FRENCH LANGUAGE & CULTURE COURSES
The aim of this short language tour is to revise, refresh or even learn for the first time most of what you need to feel at home in Paris.
Emphasis is given to general communication, vocabulary and pronunciation.
Each day is divided between learning and practice in a round table situation on the one hand, and on the other, using what you have learnt by communicating and discussing with guides and tutors during walks, visits and excursions around specific themes.
A different topic of direct interest to your stay in Paris will be covered each day.
PROGRAMME OUTLINE
Day 1
Paris Basics :
The first day is designed to allow you to travel around Paris like a Parisian (in particular how to use buses). Even regular visitors to Paris will find new tips on how to choose the easiest itinerary and what tickets or passes to buy.
We include oral activities around Pariscope, designed to open up the widest choice in what to see during your stay.
Afternoon activity – Using an itinerary chosen during the morning session, we follow it through, practicing how to get to our destinations like a local and using vocabulary learnt for buying tickets and seeking information.
Day 2
Food: Cafés, brasseries, crèperies, restaurants, etc…
Today we concentrate on the differences between the various places where you can eat.
- Elements of choice & how to order
- Standard data : menu, carte, carafe, bread, tips …
- How to see through a menu and not only understand it by studying various type including standard menus and vocabulary and the more poetical and fashionable presentations.
During the afternoon we walk through streets where there are many restaurants, some more fashionable and famous than others. You will read through menus and comment on them.
End of the afternoon discovering one of the famous patissiers or chocolatiers in Paris
Day 3
Basic shopping – street markets versus rues commerçantes.
In the morning we visit of one of the large street markets held twice weekly. Each person will engage in practical exercises, filling in a file by looking at the stalls and asking the stall holders questions. This will be followed by a visit to a lively “rue commerçante” such as the rue Cler or the rue Mouffetard and note the differences between there and what we experienced earlier in the morning.
In the afternoon there is a round table study of all that has been seen, and noted in the morning, noting not only the names of the products but also their origin, their quality and in some cases how to use them.
Day 4
The face of Paris
This theme includes how you react to the architecture of the streets of Paris. How to understanding it better and be able to express your point of view.
In the morning session, we use photos and vocabulary to describe the various elements of the “immeubles” in Paris, with historical, architectural and legal explanations concerning their similarities and differences.
In the afternoon our tutors walk with you in various streets of Paris where the different elements of the architecture of Paris streets are discussed by the group.
Day 5
Introduction to French furniture styles and techniques
This theme includes the French table and decorative arts generally.
During the classroom session, we learn how to recognize the major period styles, what to look for and the vocabulary that goes with it. The great artisans and manufacturers as well as the more modest works are also covered.
In the afternoon we explore antique dealers specialising in different periods and different kinds of objects with whom to discuss with vocabulary and expressions acquired in the morning.
Day 6
Gardens in Paris
We learn the vocabulary needed to describe the various gardens in Paris squares, jardins, bois, including balconies, avenues – their history and development.
In the afternoon we visit specialist boutiques selling plants and flowers and typical small gardens and squares, using the vocabulary learnt in the morning to ask questions, converse about what we experience, and describe the various places visited.