The French Instinct podcast

Speak French, Think French, Feel French

Perfect your French in a positive and inspiring way

This is a great and fun episode where I talk about the exact moment I realized I had become bilingual in Spanish. There are more than 100 episodes, available for free on most podcast apps.

Boost your French Instinct!

Would you like to speak French with authenticity, to be able to express yourself more spontanuously on topics that matter to you and to really be yourself when speaking French?

Do you want your French practice to bring you something more, using inspiring resources and creating meaningful connexions with other people, using the French language as a tool to communicate?

Would you like to learn the French language we actually use in real life in France, to discover the country and the French people while avoiding clichés To be able to speak with natives and to understand them?

Would you like to become a better language learner, to progress in a more natural and yet effective way and to enjoy the process without having to spend too much time on grammar and drills?

Perfect your French in a more intuitive, interesting, inspiring, motivating and efficient way

Go to my website to start perfecting your French through great content

Go to The French Instinct 🇫🇷

The French Instinct podcast has reached 200k downloads and you’ve never listened to it yet?

What are you waiting for?

About me

I’m Katy, a native French speaker from Brittany and a French teacher for foreign students for 20 years. I’m fluent in 4 foreign languages although I grew up in France, in a monolingual environment. I hold two Master’s degrees : one in teaching French as a foreign language, another one in Spanish.

🎯 My mission

I help French learners with intermediate and advanced levels speak naturaly and keep motivated to perfect their French by enjoying their French journey and finding a real purpose in learning French.

Why The French Instinct ?

I created The French Instinct because too many people who learn French struggle with speaking spontanuously, understanding natives and perfecting their French. They use theoretical methods that offer a standardised, emotionless and meaningless vision of French language and culture, with a total lack of authenticity.

It’s really hard to go beyond intermediate level and to keep on making progress after that. Thanks to The French Instinct, you’ll find inspiration and you’ll keep motivated.

My beliefs

Everyone can speak another language fluently, at any age. You need to learn in context, thanks to interesting and meaningful resources, to be part of your own learning process and to get involved in authentic interactions.

I create for you fun, original, unique, inspiring resources and safe spaces where you can interact with others and speak about what matters to you with no pressure and no judgement.

Start learning differently. Be ready to put your beliefs aside and to become active in your own learning process.

💗 Why it is important to me

Mastering another language can lead us to better social skills and a better understanding of ourselves and of others. Acquiring another language and learning about a new culture makes us step out of our comfort zone and enables us see the world from another perspective. It can be challenging and uncomfortable but it makes us grow. We can therefore feel more confindent, with ourselves and with others, no matter our differences.

I help you prefect your French from a multicultural perspective. I discuss topics that are important to me like education and ecology, I introduce you people who make our society a more valuable, sustainable, egalitarian place and I show you my region : Brittany.

If I’ve been able to acquire other languages and to speak fluently, you can do it too?

Let me put positive vibes in your French learning journey and help you become a better learner.

Learn more about me listening to my interviews in other languages :

I recorded a podcast episode in English on Martin Johnston’s podcast Rock’n Roll English where we talked about podcasting

My interview in English in Joel Zarate’s How to teach a language podcast where I talk about teaching.

I was invited in Joel Zarate’s Conversations in Spanish podcast to talk about my experience living in Spain.

Some questions you may ask yourself during your French learning journey

I know a lot of grammar and vocabulary so why can’t I express myself in French ?

I can’t memorise grammar and vocabulary , what can I do ?

I use apps, interactive resources and flashcards but I feel I’m not progressing a lot, why?

What’s the point in memorizing grammar and vocabulary, doing daily drills, recapping your lessons regularly if you’re not able to use your knowledge in practice ?

We tend to learn French in a way that is too theoretical

In reality you acquire some knowledge of the French language but you don’t develop a real competence in communicating. Grammar and vocabulary are tools but knowing them is not the be all and end all : you can learn grammar and vocabulary without ever being able to truly express yourself in French. On the other hand , you can speak fluently without knowing a single grammar rule by heart or having never memorized a vocabulary list.

If you’re struggling with learning grammar rules, retaining vocabulary or putting your newly acquired knowledge into practice, you’re probably not using the right resources and methods.

We have long believed that we could only learn a language by following traditional methods and if we didn’t get there we were just rubbish at learning languages. But this very theoretical approach, which is still used in many schools and by certain teachers, is not useful for most people.

Globally, some people are more auditory learners (they learn the best by listening). Others are more visual (they need to see something in order to memorise). To learn French and to speak it well, you need to listen a lot and not only read it even if you need to see the words written to retain them. Combining audio and writing is a very good way to learn and progress and my free resources usually contain both elements : you can read what you’re listening to and you can listen to what you’re reading.

You may already be using apps, interactive websites and flashcards. It’s fun maybe and yet you may feel you’re not progressing that much. And that’s normal.

Several elements are essential to acquire a language efficiently. The first element when learning is consistency: it’s better to spend 5-10 minutes practicing your French every day than an hour once a week. Apps that help you learn French have understood that but they have their own limitations.

It’s fundamental to learn in context, using content you find interesting.

Learning isolated grammar, vocabulary and idioms or collecting them trough examples out of context is not effective. You remember much better what you listen to or what you read if it has a real meaning : there’s a story, something in going on.

And you need to you feel positive emotions and to create emotional connexions with other people.

To be continued…