Intensive French Courses in Paris

[Janetinho]

Hi there,

i am moving to Paris next week and I would like to get up to speed with my french as soon as possible. I would like to attend some intensive French course for the first couple of weeks.

Does anyone have any experiences with French language schools in Paris? Which one would you recommend?

Someone has recommended "Alliance Francaise" to me. It seems expensive but I would probably make the investment if it was worth it. Does anyone have any experience with this school?

Thanks for your time.

Jan

[Bevdeforges]

Hi, and welcome to the forum.

Alliance Française is often recommended as being the "best" French course, but you should be aware that they teach French according to the traditional French approach to language learning. That means lots of grammar and translation. They aren't always as effective in teaching conversation or speaking. (My opinion, anyhow. I learned French originally using an aural-oral program - emphasizing speaking the language and learning it like a child learns his or her native language.)

I did a month of intensive French classes at L'Institut Parisien Institut Parisien - Apprendre le français à paris some years ago and had a great time. According to their website, it looks like they have moved. They used to be owned and operated by the travel company Nouvelles Frontières but I see no mention of that on the website.

What I particularly liked was that you could start classes every Monday and pay by the week. If you felt you were in the "wrong" class (too hard or too easy), you could always switch to the next one up or down. The teachers are young and flexible, and there are afternoon sessions on French culture and life. They use lots of short exercises and seem to balance things off pretty well between speaking and writing - and they do "pattern drills" so that you get used to things "sounding right" rather than struggling with the grammatical explanation of why you say it this way and not that way.

Anyhow, take a look at Institut Parisien at least. They're not super cheap - but I think they are less expensive than AF.
Cheers,
Bev

[Janetinho]

Cheers Bev. I now have some decisions to make

[BMD]

Hi, French aliance is expensive and not very good for fast learning - the best way is to participate the Cours Civilisation Francais - La Sorbonne. web site : ccfs,
Good luck! It's veeery good place!