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LEARNING FRENCH

Tips for learning French as an older person in France

Learning a new language is difficult for anyone - regardless of age - but it can feel even more intimidating for those nearing retirement. Here are some tips for keeping up your French skills.

Published: 29 November 2023 15:25 CET
Updated: 31 January 2024 13:26 CET
Tips for learning French as an older person in France
A woman holds the printed 2016 edition of the French "Petit Larousse" dictionary in Paris. (Photo by ERIC FEFERBERG / AFP)

It might be true that young people tend to pick up languages more quickly (especially children) – but that does not mean it is impossible to master French in your golden years.

In fact, there are many benefits to learning a new language as an older person – studies have shown that it can decrease cognitive decline and help improve focus and memory. Plus, there’s the added bonus of feeling more integrated to life in France. 

For many people, the struggles come down to confidence and a perceived lack of opportunities to put their new skills into practice. You might feel a bit lost for how to keep learning once you have finished a class or gone through all that Duolingo has to offer. 

READ MORE: How to make friends with your French neighbours in rural France

Here are some tips for keeping up your French;

Visit your local town hall

The town hall (mairie) is responsible for many things in France. If you are new to the country, it might actually be one of the best places to visit first.

Your town hall is a great resource for finding recommendations for services, organisations, and activities, especially if you live in a more rural area. Many mairies also offer heavily discounted language classes.

In Paris the mairie offers ‘Cours d’Adultes de Paris’ in everything from sewing classes to lessons in Excel, but there are around 300 classes in Français langue étrangère. The modules are between 20 and 180 hours and are adapted by level and ability. The courses are usually held in school buildings throughout Paris.

If you live outside of Paris, you can contact your local mairie to ask what they recommend in regards to subsidised language courses. They will likely be able to point you towards NGOs operating in the area that hold classes. If you are retired, the plus side is that you can take the courses during the daytime that are often less busy. 

READ MORE: How to find affordable language classes in France

Take university courses

The ‘university for all’ programme is about offering further education to adults, but unlike the UK’s Open University it’s not all at degree level and many offer beginner and intermediate French classes for foreigners.

It’s organised on a local level so you will need to find the Université pour Tous website for your département and then search the courses – prices and courses on offer vary according to location. 

If you cannot find any options in your area, try searching for ‘Université du temps libre’, ‘université du troisième âge’, ‘universités tous âges’ or ‘universités inter-âges’.

You can also look into auditing classes (sitting in on classes but not taking a final exam) but this is subject to the number of slots available in the lecture room. 

To find out about available courses for audit, start by narrowing down nearby universities. You can contact them and ask for a catalogue of courses, as well as which ones are open for auditeurs libres (free auditors).

Consider volunteering

One of the best ways to keep up language skills is to make friends and put yourself in environments where you will hear the language being spoken. 

For younger folks, the benefit is that they might be able to practice their French in the workplace. Whether you are retired or living in France on a visitor visa (meaning you are not allowed to take up paid employment), you can still volunteer.

To find opportunities, you can use the French government website JeVeuxAider. You should be able to select the area you live in (if you cannot find it, go back to google and search ‘JeVeuxAider’ plus the name of your town).

Once on the site, you can narrow down volunteer options based on your own interests. It also lists existing ‘associations‘ (NGOs) in your area.

READ MORE: Volunteering in France: What are the rules and do I need a special visa?

The mairie is another great place to find out about volunteer opportunities – you might get involved in local government planning, perhaps for annual festivals or parties, or you could simply ask about general volunteering (eg. food banks – banque alimentaire or soup kitchens – soupe populaire)

Join a club or class

Are you a fan of art? Maybe you like bird watching? Or perhaps you want to keep up your fitness with an exercise class? There is probably a club or class related to your interest not far from home. 

While this might require a bit more than a beginner’s level of French, it does not hurt to give it a try.

Your local gym or public pool might offer exercise classes. To find classes, start by searching ‘atelier‘ or ‘cours‘ along with the activity you want to do. For drawing courses in Nantes, for example, you might search ‘atelier de dessin adultes nantes’.

For activity clubs or senior associations, try searching ‘clubs du troisième âge plus the name of your town. The website Assoce also lists clubs and groups based on location. Many départements also have a ‘Club de retraités’ (for example, here is the link for the one in the Morbihan in Brittany).

Your town hall’s website might also list addresses, classes, clubs, and organisations – oftentimes free for seniors – operating in your area – here is an example for the Paris 20th arrondissement.

When in doubt, always head back to your local town hall to ask if they have any course or club catalogues for the area.

Look for conversation exchanges

As a native speaker of English you have a valuable skill to offer and ‘language exchange’ options are a great way to get free or reduced price tutoring.

As the name suggests, you chat with a French speaker and they help you and correct your errors and in exchange you do the same for their English.

There are numerous groups who offer this, so search online. Most are either free or charge a reduced price. You generally need to be able to chat at some level so they’re not ideal for complete beginners but are a good way to improve your fluency once you have the basics.

The social network “Meetup” is a great resource for finding pre-existing language groups in your area, or virtually if you prefer. This website might favour those who live in large cities, but you might be surprised to find options in small towns as well. Plus, if something does not exist yet, you can always create it.

Facebook groups are also another great way to find like-minded people who are seeking cultural and linguistic exchange. Groups like ‘BlaBla (insert your city)’ can help connect you to conversation groups. 

READ MORE: Is France a good country to retire to?

Conversation workshops at libraries 

Larger cities – like Paris – are home to several municipal libraries that language courses or exchanges led by library staff or volunteers. In Paris, both the BPI and BNF, as well as at least 15 other municipal libraries, offer one hour to one hour and a half language exchanges.

Outside the capital, some libraries also offer conversation groups, so ask your local library if they have something similar.

Get online

During the pandemic many language classes moved online, and plenty of them have stayed there, giving more options to people who live outside the cities or bigger towns.

If you are looking to practice your French solely online, some websites like Polyglot Club offer free choices for users to interact and practice their language skills.

You can also join Facebook groups and make your own language exchanges, perhaps with other foreigners looking to practice. Search using key terms like your town or département, your nationality, or the word ‘expat’.

READ MORE: ‘Our life is so much better here’ – Why do people move to France?

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For members

PROPERTY

BBQs, plants and laundry: What are the rules in France around balconies?

If you want to grill some ribs, install heavy plants or even hang up your laundry to dry on your balcony in France, then there is one document you'll want to consult beforehand.

Published: 7 May 2024 10:43 CEST
BBQs, plants and laundry: What are the rules in France around balconies?

If you live in an apartment building in France, then you might be curious whether there are any rules regulating what you are allowed and not allowed to do on your French balcony.

The answer is relatively simple: it depends on your copropriété. In France, a copropriété is a type of building that is split up into several different apartments that are individually owned. It is also the name of the individuals who together make up the co-owners of that shared building, similar to a ‘homeowner’s association’.

READ MORE: PROPERTY: What you need to know about ‘copropriété’ fees in France

Most of the time your building will also hire a syndic, or managing agents for the building.

Every copropriété should have a règlement de copropriété, which is a written document outlining all of the operating rules of the building, as well as the rights and olbigations of the ‘co-owners’ and tenants.

This document governs the common areas of the building and the fees that go into the building’s maintenance (les charges), but it can also regulate the use of private areas under certain circumstances. For example, the règlement might have its own rules about the hours that you can do noisy renovation work, or a list of colours allowed for the shutters on your exterior windows.

So can I barbecue on my balcony?

As you may have guessed from above, the règlement de copropriété may outline the rules for balcony or terrace usage.

This means that the document can dictate anything from whether or not you can hang laundry outside to the weight of plants allowed and the rules on barbecues.

The gist is that the regulations governing balconies and what you can do on them vary widely from one apartment building to another.

Some apartment buildings allow for people to use small electric grills for barbecues, while others might ban grilling and barbecuing altogether.

When asking about your balcony, be sure to find out whether any parts of it are considered ‘shared space’.

Under some circumstances, the règlement may deem balcony railings to be part of the shared space, which would have consequences for the minimum amount of maintenance required by the owner. Though, this would be most likely to occur if the upkeep of your balcony’s railing has a direct impact on the structure of the building or other apartments.

Similarly, the document might consider the actual concrete slab of the balcony to be the responsibility of the copropriété for maintenance and upkeep. In this case, if you had a crack in your balcony then the repair costs would fall on the copropriété and not you individually.

How do I find out about the règlement for my building?

If you have a gardien (doorman) you can start by asking him/her. They would likely have a copy on-hand, or they might just know the answer to your question.

Otherwise, you can reach out to the building’s syndic, or you can even request a copy of the document from the land registration service. The latter option will cost €30, and you would need to file a formal request (you can find the form here).

How are these rules decided?

The règlement for the copropriété is voted on in a general meeting of co-owners, and it can be changed.

To do this, you would need to gather the ‘general assembly’ of co-owners in the building. Then you would need to vote. Depending on the nature of the change, French law can require that the co-owners in the building reach a simple majority (most owners present vote yes) or an absolute majority (out of all owners, including those not present, the majority vote yes).

You can find the voting rules on this government website.

In general, the items outlined in the règlement will be justified somehow. For example, the rules related to furniture and plant height/weight might have to do with concerns about safety and ensuring that the concrete slab of the balcony holds up.

But that does not mean that ‘aesthetic’ concerns are irrelevant – your copropriété might consider something like hanging laundry to dry from your balcony to be an ‘aesthetic harm’ (or hygienic concern) for your building.

The standard for all French copropriétés is that anything that changes the exterior appearance of the building is not allowed, and in order to do so, you must get special permission.

READ MORE: The rules for installing air conditioning in your French home

What about local laws and rules?

In certain situations, there might be additional local laws and rules that regulate activities you might want to do on your balcony.

For example, when it comes to BBQs, some areas – especially if there is a drought – will ban or restrict them to avoid the danger of starting wildfires.

Certain legal clauses might restrict charcoal BBQs and allow gas ones, while others could restrict barbecuing to certain times. Check with your local mairie to see if there are restrictions where you live.

READ MORE: What are the rules of having a BBQ in France?

Departmental health regulations may also contain rules that would apply to balconies and terraces.

For example, in Paris the health regulations prohibit the storing of flammable liquids, seeds, bread crumbs or food of any kind on windows, balconies and outside parts of buildings.

It also stipulates that anything hanging from a balcony or window should be done so in a safe manner so that it does not create a dangerous environment for passers-by or other building occupants.

Overall, you can do what you want with and on your balcony, as long as you comply with the copropriété rules and existing local or departmental health/safety regulations, you do not alter the external appearance of the building or carry out any large-scale, structural work that you’d need a permit for, and as long as whatever you do/install on your balcony does not create a safety risk.

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