The French Room

We keep hearing that attention spans are collapsing, especially in the age of the ten-second video.

But in teaching French, I see something very different: adults who are perfectly capable of deep focus — when the material earns it.

Behavioural science suggests this isn’t decline.

It’s polarisation.

Short bursts when we need them, long immersive stretches when we want them.

It’s the same brain, just choosing the right tool for the moment.

I’ve written about this shift, and what it means for adult learning today.

What keeps you attention for more than a minute? https://thefrenchroom.org/blog/why-attention-spans-arent-shrinking-theyre-polarising

Here's the article

Attention Isn’t Collapsing — It’s Polarising From long-form podcasts to 10-minute bursts, our attention isn’t disappearing — it’s evolving. Here’s what that means for adults learning French.

Delighted to be featured on the home page of Sixty and Me today. Absolutely loving writing this column as one of their guest bloggers. It's a wonderful, welcoming place with intelligent, thought-provoking and enjoyable articles for women 60 and over.
I'm so pleased to be part of it.

https://sixtyandme.com/

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Fashion, Hair, Makeup for Older Women, Senior Dating, Travel Sixty and Me is an online magazine about life after 60. Topics range from makeup for older women and senior dating to retirement advice and senior travel.

If you’ve been thinking about improving your French but you’re not quite ready to dive into anything big. If you want to get ahead of the turn of the year typical start date for something new you might decide to start today.

Every December I create a French Advent Calendar — 24 festive moments of French, one door a day, for £15 for the month. An email a day to nudge you into a micro visit to France.
It’s also an easy way to get a feel for how I teach and what life is like inside The French Room.
A gentle “try it and see”.
If you’d like to open today’s door, you can find it here:
https://thefrenchroom.org/course/advent-calendar-2025
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Calendrier De L'Avent An advent calendar with 24 days of Christmas themed 10 mins French Tutorials

If learning French has ever felt like a race you were meant to keep up with… here’s something different.

Inside The French Room we think of learning as a map, not a marathon.
You pick the path that fits your week — and that’s enough.

This December my students are enjoying three gentle ways to keep their French warm:

• a short listening series using Le Petit Nicolas à Noël
• a French Calendrier de l’Avent with daily festive moments
• a simple 10-minute routine that quietly adds up to 90 minutes by mid-December

No pressure.
No guilt.
Just small steps that make French feel more familiar.

If you’re curious about a calmer, more human way to learn French, you can see the 10-minute route here:
https://thefrenchroom.org/map

Learn French. Feel Good. Save Big.

The French Room is celebrating ten brilliant years!
To thank everyone who’s been part of the journey, I’m offering a series of anniversary deals throughout November.

This week: Bonjour Brilliance Annual Plan – 20 % Off
A full year of self-study that fits your real life.

It’s live now and available for a limited time only and for a limited number of people. Just 10 spaces.
Find all the details here: https://thefrenchroom.org/black-friday-offers

Learn French. Feel Good.

I never thought I’d say this, but writing for someone else’s platform feels freer than posting on social media.

I’ve always found posting a little awkward — too fleeting, too noisy. Writing, on the other hand, lets me think, breathe and share stories that last longer than a scroll.

So I’m delighted to tell you that I’ve become a guest blogger for *Sixty & Me*, a US site with a wonderful community of midlife women who, like many of you, are curious about learning, growing, and starting new chapters.

My first article is called *“How Teaching French Taught Me More About Confidence Than Any Self-Help Book.”*
It’s about what more than 10,000 hours of teaching French have taught me about courage, fear, and how confidence really grows — not from knowing everything, but from being seen trying.

If you’ve ever hesitated to speak in class, worried about mistakes, or wondered if it’s “too late” to learn, this one’s for you.

You can read it here:

How Teaching French Taught Me More About Confidence Than Any Self-Help Book | Sixty and Me Learning something new works toward building your confidence. It's not the end result, but the process that matters.

Put down your French notebook and have a little wiggle in French!

Last week at the Appledore Literary Festival I picked up Jeremy Vine’s book *Your Call*.
One passage about his time on *Strictly Come Dancing* made me laugh out loud.

Jeremy turned up to rehearsals with a notepad. He tried to diagram every single dance step with arrows and sketches. Two weeks later, the notepad was gone.

Because the part of the brain that writes diagrams isn’t the part that learns to dance.

And it struck me — this is exactly what I see in French learning.
So many learners want to write down every rule, translate every word, find an English equivalent for every French phrase.

It feels safe. But it doesn’t get you dancing.

That’s why The French Room is designed to get you moving in French:

Book Club— Starting Sunday 5 October, still time to join. Perfect for a tentative little, wiggle in French!

Cook Along with Justine — think kitchen disco more than symphony! : gratin dauphinois + clafoutis aux poires. (Message me if you'd like to know more)

Murder Mystery — your full-on Strictly moment: plus aristocrats, mysterious locals, corruption, greed.

Fluency comes when you put down the notepad and start to dance with the language.

**Your chair is waiting — and the music is already playing!
https://thefrenchroom.org

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"Learn French Naturally - Self-Paced, Small Groups, Private Coaching. Highly, engaging online French classes and self-study by expert Ellie Louis. Small group sizes and real-world conversation. Gain confidence and fluency in French.

When I was at school, I thought French fluency meant memorising endless vocab lists.

But living in Lyon taught me something different: it’s not about knowing *more*, it’s about reusing what you already know. The same word, recycled in new contexts, suddenly gives you the freedom to speak.

That’s thrift in action — and it’s as true for languages as it is for life.

Here’s the number that proves it:

* English dictionary: **600,000 words**
* French dictionary: **60,000 words**
* Everyday fluency: just **907 carefully chosen words**

This October, I’m inviting every Bonjour Brilliance member to join the **907 Word Challenge** — a thriftier way to fluency. Step by step, we’ll reuse, recycle, and reshape words until they become yours.

Discover the Brilliance Path and get ready to join the challenge: [https://thefrenchroom.org/the-french-room-brilliance-path]
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https://www.perplexity.ai/page/the-french-room-language-schoo-UsjDb2ENSna2GmxFhzovcA

Check out our "Wikipedia Style Page" on AI engine Perplexity to find out what learning French at The French Room is really like.

The French Room Language School The French Room is an online French language school specifically designed for adults seeking to build genuine fluency and confidence through a combination of...

Which edition of the recommended books at The French Room should you get?

A new student asked recently: “Which edition do I need for French class?” The answer: it depends! Here’s a quick guide:

*La Bescherelle**: No need for the latest edition. French verbs don’t change! Even my “new” copy was ten years old before it fell apart, and my original 1980s copy still works. Second-hand is great if you prefer!

**Grammaire Progressive**: Here, the edition matters. We use the 4th edition in class and for Bonjour Brilliance. Earlier editions can have mistakes or different examples, so pick the 4th if you can (new or second-hand!). And heads up: the answer book (*Les corrigés*) is sold separately.

**About “on” in French**:
"On" isn’t new—it’s been natural French for centuries! It means "we", "you", or "people" and makes French sound fluent and friendly. Want proof? I'm saying this because sometimes people think that "on" is somehow a new addition to the French language, impolite or too informal. It isn't any of those things. It's just an easier way to say "Nous"!

Check out these extracts from *Le Château de ma mère* by Marcel Pagnol written in 1957 and telling a story about the turn of the century.

***

French:
« Mais nous, nous ne sommes pas des excursionnistes. **On ne salit pas les sources**, et tu pourrais nous dire où elles sont. »
English:
"We aren't just excursionists. **We don't foul the springs**, so you could tell us where they are."

French:
Lili m'a dit : « **On ne doit jamais toucher à une source si on n’est pas du pays**, c’est la règle. »
English:
"Lili told me: '**You should never touch a spring if you’re not from the area,** that's the rule.'"

French:
« **On peut faire une flûte à trois trous avec un roseau**, » expliqua Lili.
English:
"'**You can make a three-hole flute with a reed,**' explained Lili."

These sentences are short, natural, and so readable—perfect for learners at Level 2 or up who want confidence in everyday French!

*** **Want to join the French Room Book Club?**
Sign up for our next session! I'm just deciding dates based on your availability. If you want to come and are not sure about the dates please add your vote to this poll. (Poll closes 7th September) https://doodle.com/group-poll/participate/epVgQ6rb

You can check out the details of the next book club and reserve your place here https://thefrenchroom.org/course/the-french-room-book-club-september-2025

See you there for some fun reading French!

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The French Room Book Club September 2025 - ellie louis It looks like I need your help to find the best dates for Book Club. My guessing is making harder for you to attend rather than easier, which is my intention.

Coucou mon ami,

Seeing an old school friend this weekend dropped me straight back into summer lunchtimes on the school field in 1985—grass stains, daisy chains, three TV channels , and dog-eared paperbacks passed round like sweets. One of them was “A Woman of Substance.” If you don’t know it, Emma Harte starts as a housemaid and—step by stubborn step—builds an empire. I didn’t realise how much that story got under my skin until this weekend. 1985 was also the year I was told I couldn’t do French A-level. That could have been the end of my French career. I decided otherwise.

Correction Channel 4 existed then and was where A woman of substance was aired!

These days I’m coaxing myself back to reading. Some books make it easy; some books don’t.

Which is why I’m especially looking forward to Book Club starting again soon. We’re reading “Le Château de ma mère” by Marcel Pagnol—a gentle, sun-drenched story of childhood that feels like opening a window onto Provence. If you don’t read as much as you used to (or as much as you’d like), this is for you. It’s a quiet, relaxed hour and a half—like a library without the shushing. We read short passages, peek at a few excerpts, and chat about the themes and characters—just like those school-field conversations, only it’s even better with age and perspective. There’s also a beautifully made film of the book, which helps you follow the story and brings the characters to life. It’s one of those lovely sideways nudges to your French—new sounds, turns of phrase, a feel for rhythm—you’d never get from a textbook.

Join here: [https://thefrenchroom.org/course/the-french-room-book-club-september-2025](https://thefrenchroom.org/course/the-french-room-book-club-september-2025)
Vote on dates: [https://doodle.com/group-poll/participate/epVgQ6rb](https://doodle.com/group-poll/participate/epVgQ6rb)
(Poll closes Sunday 7 September 2025.)

Book Club has been going for several years now and welcomes learners from Level 2 to Level 6.

À très vite,
Ellie
Learn French. Feel Good.

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