Alliance Française

I began taking classes at the Alliance Française downtown this past winter. The classes are wonderful for anyone looking to improve their skills or begin the language from scratch.  I studied French throughout high school and spoke a melange of the language and Arabic when I served in the Peace Corps.  However, that was ten years ago! So, I'm a wee bit rusty. The teachers are encouraging, the students kind. And the foundational course (3 hours/once a week) and the conversation course (2 hours/once a week) were both great refreshers for reviving that long-dormant part of my brain that once knew how to conjugate the future perfect.

And now, I will attempt that paragraph in French. I will butcher this in places.

J'ai commence à prendre des cours à l'Alliance Francaise  l'hiver dernier. Les classes sont merveilleuse  pour quelqu'un qui cherche à améliorer leurs compétences (I cheated for that phrase and used Google translate) ou de commencer la langue. J'ai étudié le français au lycée et j'ai parlé un mélange de francais et la langue arabe quand j'etais une volontaire avec la Corps de la Paix. Mais, c'était il y a dix ans! Donc, j'ai oublie beaucoup. Les profs sont encouragants et les eleves sont gentils. Et le cours fondamental (3 heures / une fois par semaine) et le cours de conversation (2 heures / une fois par semaine) ont été les deux formidable for reviving that long-dormant part of my brain that once knew how to conjugate the future perfect.

I gave up at the end...still need to take several more classes.

If you've been debating taking a crack at learning a foreign language and French has piqued your curiosity (and why wouldn't it? the language of love!) or if you want to improve your grammatical or conversational skills, do yourself a favor and stop by the Alliance Francaise. Even if the classes seem a bit pricey to start ($300-$500 ballpark for 10 week course, some shorter classes are offered for a lower price), just immersing yourself in all the AF activities (happy hours, Saturday petit dejeuner, movies, speakers) will nourish your little Francophile soul.

Allons y!

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