Trudy Roberts

FRENCH ON THE MOVE

Having spent more than half my life in France, I got the opportunity to work in many interesting sectors such as finance, fashion and art while I was there. French is a complex language and I learnt it by going to Paris at the age of sixteen to actively immerse myself in the culture by living there. I started off as an au-pair and intended coming home after a year but life kept finding reasons for me to stay. From Paris to the Pyrenees and St Tropez to deepest darkest Auvergne, I met all sorts of different people, accents and lifestyles.

I believe learning has to be made really interesting and that means having fun, enjoying oneself, making it as varied as possible while ensuring practise makes perfect!
Above all, just as children who learn through play and repetition we need to move so things like rules, words and pronunciation become literally engrained in us physically. Our body becomes our hard disc which holds the memory. So I believe in teaching not through sitting still but by engaging in an activity you do everyday and enjoy. That could be walking, cooking, gardening, shopping, sight-seeing or visiting an art galleries or museum - the choice is yours! If you’re feeling like this sounds different but fun, try it and see. No books or falling asleep at your desk doing homework. Start living an hour of your day in French and you’ll soon be speaking it. This is my promise to you.