Start here · Free course · A1
Learn French with Arsène Lupin
LupinFrench is a free French course for English speakers that teaches the language through the adventures of Arsène Lupin, Maurice Leblanc’s gentleman thief. Each lesson is one short chapter of a real Lupin story, retold at your level, followed by the grammar that chapter uses and exercises built from the same text. Level A1 has 20 lessons and 4 reviews and starts from zero.
Last updated:
Who is Arsène Lupin?
Arsène Lupin is a fictional French gentleman thief created by the novelist Maurice Leblanc (1864–1941). He first appeared in 1905, in the story L’Arrestation d’Arsène Lupin, and went on to star in more than twenty books. He steals from the rich with elegance and humour, wears a thousand disguises, leaves his calling card behind and almost never uses violence. In France he is as famous as Sherlock Holmes is in Britain.
More about the character, the author and the books: Arsène Lupin, the gentleman thief.
Why learn French with a story?
Because you remember what you understand and care about. A story gives every new word a place, a person and a reason; a list of vocabulary gives it none. Language researchers call this comprehensible input: reading and listening to language you can almost fully understand is how vocabulary and grammar settle in.
- The grammar comes out of the text. You do not learn être because it is page one of a textbook, but because the first chapter describes a ship and its passengers.
- You always know what happens next matters. A thief is on board, nobody knows who he is, and you want to find out. That is a better reason to do lesson 9 than any streak counter.
- You end up reading the real thing. Every lesson finishes with a sentence of Leblanc’s 1905 original, and the course is built so that by the last level you read him without help.
What does a lesson look like?
- Read. A short chapter in French, 7 to 9 short paragraphs. Tap any paragraph for the English.
- Notice. Three sentences from the chapter and one question, then the rule, with tables and the mistake English speakers make.
- Practise. Five or six exercises built from the same chapter, checked as you go.
- Meet Leblanc. One sentence of the original 1905 text, explained.
A lesson takes 30 to 45 minutes. Your progress is saved in your browser, with no account.
What is the course outline, from A1 to C2?
One Leblanc book per level of the Common European Framework (CEFR), retold simply at first and then as he wrote it. You never change story, only level.
| Level | What you can do | The Lupin book | Lessons |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1 · Beginner | Introduce yourself, describe people and things, ask simple questions, read very short texts. | L’Arrestation d’Arsène Lupin | 20 lessons, free |
| A2 · Elementary | Talk about your day and the past, handle shops and travel, read short simple stories. | Arsène Lupin en prison · L’Évasion | Coming soon |
| B1 · Intermediate | Follow the main points of clear texts and conversations, tell a story, give opinions. | Arsène Lupin contre Herlock Sholmès | Coming soon |
| B2 · Upper-intermediate | Read most articles and modern novels, follow films, argue a point in detail. | L’Aiguille creuse | Coming soon |
| C1 · Advanced | Read long, demanding texts and literature with ease, including implicit meaning. | 813 | Planned |
| C2 · Mastery | Understand practically everything you read or hear, including older literary French. | La Comtesse de Cagliostro | Planned |
What are the 20 A1 lessons?
Level A1 retells L’Arrestation d’Arsène Lupin (1905): a transatlantic liner, a wireless telegram announcing that Arsène Lupin is on board under a false name, and a ship full of suspects. Each lesson links to its grammar page.
- Lesson 1: A big ship Un grand bateau · grammar: Être and the articles un, une, le, la
- Lesson 2: The passengers Les passagers · grammar: Adjective agreement, les and des
- Lesson 3: A message from the sky Un message dans le ciel · grammar: Avoir and il y a
- Lesson 4: The telegram Le télégramme · grammar: Where adjectives go: colours and the body
- Lesson 5: Who is Arsène Lupin? Qui est Arsène Lupin ? · grammar: Regular -er verbs in the present tense
- Review 1: lessons 1 to 5 Révision 1 : leçons 1 à 5
- Lesson 6: Miss Nelly Miss Nelly · grammar: À, en, au, aux with cities and countries
- Lesson 7: On deck Sur le pont · grammar: Negation: ne… pas, ne… rien, ne… jamais
- Lesson 8: The investigation L’enquête · grammar: Asking questions: est-ce que, inversion, quel
- Lesson 9: Thirteen Mr Rs Treize messieurs R · grammar: Numbers 0 to 69
- Lesson 10: Monsieur Rozaine Monsieur Rozaine · grammar: Possessives: mon, ma, mes, son, sa, ses
- Review 2: lessons 6 to 10 Révision 2 : leçons 6 à 10
- Lesson 11: The left arm Le bras gauche · grammar: Ce, cet, cette, ces (this, that). Left and right
- Lesson 12: Lady Jerland’s jewels Les bijoux de lady Jerland · grammar: The partitive: du, de la, des and pas de
- Lesson 13: Rozaine is free Rozaine est libre · grammar: Aller and the near future
- Lesson 14: Ten thousand francs Dix mille francs · grammar: Big numbers. Faire and prendre
- Lesson 15: My camera Mon kodak · grammar: Pouvoir, vouloir, devoir + infinitive
- Review 3: lessons 11 to 15 Révision 3 : leçons 11 à 15
- Lesson 16: The captain’s watch La montre du commandant · grammar: De and à + the article: du, des, au, aux
- Lesson 17: A night on deck Une nuit sur le pont · grammar: Reflexive verbs: se lever, s’appeler
- Lesson 18: Everybody is scared Tout le monde a peur · grammar: Expressions with avoir. Tout, toute, tous, toutes
- Lesson 19: New York! New York ! · grammar: Venir, venir de, and adjectives before the noun
- Lesson 20: Arsène Lupin, I presume? Arsène Lupin, n’est-ce pas ? · grammar: Stressed pronouns: moi, toi, lui. C’est moi
- Review 4: lessons 16 to 20 Révision 4 : leçons 16 à 20
Common questions
Is LupinFrench free?
Yes. All 20 lessons of level A1, the first review unit, every grammar page and the glossary are free, with no account, no advertising and no tracking. The only paid thing is the optional A1 book (€4.99): it collects the same lessons and adds review units 2 to 4, extra exercises, answer keys and a final test.
What level of French do I need to start?
None. Level A1 starts from zero: the first lesson teaches être (to be) and the articles un, une, le, la. All explanations are in English.
How long does a lesson take?
Most lessons take 30 to 45 minutes: reading the chapter, the grammar, and the exercises. Review units are shorter. You can stop at any point and come back: the site remembers where you were.
How long does it take to finish A1?
The A1 level has 20 lessons and 4 review units, about 15 hours of work in total. At one lesson a day, that is about a month.
Is there audio?
Not yet. Recordings of the stories by a native speaker are being prepared and will be added to the lessons. Buyers of the A1 book will also get them on their free bonus page.
Is LupinFrench connected to the Netflix series Lupin?
No. LupinFrench has no connection with the Netflix series Lupin, its producers or the Leblanc estate. The course is based on Maurice Leblanc’s original stories, which are in the public domain.
More answers on the questions page. Prefer a book? The A1 reader has the whole level in PDF and EPUB.