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...

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...