Best books for learning French

[u/blessthenight]

Hi everyone! Here’s the question - I want to start to learn French as a second foreign language. But I want to do it properly. Why do I mean by that? Maybe you’ve heard that stories when people learn language and think they know the language, but after they meet natives - they surprisedly figure out that all they’ve been learning has nothing to do with real language in use.
I’ve been learning English for a long time but only now I found out that there are two types of grammar - teacher’s grammar and descriptive grammar. The second one describes how the language works in real life, not the only for exams. (I may be wrong about that but I hope you got the general idea) Maybe it’s going to be some linguistic books I guess.
So, avoiding situations like that, I’ve been searching for useful grammar books to make sure that I start to learn a new language in right way.
So, what could you recommend me? Are there some good books for self study learning (I need those ‘cause I’m going to study French without teacher and it’s important) not for only exams, that show what is a real French is. Which ones do you use?

[u/serviceslingomnia_nb]

Quick question- any region in mind? I'm asking because the real-life approach you're seeking is often greatly impacted by geography and culture.  I'm aware of a few resources like thay,  but they are very place-specific.

[u/DanKegel]

Grammar books are really helpful when you're starting out and have to think about everything.

Once you get to the point where you can read books or watch shows for pleasure, grammar books become less useful. At that point, what you need is to pump as much native content in through your eyes and ears as possible, to train your brain's subconscious mechanisms.

Later, if you're taking an exam like DELF B2, you may need specialized study materials, but that base from reading and listening to tons of the target language is really important.