French the natural way: 3 steps to make real progress
Coucou les French learners,
Bonne année et bonne santé 2024 !
I love this quote from Nadya, our caring member, who shared in the Community Chat:
Bonne année : 2 fois plus de bonheur, 0 grammes de soucis, 2 tonnes de surprises, 4 millions se sourires !
This year, FOCUS.
Focus on acquisition. Focus on the process. Focus on the journey.
Progress step by step and make real progress in French. Focus on your achievements. The journey is the reward.
It is easy. Focus on those 3 letters U – T – S :
U – Understand French
T – Think French
S – Speak French
Understand French now!
Your initial focus is to understand the language itself. Make French become clear to you. Once you understand what you hear and read, your mind naturally begins to process thoughts in French.
Ben and I have put together a very special program to help you start your French journey. All you have to is to sit back and relax. Listen to compelling stories. Listen with the intent to understand.
Once you understand the gist of the story, you are done. Your brain is processing the new language for you and is storing the French words.
You read compelling stories. Do not focus on French, focus on the story: what is the problem, what is going on, how the story ends… Your brain acquires French subconsciously.
When you understand what you hear or read, that is when your brain acquires the new language. The new structures stay in your brain forever because you have acquired them (not learned them).
Choose your way!
Go community
Access structured courses with videos, transcripts and audio, specifically designed to make you progress step by step. Be part of a caring community and share your journey with other learners like you. Have a support network, motivating and encouraging you through your highs and lows. Access updates and enhancements. Keep yourself accountable through the most invested community.
Access to ALL resources
- Baby, Infant, Teen, Adult, Senior Stages: 153 videos with transcripts, audio and glossaries.
- 495 stories with audio and glossaries.
- Community chat, Books and Audiobooks.
- Diaporamas.
- Exclusive Videos…
Go solo
This is brand new: you can now explore one Stage at a time forever!
Advance incrementally through single-level content to master French at your own pace. Enjoy the exclusive option to download full-HD videos for an immersive learning experience. Make French become clear to you. Have the advantage of continual access to the course material. Learn at your own pace without time constraints. Revisit sessions whenever needed, reinforcing your comprehension.
Feel empowered. Transform yourself and get a French soul.
Until January, 31 get 50% OFF for your chosen pack. Enter Coupon Code : COUCOU2024
Get full Access to
- Step by step videos with transcripts, audio and glossaries.
- Stories adapted to the chosen Pack.
- Exclusive full-HD videos download.
- One-time payment.
- Lifetime access!
Think French
Once French becomes clear to you, you start to think French. By consistently exposing yourself to comprehensible input, focusing on understanding, thinking, you can gradually engage in conversations. This is the right time to join me live!
My winter weekly online sessions start next Monday! They are tailored from upper beginners to advanced learners. If you are looking for a nudge to move forward in your French journey, then join me live along with a group of motivated and fun learners!
Sign up here! There are still a few spots available!
Linda shared:
I am really enjoying Alice’s class. She keeps the class lively and entertaining with many opportunities to listen to her beautiful French and to speak it as we learn. I look forward to Monday mornings each week, knowing that I will be part of a fun learning experience.
Speak French
You are now ready to focus on speaking! So why not join me and your fellow French learners in Pau on June 17 to 21?
Boost your French, explore the unique history and discover the hidden gems of Pau, as well as indulge in exquisite cuisine. You will also connect with like-minded individuals, forging new friendships.
Whether you are a beginner or an advanced learner, this program provides a safe and relaxed environment for you to confidently express yourself in French. Prepare to return home with a deeper understanding of the French way of life and a renewed passion for the language.
Secure your spot now! 10 participants ONLY.
Judy shared about Pau 2023:
I think for a first immersive experience this was perfect — fun and not too demanding, and very accepting/welcoming. And this particular group of people was just wonderful, a real pleasure to spend the week with. Alice, I love and appreciate your demeanor and would love to do another, more intensive immersion with you.
What are you waiting for? Join us now and make real progress in French! You will gain:
CLARITY: progress step by step through stages and make French become clear to you.
COMMUNITY: meet weekly and keep yourself accountable through the most caring and invested community.
TRANSFORMATION: feel empowered. Be fluent in French. Transform yourself and get a new soul.
P.S. We are meeting again LIVE on Zoom on Wednesday, January 10. This will be our first encounter of the year so I hope to see you! Click here to join.
French the natural way: top 2 highlights of 2023
Coucou les French learners,
May peace, love, and prosperity follow you always. Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones. May your heart be lifted! Joyeux Noël !
As we approach the end of 2023, it’s time to reminisce about the highlights of this year for our community.
Our encounter in Pau
French the natural way: Join me for one hour live!
Coucou les French learners,
It is just a quick reminder that we are meeting live for La Pause Chocolat 2023 !
Wednesday December 20
5pm UK / 6pm France / 12pm EST / 9am PST
Embrace the joy of acquiring French in a warm and welcoming atmosphere!
Step into the world of French with ease. Dive into an immersive storytelling session that brings the French language to life.
Come, be a part of our Zoom session, and experience the beauty of acquiring French in a delightful and engaging way!
Click here to join us, I can’t wait to meet you!
Gain New Friends and Get Involved with the French Learners Community. #youarenotalone
Increase your vocabulary and comprehension #storyispower
Reduce your stress #relax
Communicate with real people in French #youcandothis
(You don’t have to speak if you don’t feel ready to, you can use the live chat to communicate)
Stuart shared:
I love the way you speak and allow me to understand s l o w l y. I am understanding everything for the FIRST time in my (very) long life trying to understand francais and get confidence. A wonderfully effective way to understand with your drawings, writing, repetitions and gestures. Clever you! You have a very nice voice. I will watch all your videos. I want to improve and at last I have found a way to do so. Thank you Alice.
What are you waiting for? Join us now and make real progress in French! You will gain:
CLARITY: progress step by step through stages and make French become clear to you.
COMMUNITY: meet weekly and keep yourself accountable through the most caring and invested community.
TRANSFORMATION: feel empowered. Be fluent in French. Transform yourself and get a new soul.
P.S. Got friends, family, colleagues and clients who want to become fluent in French? Share this with them, they’ll thank you for it!
P.P.S. My winter weekly online sessions start in January! They are tailored from upper beginners to advanced learners. If you are looking for a nudge to move forward in your French journey, then join me live along with a group of motivated and fun learners! Click here to sign up.
French the natural way: 3 fun ways to keep getting French during Christmas
Coucou les French learners,
French the natural way: When does grammar play a role?
Coucou les French learners,
The other day, Richard asked an interesting grammar question:
Je voudrais savoir s’il vous plaît, the difference between the preposition “de” and the partitive articles, “du/de la” in the following examples of this story. (Je déteste la grammaire, mais je pense qu’il est temps que je commence à l’apprendre, sinon je ne comprendrai jamais cette langue).
His comment was about the first Infant Stage session which you can watch, read and listen to for free here.
As you know, I am not a fan of grammar in the acquisition process. However, you may not know this but I love grammar! Here is my answer to Richard:
It’s good you started noticing those grammar details however I would suggest that for now, you focus on content, not form. At this stage in your journey, your first objective is to understand what’s going on in the story. Did you understand the story? If yes, then that’s good enough. Move on to the next story and little by little as you understand more and more stories and details in the story, your brain will subconsciouly understand and absorb those grammar structures (partitive, feminine, masculine…).
In the language acquisition process, grammar plays a role, but it’s not the sole focus.
Absorb grammar implicitly
Initially, during the early stages, you want to focus on understanding and acquiring vocabulary, phrases, and sentence structures through exposure to comprehensible input. At this point, you absorb grammar implicitly without explicit study.
#trustheprocess
Remember when you were a toddler, you didn’t learn your mother tongue grammar rules, yet you could understand the language (when your family and friends talked to you).
Until you understand a lot of French, you can of course try to work out grammar structures logically and rationalize them, but you will always think hard before you want to output (speak/write) instead of thinking French spontaneously. It will become very fustrating.
Furthermore a language is not logical. We, human beings, are not robots. We do have grammar rules but you may have noticed that there are always exceptions to those rules and they can’t be explained! It is because we, as human beings use the language and we distort words, verbs (hence irregular verbs), and structures over time.
Au musée des Beaux-Arts à Pau during our immersion week.
To absorb grammer implicitly with no effort, listen to stories and try to understand them. When you understand what you hear or read, you acquire the grammer subconsciouly.
Enhance your understanding
As you advance and aim for higher proficiency levels, grammar starts to play a more explicit role.
Understanding grammar rules becomes beneficial to improve accuracy and express more complex ideas. It helps you to construct sentences more consciously and accurately, aiding in clearer communication and nuanced expression.
Grammar comprehension at this stage can enhance your understanding of French and facilitate your ability to produce more sophisticated and contextually appropriate sentences.
The Senior Stage which is the last stage in your French journey with us is about grammar. You are now an advanced French learner and you feel the need to understand the grammar rules. Our sessions are designed to help you understand how to structure French sentences with defined parts of speech. Watch the introduction and the first session for free!
Sara shared on Trustpilot:
This is such a rich source of comprehensible input for learning French. I really appreciated that the resources start from absolute beginner, because although I have learnt French in the past, at school and as an adult, my French knowledge felt shaky. Going back to the beginning and being able to relax and watch video stories and fully understand them, built my confidence over time.
What are you waiting for? Join us now and make real progress in French! You will gain:
CLARITY: progress step by step through stages and make French become clear to you.
COMMUNITY: meet weekly and keep yourself accountable through the most caring and invested community.
TRANSFORMATION: feel empowered. Be fluent in French. Transform yourself and get a new soul.
P.S. Got friends, family, colleagues and clients who want to become fluent in French? Share this with them, they’ll thank you for it!
P.P.S. You want day to day direct 1-1 contact with me. Join my premium coaching program. Click here to schedule a Zoom meeting to talk about your needs!