Big news from my little atelier: Series Tests are here. 🎉

And because I clearly had too much coffee this month: July’s Level Test goes out today too — you’ll find it here. Two series tests and a monthly test in one day.
It’s a test bonanza. 🎉

From now on, every series comes with a proper test every ten lessons or so — a checkpoint where you prove (to yourself, mostly) that the phrases actually stuck.

I didn’t want anyone waiting, so the backfill has already begun: Paris Series 🗼, Conversation Starters ☕️ and French 101 🇫🇷 have their tests attached today, with the rest of the library close behind. All available instantly for members. :)

First up: French 101 🇫🇷

So many of you finished the series this month that it gets the honours.
Twenty lessons, two tests: Test A covers lessons 1–10, Test B 11–20.
Listening, grammar, and a real French article to wrestle with.

Count your points, note your score, and tell me in the comments which question got you — every one gets read.

Curious how far you’d get? The first section of each test is open to everyone — go and see. The answers are where membership starts ;)

Et ensuite ? 💜

A warm bienvenue to everyone who joined as a paid member for Bastille Day — you’ve picked a good moment 🇫🇷

I’m investing more in French with Amélie this year than I ever have, and series tests are only the first thing on the list. It’s going to be a very good year to be learning French here! 😊

Allez — Test A is waiting. Go and show it who’s boss.

Amélie x

Conversation Starters ☕️ Phase 3 — Real B2 French Conversations

🌳 Level: B2 · 🎧 25 episodes · ▶️ 4 free to try

Advanced French conversation practice for learners who’ve outgrown the textbook: Conversation Starters Phase 3 is 25 B2 dialogues that trade small talk for the real thing — your oldest memory, whether anyone can truly be trusted, what you’d make illegal if you could. Every episode comes with full-speed audio, a transcript and colloquial notes; four are free to sample.

🎧 A word from Amélie

Press ▶️ — 33 seconds, in my voice, before you dive in.

« Bienvenue dans la phase trois — le niveau B2, le sommet des Conversation Starters ! Ici, on ne parle plus de la pluie et du beau temps. On parle de tes rêves, de tes convictions, de tes souvenirs les plus anciens... les vraies conversations, celles qu’on a à table à deux heures du matin. C’est là que ton français devient TON français — avec tes opinions, ton humour, ta personnalité. Alors viens, assieds-toi, et dis-moi tout ! »

⛰️ Welcome to the summit

Phase 3 is where we’re done with small talk. These are the two-in-the-morning conversations: your oldest memory, whether people can really be trusted, what you’d make illegal if you had the power for an afternoon (I have opinions about scooters on pavements — I’ll keep most of them to myself).

Here’s what makes this level different: it’s where your French stops being the French and becomes YOUR French. Your opinions, your humour, your way of hesitating and doubling back — all of it, finally happening in another language. Watching a student cross that line is the best part of my job.

I’ve been listening to podcasts, reading books and taking one-on-one lessons for several years, and I enjoy the addition of Amélie’s casual dialogues between young people. I’m in my 70’s and not likely to use argot or even extremely familiar language when I’m in France, but it’s good to know... and fun to use with my husband, who also speaks French.

— Pam

👀 Who it’s for

Confident intermediates ready to be stretched. The audio is fully natural — speed, fillers, interruptions, the lot — because at this level the flattering slow version would just be lying to you.

Not there yet? Start one rung down with Vivre en France 🥖 and come back when small talk feels easy.

Not sure where you land? Find your level in a few minutes on the 🌱 Start Here page.

📚 What you’ll learn — advanced French conversation practice, one real expression at a time

You’ll leave this phase armed with the colloquial, opinion-shaping French that native speakers actually reach for in a debate at the dinner table:

• je pencherais plutôt pour — I would lean towards (hedging an opinion).

• tu marques un point — you have a point (conceding gracefully).

• tiré par les cheveux — far-fetched.

• ça ne tient pas la route — it doesn’t hold up, it doesn’t make sense.

• faut pas se leurrer — let’s not kid ourselves.

• plus facile à dire qu’à faire — easier said than done.

• les carottes sont cuites — it’s all over (literally: the carrots are cooked).

• se prendre un râteau — to be turned down, rejected (literally: to take a rake to the face).

🧭 How to take this course

1. Any order you like — pick the question you can’t resist answering.

2. Write your answer with the writing prompt, every time. B2 is built in your own sentences, not mine.

3. Argue with the dialogue. Disagree with someone in it? Say why, out loud, in French. That’s the exercise.

🎬 The episode guide

Twenty-five conversations, the whole B2 spread of advanced French conversation practice — beliefs, memories, hypotheticals and a fair bit of nonsense. The first, and three more along the way, are free to try.

25 episodes · 🌳 B2 · 💸 4 free to try

🌱 Start free

Four full conversations are open — dialogue, writing prompt and a taste of the audio, no membership needed:

Get a new free dialogue in your inbox every week — subscribe free.

✅ Lesson Series Tests

Next in the journey: Hot Issues 🔥 — where the opinions get stakes and the debates get real.

🚀 Ready to start?

Finally understand real, spoken French — in months, not years. Phase 3 is where the everyday, opinionated, at-speed French clicks into place — and it’s just one corner of everything a membership opens up.

Here’s exactly what’s free and what comes with membership:

Start my 7-day trial →

À très vite dans la première conversation !

Ton prof, ton amie,
Amélie x

Last updated: July 2026 — new episodes join this guide as they publish.

← Vivre en France 🥖 · 🌱 Start Here · Next: Hot Issues 🔥 →

Conversation Starters ☕️ Phase 2 — Intermediate French Conversation Practice

🌿 Level: Intermediate (B1) · 🎧 40 episodes

Intermediate French conversation practice, one real question at a time: Phase 2 is 40 B1 dialogues about your worst holiday, your dream job, the last time you got in trouble at work. Longer, more personal exchanges at natural speed, each with a full transcript and colloquial notes. Many episodes are open free — start reading today.

🎧 A word from Amélie

Press ▶️ — 30 seconds, in my voice.

« Bienvenue dans la phase deux des Conversation Starters ! Ici, on passe aux choses sérieuses — enfin, sérieuses... on parle de tes vacances ratées, de ta glace préférée et de la dernière fois que tu as eu des ennuis au boulot ! Les conversations sont plus longues, l’audio est plus rapide — comme dans la vraie vie. C’est exactement le niveau où on arrête de traduire dans sa tête et où on commence à penser en français. Prêt ? Prête ? Allez, viens, on papote ! »

☕️ The level where French becomes a habit

Phase 2 is my favourite moment to watch in a student: it’s where French stops being a subject and starts being a habit. The questions get more personal — your dream job, the last time you got in trouble at work (we’ve all been there) — and the dialogues stretch out and speed up to how people genuinely talk. Somewhere around the middle of this phase, something quietly magical happens: you catch yourself understanding a whole exchange without translating it in your head first. That moment is the entire point of this series.

I like trying to understand real conversation, and that in itself is interesting. I can see you put a lot of time in to make this interesting, and I enjoy it. Thank you.

— Sharon

👀 Who this series is for

You’ve done the basics — Phase 1, French 101, or their equivalent elsewhere — and you can hold a simple exchange. Now you want range: opinions, stories, past tenses that come out on their own.

Who should skip it: brand new to French, or still building your first sentences? Start one level down with French 101 🇫🇷, then come back here.

Not sure this is your level? Find where you fit in a couple of minutes at the 🌱 Start Here page.

📚 What you’ll learn

Every dialogue leaves you with real, spoken French you can drop into your next conversation — the kind that rarely makes it into textbooks. A taste of what’s inside:

• métro, boulot, dodo — the Parisian way of describing the daily grind: commute, work, sleep.

• bien dans sa peau — feeling content, good about oneself (literally “well in one’s own skin”).

• j’ai le cafard — to feel down, to have the blues.

• laisse tomber — forget it / never mind.

• je m’en fiche — the colloquial way to say “I don’t care.”

• pas mal — “not too bad”, used anywhere and everywhere in conversation.

• Bref… — in short / anyway — the very French way to cut a long story short.

🧭 How to take this course

1. Roughly in order — the turns get longer and quicker as you go.

2. Tell your own version. After each dialogue, answer the question with YOUR story, out loud or in the writing prompt. Borrowed sentences become yours that way.

3. Lean on the slow audio less and less. By the end of this phase, try natural speed first.

🎬 The episode guide

Forty dialogues of intermediate French conversation practice, roughly in the order they build. The free episodes are open without a subscription; the rest open with a trial.

40 episodes · 🌿 Intermediate (B1) · best taken roughly in order

🌱 Start free

You don’t need a subscription to begin — here are a few episodes to try free, transcript and colloquial notes included:

Like them? A free subscription brings a new dialogue to your inbox every week — no card, no catch.

✅ Lesson Series Tests

Finished the series? Prove it!

🚀 Ready to start?

Finally understand real, spoken French — in months, not years. Phase 2 is where it stops being study and starts being second nature.

Here’s exactly what’s free and what members get:

Start my 7-day trial →

À très vite dans la première leçon !

Ton prof, ton amie,
Amélie x

Last updated: July 2026 — new episodes join this guide as they publish.

← Back to the 🌱 Start Here · Next: Paris Series 🗼 →

Conversation Starters ☕️ Phase 1 — French Conversation Practice for Beginners

🌱 Very early beginner · 💬 45 dialogues · 📜 44 free to read

French conversation practice for beginners starts right here — with the 45 short dialogues that were the very first French with Amélie lessons. Each one turns an everyday question (“do you have pets?”, “coffee or juice?”) into real, spoken French. These early episodes are unmaintained now, but I keep them free to read — 44 of the 45, open to anyone.

🎧 A word from Amélie

Press ▶️ — 30 seconds, in my voice. (No audio on the episodes themselves — this is just me saying bonjour.)

« Bienvenue dans les Conversation Starters, phase un — là où tout commence ! Chaque leçon part d’une petite question toute simple : t’as des animaux ? C’est quoi ta boisson préférée ? Des questions de tous les jours... mais posées en vrai français, celui qu’on parle vraiment. Et le plus beau ? Presque toute cette phase est gratuite. Alors installe-toi, prends un café, et réponds-moi — oui oui, à voix haute, personne ne t’écoute ! On commence ? »

☕️ Where French with Amélie began

This is the shelf where it all started. Before the polished lessons, before the podcast, there was just me and a small question every few days: what are you scared of? what’s the last thing you do before bed? — the questions French people actually ask each other, answered in the French we actually speak.

You can almost watch the format invent itself as you scroll. The earliest ones are literally titled “Dialogue 17/02 : …” — me finding my feet. A couple of questions I even loved enough to record twice, a year apart (Quel est ton jour de fête préféré ? shows up young, then again once the format had grown up) — so you get to see the before and after in the same series.

These lessons are unmaintained: no audio on most of them, a few rough edges I’ve left exactly as they were. I keep them free because this is the newsletter’s photo album, and photo albums should be open.

[French with Amélie] makes me feel like I can do this.

— French with Amélie reader

👀 Who it’s for

This is beginner French conversation practice at its gentlest — for anyone with a little French who wants to stop reciting and start answering. If you can read a simple sentence, you can start here, and almost all of it is free, so you can settle in before deciding anything.

Already comfortable with everyday questions? Don’t linger on the archive — skip up the ladder to French 101 🇫🇷 (the survival-scenario course) or straight into Conversation Starters ☕️ Phase 2 for a real step up.

Not sure where you land? Find your level on the 🌱 Start Here page — it takes a couple of minutes.

📚 What you’ll learn

Even in these first lessons, I was smuggling in the little words that make you sound French. A handful you’ll pick up here:

• je vois — “I see”, as in I understand. Very common. Use it!

• des fois — sometimes, occasionally — the casual cousin of parfois.

• quoi de neuf ? — what’s up? Laid back and familiar — real-life freshness for your stuffy textbook French.

• d’accord — okay — the universal nod of approval, and a universal filler.

• c’est vrai ! — it’s true! Use it to agree with someone enthusiastically.

• je viens de… — I just… — your trump card for talking about recent actions (“je viens d’arriver”).

• pas mal — “not too bad” — a French person’s default state; there is nothing they can’t use it to answer.

🧭 How to read the early days

1. Read them in order if you can. It’s a chronicle — the difficulty creeps up so gently you won’t notice, because you’re watching me learn to teach in real time.

2. Answer each question yourself, out loud, first. Before you read my dialogue, say your own answer. That ten seconds of effort is where the learning actually lives.

3. Don’t treat it like a course to “finish.” It’s an archive to wander. When the questions start feeling easy, that’s your cue to move up to French 101 🇫🇷.

🎬 The episode guide

Forty-five dialogues, oldest first — the actual order they were written, so the series reads as a chronicle. 44 are free to read; one (the very last) is a members’ episode.

45 dialogues · 🌱 Very early beginner · 💸 44 free to read

🌱 Start free

Here’s the lovely part: there’s almost nothing to unlock. 44 of these 45 dialogues are free to read — transcripts and notes included — so just start anywhere that catches your eye. If you’re not sure, begin at the top and let the chronicle carry you. A few doors in:

Reading along isn’t a commitment — subscribing free just means the next dialogue lands in your inbox.

🚀 Ready to move up?

This shelf is the beginning — and it’s free to keep. But when you’re ready for the real climb, the full maintained program is waiting: two full dialogues a week, slow and fast audio, my annotated notes, exercises, the private podcast 💜 and monthly level tests.

Finally understand real, spoken French — in months, not years. Here’s exactly what’s free, and what membership adds:

Start my 7-day trial →

À très vite dans les premières leçons !

Ton prof, ton amie,
Amélie x

Last updated: July 2026 — this is an archive; the early dialogues stay exactly as they were.

← Back to the 🌱 Start Here · Next: French 101 🇫🇷 →

The Hot Issues Series 🔥 — B2 French Debates on Current Events

🌳 Level: B2 · 🎧 25 episodes · ▶️ 1 free to try

Hot Issues is the B2 finale of French with Amélie — 25 debate-style French dialogues on the current events France actually argues about: climate, AI, immigration, screens, the future of work. Each episode is a real, fast-paced conversation, with transcripts and colloquial notes. One episode is free to try; the rest come with membership.

🎧 A word from Amélie

Press ▶️ — 30 seconds, in my voice, on why this series bites a little.

« Bienvenue dans Hot Issues — la série qui pique un peu ! Le climat, l’intelligence artificielle, l’immigration, les réseaux sociaux... Les Français adorent débattre — c’est notre sport national, juste après râler ! — et si tu veux suivre un dîner en France, il te faut ce français-là. Chaque épisode, c’est un vrai débat, avec des opinions qui se bousculent. Écoute, forge-toi un avis... et viens le défendre dans les commentaires. Allez, on débat ! »

🔥 France’s real national sport is arguing

A warning before you come in: this series has opinions. Climate, AI, immigration, social media, the future of work — every episode is a proper debate between people who don’t quite agree, because that’s what French sounds like once the pleasantries are over.

You need to know something about us: debating is the French national sport, narrowly behind complaining — we train year-round for both. Survive a French dinner party and you haven’t just eaten well; you’ve refereed three arguments and joined two. This series is your training camp for exactly that French: fast, idiomatic, full of « oui, mais… » and « justement ! ». I built it for the moment you stop reading French and start disagreeing in it.

Reading small little stories in colloquial French is wonderfully helpful and something too often overlooked in courses. Most of us want to learn so that we can one day converse with native speakers, and for this we need to understand their everyday speech. Merci beaucoup!

— Eulalee

👀 Who it’s for

This is for B2 learners who want the French of the news, the café terrace and the family dinner — where people talk over each other, change their minds mid-sentence, and enjoy every second of it. If you can already follow a normal-speed conversation and you’re itching to have an opinion in French, you’re home.

Not ready for real-speed debate yet? No shame at all — drop back down to Conversation Starters Phase 3 ☕️ or Vivre en France 🥖, and come back when the fast lane feels fun rather than frightening.

Not sure this is your level? Find your level on the 🌱 Start Here page first — it’ll point you to the right series in a couple of minutes.

📚 What you’ll learn

Debate has its own toolkit — the phrases you reach for to concede a point, push back, soften a blow or land the winning line. Here are a few you’ll walk away using, straight from the episodes’ notes:

• ne te méprends pas — don’t get me wrong (for softening before you disagree).

• tiré par les cheveux — far-fetched (dismiss a weak argument in one phrase).

• tout n’est pas rose — it’s not all rosy (the classic “yes, but…” nuance move).

• suivre ta logique — to follow your logic (concede a step before you counter it).

• tenir la route — to hold up, to make sense (as in « son explication ne tient pas la route »).

• rester les bras croisés — to stand idly by (for the “we can’t just do nothing” argument).

• prendre du recul — to step back, take stock (when you need to cool a debate down).

🧭 How to take this course

1. Pick the topics that provoke you — annoyance is a fantastic teacher.

2. Listen for the debate moves: how speakers concede, counter and interrupt. Steal those phrases — they’re the real curriculum.

3. Then come argue. Leave your opinion in the comments, in French. I read them all — and yes, I sometimes argue back.

🎬 The episode guide

Twenty-five debates on the current events in French that France can’t stop talking about — in the order I’d take them. Each links to its own episode with audio, transcript and notes.

25 episodes · 🌳 B2 · 💸 1 free to try

🌱 Start free

One full episode is open to try — audio, transcript and notes included. It’s one of my favourites in the whole series: the debate about whether AI is a real threat or all hot air.

Subscribe free and a new dialogue lands in your inbox every week — no card, no catch.

✅ Lesson Series Tests

Finished the series? Prove it!

And since you’ve reached the very top of the library, the ✅ monthly level tests are what keep you sharp from here — plus every new episode lands in your podcast feed the morning it publishes.

🚀 Ready to start?

This is the French you actually want: the fast, opinionated, real-life French people speak once they stop being polite. Members get all 220 lessons, the private podcast feed, exercises with answer keys, and monthly level tests — Hot Issues included, from episode one.

Here’s exactly what’s free and what’s premium, side by side:

Start my 7-day trial →

À très vite — et n’oublie pas de venir défendre ton avis dans les commentaires.

Ton prof, ton amie,
Amélie x

Last updated: July 2026 — new episodes join this guide as they publish.

← Back to the 🌱 Start Here · Explore the whole library 🌱 →

The Vivre en France 🥖 Series — French Dialogues About Daily Life in France

🌿 Level: Intermediate (B1) · 🎧 36 episodes · ▶️ 2 free to try

Vivre en France 🥖 is a series of everyday French dialogues about daily life in France — 36 intermediate (B1) episodes, from the supermarket checkout to the broken heating in January. Each one comes with audio, a full French transcript and my colloquial notes. Two episodes are completely free to try; the rest are for members.

🎧 A word from Amélie

Press ▶️ — 30 seconds, in my voice…

« Bienvenue dans Vivre en France ! Visiter la France, c’est bien. Mais y vivre — faire les courses, prendre le train, appeler le plombier quand le chauffage tombe en panne en janvier... — ça, c’est une autre histoire ! Trente-sept scènes de la vraie vie quotidienne, avec le vocabulaire que personne ne pense à t’apprendre. C’est ma série la plus utile, je te le garantis. Un jour tu me remercieras — probablement un jour de panne de chauffage. Allez, on y va ! »

🥖 Living in France — or dreaming of it

Visiting France is one thing. Living it is a completely different sport. Nobody warns you that the real tests of your French aren’t at the Louvre — they’re at the supermarket checkout, on the phone with the train company, and above all the day the heating dies in January and you have to explain that to a plumber who talks like a TGV.

This is my most useful series, and I’ll defend that claim over dinner. Thirty-six scenes of genuinely ordinary life — the laundry, the market, the never-ending paperwork — full of the vocabulary no textbook bothers to teach you, because it’s too busy telling you the monument is beautiful. One day you’ll thank me. Probably on a heating-breakdown day.

Reading small little stories in colloquial French is wonderfully helpful and something too often overlooked in courses. Most of us want to learn so that we can one day converse with native speakers, and for this we need to understand their everyday speech. Merci beaucoup!

— Eulalee

👀 Who it’s for

This is for intermediate learners who don’t just want to visit France — they want to live in it. Whether you’ve moved to France, you’re planning to, or you simply want the French that real life runs on, these are your scenes. If the Paris Series was the holiday, this is the life after it.

Just here for the trip? Start with the Paris Series 🗼 and come back when daily life starts happening to you in French.

Not sure this is your level? Find it in a couple of minutes over on the 🌱 Start Here page, then come straight back.

📚 What you’ll learn

By the end you’ll have the everyday French that textbooks skip — the words French people actually reach for when the day goes sideways. A taste of what’s inside:

• on se les pèle — “it’s freezing” (literally we’re peeling ourselves — pure winter-apartment French).

• se débrouiller — “to manage, to make do, to sort yourself out” — the single most useful verb for surviving life in France.

• ça me fout en rogne — “it makes me furious” — for the day your phone bill has hidden fees.

• patauger dans la semoule — “to spin your wheels, to get nowhere fast” (literally to paddle around in the semolina — my all-time favourite).

• c’est du gâteau — “it’s a piece of cake” — because some of this really is.

• un sac à roulettes — “a wheeled shopping trolley” — the very French answer to lugging the groceries home.

• du coup — “so, as a result” — the little filler word spoken French genuinely runs on.

🧭 How to take this course

1. Every scene stands alone — go in order, or grab whatever life is currently throwing at you.

2. Steal the scripts. These dialogues are templates: swap the details and they become your phone call to the plumber.

3. Listen in the podcast feed while you run errands. Doing the shopping while hearing the shopping episode is comically effective. Try it.

🎬 The episode guide

Here’s the full run of everyday French dialogues about daily life in France, in the order I published them — press play on whichever scene matches your week.

36 episodes · 🌿 Intermediate (B1) · 💸 2 free to try

🌱 Start free

Two full episodes are open to try — audio, transcript and notes included:

Subscribe free and a new dialogue lands in your inbox every week — no card, no catch.

✅ Lesson Series Tests

Finished the series? Prove it!

🚀 Ready to start?

Here’s the promise: finally understand real, spoken French — in months, not years. Vivre en France gives you the 20% of French you need to understand 80% of daily life here, the way people actually speak it.

And here’s exactly what’s free. Two full episodes above, plus a new dialogue every week if you subscribe. Members get all 220 lessons, the slow and fast audio, the annotated notes, the exercises with answer keys, the private podcast feed and the monthly level tests.

Start my 7-day trial →

À très vite dans la première scène !

Ton prof, ton amie,
Amélie x

Last updated: July 2026 — new episodes join this guide as they publish.

← 🌱 Back to Start Here · Next series: Conversation Starters Phase 3 ☕️ →

French 101 🇫🇷 — Basic French Dialogues for Everyday Situations

🇫🇷 Level: 🌱 Beginner (A2+) · 🎧 21 episodes · ▶️ 4 free to try

French 101 is a series of 21 basic French dialogues for beginners, one per everyday situation: ordering at a restaurant, the pharmacy, the doctor, a job interview, a first date. Each episode gives you the conversation at real speed, the transcript, and my notes on the phrases French people actually use. Four episodes are free.

👄 A word from Amélie

Press ▶️ — 30 seconds, in my voice, on why I built this one.

« Bienvenue dans French 101 — ta trousse de survie en France ! Commander au restaurant, expliquer tes symptômes à la pharmacie, survivre à un entretien d’embauche... Chaque leçon, c’est une situation réelle, avec les phrases exactes qu’il te faut. Parce que le jour où tu es malade à Paris, crois-moi, ce n’est pas le moment de chercher tes mots ! Choisis la situation qui te parle, ou suis l’ordre — c’est toi le chef. Allez, c’est parti ! »

🧰 Your survival kit, one situation at a time

Think of this series as your survival kit. Each lesson is one real situation — ordering at a restaurant, explaining your symptoms at the pharmacy, getting through a job interview — with the exact phrases you’ll need, at the speed you’ll actually hear them.

Why does this matter so much? Because the day you’re ill in Paris is not the day to be hunting for vocabulary. I’ve watched students freeze at the pharmacy counter with the word for “tablet” sitting somewhere just out of reach. I built every one of these episodes from situations my students actually walked into — sometimes gracefully, sometimes... well, that’s why the lessons exist.

Textbook French tells you what to say. This series tells you what you’ll hear back.

“As a beginner, it is helpful to me to read the dialogues out loud and then compare my pronunciation to the audio. I also get very encouraged when I understand more week-by-week. It’s a great way to gauge my progress!”

👀 Who it’s for

French 101 is for beginners (A2+) who want French with an immediate job to do. If Conversation Starters Phase 1 taught you to chat, French 101 teaches you to cope — and there is no better feeling than the first time a real transaction in French just... works.

⚠️ Skip this one if you’re still building your very first sentences. Start with Conversation Starters Phase 1 ☕️ instead — it’s the gentler door in, and French 101 will still be here when you come back.

Not sure where you land? Find your level on the Start Here page — it takes a minute and it saves you months of studying at the wrong altitude.

📚 What you’ll learn

These basic French dialogues are built around the expressions French people reach for without thinking — the ones no textbook bothers to teach you. A taste of what’s waiting in the ✪ Notes:

• ça marche — that works / sure, deal. The little yes that ends half the plans made in France.

• il pleut des cordes — it’s raining cats and dogs (literally: it’s raining ropes).

• faire un courant d’air — to make a through-draft. Not a phrase, a national institution: shutters, windows and timing, the way the French keep a flat cool all summer.

• ce que ça donne — what comes of it / how it goes. Literally “what that gives” — and I love it for that.

• en liquide — in cash. Say en liquide rather than en espèces and the till stops hearing a tourist.

• ce n’est pas la porte à côté — it’s not exactly next door; it’s a long way.

• plein à craquer — packed, full to bursting. My favourite one to teach, and you’ll need it for every Friday-night café in France.

• enfin, bref — long story short / anyway. Two concluding words stacked into one very French shrug.

Nothing on that list is decoration. Every one of them earns its place in a real conversation this month.

🧭 How to take this course

1. Dip in by situation. Flying to France in a fortnight? Do the restaurant, the pharmacy and the travel episodes first. Or go straight through in order — every scenario stands on its own, so both routes work.

2. Learn the phrases as phrases, not word by word. “Qu’est-ce que vous me conseillez ?” is one tool. Grab the whole thing, don’t take it apart.

3. Both audio speeds, every time. 🐢 Slow to understand it, native speed to survive it. The gap between the two is exactly the distance you’re closing.

4. Read the dialogue out loud before you look at anything else. Your mouth learns faster than your eyes, and it’s the only way to catch what you can’t yet hear.

5. Come back to the ✪ Notes a week later. The expressions that felt like decoration on day one are the ones you’ll suddenly hear everywhere on day eight.

🎬 The episode guide

Here are all 21 basic French dialogues in order — every one a situation you’ll walk into sooner or later.

21 episodes · 🌱 Beginner (A2+) · 💸 4 are free to try

🌱 Start free

Four full episodes are open to try, transcript and notes included:

A new dialogue lands in your inbox every week, free. Subscribe and start with whichever of the four above is closest to the situation you’re dreading.

✅ Lesson Series Tests

Finished the series? Prove it!

Finished the block? Prove it — fifteen minutes on exactly what you’ve just studied:

Scenarios feeling comfortable? Move up to Conversation Starters Phase 2 ☕️ — longer, faster, more personal.

🚀 Ready to start?

Finally understand real, spoken French — in months, not years. French 101 gives you the 20% of French you need to understand 80% of what’s actually said to you, in the situations where it counts. It’s how French people really speak, not how a textbook says they should.

Here’s exactly what’s free and what isn’t. Four French 101 episodes are open to everyone, and a new dialogue reaches every free subscriber each week. Members get two full lessons a week, both audio speeds, the ✪ Notes, the exercises, the private podcast feed 💜, the monthly level test — and the whole 220-lesson library, French 101 included. It’s $24/month, or normally $240 for the year.

Start my 7-day trial →

À très vite dans la première leçon !

Ton prof, ton amie,
Amélie x

Last updated: July 2026 — new episodes join this guide as they publish.

← Back to 🌱 Start Here · Next series: 💬 Conversation Starters Phase 2 →

The Visiting Paris Series 🗼 — Intermediate French Dialogues in Paris

🇫🇷 Level: Intermediate (B1) · 🎧 19 episodes · ▶️ 2 free to try

The Visiting Paris Series is 19 intermediate French dialogues set in Paris — one continuous story that follows a trip from the airport to the Louvre, the marché and the Tour Montparnasse. Level B1, with transcripts, translations and colloquial notes on every episode. Two episodes — the boulangerie and Tour Montparnasse — are free to try.

👄 A word from Amélie

Press ▶️ — 45 seconds, in my voice. The fastest way to meet your teacher before you begin. 💜

« Bienvenue dans la série Paris — ma série préférée. Et oui, j’ai le droit d’avoir une préférée ! Dix-neuf épisodes, une seule histoire : tu arrives à l’aéroport, tu te trompes de métro — ça arrive même aux Parisiens, je te jure — tu montes en haut de la tour Eiffel, tu goûtes ta première vraie baguette... Paris, c’est le rêve de presque tous mes étudiants. Mais entre le rêve et la réalité, il y a une petite chose : comprendre ce que les gens te disent ! Alors on va vivre tout ça ensemble, épisode par épisode, en vrai français. Commence par le premier, et laisse-toi porter. Bon voyage, mes amis ! »

🗼 The closest thing to a French mini-story

Can I tell you a secret? This is my favourite series to teach. It’s the closest thing in the library to a novel: one continuous story, told in 19 French dialogues. You land at Charles de Gaulle, fumble through the metro, check into the hotel — and over the next weeks you order dinner, get gloriously lost, queue at the Louvre, dodge a pickpocket (sorry, it had to be done), and end up at the top of the Tour Montparnasse, looking out over a city you’ve just lived entirely in French.

Here’s why I built it. Almost every student I’ve ever taught has the same dream — the trip. And I’ve watched too many of them study French for years, land full of hope... and freeze at the first ticket machine. Not because their French was bad — because textbook French and airport-at-7am French are two different languages. 🇫🇷

This series closes that gap: every line is something a real person would actually say to you, at the speed they’d actually say it.

“I have a trip planned to Paris to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary. French with Amélie has helped me get more comfortable with speaking than the apps that I use.”

— David

👀 Who it’s for

You’ve finished the beginner material (Phase 1 or French 101) and you want French you can use on the ground.

Every episode is a situation a real visitor hits: transport, hotels, restaurants, tickets, directions, minor disasters — and yes, the minor disasters are the best episodes. That’s where the most useful French lives. 💜

New to B1 and finding this tough? Build up with Conversation Starters Phase 2 first, then come back to Paris. Not sure where you sit? Find your level on the Start Here page (https://www.frenchwithamelie.com/p/start-here-2) — it only takes a couple of minutes.

📚 What you’ll learn

By the end you'll have the little phrases that make you sound like you actually live here — the ones textbooks quietly skip:

• Order at the boulangerie like a regular — call it c'est du gâteau (a piece of cake) and field Et avec ceci ? (anything else?) without freezing.

• React like a native when a story lands — c'est pas vrai ! (no way!) and je n'en reviens pas (I can't believe it).

• Stay street-smart around the city — clock when something's louche (sketchy) and warn a friend with fais gaffe ! (watch out!).

• Shrug off the little snags of travel — c'est un peu galère (it's a bit of a hassle) — and reassure someone with t'inquiète (don't worry).

• Gush about the view properly — c'est à couper le souffle (breathtaking) and, yes, ça vaut le coup (it's worth it).

• Slip in the filler words that fool locals — franchement (honestly) and the untranslatable hein (right?).

🧭 How to take this course

1. Go in order. It’s one story — it builds episode by episode. (Yes, in order! I see you, the ones about to skip to the Louvre. The metro comes first, like in real life. And yet Amelie’s classroom is a place of great freedom.. so you can always do whatever takes your fancy!)

2. One episode per sitting: read the dialogue first without the translation — be brave, guess — then the translation and my ✪ notes, then both audio speeds, then the exercises.

3. Re-listen in the podcast feed. Members have every episode in their podcast app — replay the whole story before a real trip and feel how much of Paris you already understand.

🎬 The episode guide

Nineteen intermediate French dialogues, one continuous Paris story — follow it in order and you'll pick up the thread (and the slang) as you go.

19 episodes · Intermediate (B1) · best taken in order · 💸 2 free to try

🌱 Start free

Two full episodes are open to try, audio, transcript and notes included:

Like the way it feels? Subscribe free and I'll send you one new lesson every week.

✅ Lesson Series Tests

Finished the series? Prove it!

Every ten episodes, there’s a test waiting — fifteen minutes on exactly what you’ve just studied, nothing else. Don’t skip them: they’re where “I think I’m improving” becomes “I know I’m improving.”

Pass both, and you’re officially the friend who orders for the whole table.
Then you’re ready for Vivre en France 🥖 — because visiting France is one thing, but living it is where the fun really starts.

🚀 Ready to start?

The Paris story is 19 of the 220 lessons waiting for you — and two new ones land every week. Finally understand real, spoken French — in months, not years.

Here’s exactly what’s free, and what opens up when you join:

Start my 7-day trial →

À très vite dans le premier épisode !

Ton prof, ton amie,
Amélie x

Last updated: July 2026 — new episodes join this guide as they publish.

← Back to Start Here · Next series: Vivre en France 🥖 →

The Special ✨ Series — Seasonal French Dialogues for Christmas, New Year & the Whole Calendar

🌿 Level: Intermediate-friendly · 🎧 6 seasonal episodes · ▶️ 3 free to try

These are seasonal French dialogues — Christmas markets, tree-trimming, New Year resolutions, the Tour de France and the Olympics — the ones you pull out when the calendar matches. Six intermediate-friendly one-offs, each with audio, transcript and notes; three are free to try. Not a course to finish in order — a little shelf you open on the right day.

🎧 A word from Amélie

Press ▶️ — 28 seconds, in my voice, on why these little seasonal lessons land so well.

« Bienvenue dans les leçons Spéciales — le français des jours de fête ! Les marchés de Noël, les résolutions du Nouvel An qu’on ne tient jamais, la Saint-Valentin, le Tour de France... Quand la France fait la fête, elle a son propre vocabulaire, ses petites traditions, ses phrases rituelles. Ces leçons-là, tu les sors au bon moment de l’année — et là, effet garanti ! Alors, c’est quand la prochaine fête ? »

✨ Some days, France becomes a different country

Some days, France really does become a different country. The Christmas markets open and suddenly everything smells of vin chaud; the Tour rolls out and the whole nation turns into a cycling expert overnight; January arrives with resolutions we’ve abandoned by the 9th — a proud national tradition.

Each of those days has its own vocabulary, its own little rituals, its own phrases that everyone says — and saying the right one at the right moment is the fastest shortcut to a delighted French face I know. That’s what this shelf is. I made these to be kept in your pocket and opened seasonally, like a little present timed to the calendar.

I love your current French — it’s fun and easy to pick up and learn colloquially. Merci

— Andre

👀 Who it’s for

These are for learners who’ve got a little French under their belt and want to sound right on the days that matter — arriving at a Christmas market, toasting the new year, watching the Tour with French friends. If you can follow a simple conversation and want the real, festive, everyday phrases textbooks skip, you’ll feel at home here.

If you’re a total beginner still finding your feet, don’t start here — begin with the free beginner phase in Conversation Starters Phase 1 ☕️ and come back for the seasonal fun once you’re steady.

Not sure if the level’s right for you? Find your level from the Start Here page 🌱 and pick your first series from there.

📚 What you’ll learn

Every episode leaves you with a handful of phrases you can actually drop at the right seasonal moment. A taste of what’s inside:

• une bûche de Noël — a Yule log cake, the traditional French Christmas dessert (Christmas puddings be damned).

• j’ai hâte de — I can’t wait to. How to express excitement about future plans.

• ça vaut le coup — it’s worth it. Perfect for motivating someone (or yourself) to make the effort.

• une occasion en or — a golden opportunity. The gold-medal turn of phrase.

• le maillot jaune — the yellow jersey, worn by the Tour’s current leader.

• tout ça pour dire — all this to say. The very French “long story short.”

🧭 How to use this shelf

There’s no order and no prerequisites here — this isn’t a course to work through top to bottom. Just pull out the episode that matches the season you’re in:

1. Wait for the moment — the Christmas market, the new year, the Tour, the Games.

2. Open that episode and listen the way you’d listen to a friend telling a story.

3. Steal two or three of the seasonal phrases from the notes and use them out loud on the day.

They stand completely alone, so you can dip in and out for years. Little presents — open them on the right day.

🎬 The episode guide

The full shelf of seasonal French dialogues, in the order they first landed — from a summer on the Tour to Christmas morning and a fresh set of New Year resolutions.

6 seasonal episodes · 🌿 Intermediate-friendly · 💸 3 free to try

🌱 Start free

Three full episodes are open to try — audio, transcript and notes included. Pick whichever season is closest:

Subscribe free and a new dialogue lands in your inbox every week — no card, no catch.

✅ Lesson Series Tests

Finished the ones in season? Prove it!

This little shelf doesn’t have its own test yet — it’s a handful of one-offs rather than a full course. If it ever grows into a proper season of its own, I’ll add a seasonal test right here so you can check what stuck. For now, the ✅ Monthly Level Tests are the place to measure how far your French has come.

🚀 Ready to start?

Here’s the promise: finally understand real, spoken French — in months, not years. Not textbook French, but the way people actually talk when the markets open and the champagne’s poured.

Here’s exactly what’s free and what’s premium — so you know precisely what you’re getting before you decide.

Start my 7-day trial →

À très vite — et joyeuse saison, quelle qu’elle soit !

Ton prof, ton amie,
Amélie x

Last updated: July 2026 — new specials join this guide as they publish.

← Back to Start Here 🌱 · Ready for a full course? Conversation Starters Phase 1 ☕️ →

Coucou ☕️🇫🇷🥐 I'm Amélie Laurent and this is my French newsletter, where I supercharge your progress from A2 to B2 through colloquial dialogues.
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If someone forwarded it and you want to subscribe, then you can click on this handy little button:

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Bonjour mes étudiants préférés! 
Joyeux Noël ! 🎅🏼

It’s Christmas so this one’s free for everyone. 🎁

I’m sure everyone’s up to their ears in various deadlines and holiday necessities atm.. so perhaps this lesson will be best enjoyed snuggled up with some mulled wine near a fireplace next week.. or perhaps I’m dreaming to myself.

But here I am again with another lesson in your inbox about the iconic Christmas morning.

Christmas however is nearly always a difficult time for everyone as well, and no one talks about it enough.. so look enjoy your loved ones, treat yourself a little and look after yourselves my dear students! ❤️

I'll see you on the other side, January 5th.

Gros Bisous
A x

Le matin de Noël 🎅🏼

Dialogue Audio 🎧

Slower Audio 🐢

Dialogue du Jour

Nolan: Joyeux Noël ma cheri ! Regarde, il commence à neiger dehors. 

Célia: C'est magnifique ! Les enfants vont adorer. As-tu mis du bois dans la cheminée ✪ pour allumer le feu ?

Nolan: Oui, et j'ai aussi préparé une playlist de musiques de Noël. Ça va être festif !

Célia: Super ! Et les cadeaux, sont-ils tous sous… non, attendez, désolé... le Père Noël est arrivé ? 

Nolan: Mais évidemment ✪ ! …  J'ai hâte de voir leurs visages en les ouvrant. Tu penses qu'ils vont aimer ce que nous avons choisi ?

Célia: Bien sûr ! Mais avant, parlons du dîner de Noël. J'ai prévu une dinde aux marrons ✪ et tous les autres éléments essentiels. Le dessert est prêt ?

Nolan: J'ai acheté tous les ingrédients pour faire une bûche de Noël ✪ en dessert. 

Célia: Parfait ! Il semble que tout soit en place ✪. Ah, les enfants descendent. Prêts pour la magie de Noël huh ? 

Nolan: Toujours ! Après avoir ouvert les cadeaux, que dirais-tu d'une promenade dans la neige ?

Célia: Une excellente idée ! Un peu d'air frais après cette matinée excitante.

Nolan: Et on pourra faire un bonhomme de neige ✪ ! Les enfants ne nous laisseront pas le choix, je pense !

♡ 𝕃𝕚𝕜𝕖 𝕓𝕖𝕝𝕠𝕨 👇

✪ Notes

la cheminée = le foyer = the fireplace. "J'adore lire un livre au coin de la cheminée." (I love reading a book by the fireplace). Sounds like ‘chimney’ means both! One santa comes down, the other out.. same word in French.

Mais évidemment ✨ = bien sûr = of course. Honestly might be one of my favourite Frenchie phrases of all time. Dropped with the right intonation and it’s just so … French. “But obviously.. (a blind man with a stick could see that/ are you a fool? / are you drunk / i can’t believe you’ve even had to ask etc etc)” .. all in one phrase.

une dinde aux marrons 🦃 = a turkey with chestnuts. "Pour Noël, nous aurons une dinde aux marrons." (For Christmas, we'll have a turkey with chestnuts). The classic French Christmas.

une bûche de Noël 🔗 🪵 = a Yule log cake. "Chaque Noël, ma grand-mère fait une bûche de Noël délicieuse." (Every Christmas, my grandmother makes a delicious Yule log cake). The traditional Christmas dessert in France, Christmas puddings be damned. 

un bonhomme de neige ☃️ = a snowman. "Les enfants adorent faire un bonhomme de neige en hiver." (Children love making a snowman in winter). In France snowmen aren’t just men.. they’re good men!

*✨ = especially ‘Frenchie’ words/phrases you should try and use more
*🧩 = ‘canned’ expressions or phrases that are best learned as a whole, like puzzle-pieces.

Translation

N: Merry Christmas my darling! Look, it's starting to snow outside.

C: It's beautiful! The kids will love it. Did you put some wood in the fireplace to light the fire?

N: Yes, and I also prepared a Christmas music playlist. It's going to be festive!

C: Great! And the gifts, are they all under... no, wait, sorry... has Santa Claus arrived?

N: But of course! ... I can't wait to see their faces when they open them. Do you think they'll like what we chose?

C: Of course! But first, let's talk about the Christmas dinner. I've planned a turkey with chestnuts and all the other essential elements. Is the dessert ready?

N: I bought all the ingredients to make a Yule log for dessert.

C: Perfect! It seems that everything is in place. Ah, the kids are coming down. Ready for the magic of Christmas, huh?

N: Always! After opening the gifts, how about a walk in the snow?

C: A great idea! A bit of fresh air after this exciting morning.

N: And we can make a snowman! The kids won't leave us any choice, I think!

Writing Prompt ✍️ Alors, quel est le moment le plus important de la journée de Noël ?

All answers are welcome. One word.. or one sentence.
Write me your answer in the comments. I can’t wait to read them! 👇🏼

Leave a comment

Exercise 1 - Fill in the blank 💪

Quickly test your comprehension, accelerate your learning. 🚀

1. Après le dîner, nous allons nous asseoir près de _ et écouter des histoires.
   After dinner, we're going to sit by the fireplace and listen to stories.

2. J'espère que _ pour la fête de ce soir.
   hope everything is in place for tonight's party.

3. Les enfants étaient si heureux de faire _ dans le jardin.
   The kids were so happy to make a snowman in the garden.

4. Cette soirée est tellement _, je ne veux pas qu'elle se termine !
   This evening is so exciting, I don't want it to end!

5. _, le Père Noël a toujours de bonnes idées de cadeaux.
   Of course, Santa Claus always has great gift ideas.

If you’re struggling the ✪ Notes section is always a good place to look. 😉 The answers are all in the dialogue or notes section.

[NO PEEKING] Answer Key: 1. la cheminée  2. tout soit en place  3. un bonhomme de neige  4. excitante  5. Mais évidemment

Exercise 2 - Translate ⚡

If you can translate each of these sentences after the lesson then you’re making real progress. They can also me used as flashcards.

1. Après avoir vu le Père Noël, j'ai décidé de cuisiner une dinde.  

2. En observant les visages étonnés des enfants, j'ai réalisé qu'il se mettait à neiger.  

3. "Regardez, c'est le Père Noël !" cria l'un des enfants, pointant vers le ciel enneigé.  

4. La dinde au four, je me suis assis pour contempler les flocons de neige tombant doucement.  

5. "Demain, on ira faire un bonhomme de neige", ai-je promis aux enfants, leurs visages illuminés de joie.

1. After seeing Santa Claus, I decided to cook a turkey.
2. Watching the astonished faces of the children, I realized it was starting to snow.
3. "Look, it's Santa Claus!" one of the children yelled, pointing at the snowy sky.
4. With the turkey in the oven, I sat down to watch the gently falling snowflakes.
5. "Tomorrow, we'll go make a snowman," I promised the children, their faces lit up with joy.

✉️ Votre invitation à Paris

𝔻𝕠𝕟'𝕥 𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕘𝕖𝕥 𝕥𝕠 ♡ 𝕝𝕚𝕜𝕖 𝕠𝕟 𝕊𝕦𝕓𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕔𝕜👇

Tu te sens d'humeur festive et généreuse ?

Consider leaving a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review for the podcast - it makes a big difference! 🫶🏻

Review on Apple Podcasts 💜

Review on Spotify 💚

If you have any type of feedback please let me know in the comments. Or you can just reply to this email.

Je vous donne rendez-vous pour la nouvelle année et je vous souhaite un joyeux Noël ! 🎁

Amélie x

It’s not Christmas yet… so please ignore that last email.

Lots of love
Your local French teacher Amélie.

*Yes, new lesson on Sunday :)

I’ve been hinting at new paid features for a while, and the day has finally arrived!

It’s taken me a bit to get up to speed in 2024 (winter days are so short and dark here in Europe!) but thanks to your wonderful feedback, some creative thinking, and some hard work, I’m proud to announce new goodies for everyone. 🤩

Dialogue d'hier 💭

Most of you will already have seen the new Dialogue d'hier 💭 feature—where the previous dialogue is now included at the top of each new lesson, allowing you to effortless review.

Progress is so often silent, which means we can’t be encouraged by it.
So one of my big hopes for this feature is that you’ll now be able to see in real time the new vocabulary you’re picking up!

Read more

I’m busy planning the future—how I can make it even better—I realise I need your help to do that!

As a paid member your opinion is the most important of all.
C’est vaut son pesant d'or (It’s worth it’s weight in gold).

Could you please fill out this short survey (should take ~5 mins max) - and help shape the next chapter?

Take the survey

You’re the best,
Amélie 😊

Read more