When you’re learning French, a 1hr French lesson per week will only get you so far. To really make progress, it helps to immerse yourself in the French language as much as possible in your daily life.

We think you’ll find these 5 French learning apps really useful – and they’re all completely free! We’ve tried them and we think they’re the best free apps to support you on your French learning journey.

• Radio France – Fip You will be spoiled for choice with the Radio France app! Our personal favourite is Fip radio. If you don’t listen to Fip already then you need to start immediately! It is always on at French Toast HQ. Not too much talking to be honest, but the music is just to die for and high percentage of French-language music too. Always handy for picking up extra vocab.

• Inner French We have a lot of time for Hugo and the team at InnerFrench. They always choose genuinely interesting topics and have transcriptions of all their podcasts which you can read in your own time. You can also sign up to their newsletter for interesting reading too. Always pitched with a non-native listener in mind, they will explain things a few different ways to make it easier for intermediate learners to follow. Highly recommend.

• TV5MONDE: learn French An oldie but a goodie. Be brave! Set your language to French during the set up. Then dive straight in! Complete exercises at your leisure, choose topics which you find interesting!

• Word reference For accurate and detailed translation from French to English and English to French on the go, in your pocket in seconds with loads of helpful example sentences. Much better than Google translate – we promise!

• Conjugaison Francaise Struggling to remember which ending to choose for that verb? Just search on conjugaison francaise – another free app which will make conjugation that bit simpler for you when you’re on the go and need an answer quick!

What would you add to the list?

About French Toast.

We are a petite but beautiful French teaching company based in the UK. Our 5* native-speaker tutors teach French through conversation, connection and community. Our thematic French learning packages can help you excel in French, no matter your reasons for learning and our group conversation classes can help you practise in a supportive, authentic environment. If you’d like to discuss how we can help you, book a free 15-minute consultation today.

You may not always have the time to indulge in a full Netflix series. So what should you do if you want a daily dose of short (interesting) French content when you’re pressed for time?

We’ve pulled together our suggestions of sites and YouTube channels which have a constant source of contemporary, relevant and interesting French content. Most of the sites we have listed do have a subtitles option too (if you’re feeling like you need the extra support).

https://www.brut.media/fr

https://www.arte.tv/fr/

TEDx Talks (just type TEDx français into YouTube

https://www.franceculture.fr/ (also on Youtube)

https://information.tv5monde.com/ (head to videos)

As in the UK, the 1st April in France is a day traditionally associated with playing pranks on people. One of the pranks French school children sometimes play is to sneakily attach a paper fish to an unsuspecting victim’s back and run away shouting ‘poisson d’avril!’ (‘April fish!’) when the victim realises they’ve been pranked.

But why fish? No one is exactly sure…Some theories say that it’s associated with the zodiac sign Pisces which begins around this time. Others say that it’s to do with the start of the fishing season. But most agree it’s probably something to do with the change in the calendar which was ordered in mid-16th Century which made 1st January the start of the new year as opposed to 1st April. Those who were slow to catch up were called ‘April fish’…

At the beginning of 20th Century it was customary to send postcards to mark the occasion. You’ll find some of our favourites below (weird but wonderful they may be!).

So you want to start reading in French?

It can be an overwhelming thing to begin with so here’s some top tips to help you out:

• Don’t look up every word you don’t know. It will take the joy out of it.
• Pick a book you already know which has been translated into French (see number 4 below)
• Start with children’s books as they may be written at a more accessible level.

Below you’ll find our pick of 5 French books for beginner and intermediate learners to get you started…

We hope this list helps you on your journey to reading in French. And don’t forget that if you need some 1:1 support from our tutors (or even some book recommendations!) you can book a free 15 minute consultation with us today.

Happy reading!

French Toast Lessons

Until such time as we can board a plane to our beloved France, here’s a list of books we compiled to help transport you across the Channel…

Do you have a recommendation to add? We’d love to from you @frenchtoast_lessons or bonjour@frenchtoastlessons.com.

Happy reading!

1. Emma Mackey (OK this one is a bit of a cheat because Emma was technically born in France and she is French and British. Her Father is French and her mother is English). Still really cool to hear her speak French though!

2. Bradley Wiggins

3. Emma Thompson

4. Eddie Izzard – If you haven’t seen Eddie Izzard’s ‘Learning French’ sketch you are in for a treat. You will also totally be able to relate if you studied GCSE French and subsequently found it completely useless…

5. Hugh Grant

Feeling inspired to learn French? Contact us today to find out more about or 1:1 learning packages and French conversation classes.

Bisous,

French Toast Lessons

Oh là là! For the first time in a long time, there’s hope in the air. Spring is springing and over the next few months the lockdown in England will be gradually eased thanks to the roll out of the Coronavirus vaccine.

However, whilst we can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel the vast majority of us remain under a strict ‘stay at home’ order for at least some weeks yet…

So why not use this time to give your French learning an extra boost?

To help you out, here are 10 tried and tested ways you can learn French without leaving the house

1. Have a post-it party!

Look up the French words for items around the house and label them with post its. The more you look at them the more chance you have of remembering them over the long term. It’s not like you can have guests around right now, so it doesn’t matter if it looks a bit messy

2. Download a French radio app

Try downloading an app like Simple radio so that you can listen to French radio whilst you’re pottering around the house. 40% of all music on French radio must be of French origin so the chances of hearing authentic French music are pretty high. Fip is really cool if you like jazz. France Inter and France Culture are also great.

3. Watch French breakfast telly.

Our favourite is Télématin (TF1) which you can watch on catch up here. They have uplifting stories and great presenters and it can be a great way to start your day.

4. Watch a French TV series on Netflix.

Believe it or not, Netflix is a fantastic resource for language learning. The subtitle/dubbing options can help you out whatever your current level. Our personal favourites are 10 pour cent (Call my agent) and Lupin. Check out our Instagram posts each week for recommendations of French films and series from French Toast students.

5. Cook up an à la carte delight!

Look up French meal ideas and follow the recipes in French. Try Marmiton, or La recette for starters (no pun intended).

6. Follow the news in France.

You can follow the accounts of Liberation (@liberationfr) and Le Monde (@lemondefr) on Instagram or Twitter. Also check out their web pages.

7. Make your own ‘French word of the day’ calendar.

Print off a blank calendar template and fill each day with a new French word. For inspo, follow @frenchtoast_lessons for daily French vocab list.

8. Change your phone settings to French.

This is a great way to learn vocab about emails/the internet/social media. But just make sure you remember how to switch it back.

9. Speak French on Zoom as part of a supportive community.

You can join a French conversation class like ours or if you’re on a budget look up a language exchange (many of which are free). There are also plenty of Facebook groups where you can find people willing to exchange languages online for free (just search for French learners or French language learning)

10. Don’t go it alone.

If you’ve been using a self-guided approach to learning French you may find that at some points your motivation starts to wane. If you would benefit from some additional 1:1 support, book a free consultation with us today to find out how our native-speaker French tutors might be able to help you stay on track and make infinite progress with French.

Bon courage!

French Toast Lessons

About French Toast.

We are a petite but beautiful French teaching company based in the UK. Our 5* native-speaker tutors teach French through conversation, connection and community. Our thematic French learning packages can help you excel in French, no matter your reasons for learning and our group conversation classes can help you practise in a supportive, authentic environment. If you’d like to discuss how we can help you, book a free 15-minute consultation today.

If you’re a Brit planning to spend a couple of months of the year in France then the good news is Brexit will not stand in your way. But what if you plan to move to France permanently, can you still make this dream a reality?

The answer is yes, you can.

UK citizens can still move to France after Brexit. It just isn’t as easy (or cheap) and there’s a few more hoops to jump through…

From now on, if you plan to spend more than 90 days in France you will need to apply for a visa as would any non-EU national (gosh we took that special treatment for granted didn’t we…). If you’re not sure which visa you need, the French visa site has a handy ‘visa wizard’ to help you choose.

If you want to stay for less than 12 months then you can apply for either a long stay visitor visa or a temporary long stay visa both of which cost about €99. Once you have this visa, then you are able to apply for a Residency Permit (known as the Carte de Sejour or Titre de Sejour). Prior to Brexit, the minimum income requirement for this was around €650 per month (for a single person) but has increased to around €1250 per month. You now also need to have a minimum level of French equivalent to about A2 level. Not sure what your current level is? Book a call with us to find out.

France is not currently issuing visas due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, so if you are planning to apply it’s best to wait a little while.

Can I still buy a house in France after Brexit?

Yes, you can. Property purchases are not affected by Brexit. Unless, of course, you plan to spend more than 90 days there in which case you would still need to apply for one of the visas above.

Can I still go on holiday to France after Brexit?

Yes, absolutely. Once travel is permitted we can resume our Paris city breaks and wine tasting trips once again! You can spend 90 out of every 180 days in France visa-free. Bear in mind, however, that this is 90 days out of 180 in the whole EU. So you can’t spend 90 days in France then pop down to Italy for another 90 (tant pis).

Also bear in mind that in the next couple of years, the Schengen area will introduce the ETIAS scheme – the European Travel Information and Authorisation System which is a light-weight visa entry system (similar to the ESTA in US). For now though, things continue pretty much as they were…

It’s still early days so no doubt changes will be introduced but hopefully this has cleared up where you stand on moving to France after Brexit.

If you are planning to make the move to France one day, why not check out our C’est la vie or Bon voyage learning packages. Book a free 15 minute consultation call with us today to find out more.

It’s no secret that we Brits find the French accent pretty sexy (merci Fred from First Dates). In fact, French has a world-wide reputation as the ‘language of love’. But where does this idea come from? And what makes it so romantic?

For starters, let’s clear something up. French is one of the ‘romance’ languages but this has nothing to do with the fact that it’s also a ‘romantic’ language (weird eh?)

The ‘romance’ languages (French, Spanish, Italian, Portugese, Romanian) are so-called because they have their roots in the Latin spoken by the Western Roman Empire. The fact that French is known globally as a ‘romantic’ language – associated with love and romance – is unrelated. So where does this association come from?

The truth is, no one really knows. Of course, there’s no official scoreboard for what makes a language ‘romantic’. But if there were, the rolling ‘r’s, mesmerising musicality and poetic phrases of the French language would probably score it near the top.

Plus, the country’s capital city is literally known as the ‘capital of love’ with a rich history of art, music and poetry strongly associated with romance. Who can compete with that?

Bottom line is, the idea of French being a romantic language is pretty cliché and borne out of Western ideas of love and romance we pick up from books, films and widely-held stereotypes (there is NOTHING romantic about Line 13 of the Paris metro in rush hour) …but it’s now so engrained in our conceptions of France and the French language that it’s hard to distinguish the two.

Rest assured, there’s so much more to the French language that just some gooey romantic phrases (although they are nice too – keep an eye out for our next post).

Want to get past the clichés and experience some real-life French culture? We at French Toast would love to help you, no matter what stage of learning French you’re at. All of our tutors are native-speakers who love to share their culture and language with you (but leave your stereotypes at the door!)

Bisous,

French Toast Lessons

Hands up if you love a French crêpe!

When you’re learning French, it’s not enough to just learn some vocab and gobble down the grammar books. Until you explore the culture and traditions of this beautiful country you’ll only get half a story. So it’s important to spend some time getting au fait with some of the festivals and traditions which exist in France (especially if you’re thinking of moving over there).

One such tradition takes place on the 2nd February: ‘La Chandeleur’ (a.k.a. French pancake day). Whilst it started out as a religious holiday it is now basically a day to celebrate this delicious French food in all its glory. French families will traditionally eat crêpes in the evening and children may take pancakes to school to share with friends.

The shape of the crêpe is said to symbolise the coming return of the Sun and in fact there are several mentions of the weather on La Chandeleur. Some sayings you might here are:

“Quand il pleut pour la Chandeleur, il pleut pendant quarante jours” (If it rains on Chandeleur, it will rain for 40 days)

“Soleil de la Chandeleur, annonce hiver et malheur” (If it’s sunny on Chandeleur wintry weather and misfortune lies ahead).

It’s also a pretty superstitious occasion. In some parts of France you might see someone put a coin on top of the crepe whilst it cooks to bring luck. Others insist on holding a coin in your right hand while you flip the crêpe with your left. A successful flip will bring luck and prosperity in the year ahead (we’d better start practising…).

So if you do find yourself in France on 2nd February, make sure you stock up on eggs, flour and milk (and of course…Nutella) so that you don’t miss out on this joyous day of indulgence!

If you are thinking of moving to France and want to improve your French we’d love to help you. Book a FREE 15 minute consultation today.