HUMANFRENCH · AT YOUR OWN PACE

What’s getting in your way?

Start with a difficulty you recognise. Find a practical idea to try today.

I forget

LE LABO · Nº 1

I forget everything by Friday — review on day 3, 14 and 45, not every night ↗

You review every evening and still forget? Spacing research says exactly when to come back to a word so it stays. Three dates, that's all.

LE LABO · Nº 2

Re-reading and highlighting? Stop — test yourself instead ↗

Re-reading and highlighting are the techniques learners love most and the ones that work least. A review of ten methods says what to do instead.

LE LABO · Nº 3

Knew it at home, gone in the exam — why testing beats reviewing ↗

You knew it all the night before and nothing on the day? A famous experiment shows reviewing wins right away and self-testing wins a week later.

LE LABO · Nº 4

How many times do you need to see a word to keep it? More than you think ↗

A word seen once is a word lost. Research on word encounters says how many it takes, and why the same word must come back in different forms.

LE LABO · Nº 5

Your translation lists don't stick — write your own sentence instead ↗

French word, English word, next line. It's fast and it fades. The generation effect explains why writing a sentence of your own makes a word stay.

I struggle with listening

LE LABO · Nº 6

I read fine but understand nothing when people speak: what listening alone doesn't give you ↗

You understand a text but not a conversation? A Japanese study shows why the ear alone learns so little, and how to pair it with the text.

LE LABO · Nº 7

Are subtitles cheating? What 18 studies say about your French videos ↗

Feeling guilty for switching subtitles on? A meta-analysis of 18 studies shows they genuinely help, on one condition: they must be in French.

LE LABO · Nº 8

It goes too fast: why the second listen isn't cheating ↗

Lost by the third sentence? A study of 306 students shows what a second listen changes, both in scores and in stress.

LE LABO · Nº 9

Should I learn the vocabulary before listening? What actually helps, according to 160 students ↗

Do you prepare a word list before every listen? A study of 160 students compared four kinds of help: the word list came last.

LE LABO · Nº 10

I don't know what to listen for: three questions before you press play ↗

Listening without knowing what to look for, so it all blurs? Reading a few questions before a video improved memory for it, even with wrong guesses.

I can’t find the words

LE LABO · Nº 11

I have the words but not the sentences — learn ready-made chunks, not single words ↗

You know hundreds of words and still can't make a sentence? Research on ready-made chunks explains why, and what to learn instead.

LE LABO · Nº 12

My pronunciation is a mess — 45 seconds of shadowing a day, then we'll talk ↗

Ashamed of your French pronunciation? One study had learners repeat behind a recording for eight weeks. Here is what changed, and what didn't.

LE LABO · Nº 13

I practise in my head and nothing comes out — say it out loud, and record yourself ↗

You rehearse sentences in silence and they vanish when you speak? Saying them aloud changes what memory keeps. Here is by how much.

LE LABO · Nº 14

Numbers, dates, my age: I freeze every time — one item at a time, in short bursts ↗

You panic when you have to say a price or your date of birth? A meta-analysis on segmenting explains why small pieces stick better than one big block.

LE LABO · Nº 15

The textbook sentences feel fake — say them about yourself, and they will stay ↗

« Pierre a douze ans et aime le tennis »: you don't care, so you forget. A meta-analysis of 129 studies shows what memory keeps when it's about you.

I struggle to keep going

LE LABO · Nº 16

I don't have time — a ten-word sentence that fits French into your day ↗

You want to learn French but the day runs away? Research on implementation intentions shows one sentence, "After…, I…", is enough to start.

LE LABO · Nº 17

I quit after two weeks — plan for two months, and miss a day without guilt ↗

You start French flat out and drop it after a fortnight? One study shows a habit takes 66 days on average, and that missing one day changes nothing.

LE LABO · Nº 18

I freeze when I have to speak — speak alone first, then with people ↗

You understand, but when you have to talk, nothing comes out? A meta-analysis of 19,933 learners shows anxiety really holds you back, and where to start.

LE LABO · Nº 19

I feel stupid when I get it wrong — guess before you know, a wrong guess still counts ↗

Every mistake makes you cringe and want to stop? Research shows guessing wrong helps you remember, and that being kind to yourself makes you work more.

LE LABO · Nº 20

I hate being told what to do — pick the order, skip what you don't like ↗

Methods that force a fixed path make you drop out? A meta-analysis of 41 studies shows that choosing for yourself raises motivation and effort.

The exam

LE LABO · Nº 26

I understand the audio but I miss the questions: learn to listen with a plan, not just with your ears ↗

You follow the TCF or TEF audio, then the questions lose you? A study of 106 French learners shows a listening cycle that helps most weaker listeners.

LE LABO · Nº 27

I hesitate on multiple-choice questions: practise in the real format, and check the corrections every time ↗

Two answers both look right and you freeze? In the lab, testing yourself beats rereading: 0.67 vs 0.45 a week later. Here is how to use that.

LE LABO · Nº 28

I have nothing to say in the speaking test: build a shell of ready-made phrases, then fill it with your own life ↗

Blank in front of the examiner? Ready-made phrases make you sound fluent, and a clear picture of yourself speaking French links to effort at r = 0.61.

LE LABO · Nº 29

Easy at home, hard in the exam room: make your practice harder than the exam ↗

Everything works at home, nothing in the exam? Performance is not learning: a week later, 56% vs 42% for students who had tested themselves.

LE LABO · Nº 30

I'm stuck at B1: move your listening up one notch, and speak as much as you listen ↗

Stuck at B1 for months? Research points to two levers: texts you already understand at 95 to 98%, just above your level, and as much output as input.

Is it true that…

LE LABO · Nº 21