What if French class felt more like an apéro?

A new way to practise your French, speak more naturally, and actually enjoy the process.

Coucou tout le monde,

French with Timo has been around for two years now, and more than 5,000 of you are already receiving this newsletter.

C’est ouf !

Two years of podcasts, articles, verbs we never quite remember on the first try, and messages from you telling me that something finally clicked… or that it still hasn’t!

And now, we’re moving on to something new.

Everything you already have stays exactly the same: Free subscribers will keep getting what they always have, and Premium members will still have access to everything: the blog, podcasts, monthly workshop, and app.

1:1 coaching and Le Cercle conversation groups are still available too.

But for Season 3, I’m adding something new: L’Apéro Club

If you understand French but still hesitate when you speak, translate in your head, or feel like your French sounds a little too much like a textbook, this is for you.

You probably already understand more French than you’re able to use. That’s exactly what L’Apéro Club is for: relaxed live sessions where you actually get to speak, instead of just following along in your head.

And yes, come with your favourite drink. It’s called L’Apéro Club for a reason.

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Why l’Apéro Club?

Actually, the idea came from a conversation with my good friend — mon pote — Florent last year, when I was in Paris.

I was about to teach a class, and we were having a drink at a bar together.

Florent looked at me and said:

« Pourquoi tu ne ferais pas simplement un cours à l’apéro ? Tu restes ici, au bar, et tu fais ton cours comme si c’était un apéro. »

Of course, I didn’t do it.

But later, I thought… « Et pourquoi pas ? »

The more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea.

Because learning French doesn’t always have to feel like learning French.

Sometimes, the best conversations happen around a table, over a drink, when you forget you’re in a class and simply start talking.

So that’s basically where L’Apéro Club came from.

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There will be three types of Apéro:

🍷 Apéro Grammaire, for the grammar that makes total sense on paper and somehow vanishes the second you open your mouth.

🍸 Apéro Spoken French, real French from videos and other material I’ll send you ahead of time.

🍹 Apéro Choc Culturel, the cultural stuff that surprises you, confuses you, or makes you laugh once someone finally explains it.

There's no textbook, no syllabus we're racing through. Just good conversations, topics that are actually interesting, and enough talking time that you walk away a little more confident than when you sat down.

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Ça te dit un Apéro ?

I’m currently in the pre-launch phase, and L’Apéro Club will be launching this autumn.

For the first edition, I want to keep things small with a little group where everyone gets plenty of opportunities to speak, and where we can shape the experience together, including finding a schedule that works for the group.

If the idea sounds like something you’d enjoy, just reply to this email with “Apéro” or leave a comment below, and I’ll get back to you personally with more details.

Thanks for being here since the beginning, or since yesterday.

Either way, it counts.

À bientôt,

Timo

Hey, I’m Timothée.

I write about the French language the way it’s actually lived: through cafés, music, awkward conversations, old expressions, cultural rituals, and all the small things textbooks usually forget.

If you enjoy learning French through stories, culture, music, and the hidden meaning behind words, you’ll probably enjoy the premium version of this newsletter.

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