Hi, I’m Chris, I teach French at OuiCommunicate, and today I want to break down something I’ve seen again and again over years of teaching: why bilingual classes — especially when taught by someone who knows your language — work so much better for native English speakers trying to learn French.
This isn’t a theory. It’s based on hundreds of hours of observation, interaction, and classroom frustration — on both sides. So if you’ve been struggling to learn French for over a year, read on. This might explain why.
The English-Speaking Brain: Full of Invisible Rules
Let’s start with a picture — in your mind — of an English-speaking brain. It’s full of English. Not just vocabulary or grammar rules, but instincts and habits you don’t even notice anymore.
Imagine a kind of language highway code that tells you how language should work: how it should sound, where the subject goes in a sentence, how intonation adds meaning, even when words say something different.
Here’s an example:
When your partner says “nothing” with a certain tone, you know it doesn’t mean “nothing.” That’s not something you learned in school — it’s instinctive, built from thousands of conversations over decades. English speakers communicate in part through tone and intonation. That’s just how your brain handles language.
You also probably assume pronunciation isn’t a big deal — that you can kind of “mumble through” and be understood. That might be true in English. But French is different. It’s more precise. A single sound can change the meaning completely.
Social Aquariums: You’re Wet, and You Don’t Even Know It
Think of it like this: you’ve lived your whole life inside a social aquarium. You’re wet from it. Not just culturally, but linguistically. You carry those instincts with you when you start learning French — without even realizing it.
And then… you take a French class.
The Problem With the Typical French Class
Here’s the issue: in most typical French classes, you’ve got two people from completely different aquariums. The French teacher has their own language highway code. It’s just as deeply embedded as yours — but it’s based on French.
That means:
- They have no idea how English works from the inside.
- They can’t see the invisible habits your brain is using.
- They don’t understand what you’re assuming about language.
So what happens?
You say something that seems logical to you — maybe it even sounds like French. But it’s wrong. And the teacher doesn’t know why you said it, so they correct you, but they can’t help you rewire the instinct behind it. They’re teaching reactively, not proactively.
It becomes frustrating — for both of you.
Can They Ever Understand You?
Here’s the big question:
Can a native French speaker truly understand the mind of a native English speaker learning French?
Maybe — but in most cases, no.
Even if your teacher speaks decent English, they’ve never lived with your internal rules. They haven’t had the 20+ years of being an English speaker in an English-speaking environment. They might know about English — but they don’t know what it’s like to be English-speaking.
So while they can teach vocabulary and rules, they can’t anticipate the instincts you’ll bring — the ones that cause the mistakes in the first place.
Why Bilingual Classes Work Better
Now flip it: imagine a teacher who is a native speaker of English.
Who teaches English.
Who also teaches French.
And who knows where you’re coming from, linguistically and culturally.
Suddenly, all the things that confuse you aren’t so confusing anymore. Your mistakes aren’t mysterious. Your teacher can say:
“Ah — that’s an English habit. Here’s what French does instead.”
That’s the kind of bilingual class I offer at We Communicate. I don’t teach Italian speakers. Not because I dislike Italians — but because I don’t know how they think about language. I wouldn’t know why their mistakes are happening, and I wouldn’t know how to fix them.
A Quick Story: The Artist from Italy
Years ago, I had an Italian student learning English. A brilliant artist. Sweet person. But every time she spoke, she added a vowel at the end of words.
“Hello-a Chris!”
It drove me mad — not because it was wrong, but because I didn’t know why she did it. I don’t know Italian phonetics. I couldn’t explain the root cause. All I could do was point it out and hope she could correct it on her own.
I was teaching in the dark. That’s what most French classes feel like — for both student and teacher.
Bilingual Classes Aren’t Trendy. They’re Necessary.
This isn’t about trends or teaching methods. It’s about something deeper — almost like language DNA.
If your teacher doesn’t know your DNA, how can they help you change it?
That’s why I only teach native English speakers.
It’s why my classes are designed to bridge those two aquariums — English and French — with real insight, not just rules.
Because when you understand the why, you learn better.
Thanks for reading,
Chris from OuiCommunicate