About me: Thierry Gustin, native French teacher

The teacher behind La Classe Française

Thierry Gustin

Native French teacher

Born in Lille, in northern France. I studied Humanities, have lived in Madrid since 2012 and have been giving private French lessons since 2014. Author of several books on preparing for the DELF, the DALF and the TCF.

I'm Thierry Gustin, a native French teacher. I came to Madrid in 2012 after studying Humanities in France, with a clear idea in mind: to turn my passion for explaining French into my profession. Since 2014 I have been giving private lessons to adults and professionals, first in person and now online.

How did La Classe Française begin?

La Classe Française started in Madrid as a very simple project: tailor-made private lessons, far from the rigid syllabuses of language schools. Over the years I have worked with very different people: a dentist moving to France for work, students preparing for their Erasmus year in Belgium, candidates for Spanish civil service exams that include a French test and, above all, many DELF and DALF candidates.

Today all my lessons are online. For most of my students it is the best option: no travelling, times that fit into their schedule and all the materials shared in one place.

How I teach

For me, you are the main character in the lesson: it's not about me talking a lot, it's about you learning to use the language. My lessons are based on four principles:

• Start from your goal: an exam, a job, a trip or the pleasure of speaking. Every lesson brings you closer to it.
• Correct what really matters: your recurring mistakes, noted in a mistake log that you go over between lessons.
• Explain clearly, in English if needed: I speak French, Spanish and English, and I know where learners' typical mistakes come from because I see them every day.
• Practise a lot: in a private lesson you speak for most of the time, and that is what builds fluency.

A student who discovers their ability to learn never stops learning.

— Thierry Gustin

Why a native teacher who speaks your language?

A native teacher gives you French as it is spoken in France today: the pronunciation, the expressions and the register expected in each situation. A teacher who also speaks your language understands why you make mistakes. Many learners' errors come from translating directly from their own language: false friends, prepositions, tenses that don't match one to one… Knowing where a mistake comes from makes it much quicker to fix.

DELF and DALF specialist

Preparing students for the official exams has been an important part of my work from the start. I know the format, timing and marking criteria of each paper, which I explain in my guides to the DELF B2 and the official French exams. I also created DelfOnline, a DELF, DALF and TCF preparation platform for Spanish speakers, so that my students can practise between lessons. I am also the author of several books on preparing for the DELF, the DALF and the TCF.