I sincerely hope that you are all still feeling well and not too debilitated by this virus as well as this second week of confinement. What a crazy time we are living, eh?

Here, with my two babies under two, I am feeling... exhausted! As I am writing these lines, it is 10.23 PM, the house is finally quiet, and I am enjoying a well-deserved glass of red wine!

For all of you busy working parents, you know all too well that feeling of exhaustion, especially during this time of confinement where not only you have to (try to!) work from home, but also homeschool/entertain your children, and whenever you find a bit of time, you cook (this comes back way too often!) and do all the regular chores of the house. If, like me, you end up going to bed around midnight because the evening is the only time you can hear youself think, pour yourself a glass of wine - you deserve it!

So, we have been confined at home for 2 whole weeks and will probably be in this situation until the end of April... What do we do now?

How about brushing up your French whilst keeping you entertained? Est-ce possible? Mais oui!

1. Read more!

Starved for content? This quarantine might be the moment you were looking for to take your French studies to a new level! Good to know: CLE international is currently offering free access to their digital books. They also have more than 150 books for children, teenagers, and adults of level A1 to B2. Find interesting French books on Apple Books or Amazon Kindle. They have a great variety of both free and paying books, and you're sure to find something to suit all tastes. The key to being an avid French reader and keeping your motivation high is to go for content you care for and that interests you. Picking a book with a topic that grabs and holds your attention will make it easier for you to remember all the vocabulary and grammar you need to know. So much more interesting than reading through tedious lists of vocabulary or grammar!

Not ready for a full book? Visit our Instagram Page for daily bite-sized texts that will get you reading French like a pro in no time!

2. Watch French Films and More!

These days everybody has at least one streaming subscription. Still, the way they're organized makes it a bit difficult to search for content in specific languages that have a corresponding set of subtitles in your native language. If you've been in Switzerland for a while now, you've probably already selected a movie/show, only to learn that it was either dubbed into French or German or to find out they had no English subtitles. To make it easier for you, click here to search for Netflix titles by Audio or Subtitles and look for French Films with English subtitles (or subtitles in your native language). Learn how to search and browse Netflix by language here. Thanks to my father-in-law (a British francophile!), I have also recently discovered Curzon Home Cinema, another great website which offers classic as well as more recent French movies, with English subtitles.

3. Review French vocabulary and grammar with our French Toolbox

Couldn't book more French classes for the upcoming weeks? We have the second-best solution: visit our French Toolbox library. Accessible 24/7, search for topics that interest you or that you need to revise whenever you feel up for it. Our Super Prof Yohann explains everything, proposes exercises and gives very helpful tips just for you!

4. Using French in Everyday Life

We're not talking about our E-learning platform, although it is really good fun and efficient! We mean really starting to incorporate French into your daily life, something which is not easy to do in this time of Social Distancing! Why not call up a few French-speaking friends/collegues and organize a Zoom Coffee Call to stretch your French conversation muscles? Small talk in French is vital for helping you flex your listening muscles while exploring high-level dialogue. Speaking with other French speakers about their lives and interests will also expose you to new and more colloquial vocabulary you might not have encountered before. Learning more about them and their family will definitely help you create a deeper bound and develop stronger, more meaningful relationships.

5. Book online lessons!

Stuck at home, social distancing like a pro, but you're longing for some human interaction during your French lessons? Sign up for more Prêt à Parler lessons! Did you know that we have been teaching online on Zoom since 2015?

We could say that we are the pioneers of online learning with regards to French! We offer flexible language programs so you can improve your French at your own pace, according to your busy schedule. Our classes are customized to your needs and skills and will take you from beginner to pro in no time. We use authentic, practical, and useful material from multiple online and offline resources which make our lessons really interactive, dynamic, and fun!

The world wide web is our oyster! We are a young team of bilingual native French teachers who understand the reality of being language learners working and living in a foreign country because we have all been in your shoes before! Our teaching philosophy is very emphatic, positive, and nurturing. This creates an environment of trust from the very first class, which boosts your confidence and encourages you to dare to speak French much more.

I hope you are now even more inspired to improve your French during this confinement period!

Courage & restez en santé et en sécurité à la maison avec vos êtres chers!