#4. Should I use bilingual books?

Choosing the right tools to learn a language is essential. Often, students rush to buy books and end up getting the wrong level/format and feeling discouraged.

It's reassuring to buy bilingual books, because explanations are in your mother tongue, but it’s also counterproductive, especially if English is your mother tongue and you’re learning French (or vice versa). These two languages have different roots and do not operate in the same way, especially when it comes to conjugations and sentence structure.

Reading explanations in your mother tongue, as well as comparing it with the language you're learning, is not only potentially confusing, but also slows you down, because you spend a lot of time going back and forth between the two languages, comparing them and translating from one to the other.

Grammar/vocabulary/course books in the original language are specifically designed for learners and encourage them to immerse themselves which, in turn, helps them learn the language more quickly, because they focus on using the language they're learning, as opposed to thinking about what they would say in their mother tongue, which is irrelevant.

Language learning might feel, at times, like jumping off a cliff, but with the right tools and teacher, you are never without a parachute.

More about my teaching approach

Don't hesitate to send me your questions.

#1. Is it too late to learn a language?

#2. Not knowing the word is not the end of the conversation

#3. Is learning vocabulary lists a good idea?

#4. Should I use bilingual books?

#5. Practising all four skills equally

#6. On the importance of making mistakes

#7. You know more than you think you do

#8. Can everyone learn a language?

#9. With or without subtitles?

#10. Should I use a dictionary?

#11. What's the main obstacle when learning a language?

#12. There's no such thing as perfect sentences

#13. Learning French when English is your mother tongue

#14. Listening is key

#15. Language learning does not mean translating

#16. The right tools to learn a language

#17. Why grammar matters

#18. Leaving your linguistic comfort zone behind

#19. About rote learning

#20. Assessing your own level

#21. Language learning is pattern spotting

#22. Key skills you need to learn a language