For French speakers who want to sound natural in English
You have a good command of English, but something still gives away your accent? This course is for you. Designed for French speakers, it tackles the challenges of English pronunciation: word stress, intonation, rhythm, reduced sounds, and linking.
Rather than aiming for a perfect accent, you will develop habits that make your English clearer, more fluid, and more natural. You will understand why some words sound different when spoken versus written, how to place word stress with confidence, and how to use rhythm and intonation to highlight your ideas.
Through listening exercises, practical activities, and accessible tools, you will progress at your own pace and leave with a concrete plan to continue improving every day.
Whether in a meeting, a job interview, or a simple conversation, more confident pronunciation makes all the difference. Register now and start making yourself heard in a whole new way.
Is it for you ?
This course is for French speakers who use English in their professional or personal lives and wish to express themselves with more naturalness and clarity. It is particularly well-suited for individuals working in bilingual or international environments, those who are required to give presentations, facilitate meetings, or correspond in English, those wishing to bridge the gap between their reading comprehension and oral fluency, or those preparing for a job interview or professional transition.
Prerequisites
A basic knowledge of English is required, as the course content is primarily presented in English. No advanced level is necessary.
What You'll Walk Away With
- ✓ Master word stress to immediately improve clarity and understanding
- ✓ Understand and use reduced sounds and schwa to match natural English rhythm
- ✓ Apply sentence stress patterns to deliver more fluid and structured speech
- ✓ Use linking, contractions, and spoken features to sound more natural
- ✓ Build a self-study plan with practical tools to sustain long-term progress
Training content
This training is rolled out in four complementary and progressive parts, designed to help you speak English with more naturalness, clarity, and confidence. From mastering word stress to integrating what you’ve learned into your daily life, each step builds on the previous one for a coherent and practical progression.
1 Decoding and mastering word stress
Word stress is one of the primary sources of misunderstanding for French speakers who speak English. Placing it correctly changes not only the sound of a word but also its meaning. This section equips you to identify the most common English stress patterns and apply them with confidence.
In this section:
- Identify syllable stress based on recurring patterns and rules
- Understand how stress placement affects the meaning and intelligibility of a word
- Distinguish stress differences between nouns and verbs that share the same form
- Recognize the role of common suffixes in determining word stress
- Use phonetic transcription as a reference tool
2 Understanding reduced sounds, the schwa, and the peculiarities of spoken English
Have you ever wondered why spoken English sounds so different from written English? The answer largely lies in sound reduction. This section helps you understand how unstressed syllables and reduced vowels shape the characteristic rhythm of English, and how certain letters simply vanish when spoken.
In this section:
- Recognize unstressed syllables and their role in English rhythm
- Master the schwa (neutral vowel), the most frequent vowel sound in spoken English
- Understand vowel reduction in common words and grammatical forms
- Identify silent letters that alter the pronunciation of many everyday words
- Discover the flap T, a sound feature typical of North American English
3 Stressing the right words for fluid and natural speech
In English, not every word in a sentence carries the same weight. Knowing which words to stress and which to soften is the key to clear, effective, and natural expression. This section guides you in applying stress principles at the sentence level, incorporating the linking and contractions that characterize spoken English.
In this section:
- Distinguish between content words (stressed) and function words (unstressed)
- Reduce function words to smooth out your pace and lighten your delivery
- Use linking and contractions to produce more natural-sounding speech
4 Apply these principles in everyday communication situations
Consolidating your skills and building an independent practice plan
Improving your pronunciation isn’t limited to the duration of a training course. This final section bridges what you have worked on and how you will continue to evolve on your own in your daily life. You will leave with practical tools, accessible resources, and a personalized improvement plan.
In this section:
- Explore practice methods adapted to your habits and context
- Discover digital tools and online resources for independent progress
- Consolidate your learning through role-plays based on common communication
- Develop your continuous improvement plan to keep progressing beyond the training
Keep in Mind
Explanations may be provided in French in order to ensure a good understanding of the concepts covered.
📌 Practical information
Our training sessions are offered in Montreal or Quebec City, in person or in a virtual classroom. Dates and locations are specified when you select your session below. If you have any questions, check out our FAQ.
