Learning French in France

Have you finally decided to pursue your career or education in France ? But stuck with a time crunch to learn as much of the language as possible in your own city or country before you head over to France ? This makes you start considering learning French while in France, but it also has you worried that you will not be able to manage, fear not, here are a few useful tips and tricks. You will also find a list of ways to learn French for free ✨ - and yes, you read that correctly - while you are in France.

Mastering French before heading to France happens to be a challenge for everyone, so you are certainly not alone. However, you need to also remember that language learning, never stops. I am a professional, and teacher for French as a foreign language, and I still look up words every so often. As is the case, languages are dynamic, and so is our relationship to them. We tend to forget that every new addition to culture, makes an addition to the language as well. I mean, come to think of it, every book that you have read or every movie that you may have watched, or a series, has left you with an anecdote about how you remember something or the other. The same applies to when you decide to start learning the language while living in its natural habitat.

So obviously, France is no stranger to the idea that for foreigners or expats moving to France for short stints, there is maybe the off chance that they will need language lessons.

And so, of course, there are a number of schools offering language and civilisation classes, that absolutely anyone can sign up for. I will list a few of the schools below not only in Paris, but around France as well, so wherever you find yourself, you can easily locate a school to help you progress in French. Although, I should like to add, do not forget that learning French in France is bound to be expensive. 💸

Paris

Obviously, I will start with the Alliance française de Paris. The AF Paris is a language centre devoted to sharing and promoting the beauty of the French language and culture. Their courses help you by offering you a lot of resources, access to their language lab, the large library as well as access to a lot of FREE ✨ tours (across the city) and other activities for students. The AF Paris offers you classes for beginners right until advanced and depending on your budget you can do everything from a few hours a week to full days of private study here.

One of the other schools whose philosophy I have come to appreciate and admire is the École Accord. This language School offers high quality French language lessons always designed around your stay in France. They also specialise in various domains like Business, Law as well as other professionals like diplomats, doctors etc. With this language school, you are not just learning the language, but indulging in the French way of life too !

French as you like it or FAYLI is a boutique school with classes designed for really small groups, which are capped at six people. It is great if you would like to do a quick revision or get back in touch with the language after a long break. I would not recommend staying with FAYLI for the long term if your goal is to get to a certain level, and you have limited resources.

Coming around to that point, if you are on a budget, I would certainly recommend classes that are organised by the Mairie de Paris - classes that are specifically designed for residents of Paris and not those who are on a tourist visa. If you are looking to integrate better with the city and the residents, this is your best bet.

These are a few of my top picks, over and above these you will find an array of other schools as well as private tutors offering you a variety of classes and options, it is you who has to decide what is best suited to your needs.