lucile-frenchfornerds

[lucile-frenchfornerds]

Can I learn French if I'm neurodivergent? Dyslexic? Over 40? Dane?

The answer is YES.

Yes, you can learn French if you have a neurodivergence, if you're dyslexic, if you have ADHD, if you have autism... Yes.

Yes, you can learn French if you're 25. If you're 37. If you're 42. Or if you're 77. Age is actually not a factor.

Yes, you can learn French if you're a dane (this is a real thing someone told me once - that he couldn't learn French because Danish was so different in pronunciation).

The thing is, you may not learn like schools want you to. You won't learn with regular fill in the blanks and vocab activities.

Your struggles may be different from that of other people.

Maybe you will learn in a way many people find kind of boring, or weird, or chaotic.

But you know what? You can learn. What you need is to find a way that fits your brain and your personality!

Learning a language is not a one way street. There is so much fun roads when you dare go into the weird, chaotic little sideways.

I can help you find your way to learn French, thanks to your differences (and NOT despite them!)

Contact - French For Nerds

[lucile-frenchfornerds]

Hey guys, I'm launching a new project for people who want to learn/practice French through writing (any kind, doesn't have to be writing stories!).

I made a quick form to gather information on what you'd like to be included :)

It would be super helpful if you could fill it in and/or pass it around for a max of people to see it!

Thanks <3

[lucile-frenchfornerds]

I'm so proud of my students!!

I have this woman, Antje, in class since like January. She knew very little French, but her brother used to live in France so she sometimes visits them, and she wanted to learn French.

At the end of May, so after about 5 months of learning 2h a week with me, she went to visit them once more.

She came back last week and told me that

she had arrived speaking French to them and they were all shocked lmao

she was able to read the books with the kids

her family was proud of her and she also was super proud of herself

And as a really fun fact, we're in the process of learning the past (imparfait/passé composé), and one of the kids who is French is also studying passé composé in school, so they were like "samesies!"

[lucile-frenchfornerds]

Talking French history with one of my students - Jean Moulin, Victor Hugo, Simone Veil, Charles de Gaulle... Let's be real I'm also learning history lmao I didn't know every details

[lucile-frenchfornerds]

Hey folks, I teach online French classes centered on culture and linguistics, fun and creative!

I mostly teach to queer and neurodivergent people, with a lot of chatting, talking about some weird fun facts or niche interests, and of course some vocab and grammar.

It's super chill and the idea is to turn it into "the best hour of the week" (this is what one of my student said, bless her), because learning a language should be fun and a hobby more than anything!

If you or anyone you know could be interested, hit me up ✨️

website: https://frenchfornerds.com/en

[lucile-frenchfornerds]

What my French classes look like

I was reflecting on my business and my classes, as I have a meeting with my business coach tomorrow (it's like therapy but for businesses tbh) and I thought I'd share what I've noticed:

Sometimes it's chaotic. I have a rough plan of what I need to study with my students for them to reach their goals, but the roads between each item is full of turns. We chat for the full hour, we change ideas, we decide to do something else because we don't feel like sticking to the plan for the day... And I love it. Honestly, I think that's why it's working, because it's not school-like, it's real life.

My students are my clients. But they're also kind of my friends? We share a lot, we laugh, they know all about my terrible house issues (I have so many, you wouldn't believe), they share theirs... And sometimes when the stars align we meet in real life for a coffee or a weekend and my life gets a little brighter.

I'm not a typical teacher. I don't follow textbooks. I explain tenses with multiverse metaphors, I use the witch hunt, astronomy or pirates as learning topics... But my students also are out of the box. They have special interests, they share things I don't know, they challenge me too. I teach the language but we both learn about cultures.

I'm out of the box. I'm queer, I'm probably not that neurotypical, I'm a woman who never intends to settle and marry... And without really meaning to, most of my students are also queer, neurodivergent, or out of the box in some way (also Germans. So many germans!! and people living in Switzerland too)

Anyway, this is how I teach! It's not for everyone, it's cultural, it's conversations, it's sometimes honestly a bit random - but I am proud that it is working.

That my students are not only making progress in French and sharing those victories with me, but also finding a safe space to have a little moment for themselves and do something they like - without judgement, pressure or the mean look society gives up for not fully fitting in.

So if you know someone looking for exactly this kind of French learning safe space - here's my website, share it around :)

Inclusive online French courses - French for Nerds

[lucile-frenchfornerds]

I keep seeing this lately, gods I wish it was from a real tv interview - Unfortunately none of our current tv journalists would be brave enough to shut transphobes up 🫠

still feels good to watch it ngl (english subs aren't totally accurate though)

This meme is inescapable on French insta so I'm posting it here for all to enjoy

[lucile-frenchfornerds]

http://subscribepage.io/quiz-whats-your-superpower-to-learn-french

[lucile-frenchfornerds]

I've had so many students tell me that they know all their French conjugations, yet still struggle to choose the proper tense sometimes, or don't really feel at ease with the verbal system.

You know, the classic "why the fuck does French have so many tenses"

So now I explain it as early on as possible. Like, I have this student, Alex - she knows some French but it's still pretty basic stuff.

We're now going through the past tenses, but beforehand I explained how the system works.

Yes, there is a system.

French is based on the narrator's point of view. Whenever you speak, you first choose a "universe" (indicative for Reality, Conditional for possibilities based on external conditions, Subjonctif for your own feelings, wants and doubts, and imperative to give orders)

Then, within these universes you have tenses. Indicative, being the Reality Mode, is the most complete one and has Present, Past & Future. Each of those have 2 options: a simple tense or a composed tense.

The other three modes just have two options: simple or composed.

Simple tenses are used when the narrator puts the importance on the verb itself (think kind of like an -ING in English), whereas the composed tenses put the focus on the result of the verb.

That means:

Conditional simple -> you can still change, it could still happen; whereas for composed conditional the result is already here -> it's too late (I should do X =/= I should have done X)

Future simple -> this will happen ; whereas composed future is a deadline -> this will be finished by x

Subjunctive also has the will be happening vs will be finished

For the Indicative past, that's the most complex.

-> Imparfait (simple tense) implies an -ING vibe: like Paul réparait ma voiture, we'll visualize Paul while he's fixing the car (and expect something to happen bc it's not interesting let's be honest). We don't know if he succeeded or not, because it's not important to the narrator.

-> Passé composé implies that we care about the result of the verb : Paul a réparé ma voiture implies the car is now fixed, which is THE important info because now I can go to the party or whatever.

After explaining this, we're now working with Alex on how to choose between imparfait and passé composé in context to make sure we're implying what we want and not getting quiproquos!

It's super hard sometimes but it's a lot of fun (according to her!) to just make up scenarios, imagine how it changes if we switch up the tense from simple to composed, etc!

If you guys are interested, I could show you examples where changing simple/composed changes the meaning of the sentence!

[lucile-frenchfornerds]

Sometimes, people ask me what the best way to learn a new language (or keep up with one you've learned) is.

For me, it's an easy answer: you need to enjoy using that language. Whatever for, whomever with, if you do things you really like, you'll improve.

Many of my students (and let's be real, me too) are into fantasy, video games, or anything a bit nerdy - it's not for nothing that we're on tumblr eheh

So for them, one of the best way to learn is to link French to nerdy stuff so that we can use the language in our fave activities.

That's why I made a video and guide to give you French nerdy expressions as well as content recommendations (games, books, shows...)

So if you're also a big nerd learning French...

Get your guide, watch the video, and launch your French journey!

[lucile-frenchfornerds]

Deviens un vrai nerd français !

Découvre des expressions,jeux, séries et livres nerd français pour pratiquer le vocabulaire de la culture nerd :)

Il y a un PDF et une vidéo !

subscribepage.io/guide-culture-nerd-francaise

[lucile-frenchfornerds]

You want to do things in French to practice but lack ideas?

I’ve got you covered!

Here are 3 ideas of stuff you can do in french to use your interests, stay motivated and practice!

You like playing video games? Keep a journal of your game, what you did, how it went, where you failed...

You like watching shows? Review the episodes afterwards (in writing, speaking, or just in your mind!)

You like cooking? Write down your recipes in French, or keep a journal of new things you tried

Whatever you do, it needs to be something you enjoy! You don't need to practice French every day or anything, but when you do practice, you need to have a blast.

That's what will keep you motivated and improving!

[lucile-frenchfornerds]

Find out what your superpower to learn French is!

You want to learn/improve your French but you don’t know where to start or can’t find the motivation to commit to it?

You might not know yet what your real strengths are! 

Traditional learning doesn’t work for everyone, especially when you try to practice on your own. It’s super important to find the way that works for you and keeps you into it! 

This quiz will help you find your superpower to learn French! (and no, we’re not talking grammar or being a subjunctive master - but what your key skill is to practice French in a way you will enjoy!) 

Once you know that, it will be so much easier and funnier to put French into your life and stop procrastinating your learning! 

Click to access the quiz and start your French learning journey!

http://subscribepage.io/quiz-whats-your-superpower-to-learn-french

[lucile-frenchfornerds]

Hey folks, I teach online French classes centered on culture and linguistics, fun and creative!

If you wanna learn French, talk about the language and culture, discuss books and fiction, or prepare for a trip or an event in France, I'll help you reach your goals!

All levels - Usually 1:1 classes, groups (2-4ppl) possible if some people want to learn together and lower prices!

Also trimestrial workshops: improving your accent, creative writing and a conversation club around books and fiction

If you or anyone you know could be interested, hit me up ✨️

website: https://frenchfornerds.com/en

[lucile-frenchfornerds]

"Just learn 5 minutes a day" Yeah no, thanks.

Like, I get that it can work for some people, but for me it's a huge guilt trap - if I skip a day, I feel bad. And learning a language should make you feel good, happy, confident, proud!!

So sorry to all teachers who love throwing that sentence out but it's a big no! Same for all those school-like, traditional learning based on vocab lists, conjugation tables, and stupid generic advice.

As a kid I really wanted to learn English, but as much of linguistic nerd as I am, reading grammar books has always been boring for me.

Thing is, traditional and school like learning just isn't for everyone, and especially not for folks who are neurodivergent, hypercreative or just kind of work differently.

For me - and for lots of people let's be real - if it's not super interesting to me, then I get bored and distracted in two minutes. And then I'm frustrated because I actually want to learn but it's just not working.

Good news is, it's not your fault and it certainly isn't the only way of learning!!

I wrote a blog article about this, sharing how I learned English and giving advice if you want to get into/get back into learning French but are a bit lost on how to do it.

The idea is to give concrete ideas that you can personalize to use your interests and hobbies into allies, and that way associate French with fun rather than "something you have to do".

I think the article's too long for Tumblr so I'll just put out the link, go check it out and start learning differently :)

Learn French differently: Turn your interests and hobbies into allies! 

[lucile-frenchfornerds]

The French bookclub is opening again on April 29th! 

I'm so excited because it's one of my favourite classes and this time I don't know the book we picked either so it'll be a full suprise lmao - let's hope it's good!

Every other Tuesday at 7pm CET from April 29th to June 24th, we talk about books, fiction, characters, representation and storytelling...All that while reading one French book (it's gonna be a horror story, Bienvenue chez vous de Alex Sol)

I love the bookclub because it's a great opportunity to just speak freely in French, practice in a natural and fun setting while sharing what we love - and criticizing tropes and stuff we don't like! 

And of course, there's the reading and discovery of new French writers (a woman in this case!) and books, as we read the book throughout the trimester to talk about it in depth on June 24th!

There are two spots left in the bookclub for April-June 2025, so if you're intermediate or advanced in French, join us :) 

DM me or check out my website to register and start turning French into a hobby!

[lucile-frenchfornerds]

Hey folks, I teach online French classes centered on culture and linguistics, fun and creative!

If you wanna learn French, talk about the language and culture, discuss books and fiction, or prepare for a trip or an event in France, I'll help you reach your goals!

All levels - Usually 1:1 classes, groups (2-4ppl) possible if some people want to learn together and lower prices!

Also trimestrial workshops: improving your accent, creative writing and a conversation club around books and fiction

If you or anyone you know could be interested, hit me up ✨️

website: https://frenchfornerds.com/en