How it works

1. The app shows you a prompt (in this case, the translation of the French expression you want to learn). You try to remember the associated French expression and you say it out loud.
(tap the images to make them bigger)

2. Then, you reveal the answer to check whether you remembered correctly (there’s also a recording of me saying the expression)

Scientists call this simple technique Retrieval Practice with immediate feedback, and it has been shown to be the most effective way to commit something to memory.

If you ask me, this is also common sense: you improve at something by doing the thing — so you’ll become better at remembering French words and phrases by trying to remember them. As the French proverb says, “c’est en forgeant qu’on devient forgeron - It is through forging that one becomes a blacksmith.”

Can’t remember the expression? Relax, this isn’t an exam.

Whenever you can’t remember the expression correctly, hit the “Again” button and the app will repeat the cycle, so you can try again. Keep doing that until you manage to remember the expression. With this method, there are no final grades and no need to stress, as making mistakes is a normal and healthy part of the learning cycle. There’s a reason why the button is called “Again”, not “Failed”.

Plus, neuroscience shows that making errors is good for your learning. When you make a mistake, the frustration you feel signals to your brain that something is wrong and needs to change: it needs to learn. As a result, it increases activation of the neural circuits responsible for neuroplasticity — the brain’s ability to rewire itself. (source)

So please make mistakes. Or, in the words of Irish novelist & learner of French Samuel Beckett: Fail, fail again, fail better!

Remembered the expression correctly? Stretch your memory, so you can remember it long-term.

If you remembered the expression correctly, hit the “Good” button and the app will show you the same Fluency Trainer again in ten minutes. Get it right again and the app will show it to you again the next day. The next day, if you get it right again, the app will show you the Fluency Trainer two days later, then 6, and then 15… Each time you get it right, the app challenges you to remember it a little bit longer.

That’s very important.

Think about this: if you want your body to become more flexible, you need to stretch every day but, more importantly, during each training session you need to stretch just beyond what feels comfortable to make progress. In the same way, when learning something new, you need to stretch your memory a little bit more every time for it to expand. And that means waiting longer and longer between each review.

Scientists call this the Spacing Effect and it is the most efficient way to move what you’ve learned from short-term to long-term memory. As a bonus, after a few weeks of training on the app you’ll notice that the expression just "comes" to you, fluidly, without thinking. Hence the name “Fluency Trainers”.

Be French: don't work like mad

Don’t get me wrong: you should train on the app every day for the best results. A training session typically lasts between two and fifteen minutes. That’s about the time it takes to have a nice cuppa or a latte… and as we all know, there’s always time for that in a day 😉

However, on some days, you won’t get any Fluency Trainers. That’s normal. Remember, you need to stretch your memory for it to expand. Embrace the days off, and refrain from working more than necessary.

In the same way, when training on the app, it can be tempting to tap "Hard" or "Again" even though you got the answer relatively easily, so that the app shows you the Fluency Trainer more frequently. That's a bad idea. Indeed, seeing a specific Fluency Trainer more often than necessary will keep the expression you're learning in your short-term or medium-term memory. You’re not stretching your memory, so the expression won’t move to your long-term memory.

Seems like the French were right about this one: it isn't more productive to work like mad 😎

Before committing the expression to memory, though, it’s good to make sure you can say it right. That’s why you also get a Pronunciation Guide in the app.

How to use the Pronunciation Guide

It’s very straightforward. At the tap of a button, you can play and replay several recordings of me saying the expression at different speeds, recordings of individual words, and short explanations for challenging letter combinations or challenging sounds.
(tap the example image below to make it bigger)

For your convenience, the Pronunciation Guide is in the same app as the Fluency Trainer. However, in this case, you’re not supposed to try to remember anything. Just listen and practice.

Let’s sum up:

1. Learn the pronunciation thanks to the Pronunciation Guide.

2. Open the Fluency Trainer and practice remembering the expression by saying it out loud. Do it at a time when your brain feels fresh and rested (during your morning coffee/tea works well for some people, and it gives you the satisfaction to start the day with something productive).

3. Tell the app how hard or easy it was for you. Be honest! With this learning method, being hard on yourself is unhelpful.

4. Every day, open the app and start over from Step 2. From now on, never look at the Pronunciation Guide before using Fluency Trainers. If you want to double-check the pronunciation, do it after you’ve tried to remember the expression with your Fluency Trainers. Why? Because if you see the expression on the Pronunciation Guide and, just after that, you open your Fluency Trainer and try to pull the expression from memory… you don’t have to make an effort anymore, since you’ve refreshed your memory by seeing the expression on the Pronunciation Guide. Therefore, you’re not effectively training your memory.

Et voilà!

If you have a question, do ask me by replying to one of my emails. I’m always looking for ways to make my explanations clearer and teach better, so I highly appreciate receiving your feedback and questions.

Now it’s time to install the app. I’ve made a simple step-by-step guide for you. Select the device you’ll be using for the app: