Editorial standards
How I write the guides on this site, what I check before you read them, and what I will never pretend. If a guide falls short of this page, tell me and I will fix it.
What I teach, and why it shapes every guide
I teach the French people actually speak. Not the French of a textbook hotel reception, but « chais pas », « du coup » and the half-swallowed sentences you hear in a café.
Most learners I meet can read French well and still lose the thread the moment two French people talk at normal speed. So I train the ears first, not the grammar. I focus on the 20% of French you need to understand 80% of conversations, because that is the part you will actually hear.
Every guide here is judged by that one question: will this help you understand real spoken French? An app can be pretty, popular and fun, and still fail it.
Who writes what
- I write every dialogue myself. Each one takes me days. They are colloquial on purpose: real situations, the words people really use, and the shortcuts they take.
- The audio runs at native speed, because that is the speed you will meet in France. 🐢 Slow Audio is there to help you get to native speed, not to replace it, and ⚡ À la parisienne is there for when you want to be pushed.
- Every guide carries my name. When a guide gives you a verdict, it is mine, and I stand behind it.
How I review apps, podcasts and courses
- The same questions for everyone. What level is it really for? How fast do people actually speak? Are there transcripts? What does it cost, and what do you get free?
- I name what is bad. If something is slow, dated, overpriced or has stopped publishing, I say so plainly. A review that only lists strengths is an advert.
- I say who should skip it. Every review tells you who a product suits and who should spend their money somewhere else.
- No padding. I do not stretch a list to look complete. A short list of things worth your time beats a long list of everything.
- My own lessons get the same treatment. When French with Amélie is not the right fit for you, I say that too.
How I check facts
- Prices, plans, free trials and levels are checked on each product's own website, help pages and app-store listings, and the guide says when I checked. Prices often change by country, so I tell you when yours may differ.
- French examples are checked against how people speak in France today. If an expression is slang, rude or dated, the guide tells you before you try it on your boss.
- No invented numbers. When a guide quotes a figure, it comes from somewhere you can check, and I link to it where I can.
- No fluency promises. I will never tell you an app or a method makes you fluent in a set number of weeks. How fast you improve depends on you, your method and how often you show up.
Keeping guides current
Apps change their prices, podcasts stop, new ones start. I come back to the guides and update them. The "Updated" date at the top of a guide only changes when something real changed: a price, a verdict, a new section, a correction. Fixing a typo does not count.
Affiliate links and money
The guides on this site have no affiliate links today. If I ever add one, the guide will say so near the top, before the link. No company pays for a place in a guide or for a kinder verdict.
French with Amélie is how I earn my living, and I do mention it in the guides. When I do, I tell you what it is and who it is for, and you can always test your level first for free.
Corrections
Spotted something wrong? A price that moved, a podcast that stopped, a phrase nobody in Paris says any more? Email me at amelie@frenchwithamelie.com with the page and the line.
When a correction changes what a guide says, I fix it and update the date. Typos get fixed quietly.