French the natural way: 3 signs you need more input

Coucou les French learners,

When I started teaching French in England (many, many years ago!), I believed that speaking was the first step toward French fluency. I was asking my students to repeat over and over again phrases they didn’t understand… As expected, most of them ended up hating French!

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French news: maximize your French experience with the 80/20 rule

Coucou les membres de la communauté,

Today, I want to share a principle that has profoundly impacted my own language experience: Pareto’s Law, also known as the 80/20 rule.

This concept, named after Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, suggests that roughly 80% of results come from 20% of efforts.

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French the natural way: from silence to speech – When to to start speaking?

Coucou les French learners,

This week, I want to highlight a thoughtful comment made by Sherezade in response to my recent video about reading aloud.

Sherezade suggests that reading aloud using the shadowing technique is beneficial because speaking is a physical activity.

She emphasizes the importance of physically training the tongue,

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French news: achieve more with less – The power of comprehensible input

Coucou les membres de la communauté,

I have some exciting news to share with you this week!

Dr Beniko Mason, who has just published groundbreaking research on language acquisition, has had the biggest impact on my way of teaching French. It is thanks to her Story Listening method that I came to build our site and provide you with comprehensible French stories.

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accountable202 acquirefrench76 active listener94 activelistener54 activelistening78 advanced294 advanced beginner477 advanced french93 beginner318 classesdefrançais40 conversation311 feedback59 feelgood30 frenchclass101 frenchclasses72 frenchnews27 guidance35 infolettre35 interact217 interaction47 interactive43 intermediate741 lessons36 live session100 liveclass98 motivation235 novice168 novicehigh360 observe25 online teaching29 progress135 pronounciation43 research17 speak85 speakfrench211 stayontrack35 stepstospeaking58 study3 teaching42 train29 training56 upper beginner449 warmup43 zoomclass83

French the natural way: how should you start reading?

Coucou les French learners,

This week, I want to share a great question from Pete, one of our dear members, which I believe will resonate with many of you:

How should I read? Should I read the French words to myself (in my head like the adult I am) or will it be best to read out loud as I did as a child (70 years ago) when I was learning to read English?

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French news: uncover the legend of the Pont d’Avignon (and join me live!)

Coucou les membres de la communauté,

Today, during my Monday live class, I shared the legend of the Pont d’Avignon. This legendary tale captivated everyone and sparked a lot of interest in learning more about this iconic piece of French history.

New Resource: The Bridge of Avignon

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French the natural way: discover the joy of reading in French!

Coucou les French learners,

Are you eager to read a book in French but unsure which one to choose? You’re not alone! This is a common challenge for language learners at all levels.

When I first started to acquire Portuguese, I was eager to dive into classic literature.

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abisproduction235 accountable202 advanced beginner477 autonomouslearner236 becomeamember233 beginnerplus166 boost218 booster213 classes39 comprehensiblefrench275 comprehensibleinput265 comprehension284 consistency170 consistent171 dailyfrench224 determined166 discipline162 disciplined177 engage184 engaged172 enjoytheride180 event79 fle303 french for fun44 frenchbeginner169 frenchcommunity261 frenchforall227 fun447 inputaloneissufficient257 intensive181 interact217 intermediate741 journey200 keepmotivated207 language acquisition263 learner251 lefrancaisensemble240 lisenfrançais216 listen317 live62 live event55 liveclass98 motivate185 motivated177 motivation235 motivationbreak182 natural199 novice high275 novicehigh360 online learner221 partnership52 pleasure158 pleasurereading141 reading286 reboot101 reward36 slow french345 speakfrench211 upper beginner449