Learn French
with Manon

GROW YOUR CONFIDENCE

Speak French
with confidence

French is not easy, but you don’t need to speak it perfectly to consider yourself fluent or good at it. The vast majority of French people, if not all of them, make mistakes all the time. The rules are too complicated and there are too many of them for anyone to remember them all.

If you want to speak French, don’t wait until you know all the rules! Take it step by step, and remind  yourself that every new word, every new phrase, every new rule you learn is progress. And it’s ok to forget something. Next time you’ll see or hear it, you’ll remember you’ve seen or heard it before. And you may forget it again, but after a while, it will stick! People who speak really good French have all been through it. It didn’t magically happen!

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Meet
the teacher

I’m Manon, online French teacher and certified DELF and DALF examiner. In recent years, I specialized in teaching advanced learners (C1-C2), but I still teach students at A1 to B2 levels. I have been a language teacher since 2007 and an online French teacher since 2016, and I love teaching students who are passionate about languages.

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membership

To access the blog, you used to need to become a patron via Patreon.
Not anymore, as I will have less time for the blog and won’t publish as much as I used to. 
The blog will mostly be free from July/August 2025, although some publications will only be accessible to my students and people who have actively supported my work for years. Past publications will remain accessible to those who already had access.  

French
un peu

For learners with a little bit of time.

Past members can still access the publications they had access to, provided they keep their Patreon account active.

French
beaucoup

For learners with a bit more time.

Past members can still access the publications they had access to, provided they keep their Patreon account active.

French
passionnément

For eager learners

Past members can still access the publications they had access to, provided they keep their Patreon account active. They will have access to all future publications.

Most recent posts

Here are the latest blog posts :

Documentaire : six mois pour apprendre le français

Documentaire : six mois pour apprendre le français

Voici un documentaire de 52 minutes, produit par Radio Canada, qui suit des étudiant·e·s étranger·ère·s venu·e·s du monde entier dans leur apprentissage du français. J’ai regardé les 10 premières minutes, et je vais le finir plus tard pour sûr ! Peut-être tout à l’heure quand je serai à l’hôpital vétérinaire en train de câliner Panda. […]

Pour les lecteurs et lectrices assidu·e·s

Quand j’écoute des podcasts intéressants, que je lis des livres ou que je regarde des vidéos qui me plaisent, je me les envoie en message, en me disant que je les partagerai sur le blog plus tard. J’en ai un paquet dans mes messages ! Alors je vais essayer de penser à les partager plus […]

Récit d’étudiante – La France : ce grand pays

Mon étudiante Paloma, que je vois presque toutes les semaines depuis 11 ans, a écrit un petit texte sur une récente expérience qu’elle a vécue alors qu’elle était de passage à Paris. Elle me l’a racontée en cours, et je lui ai demandé si elle voulait bien l’écrire pour que je la partage sur le […]

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TESTIMONIALS

What my
students say

I took lessons with Manon whilst preparing for the DALF C1 exam. I had tried to prepare myself with a textbook and YouTube videos but I simply couldn't have done it without Manon's lessons. They were by far the best investment I could've made for my French. She corrected all of my work meticulously and reassured me that I would pass, even when I didn't think I could do it. Thankfully, she was right! A truly remarkable teacher. Thank you, Manon!

Susanne, Scotland To her surprise, but not to mine, passed the C1 with flying colours in 2025, with a perfect score on the speaking part!

Working with Manon over the past year and a half has been an absolute pleasure, and I’m so grateful to have such a wonderful teacher on this journey! She somehow made learning French grammar genuinely enjoyable — which is no small feat! Manon is incredibly patient, always encouraging, and deeply passionate about teaching. She takes the time to explain things in a way that suits each person’s learning style, and she helps you understand why a mistake happened, not just that it happened. Beyond the classroom, Manon also hosts a book club and a conversation club for her students, which has been such a fun and meaningful way to practice French while connecting with others in the learning community. It’s just one more example of how she goes above and beyond to make learning a truly engaging and enriching experience. Thanks to her guidance, my speaking and comprehension skills improved so much — I'm especially proud to have achieved a perfect score on the oral section of the DALF C1, and I couldn’t have done it without her!! I wholeheartedly recommend Manon to anyone looking to learn French with confidence, connection, and joy!

Claire, USA-France Always happy and positive, passed the C1 exam in June 2025 and got 25 points on the speaking part!

My French with Manon one to one lessons resulted in me passing my DELF B2 exam with flying colours! Manon can answer and provide easy to understand explanations to all your questions about French language and grammar but not only that! She will summarise each lesson noting your areas of weakness with explanations and exercises to re-inforce your understanding of the lesson. She will correct your work and explain her corrections (even if you submit it just the day before your lesson even though you were given the assignment 2 weeks before). With all her experience she knows what mistakes anglophones will make in French and why. For this she provides links to her brilliant short videos that explain points of grammar, orthography and vocabulary and back up what she explained during your lesson. She will also suggest books and series to help you progress and she also introduced me to LingoClip, so I can learn the lyrics to the songs my kids like and mortify them singing along to Jul! I thoroughly recommend the one to one lessons with Manon, she’s a lovely teacher who really wants her students to succeed and achieves this with lessons that make you feel like you are just having a chat but afterwards when you are speaking, reading or listening in French there will be loads of moments where you’ll be like “Bah oui! Manon explained that to me in the lesson!”

Georgina, Ireland-France Always in a good mood, passed the B2 exam in June 2024

Manon was the *perfect* tutor to prepare for the DALF C1 exam. I took just 5 classes with her and went from scoring well below 50 (the threshold to pass) to a comfortable 62 on the actual exam! Her pedagogy is excellent, and she deploys an efficient combination of exacting/high expectations while still being gentle and kind to create a sense of ease and comfort around the language. For B2+ students, there's often that "consistency threshold" that's super difficult to achieve -- it's that frustrating feeling of having most of the building blocks there, and having pockets of feeling fluent, but being unable to piece things together consistently to hit that C1 level. With Manon, in 6 weeks (and with a week-long bachelor party in Guatemala tucked in there too), I felt myself get over the hump across every category from reading comprehension to oral production. It's evident that she knows the test back to front and really takes the time to stay updated on the grading rubric and changes in methodology. No concerns about it being online only, Manon was able to catch a tiny pronunciation error just from me speaking a few times in our first session -- the audio and visual quality is fantastic and virtual sessions made it easy to schedule. Highly recommend for everyone, but especially for B2+ students who want to really make a breakthrough to the "C-level".

Ian, USA Hardworking student who made French studying his 9 to 5 job for a few weeks before taking the exam in March 2024

I prepared for the DALF C1 with Manon and I cannot recommend her highly enough. She tailor made my exam preparation based on my level and needs, and the time to prepare available, and came up with strategies to increase my chance of successfully passing the exam. She is practical and pragmatic, in addition to being professional but at the same time not uptight. In addition, she has a great personality and is fun to work with. Her knowledge of other languages makes her French teaching all the more informed. 5 out of 5 stars!

Kendra, USA-Switzerland Passed the DALF C1 in March 2024 after a very short preparation

If you are passionate and serious about French, Manon is the right teacher. The subjects and themes that she chooses are fascinating and thought-provoking. She creates a variety of exercises to ensure that you're looking at the language from every possible angle and learning different connections to strengthen every aspect of your ability. She will correct every error you make which, once you reach a certain level, usually stops happening and can take you by surprise - yet she is also incredibly encouraging and supportive. Not only did she provide me with knowledge and guidance as I studied for (and passed!) the DALF, but she also helped renew my love of the language!

Elisabeth, USA Polyglot and DALF C1 certified

If you are planning to sit DALF C1 or C2, Manon is the teacher you need! She’s the person to ensure that your level of French is high enough, that you fully understand and know how to fulfil the very specific requirements of the exam tasks and feel confident in your abilities. She works incredibly hard for her students – everything from the selection of resources, to the programme of learning, to feedback on homework, to the lessons themselves, is tailored to the particular needs of the individual student. She is also just a brilliant teacher, able both to see what you need to do to make progress and how to get there (in different ways). And the lessons are fun! The time flies by. There couldn’t be a better way to prepare for what are very challenging exams. I really can’t recommend Manon highly enough.

Lucy, UK C1 certified, writes great essays in French

I highly recommend Manon as a French teacher. She has helped me enormously since we started working together. Her attention to detail has meant that I have been able to improve my pronunciation, my writing etc. Her passion for the language clearly shows during our lessons and her book, blog and other recommendations has provided another source of learning and pleasure for me. She has been immensely motivating, supportive and encouraging when at times I've felt discouraged with my progress which has helped me to move beyond my comfort zone and to steadfastly continue on this learning journey. If you're looking to progress your French in a fun and interesting way then look no further than Manon. She is a truly wonderful teacher!

Julie, Australia Exemplary student, always does her homework

As someone who is passionate about learning languages I have had experiences with many different language teachers. Many can teach an absolute beginner, but I find that it takes a certain type of teacher to help a student move beyond an upper intermediate plateau. Manon is that kind of teacher! She has all kinds of challenging material for French learners at more advanced levels. Beyond offering great material Manon knows how to push her students to grow and evolve within the French language. She is remarkably empathetic and can connect with the needs of her students.

Brooks, USA Language genius and C1 certified

Manon es mi profesora de Francés desde hace más de ocho años. Alguien podría decir que en esos años habré ya aprendido todo lo necesario, y qué cuánto más se puede mejorar/aprender. Yo sigo aprendiendo, cada semana. Mi relación con el idioma francés es, como para la mayoría de estudiantes de amor/odio: nos gusta, nos encanta, es un desafío. Pero es un idioma difícil, lleno de excepciones y de matices. Y es ahí donde Manon acompaña: los desafíos estarán siempre ahí, pero su capacidad para inventar, evolucionar y profundizar en el idioma para que el interés no decaiga y quieras seguir. En estos años Manon no ha parado de desarrollar nuevos y muy interesantes métodos de enseñanza. Ella sola y desde cero. Con una increíble dedicación y generosidad. Siempre yendo un paso más allá en crear materiales, su página en YouTube con vídeos explicativos, en Instagram con píldoras de gramática, o sobre errores comunes. Ha organizado este año un club del libro con lecturas muy sugerentes y avanzadas que se salen de propuestas manidas y habituales. Su dedicación es admirable y envidiable. No puedo hacer otra cosa más que recomendar a Manon todos los días, y esperar que siga dando clase mucho tiempo.

Paloma, Spain Thinks my ears need checking as I hear too many mistakes

I studied high-school French up until the age of 18, for my A’ Level French exam (national exam in the UK). I’ve always been a Francophile but somehow I drifted away from the language after moving to North America and focusing on my career. Upon my move to Canada, I was jolted into appreciating the benefits of living in a bilingual country and enrolled my children in French immersion at school. After a long break away (twenty years!), suddenly my love for French was reignited! Thus, my motivation to sign-up as an advanced learner was mostly to learn French for pleasure, but also to help my children with their education. Due to the scheduling complexities that come with parenting and working full-time, it was difficult for me to follow in-person classes at the local Alliance Francaise; so, when I stumbled upon the cours de perfectionnement, it seemed like an ideal fit! Since then, I have enjoyed Manon’s teaching so much that the French language has become my passion, again, and my hobby! The beauty of the cours de perfectionnement is that it is very flexible and can be completed around my availability. The course is great value for money considering the volume of material and support provided each month: 12-15 activities (including detailed corrections), book club, a monthly quiz and even supplementary oral sessions (extra cost), if you want them. There’s enough material for intensive study, but if you can’t get everything done, and there’s no pressure, the materials are yours to keep for later. In my opinion, Manon represents the very best of the teaching profession: she has very high standards (prepare for your work to be deeply scrutinized!), but delivers her feedback with humour, kindness and compassion. Everyone is at ease in her class. The course materials are unique, better than anything you’ll find in a textbook, and she also makes personalized recommendations for the advanced learner that come from her years of experience teaching French. A further benefit of subscribing is that you also become part of Manon’s international motley crew of French enthusiasts! The course content is varied but often political in nature and Manon has created a truly global, progressive, community around her classes that always makes her students feel amongst friends.

David, UK-Canada Loves science and French

I cannot recommend Manon highly enough as a French teacher. We began working together right before the Covid-19 pandemic, and I had a very ambitious goal to pass the DALF C2 exam despite limited time on my end. Lessons with Manon were a huge boon to me while juggling the constant anxiety that accompanied each wave of the pandemic and my stressful job. She gets to know her students in such a way that she can encourage and motivate them while also kindly and thoughtfully holding them to high standards and applying her precise attention to detail to courses.  Manon is incredibly passionate about culture, languages, world events, feminism and civil rights. We had fantastic discussions and our lessons were filled with book and podcast recommendations. Often they felt like speaking with a very knowledgeable friend, with the added bonus of improving my French skills. 🙂 Manon would also give me very detailed and fast feedback on all of my homework, putting in hours of work outside of our lessons so that I could progress quickly.   Manon is deeply familiar with the DALF exams having taken them in other languages and having administered them herself. When I walked into the exam, I knew exactly what to expect having benefited from Manon's precise coaching. Thanks to her, I was able to see my French language skills progress steadily during our time together, and I passed the DALF exam with a very strong score.

Carolyn, USA Fantastic student, passed the DALF C2 with flying colors

For years, I wasted time and money on classroom, online courses, and weekly Skype sessions with tutors, all promising to improve my French. It was not until I started my courses with Manon that I saw a dramatic improvement. She is brilliant and her teaching methods are incredibly effective. Demanding and exacting, yet delightful and amusing, Manon’s courses are the highlight of my week.

Jennifer, USA French and cat lover

Manon was an amazing teacher, motivator, and huge help during the preparation for my DALF exam. She's very well organized, chose relevant and up-to-date materials, and taught be me all the required methodology to succeed at the exam. Her materials cover exam-relevant topics, which gives you valuable expertise for the day of the exam. Furthermore, I valued Manon's teaching style: She makes learning fun and dynamic! She is caring, patient, and really tries to make you progress! Manon's feedback on my work was super detailed, she highlighted common mistakes, which made me progress a lot! I can't think of a better teacher to make you succeed!

Hannah, Germany C1 certified - Incredibly thorough student who improved significantly at every class

I highly recommend Manon’s advanced learner course. Twenty years after studying French in school I decided to awaken the skills I had learned but lost. I spent five years studying on my own referencing text books and on-line resources. I was proud of what I had accomplished but felt I still had a long way to go to achieve the fluency I desired. Manon’s course is exactly what I needed to help advance my skills while being able to work independently, at my own pace. Her years of teaching experience is evident in every exercise, video and post. The exercises she has created are specifically directed at addressing the finer points of grammar advanced students face and her videos guide you on how to become more aware of the mechanics of the language with the aim of helping you continue your self-study journey. The course also includes an opportunity for one-on-one guidance through written production providing a personalised aspect in an on-line delivery. I am very pleased with the investment made in advancing my French with Manon.

Joanna, Australia Loves French so much that she gave the gift of French to her children, by only speaking French to them

I can’t recommend Manon’s teaching and the Cours de Perfectionnement enough. As someone who had got to a pretty fluent level of French over the years, had lived in France and didn’t much enjoy formal French classes, I didn’t think I would ever pay for more teaching. However I found myself becoming increasingly frustrated with a feeling of stagnation: as my French became more advanced it became harder to improve. Trying to pinpoint what you don’t know at this level is tricky, so trying to improve on your own can feel like a painfully slow and unrewarding business! What the Cours de Perfectionnement do so well is pinpoint exactly the things that advanced French students tend to get wrong or misunderstand – Manon has an incredible wealth of experience so she knows. Bringing together extracts of audio and written material from francophone culture, videos, blogs, quizzes and language exercises, the material is always diverse and on interesting subjects. Every 2 weeks is a new theme which helps to give the things you learn a context rather than it feeling like random words and expressions. What I find most valuable was being able to write comments – on things you didn’t understand or surprised you in the exercises – as well as longer reflections and the written exercises. These often lead to interesting discussions with Manon (and with other students) on specific points, with anything you write replied to/corrected by Manon. This makes the teaching interactive and much more personal. Finally, I really appreciated the flexibility of this style of teaching – which of the exercises you do and when is up to you, allowing you to work on what you need or enjoy, and work on them when you like. The more work you put in the more you’ll get out of it, but it’s up to you and there is no-one breathing down your neck if you have a busy couple of weeks and don’t manage to do much! If what you are looking for is speaking practice then this isn’t for you as, apart from the quizzes, there is no face to face teaching. But you can get that with any language exchange online… What is so much harder to find is this kind of specifically adapted advanced French teaching that will improve your language across the board (comprehension, writing, vocab, grammar) as well as your knowledge of current affairs and francophone culture.

ANNA F, UK C1 certified – Advanced course suscriber

Heading into my 4th month as a subscriber of Manon’s ‘Cours de perfectionnement’, I’ve found it to be a great platform for advancing my french and I would thoroughly recommend it and Manon’s platform more generally to anyone keen to improve their french at an advanced (C1/2) level. Having obtained DELF B2 last year, I was looking for tools to help me work towards C1. There doesn’t seem to be as many platforms available at this level, and the content more traditional outlets use feels a bit repetitive/cliched by this stage (L’académie française et les grandes ecoles for the third time anyone?!), which is a shame, because one of the best things about learning another language is the opportunity to get exposure to other cultures. Here the Cours de perfectionnement is fantastic – from l’autoportrait, to ‘la misogynie’ and ‘sans alcool’ – Manon shares a great range of topics, which have not only helped my French but been eye openers on aspects of francophone culture and generally just very interesting to work through. The flexibility of the course is great. You get a new topic every 2-3 weeks to work through at your own pace, which is great when your other commitments can be a bit unpredictable! Each topic has 12-15 activities; a mix of articles, sound clips, grammar videos, tests and the bit I benefit from the most – creative writing prompts. For getting my written French to where I want it to be, Manon is awesome! Her attention to detail and thoroughness is so helpful. Yes people can probably understand what I’m trying to say with my mistakes, but only by really focusing on these errors, understanding why I went wrong, and then correcting them can I get better. And here Manon is fantastic for flagging issues, and directing me to blogs/videos that explain things. As a polyglot herself Manon is well versed in the challenges of language learning and her encouragement is much appreciated. For that and all the effort she puts into reviewing my written work (which also always comes back very fast!) I am very grateful 🙂

Anna M, UK Advanced course subscriber

Join us
on Youtube!

Videos about the French language – grammar, vocabulary, phonetics – mostly in French, often inspired by  my students’ questions and mistakes.

Public videos include a series on the agreement of the past participle, some common mistakes, and more.

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