Learn French fast with my 20/80 method, based on the Pareto Principle

➡️ With my method, focus on what really matters to progress fast and without unnecessary effort.

What if there were a smarter way to learn French ?

The Pareto Principle in a Few Words… but Especially a Few Numbers

Vilfredo Pareto, an Italian economist, observed that 20% of Italy’s population held 80% of the country’s wealth.

This concept is called the Pareto Principle or the 20/80 rule.

And surprise, surprise, this rule applies to many areas of our lives. Here are some examples:

80% of the time, you will wear the same 20% of your clothes.
80% of the population lives in the same 20% of the territory.
80% of your footsteps fall on the same 20% of your carpet’s surface.

👉 The Pareto Principle therefore teaches us that by focusing our efforts on 20% of the key elements, we achieve 80% of the results.

✔️ Out of the 12,000 French verbs recorded, about 300 are really common in both spoken and written French, and only around fifty are enough to handle most everyday situations.

✔️ In conversation, the present tense is used in about 60% of exchanges.

✔️ A French dictionary contains over 100,000 words. If you learned 10 words a day, it would take you nearly 30 years to know them all. Fortunately, only 3,000 to 5,000 words allow you to understand and express yourself in 80% of common situations.

✔️ The passé composé is used in over 90% of cases to talk about the past in spoken French, often replacing the passé simple, which is rarely used in everyday speech.

Apply the 20/80 method to French and boost your skills!

➡️ I’ve adapted this highly effective approach for learning French :

🔥 The ExpatCafé Method to Learn French Quickly

My method is based on the Pareto Principle to help you maximize your progress with minimum wasted effort. As I said:

"Minimum effort, maximum results !”

Focus on the essentials

Simplified grammar (present tense, passé composé, essential structures) and everyday vocabulary (do you really need to learn every word about medieval castles?).

Learn in context

Forget boring lists and abstract grammar rules — everything is taught through real-life situations that you actually face: daily life, work, travel, and more.

Build sustainable habits

With short, simple exercises, easy routines, and regular practice, you’ll make steady progress — at your own rhythm, without feeling overwhelmed.

By focusing on what truly matters, this method gives you a much better chance of staying motivated and seeing it through — so you can finally speak French with confidence.

Ready to take on the challenge ?