The French Room

27/08/2026

Cinema and Book Club - Starting a New Book on Friday 4th Sept at 6pm

you don't have to do or have to come along

You don't need to read the whole book or anything difficult before you come!

You don't need to have mastered the entire French language!

You don't need to have ever read a French book before

you do need to have and know before you come along

You will need a copy of the book. I recommend a hard copy but if you prefer it on your kindle that's good. You can even download an audible version of it. That seems an excellent idea for me.

We will read 3 selected sections together across out three meet-ups of one hour.

You will get the chance to read aloud along with others and talk about the vocab and the story and anything else that is interesting.

This is what the jounalist Kanishka said about her first book club session. NB Kanishka started out with French this summer:

The movie and book club session has to be my favorite lesson! We watched a scene from a French comedy movie, deciphered it (the other advanced speakers did, I just tried to keep up).

The most daunting part was the dialogue reading, where each of us read pages of dialogues!

The first few pages were rough for me. I regretted signing up for the session. Almost every pronunciation was wrong. I was so slow that every pause made me more anxious.

The others were intermediate speakers, but made me feel better about my non-French sounding French (‘Oh, I was worse’, ‘Don’t worry, we’ve all been there’).

By the end, I was a much better reader, and they were surprised with how far I’d come in just one session.

Read one of France's most-loved comic novels with a small group and Ellie. Warm, funny, and full of everyday Parisian French. Monthly live discussions — read at your own pace

20/08/2026

The French Room is for “language romantics”.

I ❤️ that.

Journalist and editor Kanishka Nangare recently spent a month exploring The French Room for Class Central.

She arrived doubtful about the idea of exploring just one French word or phrase for an entire month. As she admits herself, she is an impatient person.

She was nervous about sharing her ideas in a live class.

And reading aloud at Book Club almost wish she hadn't signed up

But her final verdict on us was

"No one will (teach you French) or rather train you to be French like Ellie; through books, movies, live classes, homework, and the Cahier (notebook)".

[Read The Joies of Learning French from Ellie; One Word a Month](https://www.classcentral.com/report/learning-french-from-the-french-room/)

Perhaps you are a language romantic too!

18/08/2026

I have just retired something that was working. (No not me! Not yet!)

I've retired my free assessment course which has brought new people into The French Room for years. It gave them a good idea of their French level and a sense of where they sat in terms of my live classes.

The problem was what it measured. Knowing your level tells you very little about whether a teacher suits you, and nothing at all about whether you will still be learning in 6 months.

So I've replaced it with 8 short lessons that let people experience the method instead.
They see why we work deeply with 907 high-frequency words. They send me one recording and I give personal feedback. Then they decide.

Fewer sign-ups, most likely. Better ones.

If you have French sitting somewhere in the back of your mind, the course is free if you fancy experiencing The French Room for yourself. Or pass it on if you know someone who would be grateful to hear about this.

https://thefrenchroom.org/course/a-month-inside-the-french-room

Eight short lessons that let you try The French Room method for yourself, including one recording with personal feedback from your tutor. Free to join.

01/07/2026

IL FAUT: the French expression you've heard a thousand times but never fully understood

That moment when you hear il faut and think — yes, I know that one.
But then can't quite use it yourself.

It's one of the most common expressions in spoken French, and one of the
most misunderstood. Most learners translate it as "it is necessary" and
leave it there. But French speakers use il faut constantly — to recommend,
advise, organise, express opinions and talk about what's needed — without
ever sounding bossy or direct.

In this video:
— Why il faut appears in almost every French conversation
— The 10 everyday situations where you'll hear it naturally
— How French speakers use it to recommend without giving orders

This is the July word of the month at The French Room. Throughout the
month we explore il faut + infinitive, il me faut, and il faut que +
the subjunctive — one step at a time, no rush.

🎯 Start your 3-day free trial of Bonjour Brilliance
https://thefrenchroom.org/program/bonjour-brilliance

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About The French Room
The French Room is an online French school for adults, founded in 2015.
Our flagship programme, Bonjour Brilliance, is built around the 907
high-frequency words that cover 90% of everyday French conversation —
learned properly, one word per month.

thefrenchroom.org

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09/06/2026

https://thefrenchroom.org/program/the-french-room-cinema-and-book-club

French films, books and conversation — explored slowly and properly. Every 3 months, we immerse ourselves in one carefully chosen French film or text together.

09/06/2026

We had our first Le Dîner de Cons session on Friday.

If you missed it — you can still join us.

Here's why it works even if you weren't there: everything you need is waiting for you inside the course. The theatre script. Film clips. Guided listening tutos. Language notes. A reflection workbook. Two more live sessions still to come — 3rd July and 7th August.

By the end of August, you'll understand Le Dîner de Cons in a way most French people couldn't explain to you. The comic mechanics. The social commentary. Why Pignon — the supposed idiot — is actually the most generous person in the room.

And if that's not enough: the play is currently on tour in France. I'm planning to go to Toulon in November. You're welcome to come.

After Le Dîner de Cons, the year continues:
• Demain J'arrête! (Sept–Nov)
• La Haine (Dec–Feb)
• Un Sac de Billes (March–April)

Four titles. Four proper deep dives into French culture, language and film. £99 for the year.

Small group. First Friday of every month at 6pm. Nowhere to hide — but no pressure either.

https://thefrenchroom.org/program/the-french-room-cinema-and-book-club

French films, books and conversation — explored slowly and properly. Every 3 months, we immerse ourselves in one carefully chosen French film or text together.

04/06/2026

https://youtu.be/vt9RZ78tF60

L'AIR is one of those French words that goes far beyond its obvious...

04/06/2026

"I'm not sure I can make all the dates..."

That's probably the most common reason people hesitate before joining The French Room Cinema & Book Club.

And I completely understand it.

Life gets busy.

Holidays happen.

Work gets in the way.

Family comes first.

The interesting thing is that many people who have joined the club over the years haven't attended every discussion.

Yet they've still come back for the next book or film.

Why?

Because the value isn't really in perfect attendance.

What does it feel like to finally get round to that book or film?

We all have books on our shelves that we genuinely intended to read.

Most of us have films saved at the back of our minds that we intend to watch someday. I've got some on DVDs that I haven't quite got round to watching!

What changes when you're part of a group is that the book actually gets opened.

The film actually gets watched.

You know that other people are exploring the same story and that creates a natural reason to take part.

Nikki, a regular at the Cinema and Book club put it beautifully after our Le Dîner de Cons discussions:

"À la fin, nous avons tous pu suivre et comprendre les blagues. Ce fut une expérience excellente. J'attends la suite avec impatience."

She picked a good one to comment there and that's why we are reading the script and watching the film again. And yes, Nikki will be there.

What i love about it is people discovering stories they might never have experienced on their own and they sharing it alongside other people who are just as curious as they are.

As I said, our next title will be Le Dîner de Cons, using the original script.

We'll spend 3 months with the characters, the humour, the misunderstandings and the social awkwardness that made it one of France's most-loved comedies.

You can join for a single title cycle (£60) or become an annual member (£99) and enjoy 12 months of films, books and discussions from the day you join.

The first discussion takes place on Friday 5th June at 6pm.

I'd love you to join us.

Spend 3 months with one of the greatest French comedies ever made. Monthly live discussions, cultural insight and language guidance. No pressure, no rushing, just time inside the film

01/06/2026

Most people watch Le Dîner de Cons once and love it.

We're spending three months with it.

Francis Veber's 1998 comedy — the second highest-grossing film in France that year — began as a stage play that ran for over 900 performances in Paris. That theatrical precision is in every line of dialogue. It's sharp, rhythmic, and deeply rooted in how the French actually think about class, embarrassment, and social performance.

From June to August, The French Room Cinema and Book Club works through the original script, watches extracts together, and meets live each month to discuss the language, the humour, and what the film reveals about French culture.

No test. No homework. Just time inside a genuinely great piece of French writing.

Starts Friday 5 June. Places are limited.

Details and sign-up: https://thefrenchroom.org/course/cinema-and-book-club-june-2026

Spend 3 months with one of the greatest French comedies ever made. Monthly live discussions, cultural insight and language guidance. No pressure, no rushing, just time inside the film

27/05/2026

Something new is starting at The French Room in June…

I’m reopening the French Room Book Club with films and a whole programme for the next 12 months. It’s a slower format built around iconic French films and books.

The first 3-month cycle will be:

Le Dîner de Cons

Using the original script.

(And the play is currently touring in France and we could look at making a trip to see it this winter. How cool would that be!)

One of the reasons Le Diner de Cons works so brilliantly is that the humour sits inside the interaction itself.

Pierre thinks he’s in control.

François Pignon thinks he’s finally met someone extraordinary.

And within minutes everything becomes socially uncomfortable in the most French way possible.

At one point François says completely sincerely:

“Vous avez changé ma vie, monsieur Brochant.”

while Pierre is internally regretting every decision he has made that evening.

That combination of awkwardness, politeness, sincerity and disaster is exactly why this film became a cult classic.

We’ll spend 3 months exploring the script, the humour, the language and the social dynamics together through monthly live discussions.

Starts Friday 5th June at 6pm.

Designed as a small-group discussion experience.

https://thefrenchroom.org/program/the-french-room-cinema-and-book-club

Bonne journée

Ellie

French films, books and conversation — explored slowly and properly. Every 3 months, we immerse ourselves in one carefully chosen French film or text together.