What is StreetFrench.org ?

Bonjour!

My name is Charlie, co-owner of Street French, and we started this site to help people learn French the way it’s really spoken, not the boring, “proper” French you learn in high school or college.

In my experience, native French speakers never speak “academic” French, so why not learn how they really speak? Why not focus on things we’d actually need to say if we were to ever visit or live in a French speaking country?

Most traditional language schools and universities teach a sort of “standard” French. That’s because they feel a need to protect the French language and I totally get that, but the problem is that as foreigners learning French, it doesn’t really help us a whole lot! Just like in English, a lot of what we native speakers say wouldn’t really be considered “proper” English, but that’s how people really speak!

That’s what Street French is all about, learning practical things in an easy to understand way.

Let me tell you a bit more about my language learning journey. 
I’m originally from Los Angeles, California, and I started studying French in 2009. I didn’t know any native French speakers, nor did I even know anyone in France, but one of my life goals was to learn a language fluently and so I set out to do just that.

I started studying on my own in my room using www.wordreference.com and texting a friend who studied a little French in high school. I would send her little texts, she would write back, I would look up everything she wrote me, word for word, then figure out something to send back. I was communicating with someone in French from day 1 and it was so much fun! I was hooked.

I then took a couple classes in college, which eventually led me to take just about every French class I could and ended up studying for about 2 years. I had a good understanding of grammar, but I still couldn’t speak very well at all! I couldn’t hold a real conversation, so I decided to take drastic measures. I made the decision to find some French speakers to practice with and immerse myself in French culture as much as I could.

That 1 simple idea made all the difference! I finally started using French in real life situations and I saw the progress I was looking for all along.

I started working as a private French tutor in 2013 and I always kept that idea in mind:

In order to speak French proficiently, YOU HAVE TO SPEAK!

After a few more years of studying, I eventually moved to Paris, where I currently reside, to continue my French studies at the Sorbonne. Speaking French really changed my life. I’ve had so many wonderful experiences and met so many amazing people, all because one day I decided to learn a new language.

But I know that not everyone has the time to study French in a classroom nor means to pay for private lessons, so I created
our conversational French course to give people the opportunity to learn all of my French language tips, tricks, and techniques.
I really feel like it’s my responsibility to help people who want to learn this beautiful language.

In our product you’ll find everything you need to be able to speak French at a basic level, with a bit of practice of course. I share everything I know about speaking French with you, as someone who was exactly where you are, faced all of the same challenges you face, and overcame them.

And for the cost of only a few private French lessons, you could have a course that would provide you with everything you need to be able to speak French proficiently.

For some people, speaking French isn’t such a big deal, but for others, I know being able to speak French would completely change their lives! There are students living in a French speaking country who struggle to make friends, expats who find it difficult to integrate into French society while they work abroad, people who are unable to communicate with their spouse’s relatives, all because they can’t speak French! I think about how our site can change their lives for the better and that’s what really keeps me motivated.

I believe anyone should be able to learn a language if they truly want to, regardless of finances.

That’s why in addition to our courses, we also have our youtube channel and this blog where we will continue to post lessons, tips, advice, and everything else we can in order to help the most people we can.

So welcome to Street French! If you ever have any questions about anything, please don’t hesitate to ask.
We’re here to help you learn French the way it’s really spoken!

À bientôt!

-Charlie