· 7 min read
French vs Russian: Which Should You Learn?
By Language Lab editorial team
French vs Russian compared with official figures: 30 weeks against about 44 for English speakers. See alphabets, exams, level ladders and how to choose.
French is considerably quicker than Russian for an English speaker. The US State Department puts French in Category I, languages close to English, at 30 weeks of classes, and Russian in Category III, hard languages, at about 44 weeks or 1,012 class hours. French uses the alphabet you already know and shares a large stock of words with English; Russian starts with a new alphabet, Cyrillic. Both have well-defined official exams with six levels: DELF and DALF for French, TORFL for Russian. French counts 396 million speakers and 170 million learners, according to the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie. Choose French for speed and breadth; choose Russian if your work, studies or family point that way and you are ready for a longer course.
Side by side
| French | Russian | |
|---|---|---|
| State Department category | Category I, languages close to English | Category III, hard languages |
| Class time | 30 weeks, within 552–690 class hours | About 44 weeks (1,012 class hours) |
| At 10 hours a week | About 55 to 69 weeks | About 101 weeks |
| Alphabet | Latin, with accents on some vowels | Cyrillic |
| First hurdles named by courses | Nasal sounds, u and ou, genders, verb conjugation | Reading and writing in Russian; Russian sounds; rhythm and intonation |
| Official exams | DELF A1 to B2, DALF C1 and C2, TCF | TORFL: Elementary, Basic and four Certificate levels, A1 to C2 |
| Shared vocabulary with English | Large: many English words are of French origin | Not covered in the sources used here |
Why French is faster
- Category. The State Department describes Category I as languages close to English and Category III as languages with significant linguistic or cultural differences from English.
- Alphabet. You can read French letters on day one. Russian asks you to learn Cyrillic first; reading and writing in Russian is the first skill the Pushkin Institute lists at its Elementary level.
- Vocabulary. The BBC's guide to French notes that a large number of English words and expressions are of French origin, and that most French words ending in -tion or -sion are spelt almost exactly as in English.
- Time. At 10 hours a week, the official figures come to about 55 to 69 weeks for French and about 101 for Russian.
What is hard in each
French is not effortless. The BBC's guide says you will have to get your head around the genders, verb conjugation and the pronunciation of nasal sounds, and several of the most common verbs are irregular. Russian's beginner course at the Pushkin Institute opens with a whole phonetic module: telling apart and pronouncing Russian vowels and consonants, the rules that link sounds to letters, the rhythm of the Russian word, and intonation. Its main beginner course then covers the basics of grammar and the first 1000 words in 20 thematic lessons.
The same phrases in both
| English | French | Russian |
|---|---|---|
| Hello | Bonjour | Здравствуйте |
| Thank you | Merci | Спасибо |
| Yes | oui | Да |
| No | non | Нет |
| My name is ... | Je m'appelle... | Меня зовут... |
| Goodbye | Au revoir | До свидания |
| Good luck | Bonne chance | Удачи |
The table shows the practical difference at a glance. A beginner can attempt the French column at once. The Russian column has to wait until the alphabet is learned.
Exams and levels
| European level | French | Russian (TORFL) |
|---|---|---|
| A1 | DELF A1 | Elementary (ТЭУ) |
| A2 | DELF A2 | Basic (ТБУ) |
| B1 | DELF B1 | First Certificate (ТРКИ-1) |
| B2 | DELF B2 | Second Certificate (ТРКИ-2) |
| C1 | DALF C1 | Third Certificate (ТРКИ-3) |
| C2 | DALF C2 | Fourth Certificate (ТРКИ-4) |
France Éducation international says the DELF and DALF are recognised worldwide and valid for life. The Pushkin Institute's portal states that the Russian system has been included in the level system of ALTE, the Association of Language Testers in Europe, since 1997, and the Institute runs testing in Russia and in more than 30 countries.
Learning resources
- French: TV5MONDE offers more than 2000 free online exercises, RFI's Le français facile has podcasts and exercises from A1 to C1/C2, and The Open University has three free beginner courses.
- Russian: the Pushkin Institute's Education in Russian portal has online courses at every level from A1 to C2, a level test and a readiness check for the certification test, after registration.
How to choose
- You want results sooner: French, by a wide margin on official figures.
- You want a language used on several continents: French.
- Your studies, work or family are tied to Russian-speaking countries: Russian.
- You enjoy a new script and a longer challenge: Russian.
- You are thinking of both: start with the one you will use first, and expect the two to be separate projects, since they sit in different categories of the State Department's list.
Language Lab offers both. Its French and Russian courses are built around voiced real-life scenarios with an AI tutor.
Frequently asked
Is Russian harder than French?
For English speakers, yes. The US State Department lists French at 30 weeks of classes in Category I and Russian at about 44 weeks, or 1,012 class hours, in Category III.
How much longer does Russian take than French?
At 10 hours a week, about 101 weeks for Russian against 55 to 69 for French, using State Department class hours.
Do I need to learn a new alphabet for Russian?
Yes. Russian is written in Cyrillic, and learning to read and write it is the first step of the official Elementary level.
Which has more recognised exams?
Both have a full six-level ladder: DELF and DALF for French, and TORFL from Elementary to the Fourth Certificate for Russian.
Which is more widely spoken, French or Russian?
The Organisation internationale de la Francophonie counts 396 million French speakers. The sources used for this page do not give a comparable official figure for Russian.
Should I learn French or Russian first?
The one you have a reason to use. If you simply want a second language soon, French is the quicker route by official estimates.
Sources: US Department of State, National Foreign Affairs Training Center, Foreign Language Training; BBC Languages, A Guide to French (10 facts), French Quick Fix and Russian Quick Fix phrases (archived pages); Pushkin State Russian Language Institute, Education in Russian portal and Testing page; Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, La langue française dans le monde; France Éducation international, DELF and DALF; TV5MONDE; RFI; The Open University, OpenLearn. Checked on 13 October 2026. Photo: Church of the Transfiguration, Kizhi, Александровы АГ / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons).
