If you told me a year ago I’d be able to read, write, and speak French in less than 3 months, I simply wouldn’t believe you.
And yet that’s precisely what I was able to do; at 26 years old I set out to learn a new language (French), moved to France, and within a few months was conversing with locals, having fluid conversations with my adorable host mom, and became a “fille de France.”
Since my return from France, I am always asked how I started my journey, where in France I moved to, which school(s) I attended and so, inevitably, here we are.
In this post, I’m going to give you my step-by-step guide on how I learned French, everything from the start of my language journey, to planning my trip to France, and tips on what to expect/things I wish I knew, but you will, now! 🫶🏼
Contents:
- Pre-France: everything I did to prepare
- Planning the Trip: duration, why Nice, language schools, things to note
- My Stay in France: all you need to know & more
Pre-France
When I started my French language journey, moving to France wasn’t something I had initially thought about. I just thought if I practiced a bit on my own, took a group course, maybe listened or watched some French entertainment, I’d be solid. Any don’t get me wrong, all of these things definitely helped. But after about 6 months of doing this, I wanted a fully immersive experience where I could put my practiced French to use, and that’s where the decision of moving to France came into play.
Here are the 4 things that helped me immensely in the start of my language learning journey.
Private lessons:
I started with 1 hour lessons 2X/week with a private tutor that I found on italki. This platform worked so well for me, because I was able to filter through tutors based on my budget, preference, and availability. I found an incredible tutor based in Costa Rica, so her rates were very affordable. For transparency, I paid $11/hr twice a week, so around $22/week. (For privacy reasons I will not be sharing her info, but if you are seriously interested send me a DM and I will get you a referral). I did this every week for 2 months.
Small group lessons:
After about 16 private lessons where I learned the basics and general structure of the language, I decided to move to group lessons where I could interact with other beginners. I took classes on Fluent City. I recommend having no more than 2-3 other students in your class, as it is harder to get individualized attention. I lucked out with only 1 other student in my class, so between the teacher, me, and the student there were only 3 of us total, which allowed so much more personalization and time for questions & conversational practice scenarios. This course ran for 8 weeks, 3 hours 1x/week.
Labeling items:
This is a bit of a funny one, but actually helped So much. I bought a label maker and printed out words in French of all of my household items, followed by sticking said labels onto each of their assigned items. This worked phenomenally believe it or not, as my vocabulary increased so much! When you start seeing the words for things you use & see daily, they naturally become ingrained into your mind. For example, I labeled my mirror, ‘Le Miroir’. Everyday, I would repeat the same phrase in front of my mirror, saying “Quand je regarde dans le miroir, je voir une fille que j’aime”, which translates to “When I look in the mirror, I see a girl I love.” Once you become familiar with the basic vocabulary, try creating simple sentences around them, and repeat those everyday. You will see how fast this helps you retain the language.
French entertainment:
I feel like this one goes without saying, but up your intake of musique and sèries francaise!! Even though I barely understood (and still sometimes don’t, to be honest), you will recognize a few words here and there, and more importantly you will pick up on French intonation, which will help with your accent & understanding people better. For example, I would watch (easy/conversational) shows in French with French subtitles, and sometimes it felt like the subtitles didn’t match at all what they were saying! The reason for this is because in French, words are almost ‘strung together’ where one picks up so quickly after the other, so often times words aren’t pronounced fully as you would read them. Also general slang tends to be used— a lot. Watching French shows and listening to French songs will get you accustomed to hearing what spoken French actually sounds like, which is something you likely won’t get from your classes (or Duolingo).
I did the above for roughly 6 months before I decided that moving to France would be the next step.
Planning the Trip
Okay, now it’s getting real. You’ve done all of the above, figured out your ‘raison d’être’, and are ready to unleash your inner fille française.
Alors, C’est Partir: Planning your move to France.
1. Where Should You Go?
I wish I could say there’s a one-size-fits-all, but, alas, we are all unique individuals with different preferences and interests. I am going to give you a breakdown of the 4 most popular places to study that I came across during my research. Then, I will breakdown my decision and explain why I chose Nice as my place of study.
Nice: Located on the Mediterranean coast of France, Nice idyllic atmosphere offers everything including warm blue seas, beautiful beaches, the Promenade des Anglais, delicious food, and, of course some of the best language schools. You also have the surrounding cities of Cannes, Monaco, and Antibes just a 20 min train ride away… and Italy if you prefer just a short jaunt away!
Toulouse: If you’re looking to immerse yourself into an authentic French culture and lifestyle, Toulouse is your pick. It boasts a significant cultural heritage, you can attend various concerts, festivals. and exhibitions, and its gastronomy culture is unmatched.
Paris: Do I really have to break this one down? It’s PARIS. Why not learn French in the Capital of France? La Tour Eiffel, j’arrive!
Annecy: Keen to study French in the French Alps, surrounded by mountains and a stunning lake to which Annecy gave its name, in a peaceful yet lively place lined with charming buildings, flowery balconies and a turreted castle? Annecy might just be the ‘je ne sais quois’ you need.
Now, I decided on Nice for a few reasons. Coming from California, I wanted to be somewhere that felt familiar to home, so close to beaches, restaurants, cafés and good shopping was a must for me. I also wanted to be in a place where English was somewhat used, in the event of an unforeseen circumstance. It’s a big enough city that you have access to (almost) everything, and are only a 30-minute train ride away from escaping to the quaint villages that you only see in your dreams. Nice also boasted the most options when it came to language schools, so I felt confident about the curriculums I would find there.
2. What Program to Enroll in?
For the quickest advancement, I decided to enroll in classes 5x/week, 3 hours a day in the morning. Keep in mind that I was also working full-time during my 3-month duration in France, but because of the timezone, was able to work between the hours of 4-11pm, which left my mornings and afternoons wide open.
After researching the different French language programs available, I decided to go with ‘Alliance Francaise’ since they fit within my budget, and they had locations around the world… particularly right by my apartment in Venice, California at the time! At the end of the day, it felt familiar to me and that’s why I chose it. They also had a host-matching program, which was amazing as I didn’t have to look for a French exchange family to stay with on my own.
Alliance Française- Costs
I did the $700/mo Standard course, which ran from Mo-Fri, 9am-11:30am (2.5 hrs)
*PSA
To keep it short, I ended up transferring from this program 3 weeks in, as I didn’t resonate with the class size or method of teaching. (DISCLAIMER- These are my personal opinions, I do not hold any contempt for Alliance Francaise, and generally think they are a great school. It just didn’t align with my learning preferences). I urge you to really acknowledge the best way(s) you learn, and finding a program which fits that.
I ended up enrolling at ‘Idiom’, a private language school that was made up of 95% Swiss students (I’m not entirely sure why this program had a majority of Swiss people studying here, but that didn’t hinder my education or experience in any way. In fact, the Swiss are some of the most genuine people I’ve ever met!) This program changed the entire trajectory of my French learning journey, and within 5 weeks was able to jump from A2 to B2. The teaching method here is meticulously tailored to your level of French, classes are no more than 7, and the primary form of teaching is through speech & conversation.
Idiom- Costs
I opted for the $1200/mo Semi-intensive course, which ran from Mo-Fri, 9:45am-1pm (3 hrs).
The costs for this course was much higher than Alliance Française, but I do believe you get what you pay for.
3. Duration & Visas:
As an American, you can travel to France or anywhere in the Schengen Zone for up to 90 days or 3 months without a Visa. That’s exactly how long I stayed for, and I went between the months of July & October. Although I do believe 3 months is perfectly adequate to learn French and drastically improve your knowledge of the language, if you want to spend more time immersing yourself in the culture or even traveling around, make sure to explore the different Visa options here. (ADD LINK). I always recommend preparing any Visa applications 3-4 months in advance, in the event any unforeseen circumstances come up.
4. Things I wish I knew:
- Bring a Debit Card with you- I know nowadays we’re so used to having the ‘scan to pay’ option or ATM machines that scan your virtual wallet card. France does not have this option yet, more specifically in the South of France. If you need to withdraw money for any reason, you will be unable to do so without your physical card, so make sure you bring it with you. Also bring a physical credit card as well, preferably one that has no foreign transaction fees! I personally like these ones: AMEX Platinum & Chase Sapphire for travel.
- Most places close at 9, Sundays are for the families- If you’re looking for a late night munch, make sure to think ahead of time, as everything closes so early! If you expect to find anything open on Sunday, think again. The French value and prioritize family time, so you will usually find most shops are closed on this day.
- People do NOT dress casually here- dare I say there’s no such thing as Casual Thursdays here in France? It is expected that you put your best foot forward when leaving the house, so this means looking put together. Sweatpants and Lululemon’s are a thing of the past here, okay? Or, make sure you only wear them when you’re lounging around at home. Read my post for ideas on what to wear in France!
- Get used to hand-held showers- Okay. This doesn’t apply to everyone, but chances are, if you are staying with a local host family, be prepared to bathe with a hand-held shower, as most shower heads are not mounted high up on the wall as they are here in America. (Although I will say— when I visited my host mom 6 months later, she had gotten a proper shower mount! So, the odds aren’t totally out of your favor).
- This is a big one: Nice does not have the best internet connection- As someone who works remotely, reliable Wi-Fi was a non-negotiable for me. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize that Nice has quite unstable Wi-Fi frankly throughout the city. I ended up getting a 5G box from a local cellular provider, but after about a month that gave out as well. Also, be mindful that most of these places will be geared towards locals, so the language barrier/payment methods etc are more difficult to navigate through.
……….
*My recommendation to you— get a Glocal before your trip, and buy data packages whenever you need them. You can buy packages on Wi-Fi, so I’d recommend starting with one, and buying more as you go through your package hours and data. If you like the data it’s giving you, you can then splurge on the monthly packages. Here is the exact one that I use and love: Glocal Me
My Stay in France
When I first arrived in France, everything I thought I knew about French had immediately gone out the window. I knew nothing, Learning French and speaking it with teachers and classmates is one thing, hearing & talking to native French speakers is an entirely different ballgame. Safe to say, it took me a few weeks to adjust and even get across what should have been ‘basic’ sentences.
The culture shock was also, well… shocking, to say the least! I was not used to people being so upfront, which, ironically is what we (Americans) refer to as rude, but it is actually quite the contrary. It is their culture to be very upfront about what they say & ask for, and they will typically be very blunt about it. While this may come across as “rude”, understand that they do not mean any disrespect or discern by it. This took me a few weeks to get used to, but once I did I realized my host-mom always came from a place of good-intent and love, and just wanted me to understand the “French” ways of doing certain things.
Now let’s talk classes. I had never been as excited to wake up for any class in my life as I was for my French classes. I loved the teachers, my classmates, the coursework and materials, and the fact that I was improving so much every single day. Idiom was hands-down the best program choice for me, because it allowed me to creatively express myself in French every single day. Classes were small (no more than 5 a room), teachers were attentive & so passionate, and the materials were always presented in a fun and engaging way. I never felt like I was in class, it felt something more of a conversational round table en française. 😍
After about 2 weeks at Idiom, I was having basic back-and-forths with my host momma and at 5 weeks we were having fluid conversations. It was an incredible feeling, and so, so rewarding knowing that I had gotten to this point so quickly, and formed so many beautiful relationships á grace de cette décision.
A bientôt 🫶🏼
