I can tell you right now that if you want a very simple to use flashcard system, then you may want to disregard this post. Anki is an excellent flashcard application that's loaded with options. It can be overwhelming at first and does have a learning curve. But its beauty is in its customisation; it can do just about anything you could think of.
As for the flashcards themselves, the first set comes with 5000 French words (which are split into 50 groups of 100 words for easier studying). The order of the words is determined by their general usage; so, group 1 would have the most used French words. This allows the user to learn the words that are most likely to encounter first.
Each word card has the French word, the English word, the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) spelling for the French word, and a simple example sentence in English and French. It also contains a real french audio recording of that French word (not a TTS digital voice).
Here are the flashcards: https://ankiweb.net/shared/info/90105830
How to import the cards
- Open anki
Goto 'Decks'
Click the menu icon at the top right hand side
Click 'import' and choose the flashcard file you just downloaded
You now have the cards installed, but you need to configure them to properly use them. If you were to try to study from them right now, the program would give you words in a completely random order. In order to study from a select level, you need to configure the program.
Configuration
- Long click on '5000 Most Common French Words'
Choose 'Custom study'
Scroll down to 'Limit to particular tags'
Choose a level ('Level01' would be good start) and press 'select'
Using the flashcards
- Click on 'Custom study session'
Start studying
When you have finished studying all 100 cards, you can add another 100 by following the steps in 'Configuration' and adding a different level. If you just want the next level cards but not the first, you can delete the 'Custom study session' and add them (long press on 'Custom study session' and scroll down to 'Delete deck')
Reversing card display
The system will default to showing the French word on the front of the flashcard and an English answer. If you want to display the English word first, there are some steps you need to take:
- Click the menu at the top right hand corner
Select 'Manage note types'
Long press on ' Memorise - 5000 Most Common French...'
Select 'Edit cards'
Where it says 'Front Template', change '{{French}}' to '{{English}}'
Where it says 'Back Template', changte '{{English}}' to '{{French}}'
Save it by clicking the checkmark
The next set of flashcards is sentences. There are 16000 sentences. They are sorted by difficulty. I've not yet used them, so I don't have much information on them: https://ankiweb.net/shared/info/1089240419
Enjoy!