The 30-Day French Challenge: Chanson Française (May 1-30)

Watch a special introduction from Géraldine:

Improve your spoken French fluency in just 15 minutes a day, for 30 days!

Over 30 days, from May 1st to 30th 2024, Francophiles from all around the world - of all ages and all levels - will come together to engage their brain 🧠 as they boost their ability to speak and understand real, everyday French👂🗣️.

And this time around, we'll be improving our French while exploring 100 years of French music 🪗: from the songs of the Cabaret 🎷 and the French “yéyé” movement 🚌🌸 to the disco fever of the 1970s 🪩 and modern French musicians 🤖.

Of course, the benefits of this Challenge go far beyond expanding your musical palette 🎵. You'll learn useful French vocabulary 📖 with particular emphasis on the correct pronunciation 👄, and have the opportunity to improve your understanding of real, everyday spoken French 🧠.

If you've been wanting to refresh and sharpen your French skills and improve your French fluency - this is the place for you!  🏆🥳

Here's how it works

The Challenge is divided into 5 'Chapters', each focusing on a different decade of French music:

Songs of Cabaret (1920-1950)

Immerse yourself in the atmosphere of Parisian cafés ☕ and Montmartre’s bohemian lifestyle 🎷 as we get to know history-making songwriters and artists like Charles Trenet and Édith Piaf 🐦.

Poets and Yéyés (1950-1960)

Indulge in the youthful exuberance of the 1960s French “yéyé” movement 🚌🌸, with artists like Françoise Hardy and Johnny Hallyday. 🎸 We’ll also explore the powerful poetry from this decade from poets like George Brassens and Barbara 🖋️.

 Disco Meets Tradition (1970s)

Experience the 1970s in France, when disco fever coexisted with a folk revival🪩. We’ll meet popular artists from this decade, from Joe Dassin to Dalida, and also cover the French sci-fi musical Starmania 🚀 — which started touring again in 2023!

Rock, Pop, Rap & More (1980-2000)

Meet the biggest living stars of French music who started their careers in the dynamic 80s and 90s 🕺. We’ll also explore the alternative music scene from this era, including French electro (like David Guetta and Daft Punk 🤖) and French rap music 🎤.

Modern French Sounds (2000-2020)

We’ll end our journey through French music with an overview of our current musical landscape 🎶. We’ll follow the rise of young artists like Stromae and Angèle, and I’ll share my tips for finding French music and radio stations that suit your tastes 📻🎧.

A typical chapter has a 6-day structure:

DAY 1:  Watch a short video 🎥 (in French, with English subtitles) about this week’s topic. Read the transcript carefully 🗒️ to identify any words you aren’t sure how to pronounce👄.

DAY 2: We’ll go over yesterday’s text 🔎 & I’ll explain the vocabulary and its pronunciation in depth 📝 so you can work on your accent and fluency 🗣️ .

DAY 3: Listen to a French dialogue related to the chapter's theme. 👂 For example, we might discuss an artist who had a particular influence on this decade's music scene 🧑🏼‍🎤. Can you repeat what you've heard? 💬

DAY 4: Let’s recap some of the vocabulary you’ve learned in the last few days. ⏪ Can you pronounce them correctly? 🧐Repeat after me!

DAY 5: Short quiz! Let’s test your knowledge. ⁉️ How much do you understand from the chapter's challenges so far? 🤔

DAY 6: We’ll play a fun game about the topic of the week 🧩 and you'll get some “extra mile” bonus documents that you can explore if you have time. 🤓

🔁 We rinse and repeat this schedule 5 times until we've covered each Chapter. 🔁

Then, on the final day, we'll do a quiz to see how much you've retained!

It's the perfect community & challenge for you if...

✅ You've been learning French for a while now (maybe even decades) but still struggle with your oral comprehension, your pronunciation, and your confidence when speaking

✅ You've lost your connection with French, and you want to refresh your knowledge while also learning more modern, up-to-date vocabulary and expressions

✅ You often travel to France (or hope to soon) and want to be able to understand people (beyond basic greetings) while there

✅ You're looking for an easy, low-commitment way to improve your French overall

✅ You love learning about all things French: our history, our art, our food, and our culture

"My advice to anyone that is considering joining is this; There is something in the challenge for everyone. The better you are at French, the more there is to learn but there is still a lot there for the beginner or intermediate student of the language. Merci beaucoup!"

Len K.

All of the contents will be delivered right here, in our private community

The "challenges" will be posted each day in the 30-Day French Challenge membership portal (hosted on Mighty Networks). 

It's a lot like Facebook, just not on Facebook - and you can access it easily from your computer, smart phone, or tablet.

Here, you'll have the chance to interact with your fellow Challengers and Géraldine!

(The above photo is an example of a previous Challenge inside of the Mighty Networks.)

The Price

To make The 30-Day French Challenge as accessible to as many people as possible, it’s just €30 — that’s just €1 a day!

Please note that if you are based in the EU, VAT will automatically be added to the price at checkout.

❤️ Love for our previous 30-Day Challenges, from real students ❤️

My promise to you 💕

Whether you’re 25 or 65, your French is a little rusty or you’re practically a native-speaker by now – at the end of the 30 days, you will see a noticeable improvement in your ability to understand real, everyday modern French, while also experiencing the side benefits of an expanded vocabulary and a greater ability to speak modern French!

The Power of Community 🧑‍🤝‍🧑

The idea for this 30-Day Challenge isn’t only for you to learn. It’s also to connect you with other learners, all around the world. 

The 30-Day Challenge is the one place at Comme une Française where students can get together and support each other, because it’s hosted on an interactive platform. 

 Even if you only have 10-15 minutes to log on and participate every couple of days, you’re sure to make friends who will cheer you on and celebrate your progress with you. 

❤️ Love for our previous 30-Day Challenges, from real students ❤️

"The 30-Day Challenge got me to practice French again, met other people in my area who are also learning French, and I realized I could do a French crossword! You learn things you wouldn't learn from a book, like colloquial expressions."

Katy B., USA

Something for all levels

Is your French a little rusty?

Wonderful! The 30-Day French Challenge is a great way to re-familiarize yourself with spoken French. Each resource comes with a transcript, so you can follow along even if you don't understand each word.

Are you more experienced?

No problem! I promise to “challenge” you, too. The 30-Day French Challenge will help you refresh your French comprehension and allow you to discover everyday French expressions, phrases, and culture.

Please note

The 30-Day French Challenge is not designed for complete beginners. Ideally you will have studied some French before (even if for just one semester in school 40 years ago).

"I learned new words, and I began to feel more confident about continuing to learn French. I have been doing it on and off for a few years. Now I feel ready to commit since I will soon be retiring. I learned new vocabulary that I didn't already know, but I also realized I can do this- learn more French, I mean."    

Marie Anne D., United States

❤️ Love for our previous 30-Day Challenges, from real students ❤️

OUR 60-DAY MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE

I stand by my programs, just like a real-life teacher would, with the advantages of a normal purchase. In your city, if a shirt doesn’t fit, you take it back to the shop!

Good news. You have 60 days to see if the 30-Day French Challenge works for you. So you can be sure that it’s up to your level, that you like my style of teaching, that your French is really improving.

If the program doesn’t suit you, email me or my team, ask for a refund and you’ll get 100% of your money back. No need to threaten, to plead or to send an official letter, just send an email to [email protected] asking for a refund. If you’re super kind, tell us why so we understand what’s going on (maybe we can help?). But if you don’t feel like it, just say you want a refund.

We’ll close your access to the program and send your money back (yes, including the VAT if you live in Europe).

We are super dedicated to customer care and your happiness comes first. Always.

About Géraldine

Salut ! Moi c’est Géraldine Lepère.

I’m a French woman (Paris-born 🏙️ now living in the Alps 🏔️) with a passion for sharing my love for French language and culture! I started Comme une Française in 2012 and have since helped more than 3,500 alumni learn to confidently understand and speak real, modern French through my paid programs – not to mention taught more than 10.8 million French learners through my weekly YouTube lessons. 📹

Born to a French father and Mexican mother, I know the challenges and desire to blend into life in a foreign country. After two years of living in the UK, I knew that going beyond just grammar is essential to fitting in and feeling at home wherever you are.

If you’ve been following my weekly episodes for a while, I’m happy to introduce you to my premium programs. 😁

If you love France and French life, I’m here to guide you, answering questions you wouldn’t dare ask about anything and everything French. So, join me for learning and fun! 

Enchantée !

"Caught up in the day-to-day activities, I didn't really notice my progress. It was only when I tried watching a French movie or listening to a French podcast that I realized how much my comfort zone with the language had grown! My improved awareness of pronunciation is bound to help my spoken French and make it easier for others to understand me when I speak.

Part of the magic of the Challenge, for me, is that it builds - in small, manageable instalments - habits of comprehension and speaking that become almost second nature."

John K.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do I have to complete the daily challenges?

As long as you need. There is no time pressure to complete the 'challenge of the day'. If you need to skip a day or two, or if you'd rather cover an entire chapter's worth of content every Sunday morning, that's okay! None of the content is delivered live, and all of the content will remain available after the challenge has completed, so you can catch up whenever it works best for you.

Will I still have access to the material after the 30 days?

Yes, you will continue to have access to the content after the Challenge is over. We may choose to archive the Challenge's content at some point (so we can keep the space organized), but this will happen no sooner than one month following the end of the Challenge at the earliest. We will always give you at least one week's notice before archiving any content, and will give you an easy way to keep the material after that if you wish.

How can we ask questions?

You can leave your question in the form of the content underneath each daily post. If you need additional support that's not related to the learning content, you can reach out to us at [email protected]

Is this a one-time payment?

Yes! The 30-Day French Challenge is a one-time payment of €30. You will only have to pay again if you wish to join us for another, future Challenge.

Why won't my login from school.commeunefrancaise.com work?

That's because the 30-Day French Challenge is hosted on a different platform than my other programs. To enroll in and access the Challenge, you will need to create an account on the platform 'Mighty Networks'. You do this automatically as part of your registration process. (We intentionally chose Mighty Networks because we prefer the way they handle users' data. You can read more about that here, if you're curious.)

Why can't I purchase using the iOS (Apple) app?

In simple terms, the selling methods of iOS/Apple are not up to our standards, especially because we are not able to refund students after they purchase through iOS. Because of this, we've decided to not make the 30-Day French Challenge "plan" available for purchase on iOS.

If you're trying to join the 30-Day French Challenge from your iPhone or iPad, you can enroll using your web browser (Safari). Once you've enrolled, you'll be able to access all of the content from the app on your iOS device.

If you run into any issues, please reach out to us at [email protected]..

I'm ready to join! How do I start?

Amazing, we can't wait to get started! Keep scrolling to the bottom of this page until you see the "Choose a Plan" section. Then, click the "Buy" button. On the next page, you’ll be asked to create an account before being redirected to a checkout page. Once your purchase is successful, you’ll automatically be added to the portal where all Challenge contents will be delivered!