Coucou les French learners,
I am back from Pau where we had an absolutely amazing week with my sister, Astrid! We enjoyed hanging around the many pedestrian areas, admiring the breathtaking view of the snow-capped Pyrenees mountains, and indulging in delicious food and drinks. These are the perfect ingredients for an unforgettable trip. And we are now ready to share that experience with you!
Astrid and I found a cozy place right in the heart of Pau where we can host our French boosting sessions. We are still in the process of finalizing the details, but once we have everything lined up, we will send out the programme.
If you are ready to join in on the fun, please fill this in. It only takes two minutes.
Our trip is happening from October 16th to the 21st, and it promises to be a one-of-a-kind experience. You will be speaking French, laughing, relaxing, and enjoying l’art de vivre à la française. Each day will include a live story session, an authentic French experience, and a delicious lunch, all while spending quality time together.
This is the perfect opportunity to boost your own journey to French acquisition while experiencing an authentic French stay.
#lefrançaisnaturellement is about to get real, and you won’t want to miss it!
Spring live classes
Do you need a French reset?
I have your back! There are still spots available, choose from three weekly classes for three different levels!
We had so much fun during our first Beginner Plus session. We sang a popular children song – Savez-vous planter les choux ? It is repetitive but it is great to acquire high frequency words and structures. Go through this song for free now!
After our session, Ali asked me:
I enjoyed our first session, and the singing was fun and made me forget my nerves. It was good everyone joined in and we didn’t care what we sounded like.As you can see/hear I am still struggling with speaking. I can comprehend and get the gist of your stories but I feel that is mainly because I am a visual person and I see the text.When I am alone and use the translator, it recognizes some/most my french speech but when I am asked in front of people I just clam up and my brain goes blank.I have a question please – should I now start to turn off the text (because I tend to rely on it) or is it best to just keep it there and hopefully my brain will absorb more on the journey to actually speaking.I have just gone onto the 30 days drawing challenge – again a visual thing so easier for me than oral or auditory – am I just taking the easy way out?
It’s great that you’re working on improving your speaking skills! It’s normal to feel nervous or anxious when speaking in front of others, especially in a language that you’re still acquiring. Speaking is the result of language acquisition. First you need to receive a massive amount of French input, then you will speak spontaneously without being anxious.
For now, because you are a visual person, it helps you to listen and read in order to understand French. It is all good! You need to listen and read to be able to speak later on. So do not feel bad about relying on reading. Keep on reading and listening to many, many stories everyday. Keep on doing the drawing challenge as it is another source of French input.
It is not the easy way out! It is THE way to acquire French. As you hear and read more and more stories, you will get used to French pronunciation and intonation and naturally, you won’t need to rely on the text so much. It will come naturally and effortlessly.
Remember, acquiring a new language takes time. Everyone is different and has their own unique learning style, so be patient with yourself and keep enjoying it, and you’ll see progress over time. #trusttheprocess, your brain is incredible.
AND this what Ali wrote to me!
I will continue as I am and one day ………I started the drawing challenge and am enjoying it too. I just expand the story each time and it is amazing how much I have learnt from you and your stories – you are so right it just suddenly comes back to me.
Review of the week
Nick who recently joined us, shared:
The baby stage videos are amazing and I absolutely love them! Understood every message and learned loads while being fully engaged with the stories! Love them and thank 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.