When I began with my first tutor it was all about the basic structure of the language. Learning specific words and then the dreaded conjugated verbs. Once I had that down we went into stories and comprehension. My former tutor Alice Ayel, a wonderful French woman living in Portugal teaches French through what she calls the Natural Method. When we were little and we were learning to talk our parents didn’t give us a stack of flashcards and books and told us to memorize them. We learned by hearing our parents saying the same words over and over. The Natural Method is just like that. Through a series of stories, starting at the “baby stage” up to more advanced and working with a dry erase board she draws and acts out the words. It is amazing how quickly this method works. Alice has a wonderful YouTube channel where you can watch any of her stories for free. She also has a newsletter and membership that includes special videos, stories and even books.
And for those of you that want to add a little Christmas cheer to your learning, check out her book 24 petites histoires de l’Avent en français. It accompanies her videos she made of each of the stories and is a really fun way to add more French into your routine. Each story is other YouTube channel and you can easily purchase and download the book.
Check out her website AliceAyel.com and find her on YouTube
