What do I really need to get by in French?

What is the key to speaking French? 

Some might say passion, some might say hard work, some might say immersion....

What do you actually need to get by in French? 

We are not talking about fluency here, just some good old fashioned basic French that will be good enough to get you through your next trip and will allow you to enjoy the amazing gratification that connecting with the locals can be.

You can do it, I promise. 

Here are what you truly really need to get there...I promise it's not that bad.

 

1) Master the sounds

Do not worry about your accent but work right away on your pronunciation. Listen, say it, repeat, and then do it again.

Speak from day 1. Do not wait until you're better, until you know more vocabulary, until you have been to classes.  

 

2) Basic tenses

Learn and understand the most important 5 tenses and some common verbs.

4 or 5 tenses will allow you to speak of any situation. The present, the futur proche, the passé...

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Best Books for Learning French

Struggling to work out which books you need?

You are not alone, the challenge often faced when buying books or resources to learn French is not that there isn’t enough available.

The problem is that there’s so much out there that it can be overwhelming to decide what’s good and what is not.

At the end of the day, French is French and you will mostly find the same content or same approach packaged up and presented a little differently. While some are good,  some are bad and a lot is simply awful and more confusing than helpful.

So how do I know?

If it claim to be able to teach or help you learn a language in a few daysweeks or months or it promises you fast fluency, save your money. 

Anything promising you a way to ‘get fluent quickly’ is no different to an add promising you six-pack abs without effort even if I truly understand the tempatation! 

Languages take time, a lot of effort,...

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What is French girl style anyway?

Is French Style attainable?

As a French woman, I am kind of expected to know a lot more than I probably do about all things fashion and style. I don’t really live and breathe fashion but what I have probably took with me to Australia is that I value simplicity above anything, I do not overthink any look and I must absolutely be comfortable in anything I wear.

What really is French Style?

French style is actually easier to attain than you might think. I like to think of it as effortless, classic, definitely cool but not arrogant. It’s about finding the equilibre between looking like I made an effort but also looking quite casual at the same time.

I personally do not feel comfortable wearing bold shades and over the top pieces.  I prefer good quality items that work well together and find myself mixing fabric and textures.

So how do you dress like a French woman?

Here are my “How do you look so French?” tips. 

 

  1. Buy less but better. It would be...
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Learning French on line..does it work? You bet....

What a title!

Now that I have said it, there is no turning back.

Let's have a closer look at why you want to get back into French, shall we? 

Picture yourself planning your next trip, speaking with your local boulanger, asking about the origin of the produce at the local market, enjoying an aperitif with your delightful neighbours...that's what we all want when we learn another language. Very rarely...ermm...actually never, do I hear : "ohhh, I'm learning French because I really want to understand the reasons why avoir is so irregular".

 

No, what we want is connection, we want to understand and be part of conversations, we want to get the jokes, the nuances and feel culturally supercharged..hey..maybe we want to feel we could live there and be ok, maybe we could almost be French.

I know because that was exactly me when I started learning English. I just wanted to be able to talk to Madonna, the guys from Depeche Mode and Lloyd Cole if I ever met them. That's true, when I...

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How to sound more French.

You have learnt so much, you are killing it with your grammar, you feel ready to take on the French world by storm and speak French all the time until your conversation partner asks you to repeat or simply and rudely switch to English half way through your effort....how frustrating!

They might just want to be practising their English but they might also feel that you are actually struggling and maybe they are saving you.

To keep the natural flow of a conversation going, you will have put 'your French mouth' on. That's what I always tell my students when I hear them slip...You know what I mean, us French can go a bit lazy too and revert to " Ello..ow arrre yoo? " or  "Ze sheese is delissious".

So, follow these few tips and before you know it you will sound like you have been learning French for ever.

  • listen.

Obvious, non?  learning a new language will be the exact same process as learning your first language, just faster. Hearing it over and over and over again will get...

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An introvert's guide to ace a French oral exam.

As the year is flying by and the ever so feared oral examination is looming, some might start feeling a little insecure about their ability to hold a conversation for 8 min then a discussion for another 8 minutes or so.

The fear of making mistakes, the horror of not understanding a question or being understood, the horrifying prospect of uncomfortable silences between you and the examiner. That is enough to make anyone's stomach churn....

So let's have a look at the situation and see how we can transform you into a bubbly and chatty expert who seriously wouldn't want to be anywhere else but the exam room!  

Let me first reassure you on a few points:

  • Do not learn of feel you must learn by heart answers to the general conversation.

There is a difference between being prepared and well practised and learning by heart. In a oral situation, what you are expected to display is how you can manage a conversation, how you interact, how French can flow from you. I said it a...

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Cheat sheet: How to create an epic French essay.

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Big title...I know. 

Do you often wonder why some students never seem stress and get well above the expected mark in French while you are still trembling at the idea of writing your next piece?

Maybe it has nothing to do with 'how fluent' they are. Actually, I can guarantee you these students aren't necessarily better than you in French. They just have a method. A method that they have developed, tested, learnt and can now apply to any written work they will ever have to produce in French.

  The coolest part is that it is all true and tested, you can write an epic essay without difficulties. It does require knowledge and organisation but it is more manageable than you think and will leave you plenty of time for other fun stuff!

So follow these tips and you too will soon be producing epic essay in no time.

 

Text type. Spend some time working out which is your favourite text type. I recommend you really focus on two or three if you can manage and have time. A formal...

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10 teacher approved hacks to learn French better and faster.

I'm afraid to report that there is no way around learning verbs and grammar when you decide to study French. It's an essential part of the learning journey but there are a few ways to make it easier, smoother and lot more enjoyable.

 

Here are my top teacher approved hacks to learn better and faster.

  • Say it out loud: whenever you hear some new word, repeat it, put your French voice on and go for it. Nobody has to hear you. If it is a new word you aren't sure how to pronounce, just google it and click the sound icon, click again, then repeat.

 

  •  Learn some ready made sentences. Why not? I used to learn songs lyrics in English (taken from teen mags back in the day) cut and paste them in my essays. Yes, I did that...and you know what ? I still remember so many of them ! Don't hesitate, dedicate some time to find sentences you like, that you would see yourself using and go for it. 

 

  • Watch some French movies with subtitles. I feel like a broken record but...
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Online or traditional French tutoring ?

For a while now, since that dreadful virus hit us and forced us into lockdown, "online everything" has just exploded.

So was born the new era of tutoring, I know some people had jumped on that online wagon a while ago but suddenly, we were left with no choice.

Many parents are now, as the dust is slowly settling and home visits are allowed, asking me which is better, online or traditional face to face tutoring?

Obviously, there is certain ceremonial about a home visit, I usually offer my student a cup of tea and a slice of something home baked, there is something comfortingly informal about being in someone's home. We get to know the rest of the family, the pets. It is a real human experience.

Online tutoring might seem cold and detached at first, but I must say, I have even been surprised myself by how quickly both parties, student and teacher adapt and develop a new bond, how quickly experienced teachers can still read facial expressions and understand the mood of the student and...

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Best French students habits

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We all have some, we don't even notice most of them anymore.

But as a student, your habits impact your life more than you can imagine. 

Lets have a bit of think of all the layers that we can scratch  when it comes to habits.

I am going to try not to use words like bad to good, I'd rather you think of the habits as whether they serve you well or not. (I mean, obviously, there are some bad...really bad habits but lets not go there.)

First, break down everything you have to do in a day as a students, from the moment you wake until you turn the light off at night.

  • sleep :  do you sleep enough ? do you go to bed relaxed or take work with you ? is your room buzzing with electronics, messages and blue light all night ?
  • food : are you actually nourishing yourself ? do you have too many coffees ? not enough water ?
  • exercise and well being  : are you getting enough fresh air ? are you moving enough ? are you paying attention to how you feel ?
  • in class : can you stay...
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