Hi, I'm Hakim M'Barek. I'm a writer, journalist and French teacher, and have been working with the BBC on their language materials for the past 5 years. I am co-presenter of the BBC 'French Fix' series, and author of 'Le français cool', a guide to the cool way to speak French. I've written books and articles on the French language for learners of all levels.
I was born in Algiers, and moved to Grenoble in 1981, where I did my baccalauréat and studied Modern French Literature. I have lived throughout France for most of my life and I also lived in the UK for seven years, where I was a French teacher in secondary schools in Glasgow, then at Surrey University, and later at the London School of Economics.
I currently live in Lyon in southeast France, the capital of good food.
While in London I was able to indulge in my great passion - music. As a guitarist and songwriter I had to learn English to be able to appreciate the truly great music that's come from the UK and the States. I write my own material in both English and French, but as for my singing voice, I've been told I sing better in my native tongue!
I've met some great people as a teacher, all passionate about French and eager to learn about the language and culture. Like them, I understand how important it is to be able to communicate even at the most basic level, and I'm always impressed when people dive in and have a go! For me, a language is not just about tricky grammar and funny vocabulary; it's a whole culture, with its poetry, humour, and music all adding to its richness. Knowledge of a language will look great on your CV, and it's the best way to communicate and share jokes, opinions, and arguments... life, basically.