Free A2 French course: pre-intermediate
A2 is where you start talking about the past. You'll learn the passé composé and the imparfait, object pronouns and y and en, and handle routine tasks with confidence.
28 grammar lessons, 6 graded stories, flashcards, audio lessons and an AI conversation partner, all free during the beta. Plan on about 100 hours of study for this level (180 in total from zero).
What you'll be able to do
- Listening: I can understand the main point of short, clear announcements and messages.
- Listening: I can follow everyday conversations about familiar topics if people speak clearly.
- Reading: I can find specific information in ads, timetables and short articles.
- Reading: I can understand short personal letters and emails.
- Speaking: I can describe my past experiences, my job and my plans in simple terms.
- Speaking: I can handle simple exchanges in shops, at the doctor's and when travelling.
- Writing: I can write a short email about what I did at the weekend.
- Writing: I can write simple notes and messages about everyday needs.
What you'll learn
The passé composé
With avoir and être, past participles and agreement: je suis allée, je les ai vus.
The imparfait
Descriptions and habits in the past, and when to use it instead of the passé composé.
Pronouns
Direct and indirect objects (le, lui), y and en, and their order before the verb.
Comparing and connecting
Plus… que, le meilleur, and linking ideas with parce que, mais, donc, quand.
Learning A2 French with AI
At A2 the AI partner asks about your weekend or your last trip, so you practise the past tenses in real answers, with corrections only when you ask. The AI also explains any wrong answer in a lesson, in plain English. It's included free, with a generous daily allowance; like any AI it can make mistakes, so the lessons remain the reference. More about learning French with AI.
All 28 A2 grammar lessons
Free to read here. In the app, each one is taught in short steps with audio, practised, and brought back for review.
- Passé composé with avoir
- Passé composé
- Passé composé with être
- Pronominal verbs
- Negation with the passé composé
- Imparfait
- Imparfait usage
- Passé composé vs imparfait
- Imperative
- Direct object pronouns
- Indirect object pronouns
- Adverbial pronoun y
- Adverbial pronoun en
- Comparisons
- Meilleur vs mieux
- Superlatives
- Adverb formation with -ment
- Tout, toute, tous, toutes
- Negation
- Depuis, il y a, pendant
- Savoir vs connaître
- Plaire à and manquer à
- Il faut = it is necessary
- Large numbers
- Partir, sortir, dormir
- Qui, que, qu'est-ce qui, qu'est-ce que
- Quelqu'un, quelque chose, personne, rien
- Avant de + infinitive
Reading at A2
- Un week-end à Lyon: A weekend trip to Lyon: food, rain and a surprise meeting.
- Le message dans le livre: Léa visits Les Amis du Livre during the day and finds a strange note.
- Mon premier jour de travail: A nervous first day at a new job in a hotel.
- La bibliothèque secrète: Thursday, midnight. Léa and Karim follow Bernard one last time and discover what's inside the building.
- La recette de ma grand-mère: A grandmother's apple tart, and the memories that come with it.
- Perdu dans le métro: A tourist gets lost in the Paris metro, and a stranger helps.
Questions
What is A2 level in French?
The pre-intermediate level: you can manage routine tasks, describe your past and your plans, and handle shopping, travel and simple appointments.
How long from A1 to A2?
About 100 more hours of study, according to the Alliance Française's estimates: around 180 hours in total from zero.
Passé composé or imparfait: how do I choose?
The passé composé tells what happened; the imparfait sets the scene and describes habits. Our free A2 lessons explain it with many examples.
Start A2 French now
No account, no payment details. Your progress is kept on your device, and you can save it to a free account whenever you like.
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