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LEARNING FRENCH

Bar work, boyfriends or classes: The best techniques for learning French

The idea of a 'working holiday' - in which you come to France to improve your French while also taking in the sites and soaking up French culture and gastronomy - is a popular one, but how can you maximise your language learning?

Published: 21 August 2023 16:34 CEST
Updated: 22 August 2023 09:15 CEST
Bar work, boyfriends or classes: The best techniques for learning French
Bar work is a good way to improve your French, if it's compatible with your visa. Photo by LOIC VENANCE / AFP

Many people assume that once you’re in France you will ‘just pick up’ French. While this might be the case for some gifted linguists, most people will have to work at it if they want a reasonable grasp of the language.

Of course some people find it easier than others to learn a language and naturally we all learn in different ways – some prefer the structure of a class while others like just getting stuck in to a good conversation with the locals.

But however you learn, here are some techniques for maximising the language-learning while you are in France.

Formal classes

French is a highly structured language with complicated grammar, so unless you’re a truly talented linguist you are probably going to need at least some formal lessons to understand the building blocks of the language.

READ ALSO A language expert’s top 3 tips for learning French

You will be able to pick up enough for basic interactions like ordering in a shop, bar or restaurant, but if you want to get past that level and have proper conversations involving the past, present and future as well as concepts like wishes, hopes and desires then you will probably need to get your head around French grammar rules.

Understanding how the language is structured will make it easier for your to learn on your own later.

There are, however, lots of choice about the type of classes you do – from evening classes that fit in around work or other studies to intensive courses that plunge you into French studies for 8 hours a day, five (or even seven) days a week.

If you’re coming to France to study, some language schools also offer to set up accommodation with local families – this is a great ‘total immersion’ exercise as you’ll be speaking French with your host family in the evening even after classes have ended.

Depending on the length of the course you may need a visa, and not all language courses will qualify you for a student visa.

READ ALSO Can I get a French student visa for a language course?

Informal classes

The biggest drawback to intensive language courses is that they’re expensive. If it’s beyond your budget, however, there are some cheaper options.

Check out apps such as MeetUp or Facebook groups for foreigners in France for Language Exchanges – this involves meeting up French people for a couple of hours and talking, half the time in French, the rest of the time in English. The idea is that you help French people who want to learn English and in exchange they help you with your French. Typically held in bars or cafés these are either cheap or free (in the case of the free ones you will probably be expected to order a drink while you are there).

Likewise conversation groups are an informal type of French class in which you meet up to chat for an hour or two and help each other out with vocab, grammar and pronunciation. 

If you’re in France for a few months at a time you may also be able to find reasonably priced French classes via your local mairie, at the library or through the Université pour tous programme.

READ ALSO How to find affordable language classes in France

French TV/radio/podcasts

You don’t need to be in France to do this of course, but when you are here it’s a good idea to consume as much French media as possible.

Read daily French newspapers, listen to French radio or podcasts and watch French TV or films – it will all help you tune in to the rhythm of the language and hear how words are pronounced.

If you’re watching French TV and films it’s a good idea to turn on subtitles in French – this will help you keep up with the plot but also help you understand how the written words are pronounced. 

READ ALSO 5 Netflix series that will teach you French as the locals speak it

It’s also a good way to understand France – its culture, politics, entertainments and preoccupations – better.

Au pair

A popular choice for young people is to come to France as an au pair, as this offers accommodation and employment (albeit low-paid) as well as language learning opportunities.

It’s so popular in fact that a special au pair visa exists, which requires you to enrol for a formal French language class.

The advantage for your language learning is that as well as those formal classes you will be engaged in day-to-day chat with your host family and their children, so it’s a really immersive language experience.

The downside is that it is hard work (and of course you have to like working with children).

READ ALSO What you need to know about being an Au pair in France

Bar work 

If you’re looking to build your language skills and learn some colloquial French then working in a bar, café or restaurant is a good choice – although it’s best to have some basic French already before you attempt this.

As well as learning the names of lots of drinks, this will give you a crash course in colloquial chat and some colourful French phrases, especially if you work in a place frequented by talkative locals.

You do, of course, need to ensure that working is allowed on your visa – if you’re here on a visitor visa then you do not have the right to work, while students are limited to a certain amount of hours per week.

Bar and restaurant work tends to more formal in France – meaning you’re likely to get an employment contract and pay tax on your earnings, although there are some places that are prepared to hire people on a cash-in-hand basis.

Dating 

In George MacDonald Fraser’s Flashman novels, the anti-hero Flashman claims that all he needs to learn any language is “a month in bed” with a native speaker of that language.

We’re not endorsing that as a technique (and we’ve never seen any peer-reviewed research on the efficiency of this method) but it is true that dating will give you good practice in the more colloquial forms of French.

France has plenty of choice when it comes to dating apps, and if you’re not dating then there are some that you can set to ‘friendship’ if you just want to meet native speakers for a coffee and a chat.

READ ALSO How to tackle online dating in France

Leaving aside other considerations, the best type of French partner is one who speaks no English at all – as it will force you to have conversations in French.

Speaking of apps, there’s also the ride-sharing app BlaBlaCar – it’s handy for cut-price travel around France but a four-hour car journey with a native speaker also functions as a good language workout.

The ‘bla bla’ in the name refers to the fact that you can signal on the app whether you like a chatty journey or not.

What do you think are the best techniques for perfecting your French? Tell us in the comments below

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LEARNING FRENCH

Revealed: The ‘new’ French words in 2024

The French dictionary Larousse has unveiled its latest list of the 'new' words that will be included in the next edition - from flat-earthers to zero waste, via fast-fashion and Beyoncé.

Published: 29 April 2024 16:00 CEST
Revealed: The 'new' French words in 2024

As language constantly evolves so do dictionaries and compilers around the world regularly evaluate and judge the newest additions to the langue – with those judged to be durable words or phrases included in the latest edition of a dictionary.

The compilers of France’s Larousse dictionary have revealed that 150 new words will be added to the latest edition, which is due to be published on May 22nd.

As you would expect there are several tech terms, but other new words include those related to conspiracy theories or wacky beliefs, while there is also a flurry of environmental terms.

Some celebrities have also been given the ultimate accolade of being included in the dictionary.

Here’s a look at some of the French language’s new additions – most of these have been in use for several years or longer, but words only get added once they are widely understood and used, and are judged to be durable additions to the language.

Ideas 

Some of the words denote new ideas or concepts, or new words to speak about existing concepts, and several of these relate to ‘culture war’ type discourses, to which France is not immune.

Masculinisme – masculinism or the believe that men are suffering due to the emancipation of women.

Platisme – flat-earth belief or the belief that the planet earth is a flat disc, rather than a sphere. From the French plat (flat) – a person who believes in this theory is une platiste. If you want to talk more generally about someone who believes in conspiracy theories you can use the French word complotiste (from complot = plot).

Afrodescendants – a person of African descent. In this context, the word usually means of relatively recent descent – ie within a few generations – since if you go back far enough in the history of time, archaeologists are pretty sure that the first human settlements were in Africa. It’s interesting that the word is a new addition to the French dictionary since similar concepts have long existed in other languages, but this may be to do with the official ‘colour blind’ policy of the French state which has no official recognition of dual identities such as African-American. 

Empouvoirement – this is a direct translation of the English word ’empowering’ – French does have its own words to suggest a group or individual gaining more power, including autonomisation or émancipation. 

Environment

As environmental issues race up the political agenda and fears about the climate crisis become more important to everyday life, a number of words relating to environment, climate or climate-related actions have been added to the dictionary.

Mégabassine – if you’ve been to the south-west France département of Deux-Sevrès recently you will almost certainly have seen signs and banners about mégabassines. These are huge underground water storage projects – the mégabassine project in Saint-Soline became particularly controversial with several violent clashes between police and protesters but mégabassine projects have been planned or completed in several areas of France.

The signs “mégabassines non merci” are a common sight and refer not just specifically to the Saint-Soline project but a wider anxiety about who will control the precious resource that is water as the earth heats up and droughts become more common. You will sometimes also see simply ‘bassines’ used in the same context.

Agrotoxique – potentially toxic chemicals used in agriculture. Although this might seem like a niche word really only of use to people who work within the agriculture sector, it too has entered the mainstream as debates rage about balancing the needs of the planet with the needs of agriculture – and whether consumers are prepared to pay more for food that is grown without chemicals.

Ecogeste – a gesture or action taken for environmental reasons eg; going vegan, swapping your car for a bike or turning down your radiators – actions that the government wants to encourage more individuals to take.

Although the English word ‘gesture’ carries a slight sense of something that is performative or not truly effective, the French geste simply means an action. For example during the Covid pandemic les gestes barrières was the umbrella term for actions such as hand-washing, mask-wearing and social distancing.

Zéro déchet – zero waste. Most commonly used for households or even entire municipalities who have managed to re-use or recycle all of their waste and therefore send nothing to landfill.

Polluant éternel – forever chemicals, ie chemicals or plastics that will never disappear or biodegrade from the earth, air or watercourses.

English words

Although the ‘guardians’ of the French language the Academie française are not keen at all on English words, the Larousse compilers are working based on the words that people actually use in daily life – and as such as few English phrases have snuck in.

Fast-fashion – clothing that is cheap, intended to be worn just a few times and then replaced. These garments are often made in Asia in countries that have poor records on workers’ rights. The French parliament is bringing in measures to limit ‘fast fashion’ for environmental reasons. If you want to use a French term for ‘fast fashion’ you could say ‘la mode ultra rapide’.

Skatepark – skateboarding in French is ‘faire du skateboard‘ so it’s perhaps not very surprising that the English word for the sports venue is now in the dictionary.

Celebrities

Larousse also includes around 40 celebrities – people whom it has judged have an enduring, high-profile fame in France.

And if you have ever wondered about how famous you will need to be make it into the French dictionary, here are some of this year’s new entries; American singer Beyoncé, Australian actress Cate Blanchett, Canadian singer Mylène Farmer, Belgian actress Virginie Efira and Iranian Nobel prize-winner Narges Mohammadi – plus of course some French celebs including actor Omar Sy, footballer Antoine Grizemann and rugby player Antoine Dupont. 

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