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LA NEWSLETTER

that promotes #progrèspasperfection!

Alex in Paris at the Eiffel Tower

French is about progrès et pas perfection. Join the movement!

By signing up to my mailing list you will receive:

My monthly newsletter teaching you about a key skill for your French.
An exclusive weekly video and spreadsheet every Friday of useful everyday French that I come across that week.
Occasional marketing emails for my products and services to boost your French confidence.

See you on the other side, Francophile! Et n'oublie pas: #progrespasperfection

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frenchinplainsight

I've been addicted to Lupin this week. Et toi ? I

I've been addicted to Lupin this week. Et toi ?

It's extremely rare that I get attached to a French show like this but one of goals in 2021 is to consume more French audio daily and I love Omar Sy so I was instantly ready to click.

This has coincided with my free Words of Week newsletter coming back this week where I send you a list of all my favourite and most useful expressions from my life in France every Friday along with a video explaining the terms in more context.

If you want to get the email tomorrow with many many terms I've picked up from Lupin, sign up to the mailing list at frenchinplainsight.com/newsletter or go to the link in my bio, click, then choose the first link "Exclusive free French content".

There's a lot of repetition of language if you pay attention which has helped a number of phrases stick in my head for example:

"Il nous balade", the police cry which means "He's giving us the run around."
"Tu l'as piégé !!" is shouted which means "You trapped him!!" but in the context of a crime it means "You framed him!".

J'adore.

Sign up before Friday afternoon to get it in your inbox :).

Et toi, est-ce que tu regardes Lupin cette semaine ?

#learnfrench #lupin #netflix #lupinnetflix #learningfrench #frenchlanguage #omarsy #frenchwords #vocabulaire #grammaire #frenchexpressions #expression #phrase #frenchteacher #frenchclass #parlerfrançais #apprendrelefrançais #fle #languefrançaise #lefrançais #lifeinfrance #livinginfrance #expat_in_france #frenchtv #frenchshow

My 8 week course for expats starts soon. Do you wa

My 8 week course for expats starts soon. Do you want to take part?

Find Your French Confidence is an 8 week online group experience for expats/immigrants living in France or another French speaking country.

It aims to help intermediate learners stop relying on English and their French speaking contacts in order to speak with confidence and become more independent in their lives in their adopted countries.

Living in a francophone country whilst still learning the language is often hugely daunting and traditional courses don't prepare you for the challenges your ego and self-confidence will face almost daily.

To overcome these challenges, you need to be pragmatic, objective, and efficient in your studies and where you put your energy, since French is on your doorstep.

Find Your French Confidence gives you new habits, shifts your mindset, and gives you lots of speaking practice with me and your own native tutor who will guide you and give you all the support you need, as well as up to 9 other expats!

Being the leader of your own learning is essential to your success, rather than being told what to learn. It should be a collaboration.

Sign up for the waiting list or read more now via the link in my bio.

When the doors open in February you will get access to the application form and I will hand pick the best 10 candidates.

Can't wait to launch and see you there!

I think I want to talk about this... Je pense QUE

I think I want to talk about this... Je pense QUE je veux parler de ça...

Make French a bit easier for yourself. Learn the above common expressions with "que" attached since you'll almost always need QUE, unlike in English where its equivalent THAT is not required.

Is this news to you or is it one you knew about but struggle to get out of your mouth in real time?

#learnfrench #french #frenchgrammar #grammaire #grammar #ispeakfrench #parlerfrançais #français #languefrançaise #ilovefrench #lovefrench #france #expatinfrance #frenchlearner #apprendrelefrançais #selfstudy #languagelearning #learninglanguages #sexyfrench #languagenerd #apprendre #fle #frenchteacher

Ça y est ! This year de la merde is over. What po

Ça y est ! This year de la merde is over. What positives can you draw?

I know that from my perspective it was a year full of growth and I'm grateful that no one close to me a chopé la maladie dont le nom commence par un C...

I got past a LOT of anxiety to start a French coaching business with the aim to turn my passion for learning French into a career. 😱

I learned a lot of business French in the process! Être assujetti à la TVA, faire des devis, les factures d'acomptes, de client, un avoir, la gestion commercial.... Oh la la.

I spoke to a lot of YOU and found out what you're struggling with.

Let's close out the year by remembering our accomplishments. *Your accomplishments.*
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Qu'est-ce que tu as réussi à apprendre cette année en français ?
Quels obstacles as-tu dû surmonter ?
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Make sure you're smile and "trinquer" to your achievements this year before setting new ones for deux mille vingt et un ! (I've started writing out numbers as words for extra practice!)
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Merci pour tout ton soutien cette année ! Tu es le meilleur/la meilleure !
Thank you for your support this year! You are the best!

#bonneannee2021 #learnfrench #frenchlanguage #languagelearning #happynewyear #bonneannee #bonnesfetes #france #languefrançaise #frenchteacher #frenchcoach

Well, 2020 is almost over... What are your French

Well, 2020 is almost over... What are your French goals for 2021?

Me personally, I want to add a lot more depth to my vocabulary this year and be able to talk about topics in the news in a more descriptive and accurate way.

So, over Christmas and into January I'll be continuing to think about how I want to go about it. I've taken some lessons recently on italki and participated in @clapfrancais Ciné Club and it's felt good to be back in learner mode.

Do you have specific skills you want to improve in French that the new year motivation will help you to learn?
Maybe you are looking forward to the renewed determination January brings in order to overcome an intermediate plateau?

What is it? I wanna know! Dis-moi dans les commentaires !

#frenchgoals #learnfrenchin2021 #frenchproblems #newyearsresolution #studyfrench #frenchlearner #motivation #frenchlanguage #languefrançaise #apprendrelefrançais #intermediateplateau #advancedfrench #delf #dalf #studygoals #speakinggoals #parlerfrançais #jeparlefrançais #learningfrench #learnfrench

I hope you DO care about this one... "Je m'en fou

I hope you DO care about this one...

"Je m'en fous" is - in my experience - the most commonly known way of saying "I don't care" in French amongst French learners.

It's important to know that "Je m'en fous" should be reserved for very informal situations with people you know you can use it around. I wouldn't use it with my girlfriend's parents for example...

The trouble is, when trying to have 1:1 translations between English and French, you can be misled by translators online because they don't tend to know the context of the sitauation or the force with which you want to say the words "I don't care".

Are you angry?
Is it more a "I don't mind, you choose"?
Do you want to emphasise that someone doesn't give a sh*t?

So here's a handy scale from the most widely acceptable to the most vulgar which should be used with caution!

Ça m'est égal. Pronounce the t.
Je m'en fiche.
Je m'en fous.
Je m'en tape.
Je m'en bats les couilles (I beat my balls of it?!)

Which ones are new for you?

#frenchexpressions #expression #jemenfous #learnfrench #frenchlanguage #speakingfrench #dailyfrench #frenchwords #apprendrelefrançais #fle #realfrench #frenchmistakes #vulgaire #français #french #phrase #studyfrench #speakfrench #parler #parlerfrançais #lifeinfrance #livinginfrance #expatlife

Keep it *simple*, learn the passé composé... St

Keep it *simple*, learn the passé composé...

Staying sane when learning French comes down to being smart with what you choose to learn.

Me, I'm all about everyday, usable language for my conversations in my life here in France.

So that means, instead of trying to stuff ALL THE TENSES into my head, I get speaking with the tenses I'll actually need.

Le passe simple ain't one of 'em (bad English for impact 😝).

Bar the odd use of "ce fut très sympa" (that's être in the passé simple) that you can hear and see outside of literature, le passé simple is only used in literature these days.

So for the vast majority of us who are learning French to speak it, the passé simple should NOT be one of our priorities.

And now, 6 years on, now that I know SO MUCH grammar from USING IT, I can understand the majority of the passé simple conjugations I read because they resemble their counterparts from other tenses.

Share this MUST KNOW French tip to your lower intermediate/upper beginner friends or in your story and tag me @frenchinplainsight.

Let's not shock any more cats. Their little hearts will burst.

P.S. The French world "simple" in passé simple refers to there being 1 part to the verb, rather than in the composé (compund) tenses where there are 2 parts: j'ai été (PC), je fus (PS). 🤓
I figured that out on my own. Proud!

#grammaire #frenchgrammar #learnsmart #smartfrench #learnfrench #frenchlanguage #passesimple #parlerfrançais #lifeinfrance #cats #shock #meme #frenchmeme #languefrançaise #studyfrench #fle #delf #dalf #frenchlearner #apprendrelefrançais #francophile #français #progrespasperfection #choc #chats #lovefrench #livinginfrance #vieenfrance #frenchteacher #frenchcoach

This week, j'ai refusé de me faire de faux espoir

This week, j'ai refusé de me faire de faux espoirs.
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I'm currently house-hunting for a new appartment and found a great place, only to miss out on it to someone with a better looking "dossier" in the eyes of the landlord. Tant pis. I was able to get it out of my system fairly quickly.
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So, of course this phrase had to go in my words of the week.
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For the past few weeks I've been sharing a list of words, expresions, and grammar that are particularly useful or interesting to me found in my life here in France with those of you on my mailing list.
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Despite lockdown, when you spend a lot of time in the language, new things always come up. It's just a matter of recognising them and being curious.
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If you want to get my complete list of weekly words every Friday along with a video of yours truly talking about them, then sign up to my mailing list.
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1. Click the link in my bio.
2. Click the first link "Exclusive free French content".
OR
1. Go to https://frenchinplainsight.com/newsletter

À vendredi !

What words have you learned this week that stood out to you?
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#progrespasperfection #learnfrench #frenchlanguage #frenchcoach #learningfrench #apprendrelefrançais #aprenderfrances #speakfrench #parlerfrançais #jeparlefrançais #frenchteacher #français #languefrançaise #fle #studyfrench #ilovefrench #frenchwords #frenchexpressions #livinginfrance

WARNING: This verb will trick you! I repeat: Ce ve

WARNING: This verb will trick you! I repeat: Ce verbe te piégera !
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"Introduire" is only your friend if you know how to tame it and use it. Hehe.
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I can joke about it now but the truth is, this verb is the source of one of my most embarrassing moments using the French language.
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I wanted to tell someone that someone we both knew had introduced me to a third party. So I said: "Oui il nous a introduit.". "He introduced us."
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Apparently, somewhere along the way of the evolution of these two languages, "introduire" lost its meaning of "to penetrate" in English and became what we know it to mean most commonly today.
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At ATMs in France you are told to INTRODUISEZ or INSEREZ votre carte.
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If you want to talk about introducing someone rather than penetrating them, use "PRÉSENTER".
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"Je présenterai Sarah à ma copine." -> "Je la présenterai à ma copine." -> "Je la lui présenterai.".
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Of course it's not just for people. You can be introduced to a new film, or song, or type of art.
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Over to you! Did you know about "introduire v présenter"? Give me a sentence with "présenter" down below. Every time you practice will get you closer to eradicating cette faute française.
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Tous les mardis we talk about common mistakes in French and simplify the difficult parts that you might not be aware of!
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Follow me @frenchinplainsight. I'm Alex. An English expat in France turned French coach.
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PS. If you want to be a more successful French learner and confident speaker, send me a DM and let's talk about your situation!
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#learnfrench #frenchlanguage #frenchcoach #learningfrench #apprendrelefrançais #aprenderfrances #speakfrench #parlerfrançais #jeparlefrançais #frenchteacher #français #languefrançaise #fle #studyfrench #verbesfrançais #grammaire #realfrench #presenter #introduire #embarrassing #awkward

"To make a bridge" is to take a long weekend. Mayb

"To make a bridge" is to take a long weekend. Maybe they used to involve building bridges? 😛
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Sometimes in France public holidays - jours fériés - fall on Thursdays, Mondays, or Tuesdays. People take advantage of this by taking off the work day in between, be it a Friday or Monday.
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I think by doing this they are making a bridge between days. 🌉
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I was going to post this when there was a public holiday coming up but the next one is Christmas!
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Useful expression for you? Let me know if you're enjoying these FAIRE FRIDAYS :).
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Every week on Fridays we talk about a different way of using FAIRE, since us English speakers love to use it when we don't know another verb!
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Follow me @frenchinplainsight. I'm Alex. An English expat in France turned French coach.
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PS. Message me if you'd like to talk about how coaching can make you a better learner and more confident French speaker.
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#learnfrench #frenchlanguage #frenchcoach #learningfrench #apprendrelefrançais #aprenderfrances #speakfrench #parlerfrançais #jeparlefrançais #frenchteacher #français #languefrançaise #fle #studyfrench #faire #verbesfrançais #fairefriday #expressionfrançaise #expressionsfrançaises #grammaire #ilovefrench #fairelepont

"Tu es français ? Non, en fait je suis d'Angleter

"Tu es français ? Non, en fait je suis d'Angleterre." (*But you thought I was French. Yay!*)
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Once you start saying "en fait" and noticing how often Frenchies say it, you'll never go back. It's pretty much a filler word at this point (Something that's said to fill the conversation - like "like, well, so, right..").
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"Actuellement" means "currently". "Je suis actuellement en train de manger."
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Here's another example. Non. En fait, c'est over to you! Give me a sentence ou deux in French where you'd like to use "actually". Use your imagination 🙂.
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Tous les mardis we talk about common mistakes in French and simplify the difficult parts that you might not be aware of!
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Follow me @frenchinplainsight. I'm Alex. An English expat in France turned French coach.
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PS. If you want to be a more successful French learner and confident speaker, send me a DM and let's talk about your situation!
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#learnfrench #frenchlanguage #frenchcoach #learningfrench #apprendrelefrançais #aprenderfrances #speakfrench #parlerfrançais #jeparlefrançais #frenchteacher #français #languefrançaise #fle #studyfrench #verbesfrançais #expressionfrançaise #expressionsfrançaises #grammaire #realfrench #attendre #faute #enfait #bref #fillerwords

👻 Est-ce que tu fais la fête ce week-end ? 🎃 C'est l'Halloween ! Moi non car c'est le retour du confinement en France...
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Peu fêté en France, l'Halloween devient de plus en plus parmi les jeunes adultes (y compris moi à 32 ans)
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It's "LA fête" because usually when you say it, it's known what you're celebrating, or that it's a big event it requires THE to make it sound important. Think "a party" v "the party".
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It's also fun to say "vous faites la fête" because "faites" and "fête" are pronounced the same. Too geeky? 😛.
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Someone who loves to party is a "fêtard" or "fêtarde"!
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Qu'est-ce que vous faites ce week-end ? Vous faites la fête ?
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Every week on Fridays we talk about a different way of using FAIRE, since us English speakers love to use it when we don't know another verb!
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Follow me @frenchinplainsight. I'm Alex. An English expat in France turned French coach.
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PS. Message me if you'd like to talk about how coaching can make you a better learner and more confident French speaker.
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#learnfrench #frenchlanguage #frenchcoach #learningfrench #apprendrelefrançais #aprenderfrances #speakfrench #parlerfrançais #jeparlefrançais #frenchteacher #français #languefrançaise #fle #studyfrench #faire #verbesfrançais #fairefriday #expressionfrançaise #expressionsfrançaises #grammaire #faireattention #fairelafete #realfrench #halloween

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