There aren't too many women in the world named Geraldine, but it's my name (although “Geri” is how I am known) and also the name of another French online teacher, Géraldine Lepère. I would like to introduce you to her work.
She is a 27 year old expert in French language and lifestyle and her videos are fresh and fun and full of information you won't normally find in books.
Géraldine has a delightful teaching called Comme une Française in which she reaches out to expat women in France (as well as the rest of us) with helpful little lessons on choosing the right French words and expressions. In many cases she saves you from making embarrassing mistakes as the following link will demonstrate but also deals with everyday issues like “tu” or “vous” and how to order a café like a French person would. She has a wide selection of videos and also offers courses. Do check out her offerings which will make you smile as she draws you in with her vibrant personality and helpful information. The following link is one of my favorites, but it does deal with “risqué” subjects so be careful if sharing with students. CLICK HERE to watch the video. It will spare you many “uh oh” moments! Enjoy.
Hard Words in French #15
#15 the French “r”. Many people think this uniquely French sound is hard to make and sounds harsh, but in reality it is very soft and quite easy to learn.
"HARD WORDS IN FRENCH" #12
bouilloire The expats in France listed bouilloire as one of their “10 hardest words in French” and it's an important word, meaning tea kettle. As in most of these words, it is the spelling that causes the concern, especially the combination “ill” which has appeared in most of the words in this series. We saw this in the last word, #11, grenouille. It is really easy to say: the same sound you have in “bien” or “Pierre” or as in “yes” in English. To improve the quality of your spoken French, you will benefit from my video course. Check our more information on the website under courses.
Hard Words in French #9
Hard Words #9 The capital city of the lovely province of Normandy has caused grief to many an English speaker! Rouen was named as one of the hardest words in French by expats in the online news magazine The Local.Fr. In this video I teach why it has only one syllable and how to put that troublesome French r on the front of it. For an opportunity to take your French to a whole new level, check my website under “Courses” for information on my excellent video program.
Hard Words in French #10
Hard Words #10 Once again we take a look at the combination of letters “ill” which doesn't sound like you would expect. But also we mention the vowel “eu” as in “deux” which is so vital to speaking French correctly and one of the foundations of my video course. Go to my website under “Courses” to learn more and enroll in this program which will have you sounding much more like a French native speaker.
Hard Words in French #8 "pneu"
This new video series on Hard Words in French has been a lot of fun to teach. One of the interesting things I have noticed is that in most cases it is not that the word is particularly hard to pronounce but the spelling makes it look hard. I started the series around the time of Christmas, so the first of this series was “meilleurs voeux”. But from then on I have been focused on the “10 hardest words in French”, a list that appeared in an online news magazine called The Local. Fr. I am assuming that these were words expats in France submitted to the magazine and got the idea for the series. The word this week, “pneu” is not really all that hard but it has a couple of interesting features. One is the pronunciation of the eu spelling, which in this case we call the closed eu. Its phonetic symbol is /ø/ and it is one of the foundations of my course, Mastering French Pronunciation. What is so important about this vowel? It contains all the important characteristics of what I call “The French mouth”. Since I am an English speaker, I have had to learn how to sound French and that is the specialty of what I offer. These little video lessons give you a sample of the content of my teaching, but the course also gives the opportunity to practice what is taught by repeating exercises after me, and also by seeing a native French speaker say the words on video. If correcting your Anglo/American accent and sounding more authentically French interests you, I invite you to look into Mastering French Pronunciation.
Word of the Week #1
For all those who would like to sound more French! I am dedicated to helping improve the quality of spoken French among teachers, students and all who wish to sound more authentic when speaking this beautiful language. To this end I have produced--so far--over 40 mini video lessons found on You Tube. These little lessons teach not just how to pronounce the vowels and consonants of French, but also are an introduction to the larger work I have created, Mastering French Pronunciation, an 8-chapter video course. This course is my “labor of love” in which I unlock the code to what the French do to sound French! Do check it out on the website. I will be posting some of these videos on my blog, so enjoy these mini lessons which are an introduction to the in depth material taught in the course. My heart is particularly open to teachers of French who with this course will have the tools to continue their professional development and become even better models for their students. I would love to hear from my readers: please comment on difficulties you have in French pronunciation, words you would like to see included in my Word of the Week or Hard Words in French series, and just feedback, etc. Enjoy!
A New Video Series for the New Year!
Hard Words in French w/ Geri Metz
I am offering a new video series called “Hard Words in French”. These lessons will be similar to the Word of the Week series of 39 mini lessons (that you can find on You Tube) but will treat words that many people find challenging to say. I am hoping that many students, expats, teachers and travelers will have fun with these words. Some of them are really tricky like “serrurerie” where many of us non-native speakers are scared to go! Enjoy and start a conversation where you share your favorite “hard words” and please comment with your favorite hard words for future lessons. Merci!
Enjoy the holiday beauty of this beautiful Christmas tree in Alsace!
With this lovely picture of Christmas in Alsace, I would like to share the love and warmth of this beautiful season with all of you. This time of year has so much significance to so many on so many levels. The Solstice which brings a promise of the light to come; the Christmas tree and the greens that we bring into the house to have the aliveness of the plants with us in the darkest time of the year; the lights, the gifts, the joy of children, the familiar music, all raises the vibration of mankind and reminds us of a higher way of goodness and beauty. May that love be with us all and guide our thoughts and actions in the coming year and beyond. *Meilleurs voeux.
(*I know a lot of folks have trouble pronouncing this expression which means “best wishes”. I will teach how to say it in the first of my new video series called “Hard Words in French”)