It’s the love cofounder Cécilia Jourdan has had for languages and other cultures from a very young age, studying Advanced English and Spanish in lycée (high school), and taking her first solo international voyage (trip)  at only 14.

A love interest–how French!–inspired her to déménager (move) from her native France to Miami in 2007, where she perfected her English (and Spanish) and enjoyed exploring the city’s culture latine (latin culture) while pursuing a BFA in Musical Theater.

Prochain arrêt (next stop): New York, to study film acting at the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts and because who doesn’t want to live in New York? Cécilia spent a few years teaching private French cours (lessons) while dipping her toes in the acting and modeling world before going back to her first crush: languages. You never forget your first, especially when it brings you so much joy. She took classes in Linguistics at NYU before graduating from Hunter College with un diplôme (a degree) in Romance Languages & Linguistic Anthropology.

Because a love story is better à deux, meet co-founder Criselis Pérez, who hails from the Caribbean coast of Venezuela and also harbored a passion for languages growing up. She taught herself English, poring over the pages of the dictionnaire (dictionary) and reading translated songs from The Backstreet Boys every day after school (such a cool way to learn).

Criselis studied Business Management in Design and planned to pursue une carrière (a career) as a designer in Paris, where she dreamed of learning French and eating croissants and saucisson all day (don’t we all). Instead, she made the slightly more sensible but just as exciting decision to head to New York in 2014.

And thus began the true love story au cœur de (at the heart of) Hello French: two language lovers, a shared désir (desire) to spread French culture around the world, and a dedication to a fun, accessible, and inclusive learning style.

In just a few years, Hello French has become the online destination for all things françaises (French): from pronunciation lessons to grammar tricks, fascinating cultural differences between France and les États-Unis (the U.S.), locals-only Paris tips, and enough of-the-moment vocabulary to make you sound like a true Parisien•ne (and not like Marie-Antoinette).

And now… roulement de tambour (drumroll): the Hello French team is expanding so we can better serve our beloved and voracious community. We’re cooking up new ways to teach language and explore culture so we can offer top-notch educational opportunities both online and in-person. Because our passion for French is only matched by our affection for you, who have supported us over the last few years. We love to teach and you love to learn, so we really are a match made in paradis (heaven). Just know that we read every email and comment, consider every piece of feedback and that, in many ways, you are our true love story.