Élise & Habib

From: 🇫🇷 France + 🇹🇳 Tunisia

Ages: 37 & 40

Languages Spoken: French, Arabic (Tunisian)

Current Location: Marseille, France

Child: Sami, age 6

Story: French dominates at school, but Arabic lives in bedtime stories and family gatherings. Sami is fluent and proud of both roots.

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¿Puedes describir los antecedentes lingüísticos de tu familia?
Élise is from Lyon and speaks French natively. Habib grew up in Tunis speaking Tunisian Arabic at home and French at school. In our home, both languages are part of everyday life—just in different contexts.

¿Qué idiomas utilizáis, cómo y dónde y cómo decidisteis esa mezcla?
We use French in daily routines, errands, and with the school community. Arabic is used more deliberately—especially in storytelling, religious events, music, and calls with family in Tunisia. We wanted Sami to hear Arabic tied to joy and culture, not just structure.

¿Por qué es importante para usted enseñar esos idiomas?
It’s personal. Arabic is Habib’s identity, and French is Élise’s. Teaching both means our son feels whole. We don’t want him to feel like he has to choose.

¿Cuándo decidió por primera vez criar a su hijo de forma bilingüe?
From day one. We were clear that even if French would be dominant outside, Arabic would have a consistent place at home.

¿Seguiste una estrategia específica (por ejemplo, OPOL, ML@H) o evolucionó naturalmente?
We loosely follow OPOL—Habib speaks Arabic, Élise speaks French. But since we also speak each other’s languages, it’s more fluid than strict.

¿Cuáles fueron sus mayores preocupaciones al principio y cómo se desarrollaron con el tiempo?
We worried Sami would reject Arabic or find it confusing. Instead, he sees it as something special—almost like a secret superpower, especially around his French-speaking friends.

¿Qué te ayudó a mantener la constancia en el uso de ambos idiomas? ¿Cuál es tu rutina?
Consistency in bedtime stories was huge. Every night, Habib reads in Arabic and Élise in French. On weekends, we rotate cooking together using Arabic recipe instructions—Sami learns vocabulary while having fun.

¿Ha cambiado su enfoque a medida que su hijo crece?
We’ve introduced more structured Arabic now—basic writing, music with subtitles, and kids’ podcasts. He’s old enough to be curious about grammar now, too, so we lean into it.

¿Cómo maneja usted la resistencia o cuando su hijo prefiere un idioma?
We stay patient. If he leans into French more, we increase Arabic exposure—more family calls, playing Arabic-language cartoons, and offering praise when he uses Arabic correctly.

¿Ha experimentado algún momento de avance o de orgullo en su desarrollo del lenguaje?
Yes—Sami gave a mini speech at his cousin’s birthday entirely in Arabic. No one asked him to. He just wanted to show he could. Everyone was beaming.

¿Qué papel ha desempeñado su familia extendida o su comunidad al apoyar (o desafiar) sus metas?
Habib’s family is supportive—they only speak Arabic with Sami. Élise’s family needed some time to adjust, but now they love hearing him translate for them or teach them phrases.

¿Tienes una anécdota divertida o inesperada de tu experiencia bilingüe? Nos encantaría escucharla.
Once, Sami mixed up the Arabic word for “bread” (khobz) with the French word for “shoes” (chaussures) and told his teacher he brought shoes for lunch. Took a bit to figure out what he meant!

¿Alguna vez has sentido presión (interna o externa) por tus objetivos bilingües?
Yes. Sometimes we worry we’re not doing enough. There’s also external pressure from school to focus on French literacy, especially with national exams starting early.

¿Sientes que tu hijo se conecta emocional o culturalmente con ambos idiomas?
Definitely. He sings French pop and Tunisian folk songs with equal enthusiasm. Each language evokes a different side of him, but neither feels foreign.

¿Cuál ha sido el desafío más inesperado?
Finding good Tunisian Arabic children’s resources. Most are in Modern Standard Arabic, which isn’t what we speak. We’ve had to adapt or create a lot of materials ourselves.

¿Qué es lo que más te ha sorprendido de forma positiva?
How resilient kids are. Sami doesn’t just absorb the languages—he plays with them, makes jokes in both, and even invents hybrid words.

¿Qué tecnología u otros recursos utiliza para apoyar el aprendizaje de idiomas?
We use Arabic audiobook apps, a simple language-learning game app designed for kids, and WhatsApp voice messages from family in Tunisia. We also record Élise and Habib reading favourite books.

¿Los entornos escolares o de cuidado infantil han ayudado o dificultado el proceso?
Neutral. The school doesn’t actively support bilingualism, but they’re not against it. We’ve found allies among other multicultural families and have set up a little language exchange playgroup.

Si pudieras hacer una cosa diferente ¿qué sería?
Start Arabic earlier and be more confident about it. At first, we second-guessed ourselves, worrying Sami would be overwhelmed. He wasn’t.

¿Qué consejo le darías a otros padres que están empezando?
Don’t wait. Speak your language from day one. Even if it’s just during meals or stories, it matters. And remember—it’s a marathon, not a sprint.

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