French – Français
Why learn French?
An estimated 220 million people across all five continents speak French, which is also the second most widely learned foreign language in the world.
Learning French will open the doors to working with French and francophone companies across the world, as well as build a good basis to learn other Romance languages such as Italian, Portuguese, Romanian and Spanish
A good knowledge of French also allows you to access higher education opportunities at renowned French universities and business schools.
What are some key phrases?
|
Bonjour |
Good morning / Hello |
“bɔ̃ʒuʀ” |
|
Oui / Non |
Yes / No |
“ˈwi” / “nɔ̃” |
|
S’il vous plaît |
Please |
“sil wu plɛ” |
|
Excusez-moi |
Excuse me |
“ɛkskyze mwa” |
|
Ça va? |
How are you? |
“sa va?” |
|
Merci beaucoup |
Thank you very much |
“mɛʀsi boku” |
Are there any words I might recognise?
Several informal words and phrases have become established in the mainstream use of the French language, so it makes sense to get familiar with them. Some of these are “bosser” (instead of the more formal “travailler”), which means ‘to work’, or: “ça roule”, which means ‘okay / that works for me’. It’s also useful to know the word “truc”, which is used colloquially to indicate … pretty much every object, and can be translated in English with ‘thingie’.
Another very common usage in French is the abbreviation of longer words, and it’s best to get used to them as the full form is hardly ever used in spoken language: for example “sympa” is the shorter version of “sympathique”, used to indicate when someone/something is ‘nice’ or ‘friendly’; or “la météo”, short for “la météorologie”, ‘weather forecast’.
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Our full timetable can be found on the registration page. Information on fees can be found on our payment and costs page.
We offer a range of levels for most languages from beginner to advanced. Our courses match the standard Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) levels - from A1 to C2.
- Beginner (A1) - A solid start to learning the language.
- Post-Beginner (A1+) - Gain in confidence with the basics.
- Improvers (A2) - Start to hold longer, routine conversations.
- Language and Culture (B1 to B2) - New topics each semester to develop to a higher level.
- Advanced (C1) - Use the language in more extended and complex situations.
As well as this language, we offer over 30 other languages. Can’t decide which language to learn? Try one of our free Intro Sessions where we’ll teach you the basics and you can decide if it’s for you. Learn how to join an intro session.
