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Find out more about Séverine

• Do you speak this language fluently because of your origins or because a teacher inspired you to learn?

  I’m a native French speaker, born and raised in France by native parents. My passion for bridging cultures through language started as a kid, during summer holidays in Spain. My family would go camping for a whole month, each year and I loved connecting with local kids—learning and teaching songs, and even making puns by mixing French and Spanish. By the age of 10, I could confidently ask for the right size of clothes, shoes, and prices to the market vendors. Cultural exchanges have always been an endless source of enrichment for me, whether through social interactions, cinema, or literature... In this regard, teaching foreigners has always been a deeply rewarding experience.

• Can you name a living, historical or fictional character that you think is the emblematic representative of the language's culture?

  I’m a movie and music buff, so I chose Jeanne Moreau—maybe not the most famous name, but a unique artist who bridges both worlds. She’s emblematic of the French Nouvelle Vague, a film movement that captured the cultural upheaval of the ’60s, when a younger generation of directors (who later coined the term film d’auteur) sought to break free from a rigid, aging-male dominated system.
  La Nouvelle Vague was actually itself coined by the sociologist Françoise Giroud, who, while leading a survey for L’Express, in 1957, used it to describe the surge of creative energy among young people at the time. It was soon adopted to relate specifically to these emerging young movie directors. The two most famous being Jean-Luc Godard and François Truffaut and their iconic À
  bout de Souffle (Breathless) et Jules et Jim.
  
  The latter stars Jeanne Moreau and immortalizes the song Le Tourbillon de la Vie, which she performs in the film. Both the song and her character, Catherine, embody something quintessentially French: the rejection of conventions, the embrace of freedom, and the ability to find moments of joy and beauty in life’s fleeting and unpredictable nature.
  
  I have a particular fondness for Jeanne Moreau. Her acting, both intense and subtle, along with her deep and captivating voice, made her a major figure of La Nouvelle Vague. Less widely famous than Catherine Deneuve, who tends to embody a more distant, almost unreachable femininity, Jeanne Moreau represents a complex type of Femme Fatale à la française—her characters often revealing a mix of strength, fragility, and emotion that transcends the traditional notion of the seductive woman. Growing up in a world where women were often portrayed as ingénues or hysterical, in any case, mere objects of desire under the influence of men, her roles made a lasting impact on me.
  
  She led a parallell musical career, similarly blending depth and lightness in her songs (J’ai la mémoire qui flanche, La peau Léon), making her repertoire unique. Her interpretations beautifully shift between tenderness, irony, and nostalgia, creating a rich emotional palette. Here is the clip of the musical Jules et Jim extract: https://youtu.be/dcVcwwo8QFE?si=gSFEms3bTZ7plHDY

• Is there a typical word, phrase, tradition or behaviour in the language that you particularly like?

  My love for language and my life philosophy have definitely been influenced by the 20’s Surrealist cultural movement (from which the energy of the 60’s actually derives) and their desire to explore language in unconventional ways, triggering dreamlike, accidental, and spontaneous creativity that fuels our capacity for wonder. It carries the vibrant energy of post WWI era, born from a necessity to break free from the dehumanizing logics that lead to such events. Its emphasis on spontaneity and the liberation of human expression also provided a stark contrast to the rigid structures of the time.
  
  This is exemplified in the practice of Cadavre Exquis, where several people write sentences on a piece of paper, one after the other, without knowing what the previous person has written, except for the last word, which they start from. It’s a very fun game to try with friends, if you haven’t already.
  
  Surrealism, indeed had a lasting impact on art, influencing generations of artists. I can’t resist mentioning the writers of Oulipo (Ouvroir de Littérature Potentielle) in the 1960s. However, what set their approach to tapping into the subconscious apart was their use of rigorous constraints—such as forbidding the letter ‘E’ in Georges Perec’s famous La Disparition, an intriguing novel that follows a logical structure while showcasing an unusual use of language. It can be turned into a fun grammar exercise in class by trying to coin words or invent sentences that respect the characteristics of parts of speech (nouns, verbs, adjectives) and a logical syntactical structure. I refer you to the end of the article for an example of a funny Oulipian challenge, playing with stereotypes.
  
  Lastly, Surrealism’s influence extended beyond the cultural world, permeating French society and inspiring movements such as the Situationists in the late 1950’s. This political group advocated for the irruption of the irrational as an act of resistance against an increasingly normative, competitive and consumer-driven world. They sought to achieve this through subversive acts and the concept of ‘détournement,’ which involved the reappropriation of mainstream cultural and political messages, transforming them to challenge the status quo. An extreme example of this was embodied by the May 68 slogan ‘Sous les pavés, la plage!’, encouraging passers-by to take out cobblestones to uncover the sand and use them against the police. More generally, they advocated parody and bringing art into urban spaces. Like the Surrealists, they played a crucial role in questioning established norms, utilizing creativity and art as instruments for social and personal transformation.

• Why does speaking this language matters to you?

  As you can tell by now, the reason teaching French and sharing my culture matters so much to me is that it has greatly shaped my worldview and my love for the poetic function of language, whether in everyday life, literature, cinema, or songwriting. It has also played a key role in molding my personality, helping me balance high standards with a deep need for wonder, creative energy and
  collective initiatives.
  
  Thinkers like Bourdieu and Foucault have also resonated deeply with me, providing an insight on power dynamics and fostering tolerance. While my initial studies focused on language, my shift toward social work felt like a natural evolution.
  
  However, I want to clarify that, over time, I have developed a critical perspective on French culture, including its libertarian trends, which at times veered towards extremism. Moreover, despite their aspirations for social justice, these movements were not without misogynistic trends. I believe that while the 1960s paved the way for more women’s rights, the sexual revolution never fully materialized. The recent rise of #MeToo and the many scandals that have only emerged today—years after the initial wave of #MeToo—highlight this gap. It is interesting to note that, initially, some prominent women, including Catherine Deneuve, even advocated for men’s right to bother women! (Le droit d’importuner les femmes). This serves as a stark reminder of the deeply sexist
  society that has persisted.
  
  Lastly, although I want to spare you too many details, over the years—especially in social work—I have come to realize how history, libertarian cultures, and other intellectual currents emphasizing ego and reason have, however, shaped French society into an increasingly individualistic, intolerant, and anti-religious mindset. As a result, the social divide already highlighted by Jacques Chirac in his 1995 electoral campaign has worsened, fueled by political strategies amplified by the media. The sense of collective responsibility has been significantly weakened, making it more challenging to address social issues and engage in community-driven initiatives.

• What is the main difficulty in learning this language and what can help the process of learning?

  The fact that French requires learners to know the gender of nouns—a concept that is arbitrary and varies across languages—to avoid grammatical agreement mistakes can be discouraging at first. Much like in Spanish, though a bit more challenging due to the lack of an obvious predominant pattern, such as -a indicating feminine and -o indicating masculine, to determine gender.
  
  To help with that, I always introduce new words with their gender. Besides, I encourage learners not to get inhibited by gender mistakes, but instead, to dare take risks while trusting that my guidance and their cognitive faculties are progressively building up a set of recognizable patterns that will prove efficient over time.
  
  Added to that, the fact that not all letters are pronounced in French can pose an unsettling challenge at first. For example, certain vowel combinations create specific sounds (e.g., ai = è, au = o). That’s why, from the very first lesson, I provide a phonetic chart to use throughout the lessons, encouraging learners to write down words they find difficult to pronounce, and offering practical training with these sounds.
  
  By making them aware of the characteristics of vowel sounds and how to shape them with their mouth, I keep them actively engaged and equip them with efficient tools that they quickly learn to use to correct their pronunciation themselves.
  
  Over time, thanks to the regularities of the language, these sound patterns become second nature. But I must not lie to you, finding the right gender remains a playful challenge! : )

• Provide a valuable anecdote related to your language learning or your school days.

  As a kid, I remember one specific challenge I was facing while learning how to read, practicing with the woman who watched over me before school. I had trouble assimilating the - ent pattern at the end of verbs in - er conjugated with ils/elles. I kept getting caught, identifying it too late and pronouncing it, whereas it is a silent sequence of letters.
  
  I also have a funny anecdote from my childhood that the Surrealists would have definitely praised! We were having this exceptionally fancy lobster soup. Not only was this sea creature new to me, but so was the name of this creamy fish soup: La bisque. I accidentally referred to it as La bisque de Léomard, triggering bursts of laughter from my parents and my brother. No doubt, that’s why I remember it to this day, ahah! I had mixed up homard (lobster) with léopard!

• How has travel or a specific trip helped you to increase your skill and knowledge of the language?

  Travels are, of course, one of the best ways to improve in a foreign language. That’s why I find it so valuable to recreate real-life situations that truly matter to the learner.
  
  I’ve always been amazed at how physically stepping into an English-speaking environment seems to instantly switch my brain into another mode. I have a vivid memory of the first time I dreamt in English, while visiting my Australian friend for a month—my longest stay abroad at that time, when I was 19. It felt like something had clicked, as if my mind had fully embraced the language. That moment made me realize how immersion isn’t just about picking up more vocabulary—it actually reshapes the way we think and process information. It’s the difference between truly internalizing a foreign language’s structure and doing the mental gymnastics of constructing sentences by translating from one’s native language.
  
  However, books—and especially movies, since they also train your ear—are also wonderful ways to internalize structures and build meaning from the context. They helped me tremendously in improving my English.
  
  Le Petit Prince is an excellent choice for French learners. Its simple language and original illustrations make it accessible and engaging.

• What makes you a Superprof in language?

  If you really want to help someone, you first need to actively listen to them and try to understand what they truly need and how they see things in their own context. What works for you isn’t necessarily what will work for them and your expectations for them may not be theirs. Your role is to guide them to experience things and find their own way. You are not a model to imitate.
  
  My parallel career in specialized education as a youth social worker is what truly helped me grasp the essence of active learning pedagogy. Tuning in to learners has been a game-changer. All the more since I’ve recently made my ambition of creating truly tailored programs a reality by introducing interactive content creation tools into my practice. They are a thrilling way to adapt learning experiences and enhance engagement.
  
  Exemple de challenge oulipien
  
  À brader : cinq danseuses en froufrou (grassouillettes), huit ingénues (joueuses) kleptomanes le matin, neuf (onze peut-être) quadragénaires rabougries, six travailleuses, une valeureuse walkyrie, x yuppies (zélées)
  
  Now, that would definitely be a translation challenge for a chatbot! It’s tempting!
  
  Here is the literal translation by Chat GPT :
  
  For sale: five ballerinas in frills (bulky), eight ingénues (jaunty) kleptomaniacs by morning, nine (or maybe eleven) languishing ladies, six meticulous maids, one noble nymph, x youthful yuppies (zealous).
  
  And a version where I asked it to only respect the alphabetical progression of the first letter of words: Avid bees cautiously dart, eagerly flying, gracefully hovering, instinctively jumping, keenly looping, methodically navigating, overtly pausing, quickly rushing, subtly turning, unpredictably veering, wildly zigzagging.
  
  Words starting by X and Y were first missing, then it added, wildly xeroxing, yielding zealously.
  
  And I couldn’t resist trying my version!
  
  À brader :
  
  carnet dicté en français, grossièrement, honteusement, injustement jeté, kitsch, laid mais novateur, ouvertement provocateur, quoique racoleur, subtil, terrible, unique vecteur, wigwam xénophile : yeux zélés
  
  Can you!?