Learn French, Think French
"I cannot teach anybody anything.
I can only make them think."
- Socrates
Bienvenue
You struggle with learning French?
You think:
"it's too complicated.
I'll never be able to understand it, or express myself fully in French,
so, what's the point anyway?!".
I get it.
Yet, I'm confident that,
step by step,
with patience and resilience,
you can get there!
(And even enjoy the learning process.)
So, what do you say?
Allez, c’est parti!
Let's French it up together!
« Je suis française et c’est assez naturellement que j’ai partagé ma passion de l'apprentissage des langues vivantes à travers leur enseignement. Assistante de langues de 2010 à 2012 puis prof qualifiée depuis 2015 au Royaume-Uni, je donne aussi des cours particuliers depuis 5 ans. Peut-être que mon prochain élève, c'est toi?!"
If you are still here and you understood what I said, bravo! You used a translator to read this? Don’t worry! Step by step, we will get you to a level where you won't need one anymore!
Here’s what I said: “I am French and it’s quite naturally that I shared my passion for learning languages through teaching them. I was a language assistant from 2010 to 2012 and became a fully qualified teacher in 2015 in the UK where I've also been giving tuition for 5 years. Maybe my next student is: you?!"
If you want to learn French, think French, get in touch and find out by yourself how far you can go.
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Tutoring
"Tell me and I will forget.
Show me and I may remember.
Involve me and I will understand."
- Confucius
Since I've started teaching, I've realised that we are all different learners who g at their own pace, with our own specific agenda and goal to reach. Whilst my books are aimed at a more general audience, with these packages, I want to target those specific goals, with the option to have the 1:1 tuition on the side to support them and go even further in their learning. Hopefully this is where your journey to think French starts and this website will become a reference for you to learn with care, support and resilience.
I have started teaching French in 2010 as a language assistant in Kent, in England. Since then, I've taught in France, Scotland, Finland and Norway. I have had the privilege to share my passion for learning languages with thousands of learners, who in return have inspired me to write e-books in which I give back all these years of experience. I hope you will find the right e-book for you here, and that we will "Learn French, Think French" together.
Why book a 1:1 session?
If you want to learn French, you are at the right place. My method relies on one principle: I will teach you how to think French. I believe that by making you think like a French speaker and by making connections with what you know of your language in a fun and smart way, you will learn French quickly and efficiently.
If you struggle with your French, know that you are not the only one. As I have helped hundreds of students (no matter what their background is, their level, their age, their nationality or gender), I can help you too.
Who am I?
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Native French speaker, born and raised in Brittany
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Teacher in the UK since 2011, worked in England and Scotland so I am an expert with GCSE, A Levels, N5, Higher and Advanced Higher
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Tutor since 2010
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SQA marker + Visiting Assessor since 2022
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Described by my students as "always patient", "so caring", "very kind" and "funny"
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Described by my colleagues as "very creative", "genuine", "warm", and "reliable"
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Marathon runner, I am very resilient
What do I have to offer?
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Sharing my expertise as a teacher of my own language, and as a learner of other languages (Spanish, German, Italian, Korean, Japanese, Mandarin, Breton), as an assessor and a marker
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Building trust in a non pressured atmosphere, online, when it suits you
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Helping you think French and making connections with what you already know
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Make peace with grammar and pronunciation
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Support you reaching your full potential
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Making the sessions relevant, helpful and fun
What are you looking for?
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Primary school kid to become a linguist
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Pass your exam/getting a top mark for your SQA (N5, H, AH) or GCSE exam (A levels)
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Teaching your students from home
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Developping a new hobby
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Stepping up at university level
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Support to get your DELF/DALF (B1, B2, C1 or C2 CECRL level) or FIDE (from A1 to C2)
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Impress your life partner because they come from a French speaking country
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Being able to comunicate when going on holidays in a French speaking country
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Buying a secondary house in France for your retirement days
No matter what your objective is, let me know and I will taylor lessons to help you reach it.
What will each session provide?
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A unique tailored programme of learning
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A chance to practice talking and writing without fear of being judged
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Individual feedback to keep track of your progress and decide on next steps
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Reflection on what you now know and need to work on
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Think like the French do
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Become more confident when communicating
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Unlimited access to a secure Google Drive with helfpul resources and homework
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A chance to ask unlimited questions about the French language
Reviews
"Miss H has taught me since i was 13 years old, im now 18 years old and learning with her i was always able to push myself to work and study hard.
I was able to learn Spanish and French with her and able to succeed in my exams, i always had fun learning with her and always looked forward learning with her.
Miss H helped a lot through my studies and always made me feel confident in my work and myself. She was always suportive and helped me expand my work beyond my limits. She understood how to involve me in class more than any other teacher.
She is honestly one of the best! :) "
Karina, United Kingdom
Books to learn real life French
"Tell me and I will forget.
Show me and I may remember.
Involve me and I will understand."
- Confucius
Books already (and soon to be) released
The basic vocabulary
This book aims at sharing the most common words and expressions so that whoever is keen to understand what a French speaking person is saying, they do, and even better if they can answer .
As such, it is in no way providing an exhaustive list of everything. There is a dictionary or loads of other lovely and useful books that do so very well.
The purpose of this book is to help you getting started with a focus on pronunciation and
words in context, to fit in, in real world more easily.
Your missions are:
1.to understand and be understood by getting the pronunciation right
2.to greet someone and know how to address someone
3.to say when you don’t understand
4.to ask for something
5.to engage in some ch it chat
6.to be able to respond in most common situations
7.to think French
The basic grammar
This book aims at helping you understand why you were once taught what feminine and masculine is, and the importance of understanding what a tense is and which one to use, to you're prepared to embrace any real life situation with confidence.
When you don’t know the grammar, the best you can do is take a guess really. The little basic grammar mistakes won’t bother most people in real life. Some people will find it cute or funny. But it certainly makes a difference when it comes to understand and be understood.
Your missions are to get a grasp of:
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Categories of words
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Articles
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Nouns
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Personal pronouns
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Verbs
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Adjectives and adverbs
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Prepositions
The most asked questions,
finally answered
This book offers no magic, but it will hopefully help you to make peace with the French language and understand: why there is “masculine” and “feminine”, do I say “tu” or “vous”?, how do I say “will” or “would” or “did”?, how do I know which one is the right preposition etc…
Your missions are:
1. to understand most common mistakes made by learners.
2. to know the way French native speakers think.
3. to express yourself with confidence.
The story behind the books
These book are made to help anyone learn French the way people who speak French, learned French.
I have now been teaching for 10 years across secondary schools in the
United Kingdom a nd tutor ing online for 5 years I have taught all kind of learners : from the age of 5 to 74, whether they are studying for their exams (GCSE and A levels in England; National 4, National 5, Higher, Advanced Higher in Scotland; FIDE in Switzerland, DALF and DELF in Europe ), whether they are young professionals or pensioners, my students have inspired me to write a series of books to share my experience as a teacher and as a learner,
with you.
So many times, so far in my career , I have heard and sympathised with the :
“I wish I had paid more attention in French classes. All I know is how to ask for a beer and the bill“.
"This is boring. The stuff we learn is not useful. When am I going to say how often I do chores to help at home? What I want to learn is what I might need or what will actually help me in real life, if I ever go to France or wherever they speak French."
“I have learnt French for 3 years and I feel like I know nothing."
First I heard, then I listened and started writing this series of books that I hope will help you the way they have helped my students, to get the level of French they wanted.
These books offer no magic, but they will hopefully help you to :
1. get started into learning French ( again), and stick to it
2. make connections between words in different contexts to retain the words more easily and to speak spontaneously
3. know how to pronounce words and sentences
4. learn words that are used in everyday life
5. think French
What to do now?
Send an email at frenchitupwithmissh@gmail.com to enquire about the book(s) you are interested in buying.
Get one book for £7 or two for £10.
Articles
What makes it unique
The specificity of the books are their focus on the major challenges of learning French:
- the pronunciation: a made up a phonetics way to pronounce words accurately, based on how the British speak English.
- the perspective: think French, make connections with your own language and find a new perspective to see things, to get the vocabulary and grammar to finally stick in your head.
Every book contains:
- vocabulary, from individual words to short phrases , focusing on pronunciation : how the words sound like,
- QR code directing to a private
Padlet to hear the words as you read them and the option to record yourself saying them, for practice, and feedback
- translation: way that French people think so vocabulary sticks in your head
better
-exercises to practice at the end of each mission, and their answers so you can work on this in your own time and at your own pace,
- examples of authentic scripted conversations
- a final quiz to check your level and progress.