Coucou les membres de la communauté,

I’m excited to share some insights from our fantastic live session last Wednesday, where we explored the power of circumlocution.

For those of you who were able to join, you know what a fun and engaging session it was. We had a blast using circumlocution to explain various things and concepts in French.

Brianna who is a member since June 2024, shared:

Merci pour la session d’aujourd’hui ! J’ai beaucoup appris et la technique de la circonlocution me sera très utile ! 🙂

If you missed it, I highly recommend watching the replay. Click here to watch it!

Seeing circumlocution in action will help you understand just how useful this skill can be in developing your fluency.

But what exactly is circumlocution? As I explained last Wednesday, it is the art of “tourner autour du pot” !

It is describing something without using its exact name. It’s a valuable tool for expressing yourself in French, even when you don’t know the precise vocabulary word.

Mastering circumlocution

Here are some of the key benefits of mastering circumlocution:

• It allows you to keep the conversation flowing, even when you hit a vocabulary roadblock.
• It expands your ability to communicate complex ideas and nuances in French.
• It trains your brain to think more flexibly in the language.
• It boosts your confidence in speaking French in real-world situations.

The best part? Circumlocution is a skill you can practice on your own or when talking to native speakers.

Instead of reaching for your phone to check a translation, challenge yourself to describe what you want to say using the French you already know.

Let’s say you don’t know the French word for “umbrella”. You could describe it like this: “It’s an object that we use when it’s raining to protect ourselves. It has a round shape, and we hold it above our head to keep our body dry.”

C’est un objet qu’on utilise quand il pleut pour se protéger. Il a une forme ronde et on le tient sur la tête pour rester sec.

In this example, you’re using words and expressions you already know in French, such as “object”, “use”, “when it’s raining”, “protect ourselves”, “round shape”, “hold above the head”, “keep dry”, to describe what an umbrella is, without using the exact word.

With practice, this technique becomes more and more natural, and it helps you develop your fluency in the language.

Join me live this week

• Weekly Regular Sessions

Our next live sessions are coming up this Wednesday and Friday. This is your chance to put circumlocution into practice in a very small group (up to 5 participants) and start building confidence in your spoken French.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to connect with your fellow learners and me. I can’t wait to see you all. Click here to sign in!

• Community Live Meetings

  On Mondays and Thursdays, these sessions are run by our dear members. They allow you to meet other community members and speak French in a supportive environment. It’s a great way to build confidence and reduce the fear of making mistakes. Click here to join!

Stay curious, and remember: fluency is a journey, not a destination.

Don’t miss out on these chances to connect, acquire, and grow together. I look forward to seeing you all there!

Cordialement,

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!