{"id":12,"date":"2026-10-23T10:03:21","date_gmt":"2026-10-23T08:03:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ezuqgcs.cluster131.hosting.ovh.net\/?page_id=12"},"modified":"2026-10-25T13:23:53","modified_gmt":"2026-10-25T11:23:53","slug":"about-iris","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/frenchwithiris.com\/index.php\/about-iris\/","title":{"rendered":"About Iris"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Helping you understand the French beyond the classroom<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Start now<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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I\u2019m a teacher\u2014and a language learner too.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Bonjour, I\u2019m Iris. I\u2019m a native French teacher, and over seven years of teaching online, I\u2019ve worked with more than 1,000 students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One frustration comes up again and again: \u201cI understand in class, but when French people speak, I\u2019m lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I see why. In lessons, we teachers often slow down, articulate clearly and use slightly more formal language. I do it too. Outside the classroom, familiar words can sound very different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My mission is to help you bridge that gap, so you can recognise more of the French you already know and follow everyday conversations with greater confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Learn more about me<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Why French outside the classroom feels different<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As teachers, we often adjust how we speak to help our students. I do it too: I slow down, articulate more clearly and sometimes use slightly more formal language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That support is useful. But everyday conversations can sound quite different. People shorten familiar phrases, drop sounds, link words together and use expressions you may never have encountered in a textbook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can know a phrase on the page and still struggle to recognise it in conversation. I want to help you understand what happens between those two moments\u2014and practise making the connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m a language learner too<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I speak seven languages, and I\u2019ve experienced the gap between studying a language and using it myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After four years of studying Spanish at school, I went to Seville and realised I could barely speak. Learning Lebanese with my grandmother taught me how important it is to feel safe making mistakes. Portuguese taught me the value of speaking, receiving corrections and trying again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Across my own learning, I\u2019ve also seen how different familiar language can feel when you hear it in a real conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those experiences, alongside my master\u2019s degree in Teaching French as a Foreign Language, shape the way I teach today: with patience, practical examples and room to try again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What you\u2019ll find here<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This blog is for learners who already know some French but struggle to follow French people in everyday conversations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I share listening practice, explanations of how spoken French sounds, and practical ways to work with what you hear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My aim is to help you recognise more of the French you already know, lose the thread less often and feel more connected to the people you\u2019re speaking with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Start with a little listening practice<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

My free French listening practice guide includes a listening exercise and a printable worksheet to help you practise recognising familiar words in everyday spoken French.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Get the free guide<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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I\u2019m a teacher\u2014and a language learner too. Bonjour, I\u2019m Iris. I\u2019m a native French teacher, and over seven years of teaching online, I\u2019ve worked with more than 1,000 students. One frustration comes up again and again: \u201cI understand in class, but when French people speak, I\u2019m lost.\u201d I see why. In lessons, we teachers often […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-12","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/frenchwithiris.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/frenchwithiris.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/frenchwithiris.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/frenchwithiris.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/frenchwithiris.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/frenchwithiris.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":119,"href":"https:\/\/frenchwithiris.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12\/revisions\/119"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/frenchwithiris.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}