French conversation lessons to help you speak without freezing up
You understand quite a lot, but when you have to speak your mind goes blank. In these lessons you do the talking: real topics, live correction and a confidence boost you'll notice within the first few weeks.
French conversation lessons are for people who already have the basics and want to move from understanding to speaking. In a group class you speak for a few minutes; in a private lesson you speak for most of the hour, and every mistake becomes a chance to improve.
Why is speaking French so hard?
English speakers often know more French vocabulary than they think: English has borrowed thousands of words from French. What holds people back is usually something else:
- Lack of real practice: many students have studied grammar for years but have spoken very little.
- Fear of making mistakes, especially with pronunciation and the gender of nouns.
- Translating in your head from English, sentence by sentence, which makes conversation slow and exhausting.
- Not knowing the phrases of spoken French: French people don't talk the way textbooks do.
Guided conversation tackles all four problems at once: you speak a lot, in a relaxed, judgement-free setting, and you learn the expressions people really use.
What the conversation lessons are like
Real topics
Current affairs, work, travel, culture or your hobbies: we prepare topics that interest you, so you actually want to talk.
Live correction
While you speak, I write down your mistakes and the correct version in a shared document that you go over afterwards.
Pronunciation
We work on the sounds English speakers find hardest: the French u, nasal vowels, the r and the silent e.
Active vocabulary
After each lesson you take away the words and expressions you were missing, ready to use in your next conversation.
What do we talk about in class?
Topics are adapted to your level and your interests. A few examples:
| Level | Typical conversation topics |
|---|---|
| A2 | Your daily routine, your job, your holidays, recommending a restaurant, telling an anecdote |
| B1 | Today's news, comparing two cities, defending a simple opinion, talking about a film |
| B2 | Topical debates, remote working, the environment, education, arguing for and against |
| C1 | Complex professional and social topics, nuance, humour and irony, formal and informal register |
Before the lesson I can send you a short article, an audio clip or a video to prepare the topic. That way you arrive with ideas and vocabulary, and the conversation is richer.
What level do you need for conversation lessons?
Ideally you should be at least at A2 level: able to introduce yourself and talk about everyday topics in simple sentences. If you are just starting out, we first work on the basics in general private lessons and gradually increase the conversation part. For the DELF, conversation is also the best training for the speaking paper.
If you want to keep practising between lessons, I recommend my guide on how to improve your French pronunciation and my selection of the most common French expressions.
Frequently asked questions about conversation lessons
Do you correct every mistake?
I don't interrupt every sentence, because that would break the flow of the conversation. I note the mistakes in a shared document and we go over them at the end of each topic.
Can I choose the topics?
Yes. You can suggest them yourself or let me prepare them based on your interests, your job or a trip you have planned.
How many lessons do I need to notice a difference?
It depends on your starting point, but with one or two lessons a week the difference usually shows within a few weeks. The key is regularity: one lesson a week for three months is better than five lessons in one week.
Are they useful for preparing a trip or a move to France?
Yes. We work on the situations you are going to face: renting a flat, talking to a doctor, dealing with paperwork or getting to know your colleagues.
Shall we get started?
Choose your pack and I'll get in touch within 24 hours to arrange your first lesson. If you'd rather ask me a question first, send me a message.