Through this blog, enter Live-French.net's virtual school and learn how you can learn to speak French in a fun way with our native-French teachers through Skype or by telephone.
One of my students pointed out to me that learning French is useful only if it helps you learn the French culture. I completely agree with that. When you learn to speak French, you not only learn ways to say things in French, you also get to learn cultural references that will help you to communicate with French people.
Learning about the French culture
When you mention French culture, the first words that come to mind are:
- French cuisine and gastronomy
- French wine
- French cheese
- French literature
- French singers
- French museums
- etc.
With this student, we have decided to focus on French literature and study a play from Molière, le bourgeois gentilhomme. It’s very interesting to see how the French language changed over the century. We also learned some expressions that we use today based on this play like:
Comme Monsieur Jourdain qui faisait de la prose sans le savoir
Learning French online to learn the French culture
The advantages of learning French online is that you get to study French with native-French teachers who have a tremendous knowledge and taste for the French culture before you manage to organize your next visit to France! Register now to French lessons online.
Are you thinking about traveling to Lyon for your next trip to France? No, well think again. Lyon is a beautiful city and has a lot to offer.
Why traveling to Lyon?
On top on being my home town (!), Lyon is one of France’s major cities.
Known as the French capital of gastronomy, Lyon also has historic sites from the Roman period, the Renaissance, a beautiful architecture from 17th century and more modern buildings (don’t miss the Opéra National de Lyon renovated by Jean Nouvel in 1993).
What museums to visit in Lyon?
Here are the top 3 museums you should visit if you spend a few days in Lyon:
- the musée des beaux-arts de Lyon, fine arts museum housed in a former convent of the 17th century, including the Baroque chapelle Saint-Pierre,
- the musée Lumière named after the Lumière brothers who invented cinema in Lyon in 1895,
- the musée des Tissus et des Arts Décoratifs, decorative arts museum.
Business in Lyon
Lyon is the headquarters of many companies in the pharmaceutical industry, high tech industry, media, etc.
If you’re in Lyon for business, make sure to save a day or two to visit the city!
Prepare your trip to Lyon with Live-French.net
Live-French.net offers private French lessons tutored over Skype by native-French teachers. There are courses available for all levels: French for beginners, French conversation, etc.
Register to a French trial lesson at a low price.
A good way to motivate yourself when you learn French is to set yourself some objectives. If you’re a beginner in French, your target could be to take the DELF A1 exam.
What is DELF A1 Exam?
This exam follow the curriculum from the European Framework based on 6 levels. A1 is the first level.
The exam consists in 4 pars:
- listening: you need to answer questions based on a record that presents every day life situations
- reading: four or five written documents are presented to you and you need to answer questions
- writing: filling a form and writing simple sentences
- speaking: guided conversation, exchanging information and role-play.
The total duration of the exam is 1hour and 20 minutes.
How to prepare for the DELF A1 Exam?
At Live-French.net, we’ve developed a specific course to get ready for the DELF A1 exam. In 20 units, this course provides all the basic vocabulary and grammar points that you need to know to pass this French exam.
You can download the first two units of this course for free: Get my French for beginners course
Speaking French fluently is the dream of many students who learn French and who already have a decent level. One option to really become fluent in French is to spend a certain amount of time in France or another French speaking country. 6 months is probably the minimum if you really want to feel the difference. Interacting in French all the time is probably the best way to speak French more fluently.
Speaking French fluently without leaving the country?
It’s not always possible to devote 6 months or more overseas just for the purpose of speaking French fluently.
That’s why at Live-French.net, we developed the idea of taking French conversation lessons with native-French teachers by telephone or by Skype who would focus on the vocabulary and topics that are good for you. It’s flexible, personalized and fun!
We can divide the French newspapers into 3 main categories:
- national daily newspapers: the most recognized papers are Le Monde, Le Figaro and L’Equipe (providing the sport news)
- daily papers that are region based: Le Parisien, Ouest-France, Le Progrès de Lyon, etc.
- free newspapers: different papers have been given for free in the metro for example
How can I use French newspapers to learn French?
I highly recommend my students to regularly read French newspapers in order to learn new vocabulary on current issues. Nowadays, the Internet makes it easier for everyone to access theses resources. Pick a short article on a subject that you already know or that interests you. You can use this method with your teacher during your French lessons with Live-French.net.
One of the most difficult topic students finds when they learn French is how to conjugate French verbs.
Groups of verbs in French
First of all, let try to separate the problems. French verbs can be split into 3 groups:
- the first group: verbs that end with -er in the infinitive. They follow the pattern of parler for example. They are regular!
- the second group: verbs that end with -ir in the infinitive. They follow the pattern of finir for example. They are also regular!
-the third group: verbs that are not part of the first group or the second group, they follow very different patterns. As you may understand, they are irregular verbs!
Resources to learn how to conjugate French verbs
I usually recommend this website -http://www.leconjugueur.com/ – to learn and review third group verbs. (You should be able to conjugate first group and second group verbs without any problem.)
Whatever your level, French conjugation is a difficult topic. Make sure you know by heart the most common ones.
These days, a lot of students decide to learn French and to set themselves a goal: taking the DELF B2 exam for example.
Why should I take the DELF B2 exam?
On top of pushing you to study French regularly, the DELF B2 exam is a great opportunity to prove your level to whoever you need to prove it, employer, school, etc.
When you decide to prepare for the DELF B2 exam, you should ask yourself a few questions:
- is DELF B2 adapted to my level?
- do I have time to seriously prepare it?
- when should I take the exam?
- where is the closest DELF exam center?
For all these questions, our online French tutors at Live-French.net can help you to find the answers.
What is tested in the DELF B2 exam?
The DELF B2 exam is a comprehensive French exam that is split in 4 parts:
- listening comprehension
- reading
- writing
- speaking
The level is intermediate/upper-intermediate and will require you to know more than what you find in books, for example: French slang, French cultural characters, etc.
With Live-French.net, prepare yourself for the DELF B2 Exam:
take a trial lesson for as low as 6€!
It’s never too late to start learning French. At Live-French.net, we have dozens of students who started French from scratch, and are now able to speak French comfortably.
Can I learn French if I’m a beginner?
Following the program from the European framework, Live-French.net has developed a special course for beginners in order to learn basis grammar and vocabulary (A1 level) allowing them, by the end of the course, to understand simple sentences and interact in French.
