Christmas gift ideas for the Francophile in your life

Looking for the perfect gift for a friend or relative learning French? The good news is there are plenty of ideas to choose from. The bad news is that with so much on offer, it can be difficult to know just what you should get them.

That’s why we’ve put together a list of helpful ideas for Christmas presents that will please the Francophile in your life.

What gift is easier to wrap than a book? For Francophiles who enjoy cosying up with a novel, or simply want to improve their reading comprehension skills, a French-language book is the perfect gift.

We’d recommend this for learners at a higher level, perhaps C1 or C2 depending on the difficulty of the book. Classic novels tend to be on the trickier - not to mention longer - side, but once they get used to reading in French, they’ll be able to enjoy the cream of French literature, from Flaubert to Molière.

For learners who aren’t quite at that level, why not gift them a parallel text book? These editions contain the French text on the left page and an English translation on the right, making it easy to check the meaning of any words or phrases that the reader doesn’t understand. Several French classics are available in parallel text editions, including Le Petit Prince, L'Étranger and Les Trois Mousquetaires. See our full list of recommendations here.

Left it too last minute to buy a physical book? Our range of ebooks can be purchased in minutes, and are designed to help learners get to grips with French grammar in an engaging and efficient manner.

Check out the bundle here.

While many French courses are specific or segmented to a certain level - which can make it difficult to know what to purchase for a French learner, especially if you don't know where they are in their language-learning journey - the Complete French Course caters for all levels, from A1 (beginner) to C2 (proficiency) of the CEFR.

Encompassing forty detailed video lessons, each complete with extensive resources and support guides, the course is available for subscription at a monthly, three-monthly and yearly rate.

Is your giftee already a Learn French With Alexa fan? If they’re already signed up to the course but lacking a stylish tote bag in their life, this cute Coucou tote bag is everything they need - (and perfect for carrying around French-to-English books).

Looking for a gift that allows your recipient to learn French while watching TV? That’s the spirit behind France Channel, a platform which allows users to enjoy French-language movies and TV shows in a way that builds vocabulary, helps pronunciation and showcases French culture.

From thousands of movies and TV shows to live international news, France Channel has it all.

Try out the free seven-day trial.

Is your recipient always complaining that they have no one to speak French with?

Meet Frenchbot, our friendly, French-speaking chatbot! Frenchbot marshals cutting-edge AI to respond to your questions and remarks, and generally help you practise - all in French. Frenchbot also provides weekly lesson prompts to ensure that you put your conversational skills into practice on a regular basis. Find out more.

Subscribers to The Complete French Course get a 40% discount with Frenchbot.

Another great way to improve your speaking skills in French is by joining online classes dedicated to speaking practice. Our Speaking Practice Classes are designed for just that purpose. In these small online classes, learners will be able to practise their French speaking skills under the guidance of a native French teacher. Classes are available at different levels, so that learners won't feel out of their depth or unchallenged, and both intensive (five two-hour classes over the course of a week) and weekly sessions (once a week over the course of five weeks) are available.

We also have our new Conversation Club, where learners can practise talking in French in a more organic, less structured fashion, among fellow learners.