Français Stratégique™ · Professional French for anglophones
You understand French. You’re competent. And the moment you have to speak it, you shrink.
In English, people listen to you. In French — the meeting, the interview, the email to a francophone manager, the oral exam — you sound like someone with half your experience. Maîtrise fixes that. Not with grammar: with position.
Watch: why competent people lose their authority in French — and how to get it back (2 min)
By Karim Naït Ouslimane, PhD in French literature, university lecturer in Paris · Over 200 people trained · Instant access · 7-day money-back guarantee
What nobody tells you
You were taught French as a set of rules. Nobody told you it decides your place. Speech is not a string of words, it is a position: if you speak from the wrong one, grammar is useless, and nobody sees you. That is why you can pass an exam and still get cut off in a meeting. And it is why the fix is not “more French” — it is learning to speak from the right position, in French.
The programme
You speak French, but they don’t see you
Maîtrise — the less competent will no longer get ahead of you
You have the credentials and the experience, and in French, others get noticed in your place. Maîtrise teaches you to speak with precision, persuade and get what you deserve: 18 Reconstruction packs, one a day — a blackboard lesson, an audio drill, a writing workshop — then 25 Strategy packs on real situations — the meeting, the interview, the negotiation, the difficult boss — each with its video lesson, its audio drill and its written drill. Plus three one-on-one working sessions with me, on video call, on your own situations. Lifetime access.
The packs are in French — that is the point. Each day opens with a short note in English telling you exactly what to do.
997 CAD, one payment, tax included · 7-day money-back guarantee
Who it’s for
- Public servants facing the CBC requirement — who can pass the test and still freeze in front of a francophone director.
- Professionals in Ottawa–Gatineau, Montréal, Moncton working with francophone teams, clients or bosses.
- Anyone at intermediate level or above whose French is “fine” — until it counts.
- Not for beginners: you need to understand spoken French already. Maîtrise is where you go from understood to heard.
I know exactly what it feels like
I arrived in France as a student. My first year, I ended up as a labourer on construction sites. I understood everything, and nobody listened to me. Then a bachelor’s, a master’s, a PhD in French literature. What moved me forward was never grammar: it was learning to speak from the right position.
Today I teach expression and communication at a Paris university, I write books, and I have trained over 200 people through Français Stratégique™. I don’t teach you French. I teach you to take your place in it.
Karim Naït Ouslimane — PhD in French literature, university lecturer, author. Founder of Optima Verba, creator of Français Stratégique™.
What changed for them
★★★★★
“Maîtrise is a whole other level.”
Belkacem, IT professional — Maîtrise
★★★★★
“This programme should be mandatory, like a driver’s licence.”
Dalila, businesswoman — Maîtrise
★★★★★
“I understood everything but froze when speaking. After four weeks, I speak without hesitating.”
Manel, physician — Français Stratégique™
Over 200 people have joined Français Stratégique™. Testimonials translated from French.
You risk nothing
Seven days to get in, watch, and test it. If it is not for you, one email and I refund you. 100% money-back guarantee.
And if you do nothing?
In six months: same meeting, same interview, same silence when the conversation switches to French. You will speak the way you always have, and they will keep judging your words instead of your worth. The real question is not the price. It is what it costs you to stay where you are.
A question? Write to me: karim@optimaverba.org · Version française