The majority of speakers of English as their main language or mother tongue struggle with exactly the same issues when speaking French – mainly pronunciation due to the difference in sound and spelling of most French words and of course the distinctive French accent.

English speakers can however overcome these difficulties by following some rules which I explain very clearly, knowing how and when the rules get broken and of course through practice, support and encouragement. The historical relationships between England and France have also of course influenced our two languages and sometimes the similarities (words known as cognates or near cognates) can work in our favour for communication and understanding, however there are also many 'false friends' which can lead to great misunderstandings! So, if you want to speak better French, sign up for some lessons. My philosophy is producing fun lessons with plenty of speaking and I will tailor the lessons to suit your individual needs, whether it is for business purposes, exams, travel or just for your own intellectual progression and improvement. I really enjoy teaching people of all ages and watching them progress.

It is frustrating, however, that despite some excellent French teaching, many people continue to speak French with poor pronunciation or a lack of confidence and then sadly they give up.

Perhaps some of the problems are summed up in this superb quotation from R F Delderfield's Diana written in 1960 but set in the thirties and forties – but has anything really changed?

Don't worry I won't have you listening to old records, it will be downloads or CDs but I will do my best to have you speaking better French before next Christmas!

Attention! Les Faux Amis:

• 'blesser' - to wound (not to bless!)
• 'un car' - a coach (not a car!)
• 'la journée' - the day (not the journey!)
• Find out the meaning of 'la librairie', it isn't a library!

Cognates and near cognates :

• orange
• le week-end
• la banque
• J'adore...