Most courses at the university or in educational institutions are in French. To make a success of your studies, it is therefore important for you to have a good level in French. Here are a few tips to improve your French in Paris.

The University

Most of the universities organize intensive training courses of French language and culture in September, before the beginning of the academic year. These training courses are usually free but they are reserved for incoming students on exchange programme.
Some universities organize also courses of Français Langue Etrangère / FLE (French as a foreign language) throughout the year.

You need to register at the Service of International Relations (Service des Relations Internationales) of your university in France (before the end of June for the intensive training courses and in September for the year-long courses).

See the address of these services in the files The universities in Paris >> and The universities around Paris>>

Two different Universities (Paris 3 and Paris 4) organize a programme of classes of French language and civilization. These classes are opened to every foreign student (but they are quite expensive) : 

- Class of phonetics for foreigners
(Cours de phonétique pour étrangers)
Institut de linguistique et phonétique générales et appliquée (ILPGA)
Université Paris 3 – Sorbonne Nouvelle
Tél : 01 44 32 05 70
www.cavi.univ-paris3.fr/ilpga/ilpga/  

- Class of French language and civilization at La Sorbonne
(Cours de civilisation française de la Sorbonne)
Université Paris Sorbonne - Paris 4
Tél: 01 44 10 77 00
contact@ccfs-sorbonne.fr
www.fle.fr/sorbonne

- Class of French language and Culture at Paris 3 - Sorbonne Nouvelle
Tél: 01 45 87 40 83
sophie.dupont@univ-paris3.fr
http://www.univ-paris3.fr/1326361534258/0/fiche___article/&RH=ACCUEIL

Private institutions

Many private institutions give classes of French for foreign students. The price can vary a great deal. It’s up to you to choose the solution that suits you and to compare prices !

>> Download a list (not exhaustive) of Certified centers " Quality French as a foreign language " in Ile-de-France

>> Consult the directory of training centers in France
>> Consult the site www.fle.fr (it permits to visualize the various training centers in each region).

Cité Internationale de Paris

The Cité internationale offrers you a whole range of activities to impove your French, whether you live at the Cité or not :

- The multimedia center for self-teaching in languages, Esp@ce langues, proposes, among others, groups of conversation.
Contact : espacelangues@ciup.fr
www.ciup.fr/langues.htm

- The Reception Office for Mobile Students (Bureau d’Accueil des Etudiants en Mobilité - BAEM) organizes « Practicing French » workshops (intermediate and advanced levels) :
Contact : baem@ciup.fr
www.ciup.fr/bureau-etudiants-mobilite.htm

Associations and municipal classes where you can take classes of French as a foreign language
(enrolment in September)  

- Association Philotechnique
18, rue des fossés St jacques - 75005 Paris
Tél : 01 43 54 36 20
www.philotechnique.fr
Classes of French as e foreign language >>

- Cours Municipaux d'adultes
Organized by the City Hall of Paris
www.cours-municipal-d-adultes-cma.cma-paris.org
Classes of French as e foreign language >>

- Croix Rouge Française
1, rue Blaise Desgoffe - 75006 Paris
Tel : 01 42 22 46 85
http://paris06.croix-rouge.fr/page/ateliers-de-francais-langue-etrangere-FLE

- Secours Catholique
Tel : 01 53 35 09 10
http://www.quiaccueillequi.org/fiches/fiche.php?id=544&from=%2Ffiches%2Fresultat_recherche_simple.php%3Fkeyword%3D

Participating in a conversation group

 
- Club International des Jeunes à Paris - CIJP (Paris International Youth Club)
Contact : 01 43 06 23 16 / com@club-international.org
www.club-international.org

- Franglish
Contact : 07 60 47 30 20 / info@franglish.eu
www.franglish.eu/en

- Euro-Fil Association (pronunciation workshops)
Contact : 06 75 54 89 85 / eurofilcom@gmail.com
www.euro-fil.com

Ads

You can also consult ads in magazines, on university billboards or in shops. It is a good solution to find a conversation class with a French ! These classes can be free if you decide to exchange a class of French for a class in your mother tongue. Otherwise, don’t hesitate to phone to know the cost of a class (around 15/20 € per hour). 

Photo : Flickr Athena