French Language Games: 20 Fun Ways to Practice French

Key takeaways

• Games work for language learning because they create low-stakes repetition, which is exactly what vocabulary and grammar retention need.
• Digital apps are strong for vocabulary and listening; conversation-based games are the fastest way to build speaking fluency.
• Passive input activities like watching French TV or listening to French radio build comprehension without requiring dedicated study time.
• The best game for you depends on your level: A1-A2 learners benefit most from structured apps, while B1-B2 learners gain the most from authentic content and conversation.
• Mixing game types across a week covers all four skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking.

Digital apps (games 1-5)

1. duolingo (a1-b1)

How to play it in French: Set French as your target language and use the daily streak feature to build a habit. Focus on the Stories section for connected reading practice rather than isolated sentence drills.

Why it helps: Spaced repetition and gamification make it easy to maintain daily engagement. The stories section is particularly good for reading comprehension at A2-B1.

Best for: Vocabulary acquisition and basic grammar exposure.

Where to find it: duolingo.com or the Duolingo app.

2. anki with French verb decks (a2-c1)

How to play it in French: Download a pre-made French verb conjugation deck or create your own cards for irregular verbs. Review daily using the app’s spaced repetition algorithm, which shows you cards at the optimal moment before you would forget them.

Why it helps: Irregular French verbs require heavy repetition to become automatic. Anki ensures you review forms at the right interval rather than reviewing everything at once.

Best for: Conjugation accuracy, especially for irregular verbs like être (to be), avoir (to have), and aller (to go).

Where to find it: apps.ankiweb.net (desktop free; mobile app has a one-time cost on iOS).

3. clozemaster (b1-c1)

How to play it in French: Clozemaster presents thousands of real French sentences with one word blanked out. You type the missing word. The sentences come from real translated text, so they reflect how French is actually written.

Why it helps: Unlike apps that use artificial sentences, Clozemaster exposes you to authentic vocabulary in context. The fill-in format forces active recall rather than passive recognition.

Best for: Expanding vocabulary beyond beginner level and seeing common words in natural sentence structures.

Where to find it: clozemaster.com.

4. lingopie (a2-b2)

How to play it in French: Watch French TV shows and films with dual-language subtitles. Click any word in the subtitles to see its meaning and add it to a flashcard deck for later review.

Why it helps: It connects vocabulary to authentic speech at natural speed, which is the closest you can get to immersion without being in France. The flashcard review loop reinforces what you hear.

Best for: Listening comprehension and vocabulary acquisition from authentic content.

Where to find it: lingopie.com.

5. 8tracks / French podcast apps (a2-b2)

How to play it in French: Find a French podcast aimed at learners, such as Coffee Break French or InnerFrench, and treat each episode as an active listening exercise. Pause frequently, predict the next word, and replay sentences you did not catch.

Why it helps: Podcasts build listening stamina and expose you to different accents and speech rates. Active listening (pausing, predicting, replaying) is more effective than passive listening in the background.

Best for: Listening comprehension and building familiarity with natural speech rhythm.

Where to find it: Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and the podcast creators’ own websites.

Word games to play alone (games 6-10)

6. French word association chains (a2-b2)

How to play it in French: Pick a random French word, then write down the first word it makes you think of in French. Continue for 10-15 words without stopping. The goal is to think in French rather than translating from your native language.

Why it helps: Word association in the target language builds mental connections between French words directly, bypassing the translation step that slows down fluency.

Best for: Thinking in French, mental agility, vocabulary.

7. the newspaper headline game (B1-B2)

How to play it in French: Read the headlines from a French newspaper (Le Monde, Le Figaro, or 20 Minutes, which uses simpler language) and try to summarize each article in two French sentences before reading the article. Then check how close your summary was.

Why it helps: Writing in French under self-imposed time pressure forces you to use the vocabulary and structures you already have rather than looking things up.

Best for: Writing fluency, present tense and passé composé practice, reading comprehension.

Where to find it: lemonde.fr, lefigaro.fr, or 20minutes.fr.

8. French crosswords (A2-B1)

How to play it in French: Use a French crossword site or print one from a French newspaper. Mots fléchés (fléchés, literally arrowed words) is the most common crossword format in France and is found in almost every French magazine.

Why it helps: Crosswords force you to think about French spelling, synonyms, and definitions, which are different mental skills from translation.

Best for: Vocabulary, spelling, reading comprehension.

Where to find it: Search for mots croisés en ligne or mots fléchés en ligne for free online options.

9. French journaling with a twist (a1-b2)

How to play it in French: Write a 5-minute journal entry in French about your day but add a rule: every verb must be in a different tense from the last sentence. This forces you to rotate between present, passé composé, imparfait, and futur proche.

Why it helps: Journaling alone builds writing practice; adding the tense-rotation rule makes it a grammar game that keeps you thinking actively about verb forms. This activity pairs well with the exercises in the French verb practice guide.

Best for: Verb tense accuracy, writing fluency.

10. French vocabulary bingo (a1-b1)

How to play it in French: Create a 5×5 Bingo card with French vocabulary words from a theme you are studying (clothing, food, travel, etc.). Watch a French video on that theme and mark off each word when you hear it.

Why it helps: It turns passive listening into active listening by giving you a specific task: listening for particular vocabulary. It also provides a visible reward when you complete a row.

Best for: Listening comprehension, thematic vocabulary.

Games to play with others (games 11-15)

11. French 20 questions (A2-B1)

How to play it in French: One player thinks of a person, place, or object. The other players ask yes-or-no questions in French to guess what it is, in 20 questions or fewer. The person answering can only say Oui (yes), Non (no), or Peut-être (maybe).

Why it helps: It forces players to construct questions correctly in French, which requires getting the word order and inversion right. Question formation is one of the most common weak points at A2-B1.

Best for: Question formation, vocabulary, speaking fluency.

12. French storytelling circle (a2-b2)

How to play it in French: Sit in a group (or do this in a language exchange). One person says a sentence to start a story in French. The next person adds a sentence. Continue around the circle until the story ends or someone cannot think of a sentence.

Why it helps: You cannot predict what sentence will come before yours, so you have to think quickly and produce French on the spot. It also builds listening skills because you have to follow the story to contribute.

Best for: Speaking fluency, listening, narrative tenses (passé composé, imparfait).

13. French taboo (B1-B2)

How to play it in French: Use the Taboo game (available in a French edition) or create your own cards. One player must describe a French word without using a list of forbidden related words. All descriptions must be in French.

Why it helps: Describing a word without saying it forces you to use synonyms, circumlocutions, and indirect definitions, which is a skill that directly translates to real conversation when you forget a word mid-sentence.

Best for: Vocabulary depth, speaking fluency, circumlocution skills.

Where to find it: The French edition of Taboo is available on major retail sites.

14. French tongue twisters competition (a1-b2)

How to play it in French: Challenge a partner to repeat French tongue twisters as quickly as possible. Some classics: Les chaussettes de l’archiduchesse sont-elles sèches ou archi-sèches? (Are the archduchess’s socks dry or very dry?) and Seize chaises sèches. (Sixteen dry chairs.)

Why it helps: Tongue twisters target the specific sounds that English speakers find difficult in French, including the French u sound, nasal vowels, and the distinction between similar consonants. They build muscle memory for pronunciation.

Best for: Pronunciation, phonetic awareness.

15. French board games (a1-b2)

How to play it in French: Play any French-language board game, such as the French edition of Scrabble (Scrabble en français), Pictionary in French, or Qui est-ce? (the French version of Guess Who). The key is committing to using only French during the game.

Why it helps: Board games create natural conversation in a low-pressure setting. The focus on the game reduces self-consciousness about speaking, which helps learners produce French more spontaneously.

Best for: Vocabulary, speaking fluency, numbers, descriptions.

Where to find it: French editions of popular board games are available through major retailers or French specialty shops.

Passive input activities (games 16-18)

16. netflix with French audio and subtitles (a2-b2)

How to play it in French: Find a French film or series on Netflix and watch it with French audio and French subtitles (not English subtitles). If you are at A2, start with subtitles on. At B1+, try 10-minute segments without subtitles first.

Why it helps: Combining audio and text input at the same time accelerates both listening comprehension and reading speed. French films also expose you to informal registers that textbooks do not cover.

Best for: Listening comprehension, informal vocabulary, accent exposure.

Where to find it: Netflix (look for French originals like Lupin, Call My Agent, or Emily in Paris for mixed register examples).

17. tv5monde free streaming (a1-b2)

How to play it in French: TV5Monde is a free French-language broadcast network with content from France, Belgium, Switzerland, and Francophone Africa. Their website offers videos with integrated learning tools, including subtitles and exercises built around news clips.

Why it helps: It exposes you to multiple French accents and registers, from Parisian newsroom French to Québécois. Hearing French from different regions builds more resilient listening comprehension.

Best for: Listening comprehension, accent exposure, cultural knowledge.

Where to find it: tv5monde.com/apprendre-le-francais.

18. French radio as background immersion (B1-B2)

How to play it in French: Play a French radio station (Radio France, France Inter, or France Culture) as background audio while doing household tasks. When a sentence catches your attention, stop and replay it.

Why it helps: Radio presents French at native speaker speed with minimal visual support, which trains your ear to parse fast speech. Even partial comprehension while doing other tasks accumulates into stronger listening skills over time.

Best for: Listening stamina, vocabulary exposure, natural speech rhythm.

Where to find it: radiofrance.fr or France Inter’s app.

Conversation-based games (games 19-20)

19. French role-play scenarios (a2-b2)

How to play it in French: Set up a specific role-play scenario with a language partner or tutor: ordering at a restaurant, renting an apartment, handling a complaint at a shop, or asking for directions. Both players stay in character and speak only French for 5-10 minutes.

Why it helps: Role-plays simulate real-life situations without real-life consequences. Mistakes in a role-play are learning moments; mistakes at an actual French restaurant can be genuinely frustrating. You can practice the same scenario multiple times to build confidence before needing it in real life.

Best for: Speaking fluency, situational vocabulary, real-world preparation.

For grammar-focused conversation practice, the French grammar practice guide has structured activity ideas that work well alongside role-plays.

20. debate in French (B1-B2)

How to play it in French: Choose a simple topic (Should French cities charge for parking? Is it better to cook at home or eat out?) and debate it in French with a partner. Assign positions randomly so you cannot just prepare the side you agree with.

Why it helps: Debate forces you to argue, counter-argue, and express opinions quickly in French, which uses a specific set of connective phrases (cependant, however; en revanche, on the other hand; selon moi, in my opinion) that do not get enough practice in standard conversation. It also builds the confidence to disagree and hold a position in another language.

Best for: Advanced speaking fluency, expressing opinions, connective language, B1-B2 vocabulary.

How to mix these activities across a week

A balanced week might look like this:

• Monday: 15 minutes of Anki (game 2) + 10 minutes of French journaling with tense rotation (game 9).
• Tuesday: One Duolingo Stories session (game 1) + 5 minutes of word association (game 6).
• Wednesday: Conversation lesson with a tutor, using a role-play scenario (game 19).
• Thursday: Watch one episode of a French series on Netflix (game 16) with French subtitles.
• Friday: Clozemaster session (game 3) + read a French news headline and write a two-sentence summary (game 7).
• Weekend: A board game session in French with a language partner (game 15), or a TV5Monde video with exercises (game 17).

The goal is not to do all 20 every week. It is to make sure you are covering listening, speaking, reading, and writing across the week rather than just one skill.

Games take you far, but a tutor takes you further

Games build vocabulary, grammar instincts, and listening comprehension. What they cannot give you is real-time corrective feedback from someone who knows exactly why you are making the errors you keep making. That feedback is what closes the gap between sounding like a learner and sounding fluent.

Over 10M+ learners have used italki to get that feedback from tutors across dozens of languages. A French tutor can turn the role-play scenarios in this guide into structured lessons, debrief your errors after a conversation, and push you into the B2 territory where games alone rarely take you. Find a French teacher and see how much faster you progress with guided practice alongside your game sessions.

FAQ

Are language learning games as effective as traditional study?

For vocabulary retention and listening comprehension, well-designed games can be as effective as traditional flashcard study, particularly when they use spaced repetition. For grammar accuracy and speaking fluency, games work best as a supplement to structured practice rather than a replacement. The activities in this guide are most powerful when combined with some form of feedback, either from a tutor or from self-correction using a grammar reference.

Which of these activities is best for a complete beginner at A1?

Duolingo (game 1), French vocabulary Bingo (game 10), and French tongue twisters (game 14) are the most accessible at A1. They focus on exposure and basic vocabulary without requiring you to produce complex sentences. Anki (game 2) is also useful at A1 if you create basic vocabulary decks rather than conjugation decks.

Can I use these games to prepare for a French language exam like DELF?

Yes, but with some adjustments. The reading and listening activities (games 7, 16, 17, 18) build the comprehension skills tested in DELF reading and listening sections. The writing journal (game 9) and debate game (game 20) build production skills for the writing and speaking sections. For exam-specific preparation, pair these activities with past papers and a tutor who knows the DELF format.