Struggling to hold your own when a chat in France moves past 'bonjour' and 'un croissant, s'il vous plaît'? France Today is offering its members a helping hand: a bonus live session with French teacher Céline Guerreiro, running Wednesday, October 14th from 12:00 to 13:15 EST.
This is a slightly different format from the site's usual live events. Rather than a produced talk, Céline is opening up one of her own French conversation classes to France Today members. The idea is simple and refreshingly honest: two people who have never met will have a completely unrehearsed conversation, first for 10 minutes in French, then 10 minutes in English. No script, no topic, no preparation — just the kind of real, slightly messy exchange that happens when you're actually speaking a language rather than reciting it.
For anyone who has lived in or travelled to France for years yet still feels themselves shrink into a quieter, slower version of themselves the moment a conversation turns genuine, watching this unfold could be an eye-opener. It's a chance to see what authentic French conversation looks like in practice — the pacing, the interruptions, the small corrections — without the pressure of being the one in the hot seat.
Céline Guerreiro will already be familiar to France Today readers from a live event the site hosted with her earlier this year. She's offering this session as a free bonus to members, and France Today is quick to note one catch: because it isn't one of the site's own events, it won't appear on the video hub afterwards. If you want in, you have to show up live.
Why does a language session matter on a travel site? Because the difference between a good trip to France and a great one is often the moments where you can actually talk to people — ordering properly, chatting with a market stall holder, understanding the punchline. Sessions like Céline's aim to build exactly that confidence, and watching two strangers navigate an unrehearsed conversation in real time is a low-stakes way to see what you're working towards.
The small print: this is members-only content on France Today. If you're not yet a member, you'll need to join (or log in if you already are) to access the session details. Céline is making it available at no extra cost as a thank-you bonus, so it's effectively a free taster of her regular conversation classes for anyone already paying for a France Today membership.
If your October calendar is free on the 14th and your French has been stuck at polite platitudes, it's worth an hour and fifteen minutes of your lunch break — just remember it's live-only, so no catching up later.
