Understand
Build meaning before memorisation.
Start the free challengeNeuroscience-informed French coaching for adults
You did not fail at French.The method failed you.
Stop starting over. Build French around the way your brain recognises, retains and uses language—so you can speak with growing confidence.
Preply recognitionTop 10% of French tutors2,678 hours of teaching experienceNative French speakerFluent in 6 languages51 public reviews
“
I follow my student's pace—because their success becomes my success.
Jean-Paul Riby · Founder & French coachThe free five-day challenge
Break the freeze.
Five days. One short email each day. Start thinking in French instead of translating everything in your head.
Start the free challenge No cost. Leave whenever you like.
01
The familiar cycle
Learn. Forget.
Relearn. Forget again.
You downloaded the apps. You memorised the vocabulary. You studied the verbs. For a while, you thought you were progressing.
Then someone spoke to you in French—and everything disappeared.
The problem is not your intelligence. Collecting information about French is not the same as training your brain to use it.
The French Unlocked method
A different way to build French
Five connected stages turn passive knowledge into language you can access in real situations.
Recognise
Learn to see the structures and patterns inside French.
Activate
Connect reading, listening, writing and speaking.
Practise
Use guided trial, precise correction and real conversation.
Retain
Revisit knowledge strategically until it is available when needed.
Translate everythingRecognise patternsUnderstand directlyRespond with confidence
The French Unlocked flagship course
From complete beginner to a real conversation.
An eight-week guided programme that combines clear teaching, deliberate practice and live accountability—so each lesson becomes French you can actually use.
8modules
33lessons
8guided weeks
Learn it. Practise it. Use it.
- Concise video lessons and PDF worksheets
- Audio and shadowing drills where they matter
- Written exercises, live practice and grammar clinics
- Role-plays, simulations and a personal 90-day plan
Brain Science & Habits
Understand how to learn and build a ten-minute daily routine.
Greetings & Numbers
Introduce yourself, connect with people and use essential numbers.
Pronunciation Mechanics
Train the mouth movements and sound patterns that make French clearer.
Everyday Situations
Practise cafés, directions, shopping and a day-in-French simulation.
Essential Grammar
Learn the practical grammar toolkit needed to build your own sentences.
Professional French
Handle workplace conversations, meetings and professional emails.
Reading & Writing
Develop a strategy for decoding texts and writing with confidence.
Simulation & 90-Day Plan
Complete a real conversation and leave with a plan for independence.
What changes when the method changes
Do not take my word for it.
Students consistently describe patient guidance, clear explanations, meaningful progress and lessons shaped around the individual.
51public student
reviews
reviews
★★★★★
“This is my third time trying to learn French, but this time, it feels completely different. Jean-Paul puts a lot of emphasis on pronunciation and explains the psychology behind learning languages. The process feels natural and motivating.”
M
MartinaReturning French learner
★★★★★
“He is helping me in a concrete and practical way with Business French, fully adapting the lessons to my professional context as a Business Analyst. We focus on calls, presentations and day-to-day corporate interactions.”
S
SaraBusiness Analyst
★★★★★
“Jean-Paul uses the key components of the mind to help you learn and retain usable communication skills better than any online platform, class or app I have ever used.”
W
WilliamAdult French learner
★★★★★
“He is extremely patient and creates a supportive learning environment. His strong focus on pronunciation—and the care he takes to correct and explain sounds—has really improved my spoken French.”
N
NataliaFrench conversation learner
35years in international
luxury hospitality
luxury hospitality
The person behind French Unlocked
French opened the world to me.
I am Jean-Paul Riby—a native French speaker, fluent in six languages, Cornell-educated, and a former international hospitality executive.
For 35 years, I lived and worked across Asia and Europe, progressing from the hotel floor to chief executive and serving with respected names including COMO Hotels & Resorts and Six Senses.
Language was never merely something I spoke. It was the passport to countries, cultures and opportunities. I later studied how memory and learning work to understand why so many capable adults struggle to retain French—and rebuilt my teaching around what I discovered.
“French opened the world to me. My purpose is to hand that same key to people standing at a door they cannot yet unlock.”
Native FrenchCornell-educatedFormer CEOTop 10% on Preply2,678 teaching hours
Your first step
Your French should start with a diagnosis, not another lesson.
Before we decide what you need to learn, we need to understand what is stopping you.
- 01
Where you areYour level, pronunciation and present communication habits.
- 02
What has not workedYour past experience and the cycle you want to leave behind.
- 03
Where you need to goYour goal, timeframe and the most realistic path between the two.
A few useful answers
Before we speak.
Is French Unlocked suitable for complete beginners?
Yes. The eight-week course begins with learning habits, pronunciation and core structures, without assuming any previous French.
I have studied French before. Will I need to start again?
Usually not. The strategy session identifies what you already understand, what remains passive and where your habits are creating friction. The goal is to activate and reorganise knowledge—not discard it.
Can coaching be adapted to my profession?
Yes. Professional coaching can centre on the vocabulary, meetings, presentations, conversations and cultural situations relevant to your role or market.
Is the approach scientifically guaranteed?
No responsible teacher can guarantee fluency. French Unlocked is informed by principles of memory, retention and multimodal learning, then personalised through observation, practice and feedback.
Speak French. For real.
Your first French win can begin today.
Five days. No pressure.
Break the translation habit with one focused email each day, then decide whether the full course is right for you.
Start Break the Freeze