Sophie V    Teacher of Parisian French, specializing in adult beginners and intermediate level French speakers

Salut! Je m’appelle Sophie! I developed a love of French language and culture very early on—since both my aunt and cousins were born and raised in Paris. I attended Columbia University and then Stony Brook University—graduating Summa Cum Laude with a BA in Theatre Performance and a Minor in French Language. I was a French TA throughout college, and I found that I very much enjoyed helping students one-on-one. I later went on to study French language and literature in the medieval city of Montpellier in southern France, and since then have been able to visit my cousins in Paris relatively frequently. I even had the opportunity to perform with a theatre company from NYC in a half French/half English production of Henry V in the town of Agincourt (Azincourt, en français) in Northern France, to commemorate the 600th anniversary of the famous battle that took place there.
While I am also a professional actor, in 2020 I was drawn back to my love of tutoring and helping students master the French language. I was able to experience the joy of introducing young children and beginner foreign language learners to French—and found that incorporating French music and French cuisine made the experience particularly rich. In terms of methodology, I have never believed that one generalized teaching technique fits all; it has been my experience that different individuals learn in different ways. Therefore I think it is very important at the outset to listen carefully to what each student desires to achieve, and the things that they tend to struggle with—and then specifically tailor one’s approach from there. To me, that is the major advantage of one-on-one learning.
I can’t wait to embark on this exciting French language journey together! À bientôt!