Learn French
Learn French through real texts, not textbook dialogue
French has one of the richest literary and cultural traditions in the world. Lira trains you to actually read it, at your exact level.
Start for freeLe formulaire précise que le dossier sera sous quinzaine.
Ana relit la lettre, un peu perdue face aux termes .
Elle finit par comprendre : sa demande a été au bon service.
Translation
Processed, reviewed
Definition
- Verb (past participle)Reviewed and processed by an administration before a decision.
- Everyday senseEducated, taught (in a different context).
Context
« Le formulaire précise que le dossier sera instruit sous quinzaine. »
I'm reading French short stories now, not just phrasebook lines.
Emma, 31
Three years of high school French and I never really read a full text. Two months into Lira, I did.
Ryan, 26
Vocabulary from articles I actually cared about stuck way better than any flashcard app.
Priya, 24
Why learn French by reading
Real French, not classroom French
News, short stories, articles: you learn the French people actually write and speak, not a textbook script.
Vocabulary that comes back at the right time
FSRS schedules each review right before you forget, for retention that lasts months, not a week.
Texts at your exact level
Difficulty is calibrated automatically, so you progress without getting bored or stuck.
A conjugated form isn't a new word
"est", "était", "sera": Lira groups them under the verb "être" in your vocabulary list, while still tracking each form's own memorization separately.
One French, three registers
Bureaucratic French, casual French, and news French barely sound alike. Lira trains you on all three, not just the one textbooks default to.
Il convient de joindre un justificatif de domicile de moins de trois mois.
Impersonal phrasing like "il convient de" is almost never used in spoken French.
From A1 to C1, at your pace
Lira calibrates every text to your real level from the first reading, and adjusts difficulty as you progress.
FSRS
Spaced repetition
FSRS calculates, for every word, the exact moment you're about to forget it, and resurfaces it right before that happens. Retention climbs in steps instead of declining.
Vocabulary retention over time
Contextual anchoring
Every word fits into a network of meaning
The brain doesn't store words as a list: it links them to contexts and semantic families. Lira memorizes each word in the exact sentence you met it in.
Why not just Duolingo, Babbel, or Busuu?
Those apps teach vocabulary out of context through repetitive drills. Lira trains you directly on real text, with memorization scheduled in the background.
- Understands real text, not isolated sentences
- Bureaucratic and everyday vocabulary, not just classroom French
- Long-term memory through FSRS
- You choose the content you read
- Free
Frequently asked questions
Go further
Learn French by Reading: Where to Start
Learn French by reading real texts with Lira instead of drilling grammar rules. A level-by-level guide to picking books and building vocabulary.
Best Books to Learn French at A2/B1 Level
Explore 8 French books suited to A2/B1 learners, from free public-domain classics to modern favorites, to build reading skills with Lira.