About me
Salut ! I’m Julie and I help intermediate students get confident in French so they can connect with native speakers.
You have been studying French for many years and are still struggling to understand native speakers? You are willing to learn French to make meaningful connections with other francophones? I’m here to help!
In 2013, I wanted to travel the world so I moved to London to learn English first. Once there, I found out the world was there, waiting for me, so I stayed in the British capital for almost 7 years. However, I soon discovered that despite having studied English for 8 years at school, I couldn’t understand native speakers. The opposite was also true.
After a few years of struggle, I finally realised that more grammar as well as more reading would not help me. So I dropped Jane Eyre and my B2 English grammar books to finally tune into English by listening to more podcasts and watching videos adapted to my needs.
This was the best decision I made. After a few months, I was finally able to connect with native English speakers, from all over the world. A blast!
That’s why I also changed the way I teach.
How ?
French lessons focused on interactions
My French lessons and programmes focus on listening and speaking, two skills which are at the core of verbal communication. You can start today to tune into French by listening to my blog posts about how to improve your listening skills in French.
French lessons to connect
I believe that learning and speaking another language is not only a way to communicate, but also a way to connect with people. I love to teach, and I am passionate about hearing your stories! That’s why I created the listening and speaking programme Pardon My French focused on spoken French.
You can also meet me in Barcelona or online every week at my intermediate conversation club. We chat about life and exchange ideas in French about current affairs. Join us!
Very Interesting Facts
I grew up in a village in the rural area of Limoges. C’est ici.
When I was young, I wanted to be Tintin. It didn’t go too well. Out of despair, I became a civil servant. It led to more despair.
After 2 years in service of the French Republic, I broke free from my office job and left to Mexico to teach French.
Since 2009, I have been on the move. I have lived in various regions in the South of France, Mexico, London and moved to Barcelona in 2019.
Unintentionally, I have lived in countries and regions with strong cultural identities such as Corsica, the French Basque country and now Catalonia.
Although I didn’t study languages at uni, they have been part of my life for the last 10 years: I speak English at home, French with my family and students, Spanglish with my friends and Portuguese with my dog.