Stuck at Intermediate French? How to Start Making Progress Again
You can follow a conversation in French, until someone asks you a question. You recognise plenty of words, but struggle to find them when you speak. You’ve studied the grammar, yet the same mistakes keep coming back.
If this sounds familiar, the next step is to identify what you find difficult and give it more focused practice.
As a French teacher, I regularly meet adult learners who want to move beyond this frustrating stage. Here’s how I suggest approaching it.
What does “stuck” actually mean for you?
“I want to improve my French” is a starting point, but it doesn’t tell you what to practise.
Think about a recent situation when French felt difficult. What happened?
You understood the question but couldn’t put an answer together.
You couldn’t follow someone speaking at a natural pace.
You needed a word you recognised but couldn’t remember.
You expressed your idea, but kept making the same grammatical mistake.
You could manage everyday topics, but struggled to explain an opinion.
Choose one of these difficulties to work on first. A clear goal might be: “I want to explain my opinion and give two reasons without switching to English.”
That gives you something practical to prepare, practise and review.
1. Turn some of your listening time into speaking time
Podcasts, films and videos give you plenty to listen to. But when your goal is speaking, make room for speaking in your routine too.
After listening to a short passage, close the transcript and try to answer:
What was it about?
What was the main idea?
What did you find interesting?
Do you agree with the speaker?
Speak aloud, even if you’re alone. Start with a few sentences rather than trying to produce a perfect summary.
If a word is missing, try explaining it another way. For example, if you can’t remember un déménagement, you could say quand on change de maison ou d’appartement.
You can check the missing word afterwards.
2. Practise using the vocabulary you already recognise
Before collecting another long list of words, choose a few expressions you would like to use yourself.
Suppose you’re learning to discuss advantages and disadvantages:
Ce qui me plaît, c’est…
L’inconvénient, c’est que…
Ça dépend de…
Je trouve que…
Use them to talk about your own life. Compare two places you’ve lived, explain your working preferences or describe a book you’ve enjoyed.
Then return to the same expressions a few days later and try again without looking at your notes.
The question to ask yourself is: “Can I use this expression to say something that matters to me?”
3. Give recurring mistakes a specific place in your practice
If you keep making the same mistake, choose one point to watch during your next conversation.
For example:
Talking about a completed event? Pay attention to your past-tense forms.
Describing something you enjoy? Check whether you need bon or bien.
Comparing two options? Prepare a few useful comparative structures.
Afterwards, write down two or three corrected sentences from what you actually said. Say them aloud, then adapt them to a different situation.
Working with a teacher can help you identify which corrections deserve your attention. You don’t have to monitor every part of your French at once.
4. Choose topics that make you want to say something
Give yourself a reason to speak beyond completing an exercise.
Choose a subject you care about: a novel, a film, a place you know, a news story or a question you’d like to discuss.
Before speaking, prepare:
Three ideas you want to express.
A few useful words or expressions.
One question to ask someone else.
Keep your preparation brief. Notes can support the conversation; you don’t need to write and memorise every sentence.
Reading can also give you a starting point. A character’s decision, an unexpected ending or a social issue in a novel can become a discussion.
5. Build a routine you can realistically keep
Here’s a weekly routine you can adapt to your schedule:
Activity | What to do |
Listen or read | Choose one short piece of content that interests you. (serie, podcast...) |
Prepare | Select a few expressions and note your reaction. |
Speak | Summarise it aloud or discuss it with someone. |
Review | Revisit the words you needed and a few corrected sentences. |
Repeat a similar task after a few weeks. You might record yourself explaining an opinion or telling a short story.
Listen for specific changes: did you finish your sentences more easily? Did you reuse an expression? Could you explain a missing word?
These observations are more useful than simply asking whether you feel fluent yet.
Want support with your speaking practice?
At the French Conversation Club, we meet online each week in small groups organised by level. We discuss a monthly theme, practise expressing our ideas and work on the language that comes up in conversation.
If you enjoy reading, the French Book Club offers another way to practise: guided reading, vocabulary support and weekly discussions about the story, characters and cultural context, even from level A2 !
Not sure which course would suit you? Get in touch and tell me what feels difficult in French at the moment.
Gladys
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