Let's Speak French! with Dr. Natalie Amgott

If you're freezing up in conversation because you keep stopping to conjugate your verbs, then what you need is a grammar reset.
In this science-informed episode for A2, B1, and B2 intermediate French learners, you'll learn exactly what to do when it feels like you're hitting a wall with your French.
You'll learn why you sometimes forget verb conjugations while speaking and how to make them more automatic.

Tes prochaines étapes:
1. Download the French Grammar Reset that accompanies this episode.
2. Block out 60 minutes in your calendar for your French Grammar Reset.
3. Review the transcript of the French part of today's lesson for anything you may have missed.
Bonne continuation et à la prochaine!

Why does French feel so hard all of a sudden? Are you really getting worse at French? Why does it feel like you forgot all of the basics?
Today we're diving into the science behind the questions you're asking yourself about why you have some days where you feel like your French gets worse.
You'll learn six reasons that your French might feel worse as an intermediate learner and six easy things to do about it. If you're having a bad day with your French or want to be prepared for the next time it happens, this lesson is for you!
Tes prochaines étapes
1️⃣ Map out your goals and track your progress with the French Fluency Roadmap.
2️⃣ Review your understanding with the transcript for today's lesson, which includes English translations of some of the intermediate and advanced vocabulary in the lesson.

If you're loving the Let's Speak French! podcast, would you consider leaving a rating and review wherever you're listening? It helps to reach more intermediate learners like you!

If you've ever heard La Marseillaise, the French national anthem, you may have thought:
"Wait...did they really just sing that?"
In this episode, we're breaking down the history, vocabulary, and meaning behind one of France's most recognizable national symbols.
You'll learn:
Why French people don't say "Happy Bastille Day!"
How La Marseillaise got its name
The story behind France's national anthem
Why French songs sometimes pronounce silent e's
Vos prochaines étapes (Your next steps)
1️⃣ Episode transcript + English translations

Complete lyrics to La Marseillaise
3️⃣ Sing along to the lyrics video
4️⃣ Join my free weekly French email lessons

Are you telling people that you can or that you stink? One small sound can make all the difference!
In this episode, you'll discover minimal pairs—French words that differ by just one sound but have completely different meanings. You'll practice five of the most common sound pairs that English speakers struggle with, learn why your brain has trouble hearing these differences, and start training your ear to become a more confident French speaker.
Tes prochaines étapes: Your next steps
1. Practice the minimal pairs with the French Minimal Pairs Flashcards.
2. Listen to the episode a second time and repeat each minimal pair out loud.
3. Choose one of today's minimal pairs and use both words in your own French sentences this week.

Did you learn that "plutôt" means "rather?" OUI et NON.
Plutôt is one French verb that gets used all the time in conversation, but it doesn't only mean "rather." In today's lesson, you'll learn the five conversational contexts where you'd want to use plutôt, including how to use it as a strategy to elegantly correct yourself when you make a mistake speaking French. To get the most out of this lesson:
1. Write one sentence for each of the five uses of plutôt. Check out the uses and English translations to get you started.
2. Track your intermediate French with a customized playlist and tracker with the complementary Intermediate French Kit.

If you learned something new today, please leave a review or share with a friend! It helps this podcast to reach more intermediate French adult learners like you.