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

  A bit of both. Before teaching French as a foreign language, I taught English as a foreign language in France and I was inspired at university by one of my teachers who was passionate about Dickens. I then started reading a lot of literature in English but also in French. When I began teaching French in England I rediscovered and researched the rules of French to improve my explanations to a British audience. It took me several years to master the basics and I am still learning the fine details but I am very confident with my explanations now. I speak the language fluently because I am French but I teach it competently because I have worked to develop this skill.

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

  There are many historical characters and artists who are emblematic of French culture and many sports personalities who are wonderful ambassadors for France. However, I think that it is important to see French as more than the language of France but as an international language because there are many Francophone countries in the world. For me Tintin, the Belgian reporter, represents very well the diversity of the French language beyond France.

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

  The tradition of the “galette des rois” is a lovely tradition in my opinion. It takes place on the 6th of January and is a great example of how tradition, religion and conviviality are mixed together. In France we celebrate Epiphany with a cake with a hidden charm in it. When the cake is cut, the slices are distributed among the guests. Whoever gets the slice with the hidden charm gets to wear the crown. It is a very simple tradition which involves and pleases the whole family, adults and children alike. In Catalonia, there is a variation of this tradition with a second charm: whoever gets the second charm has to pay for the cake for the following year.

• 4) Why does speaking this language matter to you?

  Speaking French matters to me because it is my language. It is also a language that many people consider to be beautiful. In a global world, it is important for people not to be monolingual and French is a good language to learn. French is spoken in 43 countries on every continent. It helps create friendships and understanding between different cultures and I am proud to help people appreciate each other’s cultures.

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

  Every language is difficult to learn and every language has got their own areas of difficulty. In French, one of them is understanding the link between how a word is written and how it is pronounced. It is challenging but very valuable. Learning the letter strings and the sounds is key to becoming independent with pronouncing words not seen or heard before.

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

  My best student is called Mike. He is a real Francophile and started from scratch. His understanding of basic grammatical terms such as noun, verb and adjective was not strong. Yet, over the years, and fairly rapidly, thanks to his passion, dedication, personal commitment and work outside of lessons, like watching videos about football or reading articles about sports or other subjects, he has become a real good communicator in French, creating links between French and English and gaining an even greater understanding of his own language. When one learns French, one learns English as well.

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

  When I went to Canada, I discovered how their use of French had remained very pure. They did not use any anglicisms and I am amazed at all the French words they create regularly and how clever, beautiful and meaningful they are.

• 8) What makes you a Superprof in language?

  I am a Superprof in languages because I know that I can inspire and give my students the love for French. I have about 30 years’ experience of teaching English and French and I know what can confuse students whose mother tongue is English when learning French. I can teach all levels and all ages, from primary to retired people. I have over 5000 hours of tutoring online since I started teaching online in 2019. My students regularly tell me or write messages to tell me how much they have enjoyed learning with me.