to test your understanding and give you additional grammar and vocabulary practice.
Why Use French News Apps?
There are many reasons to add French news apps to your language learning toolkit. Here are just a few:
You’ll learn important vocabulary. With news apps, you’ll pick up useful words that describe our world and culture, from politique (politics) and l’économie (economy) to l’immobilier (real estate) and mode (fashion).
You’ll have daily, bite-sized reading practice. French news apps give you a fresh source of French reading material every day, right at your fingertips. They can provide a break from that classic French novel you’ve been slowly working your way through.
You’ll improve your French listening skills. By watching or listening to the news, you’ll grow accustomed to the native accents of France or other countries. You’ll also build your comprehension of fast French speech (luckily, reporters usually enunciate clearly).
You’ll learn about culture in French-speaking regions. French news apps will teach you all about French culture, covering topics such as local politics and economies, the environment, entertainment, travel, sports and Francophone countries’ stances on international issues.
You’ll always have access to the news. Finding a French newspaper to read or a French TV news channel to watch isn’t always easy. But when you download French news apps, you can access French news anytime, anywhere. Whenever you’re in the mood!
Now you know some of the best French news apps that can give you access to today’s top news stories while immersing you in the language. Download one or two and see what they can do for your French skills!
If you like learning French on your own time and from the comfort of your smart device, then I'd be remiss to not tell you about FluentU.
FluentU has a wide variety of great content, like interviews, documentary excerpts and web series, as you can see here:
FluentU brings native French videos with reach. With interactive captions, you can tap on any word to see an image, definition and useful examples.
For example, if you tap on the word "crois," you'll see this:
Practice and reinforce all the vocabulary you've learned in a given video with learn mode. Swipe left or right to see more examples for the word you’re learning, and play the mini-games found in our dynamic flashcards, like "fill in the blank."
All throughout, FluentU tracks the vocabulary that you’re learning and uses this information to give you a totally personalized experience. It gives you extra practice with difficult words—and reminds you when it’s time to review what you’ve learned.
1. TV5MONDE
5. FRANCE 24
7. VOA+
