The Ilini Blog

Learning French   More  

How to Pronounce 12 of the Most Difficult French Words

Some French words are pretty difficult to pronounce for English speakers. So we recently asked our Facebook community to...
Ilini
Sep 23, 2019 58 sec read

French Poem: Le Cancre (J. Prévert) with translation and video

“Le Cancre” (1945) is a French poem learned at school by generations of pupils. Its simplicity and musical rythm...
Ilini
Jan 26, 2019 1 min read

Macron’s “Letter to the French”: side-by-side original and translation

Following weeks of protests by the ‘Gilets Jaunes’ movement, the French government has launched a ‘Great Debate’ meant to...
Ilini
Jan 14, 2019 17 min read

What books to read to improve your French?

There is nothing like a good French book for diving deep into the language and its culture. People often...
William Martin
Jan 7, 2019 1 min read

Teaching French   More  

What teachers say about Ilini – Testimonials, Awards & Recognitions

Here is a compilation of some of the awards, recognitions and testimonials we’ve received from teachers and educational institutions....
Ilini
May 14, 2020 34 sec read

Teaching French during the lockdown

Over the past few days, we have received many enquiries from schools and teachers looking for distance French teaching...
Ilini
Mar 22, 2020 55 sec read

Famous French Speakers   More  

Queen Elizabeth II Speaks French

After Bradley Cooper, the next celebrity in our French Speaker of the Week series is Queen Elizabeth II of...
Ilini
Sep 19, 2019 1 min read

Bradley Cooper Speaks French

Today we are starting a new series on the blog and on our Facebook page. Every Thursday we will...
Ilini
Sep 12, 2019 25 sec read

When UK political leaders speak French

A couple of days ago this tweet by British MP Nicholas Soames – Winston Churchill’s grandson – caught my attention:...
Ilini
Jan 23, 2018 15 sec read

Hear Jackie Kennedy, Meryl Streep & Jane Fonda speak excellent French. What’s the link with Ilini?

Did you know that Jackie Kennedy, Meryl Streep and Jane Fonda were excellent French speakers? After watching the videos...
Ilini
Nov 30, 2017 1 min read

French Culture   More  

La bise : How to kiss in France

Let’s talk about this custom that can surprise when a visitor arrives in France or when seen from the outside: la bise.  What is la bise? La bise...
Raphaëlle Renaudin
Mar 7, 2021 1 min read

La bise : How to kiss in France

Raphaëlle Renaudin
Mar 7, 2021 1 min read

Why is French Netflix series Lupin so popular?

Marine Pham
Feb 26, 2021 2 min read

News from Ilini and Friends   More  

Teaching languages with Ilini in Thailand 🇹🇭

This article is part of Ilini’s World Tour series, where we share classroom pictures sent by teachers from all...
Ilini
Oct 22, 2022 31 sec read

Christmas: Give the Gift of French

Share the passion for French language and culture with someone special this Christmas. Offer them a full year’s access...
Ilini
Nov 25, 2019 1 min read

Interview: Laura K. Lawless, creator of French language learning eldorado

Laura K. Lawless is the creator, writer and editor of the popular French language learning website called Lawless French....
Ilini
Apr 6, 2019 4 min read

Learning French with movies – ‘Lost in Frenchlation’ introduces Paris expats and tourists to French cinema

If you’re learning French, you’ve probably found yourself looking for French films or Youtube videos to watch on your...
Ilini
Aug 20, 2018 3 min read

All Stories

World Cup Fever: Let’s Learn Some French with France…

Two francophone teams battling for a place in the final: the France vs Belgium match in the 2018 FIFA World Cup was a particularly...
Ilini
Jul 11, 2018 1 min read

French learning tips – 9 questions for Oliver Gee,…

Oliver Gee is an Aussie living in Paris. He is the host of The Earful Tower, a weekly podcast known to tens of thousands...
Ilini
May 22, 2018 2 min read

I’ve got the peach! Ilini on The Earful Tower…

We recently had the pleasure of being invited on The Earful Tower show to talk about peaches, bananas and other interesting things about the French...
Ilini
May 8, 2018 26 sec read

Ilini Wins “Tech for Teachers” 3-Star Award

We are proud to announce that Ilini has won a 3-Star Award in the 2018 Tech for Teachers competition! Tech for Teachers is an...
Ilini
Jan 8, 2018 28 sec read

Brexit: Ilini offers free accounts to UK negotiators

How do you say “You can’t have your cake and eat it” in French? The UK’s Brexit negotiating team will soon find out, thanks...
Ilini
Dec 13, 2017 1 min read

Feeling the emotion: Why “real-life” French is essential to…

A language isn’t just a set of words bound together by grammar and syntax rules. Language is first and foremost culture. And when learning...
Ilini
Nov 20, 2017 2 min read

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