Fluenz French

Our search led us to the legacy of a great teacher leading an immersive, one-on-one experience that conveys the uniqueness of French while providing the learner with a step-by-step path through the language.

From the very beginning we worked to turn this vision into a reality. A team of recent Cornell graduates and alumni from Harvard, the University of Chicago, and La Sorbonne, sought out next-generation technology to deliver the magic of great one-on-one learning.

The Magic of a Great Teacher
As believers in the uniqueness of French, the program designers wanted to move beyond the cookie-cutter approach typical of computer language education: simplistic methods that boast a natural, passive way to learn French as if it was any other language, and those that treat adults like kids by emphasizing the association of words and pictures.

Fluenz brings the magic of an amazing teacher to lead, challenge, and inspire adults and teens with a real love for French. The application is ideal for those who need every-day conversation skills while living or traveling in a French speaking country.

An inspirational tutor Leads and Delights Learners
As with every other language, there is magical moment in the learning of French. It takes place that day on the streets of Paris or in a café when you can form a full sentence and actually understand the response. The Fluenz team has created a path through French specifically designed to lead English speakers to this special moment—and to the even greater fluency that lies beyond it.

An effective approach for English Speakers
There is no more effective way to understand French liaisons, verb conjugations and masculine/feminine endings than from a tutor explaining these important subtleties in English. And there is no way to learn French really well without mastering these fundamental elements of the language. Because French and English share roots dating back to the 11th century, they have many similarities that can be taken advantage of in order to accelerate the learning process.

Tailor-Made Approach Emphasizing Culture and Context
Just as importantly, the Fluenz tutor spends considerable time going over cultural issues, providing context and anecdotes that make the process meaningful. By making sense of this historic and elegant language, learners actually learn it.

Great One-On-One Teaching, Engaging Workouts
 

Fluenz French is divided into sessions that are introduced and led by the the on-screen tutor. After a realistic conversation between native French speakers, she returns to give a full tutorial on all the new words and structures to be learned in that session.

Next comes a series of challenging workouts that provide an ideal training ground for developing the learner's reading, writing, listening, and speaking abilities. Each session features a set of clear, common sense tools that make a true difference.

Relevant Learning, Real Communication
The Fluenz approach is based on getting learners to understand how to structure relevant sentences ("The check, please"), rather than relying on the association of words and images to learn how to say things like "apple" or "orange," the more typical fare offered by programs that try to get you to learn like a child. Starting with clear explanations in English and following with extensive workouts, Fluenz builds steadily from useful structures like questions and commands ("How much is it?") and useful vocabulary (related to restaurants, transportation, directions, etc.) to more and more complex communication.

Comprehensive audio CDs and Exclusive Podcasts
The Fluenz French Audio Cds are the ideal compliment to the interactive program. The CDs were produced at the Fluenz Lab to provide engaging audio workouts that mirror the progress of the actual tutor-led software. In addition to the audio CDs, learners have access to a series of downloadable podcasts. These podcasts supplement the training work offered by the audio CDs, while providing a more informal, relaxed window into the world of French and the actual learning of the language.