LupinFrench
About LupinFrench
LupinFrench is an independent, free French course for English speakers, built on Maurice Leblanc’s Arsène Lupin stories. It is written and run by David Castro, has no advertising and no tracking, and is paid for by optional books.
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How does the method work?
One story, one level at a time. Each lesson retells one short chapter of a Lupin story at the learner’s level, and teaches the grammar point that chapter depends on: the story comes first, the rule comes out of it. Exercises reuse the same sentences, and every lesson ends with one line of Leblanc’s original French. The A1 level follows L’Arrestation d’Arsène Lupin (1905) in 20 lessons; the plan is one Leblanc book per CEFR level, up to C2.
The A1 stories use only the present tense, plus the near future and venir de, and only the vocabulary taught so far. Explanations are in English and focus on what English speakers actually get wrong.
Why Arsène Lupin?
Because the stories are good, short, full of dialogue and famous in France, and because they are free to use: Maurice Leblanc died in 1941 and his works are in the public domain. The quotations on this site come from the original French editions; the retellings, translations, explanations and exercises are original work. More on the character: Arsène Lupin, the gentleman thief.
Where do the pictures come from?
The illustrations are engravings, posters and photographs from 1905 to 1915: the first editions of Leblanc’s books, the magazine Je sais tout, the 1908 stage play and the ships and places of the story. All are in the public domain, mostly from Wikimedia Commons, and each one is credited under it with a link to its source.
Is this connected to the Netflix series?
No. LupinFrench is not affiliated with Netflix, the series Lupin, its producers, Gaumont or the Leblanc estate.
How is it paid for?
By the books. The A1 book (€4.99, PDF and EPUB) collects the course with extra exercises and answers. There are no ads, no subscriptions and no data sold: see the privacy page.
How do I get in touch?
Write to contact@lupinfrench.com: questions, corrections, ideas, or to tell us which lesson worked for you. Every message is read. Common questions are answered on the FAQ page.