A more seamless learning experience for French : Quel beau voyage!

Learning French as a student

Growing up as a bilingual child in France, I always found that the best students in English class were the kids who had a particular interest in learning. It could be to better understand the lyrics of their favourite band – my friend loved the Beatles and would often ask me what specific songs meant, not that I could explain to him much about Lucy in The Sky with Diamonds at the time. Others wanted to be able to communicate on game forums and unlock new secret paths for their video games. Having lived in Germany for a few years, I’ve experienced how personal interest also worked in adult life to provide a great source of motivation which is often required to learn a language. That's especially true if you don’t live in the country: you want to order in French during your yearly trips to Provence or Brittany and make sure you actually get what you ordered rather than be served "petits pois" every night as Only Fools and Horses Del Boy would. Do you like catching movies in their original language and want to watch your favourite French films noirs or learn about Lupin's latest heist? Are you looking to further your professional career at Airbus or planning to move to a French-speaking country?

Furthermore, particular insights into the cultural aspects of a language make learning it that much livelier and more interesting: you might be more interested in knowing how French people speak today vs. the seemingly antiquated sentences that your dusty manual feeds you. What are they all talking about, what dominates the headlines, and why are some issues more interesting to the French?

With personal interest and context, every lesson can become a new chapter of a riveting book. You actively soak in rather than painfully endure, managing to overcome things such as grammar hurdles and their many peculiar exceptions with much more enthusiasm. Enjoy the beautiful landscapes of the Tour de France without it being an exhausting Tour de Force.

Look for your particular field of interest in various media, whether it’s through podcasts, films and series, or music, and a seamless learning experience will follow.

Advice for other French tutors

Having grown up in France and lived there for thirty years I bring a unique blend of cultural immersion to my teaching. In this time, I earned a master's degree and worked in the cultural sector, further absorbing the nuances of the language in practice.

My journey through the French cultural landscape gave me a key understanding of the language's intricacies, to offer students a more authentic learning experience. Beyond grammar and vocabulary, I can share many insights relating to cultural context to make learning a language much more fun for students. This can include such topics as popular holiday locations, the culinary arts and specialties, the specific cultural landscape as well as looking into currents affairs.

If you´re a student looking for private French lessons, I can offer you private classes as a French tutor. Feel free to get in contact for more information.

Looking forward to speaking to you soon , à bientôt.

Jimmy