Do you long to learn French? Perhaps you need it for work, planning to move to France or want to speak French so you get more from a holiday from shopping at a street market to ordering in restaurants and more. French is a beautiful language, but learning it can be frustrating when the classroom experience doesn’t prepare you for everyday conversation.
You can spend weeks, months, or in some cases years, studying verb conjugations, pronouns and the gender of nouns, then find yourself in a café or bakery and realise the French that you have learnt bears no comparison to the French you are hearing. You’re left wondering why all those study book or hours spent on an App haven’t helped you feel more confident and capable. And if that sounds familiar, you are certainly not alone.
Learn French the Natural Way
That frustration was familiar to Carl Adkins, founder of Experience France. For 15 years, he divided his time between France and the UK, but despite years of classroom lessons, he hadn’t managed to achieve the level of fluency he wanted. He more or less gave up on the idea of ever mastering French. But then he decided to spend two years studying how brains acquire language whilst immersing himself in French life, and everything changed.
At that stage, Carl’s aim wasn’t to become an expert in the language rules, he’d already failed at that! He wanted to embrace the local culture and understand the people around him. He began listening closely, joining in with everyday situations and practising without worrying so much about getting everything right. Crucially, he did this through experiences that interested him and worked with co-founder, Hebret Maasho, to develop themed coaching sessions linked to real experiences and local activities that aren’t tied to a classroom.
Gradually, the sounds and rhythms of French became more familiar, his confidence grew – and something clicked. He began to see that there was another way to make progress with his language skills: to live French, rather than treat it solely as a subject to study.
Learning French through experiences
Carl was right about the fact that there are different and more effective ways to learn a language rather than just by rote learning and grammar, and this realisation led him to a method of learning connected with the Natural Approach.
The Natural Approach is an established tradition in second-language teaching that prioritises understanding and communication. The idea is to give learners plenty of meaningful French they can follow, even if they don’t understand every word. A meal, a visit to the market, doing something you love and putting the words that you use into context: you can use what is happening around you to work out the meaning and begin to notice how words and phrases fit together.
For adults, this doesn’t mean that grammar or explicit teaching has no place. A short explanation can help make sense of what you’re hearing; the difference is that rules are not the whole experience.
Carl’s approach combines understandable language with real situations, repetition and the chance to try speaking. Listening comes first, then speaking builds over time. Reading alongside audio helps connect written words with their sounds, while short, regular practice keeps French part of everyday life. And learning with other people brings the give-and-take of conversation that an app on its own can’t provide.
Experience France – French immersion course in Paris
Carl’s experience left him convinced that he wasn’t alone and that other people didn’t have to struggle through the same frustration. He also realised that learning could be fun and enjoyable when it was built around real communication, personal interests and French culture and that when it is, it actually facilitates the learning process.
And with that idea and the profound belief that language learning “should be as natural and engaging as the language itself”, Experience France was born, creating a way for people to learn by listening, taking part and connecting with the country around them.
Three ways to start speaking French
When you are ready to get started on your French speaking journey, Experience France offers three plans, depending on how you want to begin.
Discover combines free self-study, using free themed audio, video and reading materials with optional paid online coaching. There is also an optional video-learning subscription. It’s a way to start from home, build familiarity with French and prepare for future immersion.
Immerse takes learning into France itself. The five-day group experience is based in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, just outside Paris, with a maximum of four people. You can choose five half-days, totalling 20 hours of immersion, or five full days, totalling 40 hours. Four-star accommodation and breakfast are included; the full-day option also includes lunch. Cultural visits and everyday activities bring the language to life.
Grow for ongoing support. Grow combines the Experience France Club with fast-track coaching and personalised immersion. The annual plan includes 24 hours of private online coaching and a five-day immersion in France, with 40 hours of immersion time. Accommodation, breakfast and lunch are included, and group sizes are limited to fouror can be privatised.
The annual plan includes 24 hours of private online coaching and a five-day immersion in France, with 40 hours of immersion time around Saint-Germain-en-Laye in the west of Paris.
Carl’s top tips
You can start making French part of everyday life before you book a course and Carl is always happy to share his experience and advice. Carl’s top three tips are:
Try simple French audiobooks, ideally with the text available so you can read along when it suits you. You could listen while walking or cooking or simply make it part of your regular routine. The aim is to hear French often and let its sounds become more familiar.
If you can, set your sat nav to French. If you already know the route, you can concentrate on the words as you hear them: à gauche for left, à droite for right and tout droit for straight on. (Note: Waze allows you to change language but Google Maps doesn’t!)
Listen to French TV or radio. A familiar film dubbed into French can be a useful place to start because you already know the story. Try listening without English subtitles or use French subtitles if they help you follow along. Try listening with French subtitles but don’t fixate when they’re wrong but if you don’t know the story then use English subtitles if they help you follow along.
“Remember, overall, the goal is to hear as much French as you can to train your ear first, the understanding and speaking comes after – just as we learned our first language!” says Carl.
Carl has also created a self-study guide which you can get for free here: experiencefrance.net-free-french-self-study-guide
Whether you begin at home or head straight to France, Experience France offers a way to bring the language closer to the things you love about the country. Carl’s own experience taught him that learning French is about more than remembering words: it can be a way to connect with people, places and the culture around you. And what could be more enjoyable than that?
To find out more or to book, visit: experiencefrance.net/plans
