4 wks French course in Paris

Hilary Jones
4 weeks French course in Paris
Standard Course

I can’t believe how motivating learning French in Paris on this course was!  Right from the start I felt I learnt so much from the classes.  I really liked the emphasis on communication skill and found the lessons were very interactive.

The teachers at the French language school in Paris, had to help me with grammar terms initially (that’s a problem due to the English education system in the 90’s – no one every taught us what a pronoun etc was!).  So it’s worth getting familiar with the terms, if you don’t know them – will save you time in class.

I’d been to study in another school in Paris for a couple of weeks the year before – but found the teachers and teaching methods at this French language school much better.  I followed the Standard Course in Paris for a month, and felt the benefit every week of the course.

I particularly enjoyed the international aspect of the students – all nations were present, everyone was friendly and it was great to be studying French with other students who were motivated to be there.  I really enjoyed the enthusiasm of the other students, the fact that I wasn’t the only one putting my hand up in class!  Even at Uni in the UK I found this had been a problem. I especially liked the interactive games the teachers used in class – to make us think and puzzle things out in our heads.  No parrot fashion exercises that had bored us all at school in the UK.

I stayed with a French couple in their 50’s, very sweet and only 20 minutes from the school by metro.  They gave me a chance to chat in French in the evenings, which was great as it meant yet more spoken French practise.

I found Paris fabulous, a rich, diverse but in some ways divided society.  There are of course the very touristy areas, as there are in any capital city – Notre Dame Cathedral, Sacre Coeur the Bateaux Mouches etc but you can always find quieter areas where the French hang out, places to sit and watch Paris walk by.  I’d recommend other students to explore the less famous parks (Bois de Vincennes) to see everyday Parisian life or to enjoy walking by the banks of the Seine on Sundays (closed to cars then) or go roller blading on Sundays in the Place de la Bastille – lovely!

A great month and a real boost for my French language skills.

Thanks CESA – all excellent!