The classroom is great for providing a base in French, but it’s only the beginning  of your journey. I think that coursework teaches you how to learn French, but the rest is up to you. One thing that’s certain, however, is that interacting with people who’ve spoken French since birth has enormous advantages. Learning French with a native is better, that is undeniable.

Imagine. You’ve been diligently studying French – formal, textbook French for 5 years – and finally you’re in France and having to put your skills to the test. You’re in Gare du Nord and need to get to another station to reach your final destination. Then you realise that there is a multitude of lines, platforms and trains to choose from (metro or RER?) – and you have to ask for help. Now is your moment. But shock horror, you don’t understand half of what the RATP employee is telling you! That’s because there is a huge difference between written and spoken French.

Lessons with a native speaker will be a sort of immersion that will help you learn more about pronunciation, idioms, abbreviations, and more importantly it will give you the opportunity to practise real, authentic, informal spoken French, thus helping you to overcome the language barrier.

• Listening to native speakers helps you better understand spoken French.
• By imitating native speakers, your French will be less stilted and more authentic. Teachers and grammar experts may scoff at this, but native French has many informalities and pronunciation quirks.
• Learning French with native speakers sets you up with new friends and great memories. By actually meeting French people in your learning process, you’ll be making new friends who can open you to their culture.

Here’s a link to an article from Eurekly! which explains in more detail why learning with a native French speaker has indisputable benefits. Why Learn French Online with a Native Speaker? 7 Sound Reasons (eurekly.com)

To find out more about our native teachers French, Italian qualified native teachers in Hertfordshire and NW London. (experiencelanguages.co.uk)