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Culture Shock

The Complete Guide to Overcoming Culture Shock in France: Phases, Causes and Solutions

The Complete Guide to Overcoming Culture Shock in France: Phases, Causes and Solutions!   Living abroad, and particularly to France, is an exciting adventure, but one that is often accompanied by significant culture shock.  Understanding and navigating the different phases of this transition can greatly facilitate adaptation. Here’s a detailed guide to overcoming culture shock […]

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7 Polite French Phrases to Learn before Visiting Paris

The French – Parisians, in particular – have a reputation for being rude. But the behavior that foreigners perceive as rudeness is often the result of cultural misunderstandings. To avoid any such misunderstandings, learn the following 7 French phrases before visiting Paris. With these phrases at the ready, we think you’ll see that Parisians are much more friendly than they’re reputed to be!

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Speak Better French: Learn Your Faux Amis (False Cognates)

Last week, we discussed expanding your French vocabulary with “vrais amis” (true cognates): French and English words that are identical or nearly identical in both spelling and meaning. This week, we’re going to focus on “faux amis” (false cognates): words that look identical in both French and English, but have entirely different meanings. What are

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Success Story! Former Student Liam Connell Shares His Tale

  We are delighted to share the success story of one of our former students, Liam Connell. Liam, a retired trader living in Chicago, took private French lessons in Paris twice a week with French As You Like It at the beginning of 2013.  It thrills us that he found his lessons so enjoyable and

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Galette des Rois: A Sweet French Tradition

You thought the French food fest was over now that Christmas and New Year’s Eve was behind us? Think again. With the arrival of January comes a national obsession with the galette des rois – the “king cake.” If you’re in France, you’ve probably noticed this scrumptious-looking cake, usually topped with a golden paper crown,

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The Covered Passages of Paris: A Christmas Stroll

“Errer est humain, flâner est parisien.” To err is human, to stroll is Parisian. – Victor Hugo These words were true in the 19th-century and they’re true today. Nothing is more quintessentially Parisian than spending a lazy hour or two strolling through Paris’s streets, gardens, or along the banks of the Seine with no aim

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Learn French by Singing French Christmas Carols!

‘Tis the season…to hear Christmas carols all day long. Even here in Paris, where playing carols in stores wasn’t a thing until recently, we now stumble through December dreaming of a Bing Crosby White Christmas. With the strains of all these Anglophone carols in the air, you might think that there isn’t such a thing

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Top tips to learn French at markets in Paris

Paris is a haven for bon vivants. Although there are numerous supermarkets, chain shops and fast food restaurants, markets in Paris are still very much alive, kicking and full of fresh fruit & veg. While in Paris, whether on holiday or staying for longer, we suggest making like the locals and heading over to your

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Learn Your Colors in a Parisian Park

At French As You Like It, we are lucky enough to work with all sorts of interesting individuals with all different levels of French. From the professional singer who wants to perfect her accent to the traveling spouse who has just moved to France, we love the challenge of creating French lessons for everyone. Whether

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A French Lesson over Tea at the Grand Mosque of Paris

The largest mosque in France and the third largest in Europe, the Grand Mosque de Paris is located in the 5th arrondissement just around the corner from Le Jardin des Plantes. The beautiful pink marble mosque was built between 1922 and 1926 to honor the soldiers from the French colonies who had helped France during

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Learn French from Robots! A Lesson at Le musée des Arts et Métiers

  Tucked away in the Paris 3rd is one of the coolest and most underrated museums in Paris, Le musée des Arts et Métiers. The museum was founded in 1794 as a repository for the preservation of scientific instruments and inventions and is now home to over 80,000 instruments and machines that date back to

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