Learning French in Montpellier / Lyon

[SamNZ]

Hello fellow Expats,

I was hoping to get some recommendations for a French language school in Montpellier or Lyon. I am a 26 year old New Zealander living in London and will be looking at moving to France in September 09 to fully immerse myself in the culture and language for 3 months.

I decided against Paris mainly because:

a) Everyone spoke English and it would be hard to practise the language since Parisians just spoke to me in English.
b) A Lot of people have suggested I move down South to either Avignon, Montpellier or Lyon to fully learn the language.

Obviously price is a big factor as I need to be able to support myself without a job for that period.

So far, I have narrowed it down to 2 schools that are highly reputable and within my budget.
Lyon - Lyon Bleu International
Montpellier - Accent Francais

Unfortunately I was unable to find a school in Avignon for under £2800 incl accommodation

My final dilemmas are:

Are the schools as good as the reviews?
Which city will allow me to better improve my French?

Sorry about the Newbie questions

Sam

[Bevdeforges]

Don't have any personal experience with the school, but I'd jump at the chance to study French (or anything else) in Montpellier. It's definitely a university town - lots of young people, plenty of stuff to do.

You're always going to have the issue of people "practicing" their English on you. What you can do is offer to do some "bi-lingual" conversation groups - 45 minutes in French, then 45 in English over coffee or a glass of something or a light snack. Should make you immensely popular.
Cheers,
Bev

[Coton90]

Originally Posted by Bevdeforges

Don't have any personal experience with the school, but I'd jump at the chance to study French (or anything else) in Montpellier. It's definitely a university town - lots of young people, plenty of stuff to do.

You're always going to have the issue of people "practicing" their English on you. What you can do is offer to do some "bi-lingual" conversation groups - 45 minutes in French, then 45 in English over coffee or a glass of something or a light snack. Should make you immensely popular.
Cheers,
Bev

If you want a head start on learning the language, you can get some French TV programs on the internet. This is a great way to learn. The "Guignols" are allways good for a few laughs. You can also get French periodicals, such as L'Express, on the web.

[ijsacks]

Try the Alliance Franciase in Paris or Toulouse. I have found that it is quite inexpensive for both tuition and housig and there is an English speaking group in Toulouse that is very supportive, as well.

[Ferbent]

I don't know about the schools you mentioned but Alliance Francaise in Montpellier is the worst language school I've ever been to - large classes, poor organisation, and very inexperienced teachers.

I lived in Montpellier for 6 months or so and while the old town is pretty, the weather's great, and it's relatively cheap, I don't think it's a nice place to live.

There are a LOT of homeless people, especially young people, in the streets. The level of theft and burglaries are very high and consequently you home insurance will be high, higher than Paris. Montpellier is 10km from the beach and the beaches are crap. I also found it to be quite remote if you want to travel.

Oh and don't forget they speak with a very strong accent making it a little more difficult to learn the language, imo. Although I must admit I quite like their accent.

[Coton90]

"Oh and don't forget they speak with a very strong accent making it a little more difficult to learn the language, imo. Although I must admit I quite like their accent."

Yes they do speak differently there but I don't think its a show stopper. My wife is from the Herault Department and they do tend to add an extra syllable at the end of words and some words are pronounced differently,e.g., pain is pronounced peng but you get used to it. My biggest problem is some of the people I encountered there speak too rapidly for my puny brain to process. All things considered I found them easier to understand than the Quebecois. (Did you know if you want to order a hot dog in Quebec you ask for a chien chaud?).

One time, my in-laws introduced us to a visiting couple from a small village in Normandy. I had absolutely no clue what this man's wife was saying.

You find strong regional language variations in other countries in Europe. I speak German but if someone uses their regional dialect, forget it. I also find it extremely difficult to understand people from Austria or Switzerland, but this is just my ignorance.

[Bevdeforges]

Originally Posted by Coton90

My biggest problem is some of the people I encountered there speak too rapidly for my puny brain to process. All things considered I found them easier to understand than the Quebecois. (Did you know if you want to order a hot dog in Quebec you ask for a chien chaud?).

Has nothing to do with region - EVERYONE in France talks too fast for us furrners! First thing you should learn to say in French (probably in any language) is:
"Parlez plus lentement, s'il vous plaît."

Personally I LOVE the accent in the south of France - with "peng" for "pain" and all.

What's nice about Montpellier is that it is a university town - lots of young people, lots of foreigners and a considerably more tolerant attitude than many cities farther north. OK, what university town doesn't have problems with the hangers-on and some increased crime? But overall, Montpellier has lots going for it.
Cheers,
Bev

[Coton90]

Another good phrase is Y-a-tiel quelqun qui parle anglais ici?

All things considered, things have improved for learning the language. Up until I guess the 13th century or so people in that region spoke Occitan, the language of Eleanor of Aquitaine and the minstrels, while the Northerners spoke the Langue d'oil. The Normans spoke their own version of that language. After the crusade against the Cathars in 1209, the political situation changed and Occitane declined. There are some folks there that still speak Catalan.

I like Montpelier as well although we usually get lost driving in the city. We'll be living 45 minutes from there when we move in October.

A bien tot.

Originally Posted by Coton90

We'll be living 45 minutes from there when we move in October.

A bien tôt.

You could be almost a neighbour. I'm about 30 mins NE of Montpellier.

You can establish contacts with plumbers and other crucial people through this local forum : The Languedoc Forum

Bonne chance



Peter

[Coton90]

Thanks Peter. I was going to look for English or German speaking people in our area closer to October but I'll check out the site. We'll be SW of Montpelier in between Sete and L'Cap d"Agde.
Take Care
Jeff