French for the Real World
Skip the textbook drills and start speaking French that actually works in Paris, Montreal, or your local bistro. Focus on practical interactions, social etiquette, and the phrases that open doors.
Like Duolingo, but for French for the Real World. Tomo turns the whole topic into a game you play five minutes a day, until it actually sticks.
21 levels across 4 sections, about 42 minutes end to end, roughly 8 days at five minutes a day. It moves through First Encounters, Navigating the Streets, Social Connection, and The Logic of the Language. It starts from scratch.
Free forever · No credit card · iPhone & Android
Key ideas in French for the Real World
- The mandatory nature of Bonjour in French social interactions
- The social hierarchy and distance implied by Tu and Vous
- S'il vous plaît is necessary even for the smallest transactions to maintain social harmony
- Pardon is used for physical navigation and minor accidental contact
- Excusez-moi is used to initiate a conversation or interrupt someone's activity
- Adding this phrase signals that you recognize the other person's agency rather than just giving an order
- Distinguishing between Pardon and Excusez-moi in public
- Using S'il vous plaît to soften requests in French
- The departure ritual is as important as the arrival ritual in French culture
- Saying Au revoir acknowledges the person's space and ensures you remain on good terms for future visits
- The necessity of the Au revoir ritual when leaving
- Using 'Je voudrais' (I would like) is the standard polite way to order
- Directly saying 'Je veux' (I want) can sound demanding or rude to French speakers
- 'Ceci' is used for things right in front of you
- 'Cela' is used for things slightly further away or on a menu board
- Choosing the polite phrasing for a request in a French cafe
You've tried the other tabs
Thirty open tabs. Four facts you actually kept.
You watched. You nodded. By Sunday it was gone.
One answer, then back to scrolling.
Eight weeks. You meant to finish. You didn't.
Tomo gives French for the Real World the Duolingo treatment: levels, streaks, and quick quizzes that test what you just learned. That game loop is what the tabs above never had, so it's the one you actually finish.
Here's what playing it feels like
A real question from this course. Take your best guess.
Who would you most likely call 'Tu' when speaking French?
Get it right to open this lesson and 20 more in the app.
Where French for the Real World takes you
- 1
First Encounters
- The Essential Greetings
- Getting What You Need
- 2
Navigating the Streets
- Finding Your Way
- The Art of the Boulangerie
- 3
Social Connection
- Basic Introductions
- Handling Communication Gaps
- 4
The Logic of the Language
- The Rhythm and Flow
4 sections · 7 units · 21 levels. Built to play, not to enroll.
You pick the voice
French for the Real World is taught in the Explain Like I'm 5 style: no big words. promise.. Want a different feel? In the app you can spin up the same topic in any of Tomo's teaching styles. Same facts, totally different vibe.
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Start French for the Real World today.
Download Tomo, search French for the Real World, and play your first lesson in under a minute.