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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accountability199 accountable199 acquirefrench76 active listener94 activelistener54 activelistening78 advanced294 advanced french93 beginner318 classesdefrançais40 conversation311 feedback57 feelgood30 frenchclass100 frenchclasses71 frenchnews27 guidance35 infolettre35 interact214 interaction47 interactive43 intermediate738 lessons36 live session100 liveclass98 motivation232 novice168 novicehigh357 observe25 online teaching29 progress132 pronounciation43 research17 speak85 speakfrench209 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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abisproduction232 accountability199 accountable199 autonomouslearner233 becomeamember230 beginnerplus163 boost215 booster210 classes39 comprehensiblefrench272 comprehensibleinput262 comprehension281 consistency167 consistent168 dailyfrench221 determined163 discipline159 disciplined174 engage181 engaged169 enjoytheride177 event79 fle300 french for fun44 frenchbeginner166 frenchcommunity258 frenchforall224 fun444 inputaloneissufficient254 intensive178 interact214 intermediate738 journey197 keepmotivated204 language acquisition260 learner248 lefrancaisensemble237 lisenfrançais213 listen314 live62 live event55 liveclass98 motivate182 motivated174 motivation232 motivationbreak179 natural196 novice high272 novicehigh357 online learner218 partnership52 pleasure155 pleasurereading140 reading283 reboot100 reward36 slow french342 speakfrench209 upper beginner449