Coucou les French learners,

Some of you have suggested that I write this newsletter in French, which seems logical given that it’s addressed to French learners.

However, since most of you are beginners, I prefer to write primarily in English to ensure my approach to French acquisition is clear and accessible to all.

But to accommodate those of you who requested French content, I’ll be including a section in French later in this newsletter, youpi !

The impact of Audiobooks

Recently, I’ve had the pleasure of coaching Danyle, a member of our French learners community.

Danyle is an upper beginner, meaning she understands common French words and structures and she can comprehend fables and simple stories.

With her goal of speaking French freely during her trip to France next year, I’ve been working with Danyle using the audiobook “La leçon de chocolat” by Theresa Marrama.

Our method involves Danyle listening to one chapter at a time and then narrating it back to me.

Try now! Listen to each chapter and try narrating each one.
Click here to listen to the audiobook!

This experience has been fantastic for Danyle’s language development. She told me that since she couldn’t rely on reading to understand the story, she had to focus intently on listening, which significantly improved her comprehension abilities.

The task of narrating each chapter back to me has also enhanced her understanding and also boosted her confidence in speaking French.

This approach has proven to be an effective way to bridge the gap between passive understanding and active language use.

Danyle shared on Trustpilot:

I am very happy to have found the AliceAyel website. I spent almost a year listening and reading through the stories on her site, starting at the Infant stage and working my way slowly through the Adult stage. My comprehension in reading and listening shot up and I recently signed up for her strong beginner’s bookclub. This, in turn, led me to her Private Coaching and now Alice is helping me on my journey to learn French speaking with confidence even when I make mistakes.

La leçon de chocolat : Une histoire fascinante

Maintenant, permettez-moi de vous écrire en français à propos du livre “La leçon de chocolat” par Theresa Marrama.

L’histoire se déroule en Belgique et tourne autour du monde fascinant du chocolat. Le personnage principal s’appelle Claude. C’est un petit garçon qui n’aime pas l’école.

Pourquoi ? Parce que c’est difficile pour lui. Claude n’a pas d’amis et certains garçons dans sa classe sont méchants. Les choses empirent encore lorsqu’il est associé à Luc, le garçon le plus méchant de sa classe, pour préparer et présenter un exposé (ou un projet). Le bon côté, c’est que l’exposé est sur le chocolat, et que Claude aime le chocolat.

Qui n’aime pas le chocolat ?

Étonnamment, à travers ses recherches sur le chocolat belge, Claude réalise que le chocolat et les gens ont peut-être beaucoup en commun.

A travers cette histoire, vous allez entrer dans le monde de la chocolaterie. Vous allez découvrir comment le chocolat est fabriqué et vous allez beaucoup apprendre sur les chocolatiers belges et le cacao.

En lisant ce livre, vous serez également touchés par les personnages, Claude et Luc, deux jeunes garçons qui n’ont rien en commun en apparence.

Ce livre, destiné aux apprenants de français qui sont à un niveau débutant avancé, est parfait pour enrichir votre vocabulaire, vous familiariser avec les structures grammaticales courantes, et vous immerger dans la culture belge.

Join Us on Your French Journey

Join our French program to deepen your comprehension of the French language.

Improve your listening abilities through engaging content
and speak French with confidence.