Michel Thomas Method

Audio courses where you learn by listening in on a real lesson.

CoursesPaidBeginnerA1–A2Any language

Open michelthomas.com ↗

What it actually is

You sit in on a recorded lesson with two students and build sentences aloud alongside them, with no writing, homework or memorisation; 19 languages are available. It is remarkably good at making the core grammar of Romance languages click in a few hours. Vocabulary coverage is small, the recordings are old, and the courses after Michel Thomas's death are taught by other teachers with mixed results — treat it as a fast on-ramp, not a course of study.

What it covers

  • Speaking
  • Grammar
  • Listening

Official links

Similar tools

  • Babbel

    Structured dialogue-based courses in 13 languages, built by actual linguists.

  • Busuu

    Structured CEFR courses with written corrections from native speakers.

  • Pimsleur

    Audio-only spaced-recall courses that drill speaking from lesson one.

  • Assimil

    Century-old bilingual course books that take you from zero to solid B2.

  • Coffee Break Languages

    Podcast courses that teach through a real learner's lesson, season by season.

  • FSI & Peace Corps courses (Live Lingua)

    Free public-domain US government language courses with textbooks and audio.