How to learn French effectively while working full-time

It takes time and motivation to learn French—both of which can be difficult to find when you’re working full-time.

Since you’ve landed on this page, I’m guessing you’ve tried fitting French into your routine, and it hasn’t worked. 

Perhaps you promised yourself you’d study for a few hours after work, only to arrive home tired, hungry and in the mood to do anything else. So, you decided to try again the next day, which turned into the next week, which led you here. 

If that sounds familiar, I have good news: squeezing French study into a busy schedule might be hard, but it’s not impossible. 

With some discipline, motivation and the right approach, you can absolutely learn French alongside a full-time job—and I’m here to show you how. 

Let’s work backwards from your French learning goals  

Because before you can decide when to study, you’ll need to know how many hours to put in per week to reach your goals. 

Say, for example, you’re a beginner aiming to reach A1 French. It takes 60-100 hours to achieve this level, so if you want to get there within three months, you’ll need to study for around five hours per week. 

Of course, this isn’t a perfect equation. You might learn faster or slower than planned, or your goals might change as you go. But, hey, it’s a good starting point for figuring out how and when to study.

Fitting French into your busy schedule

When you only have small windows of time to study French, you need to use them wisely. 

Are you an early riser who focuses best in the morning? Do you have the energy to squeeze French into your lunch break? Do you have a long commute you want to make the most of? Or do you enjoy studying in the evening? 

Once you figure out when you most like to learn, you can study more efficiently and get into a routine you’ll actually stick to.  

What are the best ways to study French when you’re busy? 

I suggest experimenting with different learning methods to figure out which ones work best for you both in terms of your learning style and schedule. 

For example, you could listen to a podcast on your commute, watch a film after work, listen to songs while doing housework or read a book at the weekend. The more methods you can combine, the faster you’ll improve because you’ll train different skills.

That’s not to say you should just consume French, though. To properly learn the language, you’ll also need to spend time speaking or writing. 

Studies show that actively using new information leads to a higher retention rate than passive input—and that’s definitely the case with languages. Sorry to say that no one ever got fluent in French by watching TV!

Practising multiple skills might sound a little overwhelming, but don’t panic. You don’t have to study for hours at a time to improve your French. 

In fact, language experts claim that the most effective way to learn is little and often. So, even if you only practice French for ten minutes each day, it’s better than nothing. 

Perfect for a busy bee like you, non!?

Now, let’s look at some specific methods you can use. 

Taking French classes 

Squeezing lessons into your schedule might sound challenging, but learning with a teacher is one of the best ways to stay motivated and on track to achieving your goals. 

Many of my students have stressful jobs and busy schedules, so I created flexible online courses. They’re designed to work entirely around you by allowing you to choose and change your lesson time each week. This way, you don’t have to worry about being tied to a routine or missing classes. 

If you’d like to learn more or join my flexible courses, you can do that here. 

And if you don’t have time to attend as many sessions as you’d like? There are a whole bunch of other methods you can use to improve…

Consuming content in French 

A great way to fit learning French into a busy schedule is to consume content in the language. For example, watching the news, listening to podcasts or reading books.

But I know you’re busy and don’t have time to decide what to study. So, let me help you! 

I publish most of my content in French, so you can access study materials without putting much thought into it. 

On my podcast, Belgitudes, I speak in français facile about my home country, Belgium. 

I also send out a bi-weekly newsletter in French with lots of study inspiration. Sign up here to receive it and practice your reading skills.

Or, if you join my live classes, you’ll also access a bank of study materials to practice from on your own time. I like to make things easy for you!

Practicing speaking

The only way to get better at speaking French is by speaking French. But for many learners, this is easier said than done, right?

If you’re in a French-speaking country, try using the language at least once per day. I know this can be hard in cities like Brussels, but trust me: c’est possible. I dare you to try! 

If you’re not surrounded by French, pas de problème. You could join a conversation group (like this one!) or find a language partner online or in your city.

Either way, the sooner you start speaking, the quicker you’ll improve. 

I hope this article has shown you that learning French while working full-time is possible. 

All you need is an approach and a routine that works for you. 

Don’t forget, I’m always here if you want support in your French learning journey. Check out my podcast, join my newsletter or learn more about my courses. 

 À bientôt!