Did you know that Twitter consumption can be a healthy part of a balanced language-learning diet? When you’re trying to speak as the French speakers do, immersing yourself in the natural language — you know, as it’s actually spoken by people in real life or on the internet — is just as important as learning the grammar. If you’re already in the habit of checking Twitter multiple times a day, why not follow a few good French Twitter accounts to put your learning on autopilot?
One word of advice before you start: depending on who you talk to, not all French speakers call it a “hashtag.” In 2013, the French government agency responsible for promoting and preserving the French language declared that “hashtag” would be replaced with mot-dièse to prevent the creep of English loan words into everyday French speech.
Last time we checked, however, the # symbol is fairly universal. To get you started, here are a few French Twitter accounts we recommend.
French Twitter Accounts To Follow
1. Gad Elmaleh @gadelmaleh
Bonne soirée d’Halloween à tous ! 🎃👻 pic.twitter.com/7V0NFqwGt8
— GAD (@gadelmaleh) October 31, 2019
Gad Elmaleh is a French-Moroccan comedian and actor with an enormous following. He was once dubbed the funniest guy in France and is more or less the Seinfeld of the French-speaking world. You can follow his updates and get a taste of French comedy here and there, too.
2. Le Monde @lemondefr
Procédure de destitution de Trump : devant le Congrès, un témoin-clé renforce l’accusation https://t.co/1lCTBHOacv
— Le Monde (@lemondefr) November 13, 2019
Le Monde is one of France’s top news outlets, more or less on par with The New York Times in the United States. If you’re into politics and current events, you can kill two birds with one stone by keeping up with the news in French.
3. Learn French @ParleFrancais
French verb of the week: grossir http://minurl.org/2noVu
— Learn French (@ParleFrancais) December 14, 2009
For a helpful yet straightforward language-learning experience on Twitter, this account offers bite-sized vocabulary lessons, as well as useful cultural explainers from time to time.
4. Oui. @ouimenon
Bon, apparemment, « quand tu fermeras ta grande gueule » n’est pas une réponse acceptable à la question « et toi, t’arrêtes quand de fumer ?». On peut vraiment plus rien dire, hein, y en a marre.
— Oui. (@ouimenon) June 18, 2019
For humorous and pithy quips in French, often about everyday experiences like being nagged to quit smoking and being talked down to by your psychiatrist, follow this account.
5. Niska @Niska_Officiel
@Niska_Officiel X @colorsxstudios out now ! ‘Bon Déjà’ produced by @GA_TheProducer x Bricks and me. 🇫🇷🇬🇧🇺🇸 #méchantméchant pic.twitter.com/jjQ5Lx7xLo
— RAVAILLAC (@RAVAILLAC808) November 6, 2019
Regardless of your musical tastes, French rapper Niska will challenge you to keep up with French lyrics set to trap music — as well as the current pulse of what French youths are into these days.
6. Bescherelle ta mère @Bescherelle
Une seule lettre vous manque et tout devient pervers.https://t.co/6FXlqTsOlL
— Bescherelle ta mère (@Bescherelle) February 19, 2019
If you’re a fan of Grammar Girl, you’ll probably enjoy this didactic yet relatable approach to grammar on French Twitter. It’s directly related to your grammar questions. It’s also directly related to your grammar questions in a way that isn’t dry.
7. From student to student @melania_pijuan
Un peu de vocabulaire 🙃#learnfrench #apprendrelefrançais #fle #ligue_des_optimistes pic.twitter.com/fzIOE7PJi7
— D’élève à élève (@melania_pijuan) April 25, 2019
If you’d like to feel a little less alone in your learning journey, this Twitter account is run by a fellow French student who shares tidbits of French language as they relate to daily life.