Paris, France
5 Rue Molière
N/A
+33 660673395
Michel was wonderful and I hope to continue working with him. I have been trying to reduce my accent for years, but the tutors that I went to at first would just say that my accent was fine and understandable, though I know it was very thick. Michel was able to pinpoint my errors and explain them to me. I had been pronouncing \u\ and \ou\ the same way and I have been able to begin correcting that. He is extremely patient and knowledgeable. Not only are the lessons helpful, but the individual material afterwards are invaluable.
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Michel is a fantastic teacher. I have relocated to France with zero knowledge of French language. I know some Italian so I thought that French, being a related language will be quite easy for me to grasp. After a few frustrating months and a couple of online courses that provided little progress I knew I had to look for something else. I am lucky to have found Michel. His method focuses on phonetics, which (at least for me) is undoubtedly the most complicated part of the French language. By recreating an environment where one is able to re-learn how to produce (and therefore to be able to hear) sounds the way native French speakers do Michel manages to make even the complete novices to start sounding like competent speakers. Interestingly enough this method leads to really accelerated path of learning the language. My feeling is that each of the lessons I am getting from him is worth 4-5 \standard\ lessons. Aside from the classwork he is also providing me with additional practice material to work with at home. This material consists of tailor-made exercises that address my weak spots. If you are looking for a top-notch teacher and have aspirations to learn the language quickly look no further. 100% recommended.
I would give Michel six stars if Google allowed it. I would also suggest reading the review posted by John Kamfonas. My experience exactly parallels his. I found Michel by chance several years ago when I was looking for private lessons at an advanced level. I consider myself extremely lucky to have found him. I'll try not to repeat all the positive things already said about Michel. (I do agree with them.) I would emphasize that the title \French phonetics\ may sound dry, to some people but lessons with Michel go far beyond. They are always fun! There have been some times when I just wanted to talk - no lesson - and that's what we did. Or we listened to music and poetry (which I read aloud) and talked about it. There are two things I also have found very helpful. One is having Michel review and discuss my written French. I can sneak by with my French friends when speaking, but I know I must be making some errors. I can't do that with my writing, especially when it on a complicated topic like American politics. I can hardly explain it in English, so it is a real challenge for my French to write a page or two about it. That's just one example. The other is that I may hear or read something I think I understand in context, but just dont feel comfortable using it myself. The dictionary does not help with complicated phrases or even with some common usages. I regularly jot down my questions and eventually bring them to a lesson. Finally, I wrote this in English because it seemed like most of the reviews were in French. I wanted even English-speaking beginners in French to know they would be very comfortable with Michel. Now I just realized that a lot of the reviews were actually written in English. They just looked like they were in French because there seems to be an automatic Google translate going on. Well, I am just going to leave this in English.
I stumbled upon Michel's listing by chance when I first arrived in France 5 years ago. It was the best stroke of luck I could have asked for. Michel's comprehensive teaching (pronunciation, grammar, reading, speaking, writing) will not only improve your language skills immeasurably, but also leave you inspired and fascinated at the beauty and depth of the French language. Michel's own passion for French comes out in every lesson and his infinite patience and support make for an ideal learning environment. I cannot recommend highly enough
When I came to Paris a number of years back (on sabbatical leave to do some research), my French was adequate in terms of being able to read and work passively in the language, but totally inept when it came to aural comprehension and speaking, which was a huge drawback in terms of living and doing academic work in France. I was, however, extremely fortunate in that I stumbled on Michel and began taking phonetic lessons with him. It was the best decision that I made in terms of my year in Paris. Because of our work together, I developed a solid fluency (aural and oral) and a competency in the language that I could only have dreamed of before studying with Michel. He is not only a wonderful, talented teacher, but also an exceptional person with whom to work: exacting (when required), generous (with explanations, clarifying grammar, etc.), patient, respectful, and kind. I could not recommend a teacher more highly; and I have no reservation in saying that thanks to him I have achieved a personally satisfying confidence in French as a living, active language. Professor Michael A. Conway, Maynooth, Ireland.
I have lived in Paris for the past two years, have a french wife and bilingual children, and can speak french reasonably well even working fully in French. However being Australian have a fatal flaw. The French have real trouble understanding me due to prononciation even if I am using the right words. Michel has been invaluable in correcting this. He is clearly a master of the subject. He knows the specific weaknesses of english speakers (and I understand a number of other languages) and how and why we mispronounce french, and provides a structured approach both globally and to rectifying specific problems. I have worked with him both in person and through skype and found his approach in taking structured notes and then providing a recording of himself re-pronouncing all the notes correctly invaluable, as I can practice on my own and improve between sessions and the notes are specific to issues I need to fix. I am still far from perfect, but I am can now make myself consistently understood, and more importantly I am clear on how I need to pronounce french down to various syllabic rules and those all important liaisons to the way I create the sounds and use my tongue and mouth . It has taken the mystery out of French prononciation. I would have no hesitation recommending Michel, and would also recommend anyone learning french to give the same weight to prononciation as you do to vocab, comprehension and grammar as without it you will likely plateau like me.
Michel is a great teacher and has his methods. He uses French chanson to help me with prononciations, and amazingly it really helped! After 5 hours’ work with Michel, I even had new friends asking if I was born in France. I recommend Michel without hesitation!
I started to study with Michel two months ago and it’s been great! He is very patient and willing to spend extra time to explain everything thoroughly. You can build your vocabulary while learning phonetics at the same time. Every lesson is followed by detailed notes and a recording from the class which is very helpful to review what you learned. I’m so happy I found such a great teacher :)
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