Learn French for Russian speakers
French stories at your level, with Russian translations one tap away. Two centuries of cultural exchange means you already know more French than you think.
Free to start · no card · your first story in 10 seconds
What Russian speakers already know
The Russian imperial elite spoke French at court for two centuries, and the vocabulary they left behind is everywhere in modern Russian: этаж (étage), кафе (café), ресторан (restaurant), шоссе (chaussée), балет (ballet), пальто (paletot), бюро (bureau), сюрприз (surprise). A Russian speaker recognizes well over a thousand French words on sight, even without ever studying the language.
The friction points
- Articles (un / une / le / la / les) — Russian has none, and French uses them constantly with subtle definiteness rules.
- Silent letters and liaisons mean French is much friendlier to read than to hear.
- Subjunctive mood is common; Russian has бы as a vague parallel but it doesn't trigger verb-form changes.
- Gender on every noun (le pain, la table) with agreement across adjectives — different from Russian's three-gender system in concept but similar in feel.
False friends to know first
Words that look familiar but mean something else. The first ones to learn so you don't embarrass yourself.
What French looks like in Newt
Generated by Newt at the level you set. Tap any word for an instant Russian translation, definition, and pronunciation — no leaving the page.
J'aime me promener dans le parc le dimanche matin.
Я люблю гулять в парке воскресным утром.
Reflexive verb (me promener) — the construction Russian handles with -ся, here split across pronoun + verb.
Si j'avais étudié le français plus tôt, je parlerais déjà couramment.
Если бы я начал учить французский раньше, я бы уже говорил свободно.
Past conditional — the equivalent of Russian's если бы + бы construction, but with proper verb forms.
Why Russian speakers pick up French
Russian-speaking expats in France, Belgium, Switzerland, and francophone Africa, students at the Sorbonne, French as a popular second foreign language in Russian schools — French is the most-studied second European language for Russian-speakers after English. The plateau is the same as everywhere: classroom French plus pop culture isn't enough to read native books. Volume of reading is.
Read → tap → save → repeat
- Tell Newt what you care aboutPick a topic (cycling, history, coffee, indie games — anything). Newt writes you a short French story around it at your level.
- Tap any word for instant translationTap a word — Newt shows the Russian translation, definition, and pronunciation in a popup. No page-switching.
- Save the ones you don't know yetSaved words land in your vocabulary list with the sentence you met them in — context comes free.
- Newt reuses them in your next storyEach new story tries to fold in 2-3 words you recently saved, so you meet them again in fresh context. That's how vocabulary actually sticks.
- Spaced repetition catches what slippedA short daily review session brings back words the algorithm thinks you're about to forget. Same idea as Anki, except you never had to build the deck.
Common questions
How is this different from Duolingo for French?
Duolingo teaches isolated phrases in a fixed curriculum. Newt generates short stories from topics you actually care about, at your current level, with every word tappable for an instant Russian translation. Words you save come back automatically in future stories — that's the part that makes vocabulary stick.
How is this different from asking ChatGPT to write me a French text?
ChatGPT can write you a story, but it forgets everything between sessions. It doesn't know which words you already learned, doesn't space them out for review, and doesn't quietly weave your saved words into the next story. Newt does all of that — it's a closed loop, not a one-shot prompt.
What level of French do I need to start?
Any. Newt supports A1 (complete beginner) through C1 (advanced). At A1 you'll get short, very simple texts with high-frequency vocabulary; at B2+ you'll get nuanced articles and stories. The system calibrates as you tap and save words.
Is it free?
Yes — there's a free plan with 3 fresh AI texts every day, no card required to sign up. Premium lifts the daily cap and lets you study multiple languages at once; you can upgrade anytime.
How long until I can read a real book in French?
Realistic timeline for Russian speakers: 4-8 months of consistent daily reading (15-30 min) to read a young-adult novel comfortably, 12+ months to read literary fiction. The single biggest predictor is hours of input — Newt's job is to make those hours easy to start.
Start reading French tonight
Pick a topic, your first story lands in 10 seconds. Free to start, no card.