I like Assimil. I have used it for beginning Japanese and Korean. Of course, a person needs more material, but Assimil is an effective, pleasant way to begin.

Hello Hello! For me the best method. For French, this method exists since 1929. You learn like a baby, without grammar and words to learn. The length of time varies according to the languages: 6.5 months for English, 5 months for Spanish, Portuguese and German (for French natives) .This method now exists for foreigners in different languages. Recently, I learned English and Spanish to level B2. The way I did it: Assimil, 15 to 20 mn a day + 1 to 2 hours of weekly conversation with a native on skype* + listening to university lectures. *Do it since the beginning, and with a beginner like you (to be klutz at the same time is more fun than embarrassment!), and without the bridge of a third language if possible. At the moment, I’m learning to speak Portuguese. Anecdotally, my father learned German and Russian during world war II, in a prisoner of war camp. Hope that helps!