French in Plain Sight Reviews 

Alex is super, can’t recommend highly enough. Before our lessons I knew enough textbook French to get by and given time could write an email or a text but hated the idea of speaking, the idea of making a mistake or not knowing the right word very much resulted in French paralysis. Very quickly Alex gave me techniques and approaches to overcome this fear and most importantly the ability or confidence to start a sentence in French without having planned every word beforehand. Having been through the process himself, I found Alex’s teaching style particularly effective, ranging from real world practice tasks to identifying weaknesses in my French/ areas I was less confident in to build on together, leaving me now very much in a position where daily French is stress free and I have the confidence in my ability to get by. As I write this review I am off to a French conference, hosted in French by French scientists. Likely a nightmare scenario 3 month ago but now thanks to Alex, a challenge I’m very much looking forward to.

With the friendly and competent coaching of Alex de French in Plain Sight I became confident enough to participate comfortably in French conversations with the francophone relatives of my wife.

Speak French with Confidence when you join the CFSC
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One of my biggest frustrations was not being able to get my ideas and thoughts over to people in the same fluency as I would in English. Totally stupid I know but rather than show up my inadequacy I wouldn't speak or return to English as other people's English was better than my French. I was losing confidence in my ability to have a basic conversation.
Of course, it was the rescue trinity that came to my rescue. A lifesaver and what's more it keeps you in French mode. You see if you stick with your old strategy which is not working you simply reinforce the fact you believe that you are failing or not improving. In your mind you have proved that no matter how hard you're striving you're not getting anywhere. It must be you. A self fulfilling prophecy! No, it's not you just wrong strategy. This is where Alex is so good; he gives you the "scaffolding " upon which you can build up both your confidence and knowledge of French. He has been on that journey. Alex and his team are so supportive.
By doing the Rescue course it has triggered my memories of going to Paris when I was 15 years old to stay with my pen friend. I would take myself off to the city and explore and not frightened to speak to people in French. I didn't care if it was not perfect. I was full of confidence. I will log that feeling into my French speaking mode.
Ps. I haven't come across another course which is taught so well. I should know I taught for 50 years.

In the three months since I joined the Confident French Speaking Community (CFSC), I have gained significant confidence in my ability to speak French with others as well as markedly improved fluidity. When I started, I could understand spoken French much better than I could speak it, and my spoken French was halting because I was constantly translating in my head and getting stuck when I couldn't remember the correct word. While my comprehension still outpaces my speaking ability, I feel much more confident and fluid in my speech. And the timing couldn't be better! I'm about to leave for a month-long immersion course in France, and thanks to this program, I'm going into it with more excitement than apprehension. I've also learned some tips about HOW to learn -- in place of flash cards (which never worked well), I've learned to pick out a handful of new words or phrases from a podcast or video and start using them right away in my written or spoken French - when I do that, I actually expand my vocabulary.
And so, many thanks to Alex and the community he created for providing a platform that's truly helping me learn how to speak this beautiful language.

A Truly Transformative French Learning Experience!
I have just completed 2 years as a member of the Confident French Speaking Community. The unique feature of the CFSC is that this is a community, not just another language learning platform. It is a place where you meet with other French learners in a friendly, welcoming, and encouraging atmosphere.
Before joining the CFSC, I was looking to significantly boost my confidence in speaking French. While I had some knowledge, I often felt hesitant and unsure when it came to engaging in conversation. I can confidently say now that I am leaving with much more confidence than when I first joined.
The CFSC truly made a profound difference in my life. Every session is consistently filled with positive energy and a warm atmosphere. I particularly cherish the memory of how comfortable we became speaking French; it reached the point where it felt strange even to speak English with others, as we had grown accustomed to conversing in French. This immersion, combined with a supportive environment, greatly contributed to my positive experiences during my visits to France.
Today, I feel significantly more confident in my French abilities. I wholeheartedly recommend the CFSC to anyone looking to improve their French confidence and speaking skills.
Thank you so much to the CFSC team and my fellow members! It's been an incredible journey, and I genuinely hope this isn't the last time we meet.

I had reached that proverbial impasse in my french language skills. When I started following Alex on YouTube, he described exactly what I was looking for. You could not ask for a better "coach". Small, interactive classes plus a full menu of various opportunities to join with others in groups of common interest. With Alex as coach and other students in the community, I overcame my anxiety and blocking when I attempted to speak in French. When I began the language course with CFSC, I had no idea that two years later I would be living in France! My husband and I moved to Tours, March 2025. Now I get to practice my French everyday with the locals. Thanks to the two years with Alex, and CFSC, I feel comfortable speaking French with people I meet and just being able to get my point across.

I discovered learning French can be fun, and should be!

Moving to France in 2020 and not speaking a word of French came with lots of challenges. What we did was really hard, really big, a lot of unknowns, a lot of trust, believing that you going to figure it out and just get to the next thing - finding the time to commit and not resent the process. Alex coached me after my first year of living in France, I thought that I absolutely had made a mistake to move . Working with Alex has been life-changing and the impact has been invaluable.
I highly recommend French in Plain Sight as mentioned through all the comments on the TrustPilot’s website.

The programme offers a genuine support system for language learning. 3,5 years into the CSFC community has enabled me to stay focused, motivated and the content is well adapted for anglophones which covers not only speaking opportunities but enhancement of honing your listening comprehension. I love that there are native French teaching professionals - there is no time for plateaux as you are always kept on your toes. The most important thing for me is that I do not feel so isolated here in France anymore as I have my friends from all over the world supporting my language learning. I am so grateful to Alex and everyone for making what I thought was impossible - possible.

Now with all the new visa regulations, I will continue my life-long journey with French in Plain Sight.

I joined CFSC 2 years ago after watching Alex in numerous French in Plain Sight videos. I found the videos so helpful and insightful, especially as he is a non-native French speaker who understands the challenges and has been in the trenches himself. I've made tremendous progress in my confidence and comprehension, which were two key goals at the start, but like so many of us participating, the real hurdle was that frozen feeling when you have the vocabulary in your head but can't seem to produce the phrases in conversation. Alex offers numerous pathways towards unlocking that fear with Zoom sessions between members, bi-weekly conversations led by a coach, and channels on the online platform discussing a range of topics. The channels have been so much fun as other members share what they've discovered including books, videos, movies, experiences. I've met so many wonderful fellow french-learners through CFSC which culminated this year in several of us meeting up in Paris and Montpellier after speaking only online for 2 years...amazing! On top of that, we got to meet up with Alex in Montpellier and I can honestly say that the transition from online conversations to meeting face-to-face was so natural and surprising. I've also watched the online platform channels evolve as members offer up their interests and start threads, many of which have been "go-to" places when I'm looking for a little interaction. Finally, over the past year Alex prompted many of us to focus on immersion everyday, listening to podcasts etc, and that has truly accelerated my comprehension. There's tremendous value in sharing the journey with others, realising you're not alone in struggle, and Alex has a coaching style that is supportive and constructive.

I lacked confidence in French before starting my lessons with Alex. He makes French interesting by focusing on subjects that matter to you.

I chose him because as a non native speaker himself he gets the challenge.

Lessons with Alex are always varied and his willingness to adapt them is something I value.

Alex has helped me explore the french language through a number of different mediums. I love the immersion technique which has helped me understand so much more and encouraged my speaking skills. Alex has also opened up a whole new world of HOW to learn including videos, music and novels and the discipline of making the commitment to learning by some small means, every day.
He has provided me with a framework for learning that is fun and action filled. The supervision is also very important especially when I'm hitting a road block. I have improved so much over the last 3 months that I feel I can almost say that I am a "French speaker"

Alex has really accelerated my learning, my familiarity, and my joy in speaking French. For at least a decade, I always had the same experience:
- go to France
- get into a random conversation with a sweet person, who compliments me on speaking French at all
- really groove into speaking with them
- hear a sentence or word that I cannot place
- watch as entire exchange dies and crumbles to dust right in front of me

When I was first getting introduced to Alex and we talked about setting a goal, I picked not running into a wall in these casual, friendly interactions. I have the real sense that he is bought into this goal as much as I am. He is forcing me into things like talk shows or sit coms where real everyday French is happening. When I drift off into a cool Arte documentary on the Great Depression, he brings me back to what we are supposed to do.

His notes from the video calls are pearls. I can find the corrections to my mistakes in context and have a record in black & white of what I can keep working on. Generally, he is a very shrewd user of online tools and makes useful, relevant suggestions on how to get more out of the Internet.

One last brag on Alex that might not suit everyone: he is no 'papa gâteau', who will clap at every level of effort and preparation. He holds you accountable and when you get off course, he is clear about it. I personally love this (overall), even if I am sheepish at having wandered or forgotten the plot from time to time.

Alex has a "win of the week" section, which also shows his very real passion for supporting his students and getting them to a place where they are fully learning and perceiving.

Unconditional recommend.

I am in my third year of membership with French in Plain Sight. It is a huge part of my life now - book clubs, virtual coffee mornings, a poetry reading group, JAM sessions, all member lead - plus the conversation courses with Alex our coach and the other teachers, a cine-club - all in French.
We all help each other to practice speaking the language, which is truly confidence building and new members are always warmly welcomed, included and encouraged to expand their knowledge of the French language with like-minded people.
FIPS has helped me so much to overcome my timidity at spoken French and I have greatly increased my vocabulary since I joined. I'm looking forward to more happy years!

As much as I tried to tell myself my French was progressing by (granted, irregularly) reading it, studying grammar and vocabulary then watching French TV with English subtitles, I was still a total deer in the headlights when I had to speak spontaneously to a native speaker. Sure, there are many French teachers on Insta who would love to have me join their programs, but I didn't want to feel locked into a certain day and time or have specific homework. Alex provided a series of intro meetings that allowed me to see what he was offering, in a word, Confidence. Even better, in those few intro days, conducted in English, I realized, "Whoa! There are a lot of people like me - technically, at the intermediate level, who pretty much choke up in casual conversation."

Within the Confident French Speaking Community, on Discord, I can choose which of the group activities I want to join. If I wanted, I could say, "I'm just watching - it's my first time." But, so far, everyone who has said that ends up joining the conversation before the end of that session. Zoom meetings vary. We're 1. reading a book paragraph by paragraph, correcting each others' pronunciation then translating 2. playing spontaneous speaking games 3. simply having a relaxed conversation about whatever. We laugh a lot. Members are loyal, reliable, and, now, friends. Some post language Nuggets of Wisdom or links to French cultural videos. I've barely scratched the surface of the resources on Discord and can't say enough good things about it. I've been a member for 5 months.

And my French? I've stumbled along for enough hours, that I now realize that I can do it. I can make myself understood. Furthermore, without even seeming to try, my vocabulary has somehow grown tremendously. Most of all, it's fun.

Alex isn't part of the conversations at my membership level (Francophone); however, I know that he and native French speakers conduct groups at the other level (Fanatique). Fanatiques can participate in all the group meetings, I only some. I'm here at the Francophone level partly because I'm in the US Mtn Time Zone, 8 hours behind Heure de Paris, and I have a day job. Enough of the groups meet in the wee hours for me, that I can't justify the extra expense - yet. Certainly, I'm getting more than my money's worth, as is.

If you are looking for online resources to help you learn a language, there is plenty to choose... but "French in Plain Sight" and the Confident French Speaker Community is a unique and valuable offering. When I signed up I was working in France with mostly English-speaking people. As such, I knew a little, but my progress was slow because I always knew 'just enough' and I was still speaking, mostly, English: it was hard to improve.

I watched Alex's YouTube videos and his attitude really resonated with me, emphasising simple, practical language skills and the experiences of someone coming to French in adulthood, as a resident of France. So I signed up and was not disappointed.

His online language groups are informal and suit all abilities. He and his teachers identify cool little improvements you can take away and apply: he is all about maintaining confidence and momentum, so you won't get a list of all your 'problems', just encouragement and tips you can use. The focus is always on practical French you can use in conversations with real French people: just what I wanted.

Finally I must mention his diligence and enthusiasm: Alex works really hard and does care about the experience of his learners. He was available for any issue and seeks feedback, the CFSC kept the personal touch even as it grew.

While not inexpensive, once you get beyond the very basics of the stock tourist phrases, you will get very good value for money if you can commit the time (not too much!) and make use of the many ways Alex and his team will get you speaking practical, understandable French.

I was a member of the Confident French Speakers Community/French in Plain Sight for a year, during which time I certainly made big leaps forward in my spoken French. The membership is about coaching, increasing self confidence, setting goals and exploring ways to achieve them. It isn't about French lessons, grammar or vocabulary (of course these are available on Alex's U-tube channel), though the bi-weekly conversation classes have a theme and vocabulary resources, and there is an active Discord group where anyone can ask about grammar or anything else! One of the distinguishing features is that Alex is very hands-on, he personally takes many of the classes and is active on Discord. He now has a native-speaker Joanna in the team who is also always helpful. The community is friendly and welcoming and Alex and Joanna are not at all intimidating. I would highly recommend making the investment if you are looking to break through the lower intermediate barrier.

Great community to give your French a boost!

I highly recommend Alex and the CFSC for all those seeking confidence and improving their intermediate French language skills. I made an enormous improvement in my French skills with the 3 modules in the course,as well as the constant access to French speaking classes and the rest of the community from all over the world! I would highly recommend the CFSC to anyone looking to improve their French language skills.

When I think back to my comfort level and facility with French 18 months ago when I started with CFSC compared to now, I’m amazed. I’m already beyond where I imagined I’d ever be with French, having started my apprentissage as a 60 year old. And it’s been fun. I have little patience or ability for memorization. I learn best by exposure to a subject and by having the opportunity to use the new knowledge and make mistakes in a supportive and interesting environment. Well, that’s exactly what becoming part of this community of French learners provides, with such flexibility regarding types of activities and amount of time spent that I’ve never felt like it was too demanding or too easy. Participating in the community by text and chat has made it feel so normal to communicate in French, really reducing the fear factor. And the friendships that have developed in the process are the icing on the cake. Alex has created a great way to develop your ability to communicate in French.

I joined the Confident French Speaking Community (CFSC) via the French In Plain Sight website, and I am so happy that I did. For someone like me, who has lived in France for 11 years but struggled to hold a simple conversation in French, it has been perfect. The most important thing about the CFSC method is the way it has changed my mindset positively in relation to French. And with my change in attitude has come an increase in confidence, which I could never have believed possible before starting work on the CFSC modules. Before, I didn't have the confidence to get involved in activities in the area where I live in France, but now I do. In short, CFSC has transformed my life!

A couple of years ago I had been searching for a better way to improve my French language skills when I spotted Alex’s videos on Youtube. His insights made immediate sense to me. He presents a simple but effective approach to learning the French language.

I was very happy when he started an online group for like minded people in search of a higher excellence with spoken and written French. As anglophones, we are always hesitant to start speaking to fluent French speakers but Alex has created a group where we are able to put his methods into practice.

I’ve been an active member of the online group for over a year and the ‘proof is in the pudding’. I feel more confident with interacting in French and my holiday in France this year saw me able to converse in French without (much!) trepidation.

I absolutely recommend joining Alex's online group.