Have you ever heard of the Pareto principle? It states that 80% of results come from 20% of efforts put into them.
Applied to language learning, this rule means that people use 20% of the words they know 80% of the time.
This is not a perfectly accurate number, of course, but it highlights an essential fact: You don’t need to know lots of vocabulary to quickly speak and understand French. You need to learn the 20% of words you’ll find in 80% of conversations and the 20% of grammar rules that’ll help you understand how 80% of sentences work.
These are the words the Copycat Cafe app focuses on because knowing them is the fastest way to quickly speak French with confidence.
Want to learn these words through real conversations? Copycat Cafe teaches you the most common French and Spanish words in context — through conversation practice, not flashcards. Try it free →
Want to hear how you sound?
Try the free Spanish pronunciation checker: hear a phrase, copy it out loud, and get a 0–100 score. Then start the 7-day trial when you’re ready for full Watch → Copy → Chat lessons.
About Alysa Salzberg
Writer on French language and life in France
Alysa Salzberg is an American writer and cookie enthusiast who has lived in Paris, France for over a decade. She's the author of Hearts at Dawn, a Historical Novel Society Editors' Choice book that retells Beauty and the Beast during the 1870 Siege of Paris. She brings a unique perspective to French language and culture from her years living in France.
What is Copycat Cafe™?
Most apps teach you about a language. Copycat Cafe teaches you to speak it — the same way you learned your first language: by copying.
“Copying isn’t cheating. It’s how you learned your first language.” — Our Rules
You learned one language by copying.
Start copying your second. 7 days free with Copy the cat.
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