Learning French

Whether you want to learn French from scratch or perfect your French, learning French will enable you to speak fluently, understand a conversation and be able to live in Brussels or French-speaking Belgium.

Speaking, understanding, reading and writing French is essential in Belgium. This allows us to exchange ideas with our French-speaking colleagues and friends. You can explore every corner of Brussels and Wallonia. It’s also an essential asset when it comes to finding a job, gaining access to the civil service and looking after children who may be educated in French.

For your children, knowledge of French will be essential in many of Brussels’ schools.

Why learn French?

As Belgium’s national language, French is indispensable in Belgium! You’ll be able to chat more easily when you’re on the move in Brussels and Wallonia.

Mastering French is essential to your career. Bilingualism or trilingualism is the norm. Knowledge of French is often a required and indispensable skill for many job offers. Public service requires knowledge of national languages.

The advantages are enormous in the world of work. You’ll be able to exchange ideas with your French-speaking colleagues so much more easily, making for a much richer and more interesting mutual understanding. What a pleasure it is to take part in meetings where everyone speaks in their mother tongue, understands each other and can also respond in the other’s language.

Speaking and mastering French is necessary for other reasons too: higher education, the desire to move to a French-speaking community, passing an exam, a job interview or doing your job to the best of your ability.

Whatever your reason or motivation, learn French to dare to speak it! An interesting objective to set is to be able to speak French fluently and without searching for words, which corresponds to a B2 level of French.

All these methods can be classified into 2 groups

• Self-learning methods
• Methods with professional guidance

At first glance, self-study of the French language sounds attractive! It’s often free or inexpensive. I don’t have to stick to fixed or regular working hours. I’m independent and I do what I want when I want. It’s all very appealing, but extremely difficult to maintain over time because it requires a great deal of discipline and these methods lack practice.

Accompanied methods are more restrictive. You’ll be accompanied by experienced French teachers, coaches and a pedagogical team who will help you practice French and understand all the grammatical rules. They adapt the method to your level and your objectives.

You’re going to have trouble learning French. Support helps to overcome these difficulties and avoid giving up. When these courses are in a group, you’ll benefit from the added motivation of your classmates.

Learn French follows a progression of 6 levels of French knowledge:

• French level A0: absolute beginner.
• French level A1: elementary user.
• French level A2: elementary user or false beginner.
• French level B1: independent user.
• French level B2: fluent French – independent user.
• French level C1 or Level of advanced French – experienced user.
• French C2 level: bilingual – experienced user.

Organizing a French course program

How to get started with your French learning program?

Learning French (like any foreign language) takes time, motivation, regularity and effort.

First of all, set aside some time and plan your learning. You need time to learn regularly over a long period of time. Plan your schedule and activities so as to free up the necessary time, and choose a suitable learning pace.

Next, adapt your environment so that you’re exposed to French: listen to radio, TV or podcasts in French, watch films and series with French subtitles, try to find people to talk to or interact with in French. Take frequent strolls through the beautiful Flemish towns.

At last, take a French course and a French learning program guided by a pedagogical method and accompanied by an experienced teacher. It’s the guarantee of success.

Learning French for a child (ages 4 to 12)

Children have an immense talent for perceiving and pronouncing different languages. Activating these skills at an early age will greatly facilitate the learning of French.

Learning French can start very early. There are many solutions available. We start by exposing children to French via mobile or tablet applications. Just look at the children’s programs on Flemish television.

Of course, this requires the use of screens, and these solutions will be insufficient for quality learning. At school, the child may benefit from activities in French, French classes in primary school, or the chance to be in an immersion class.

In the absence of these French language activities at school, quality French language learning is available via these solutions:

• group courses on Wednesdays or Saturdays;
• private or individual lessons;
• French courses during the school vacations, combined with other fun activities.

These French courses are also available online as virtual courses via videoconferencing. It’s very practical, because you don’t have to waste time driving the kids around.

Learning French for teenagers (ages 12 to 18)

Becoming bilingual or trilingual is now a must! French is one of the essential languages in a teenager’s school career. In many regions, French has become the 2nd language.

For a teenager, French lessons can be difficult and additional courses can meet different needs:

• provide support and assistance for students with learning difficulties in French ;
• provide a little extra for students who don’t have enough hours in their program.

The solutions are: group French courses in the classroom, more flexible individual private courses with a dedicated teacher, French courses during the school vacations and, why not, immersion stays in Flanders or Holland.

Learning French for adults

French courses are the most effective way to learn French if you’re busy or working.

The courses will require a significant investment of time. The support of a teacher and the motivation of the group guarantee that this time will be used efficiently and you will be able to measure your progress. Avoid methods that promise miracles. You’ll be wasting a lot of time without getting much in the way of results.

It’s important to define your objectives and the reasons for learning French. Not everyone needs to become bilingual. Maybe you just want to understand your colleagues or take part in a meeting in French.

You can use diagnostic tools to help you define your needs and objectives for learning French. This takes into account my constraints in terms of time and availability, my level of knowledge of French and helps define the skills I want to acquire.

The first step is to test your level of French to determine which type of course you should start with.

10 tips for learning French fast

What are the 10 secrets to learning French as quickly as possible?

• Take note of all the new French words and expressions you discover.
• Talk to native speakers of French.
• Read everything you can in French: magazines, websites, press and literature.
• Subscribe to French-language podcasts and YouTube channels on a subject you’re passionate about.
• Spend a few weeks in France, or take advantage of our many city trips to Paris, Bordeaux, the Côte d’Azur or winter sports in the Alps.
• Ask as many questions as you can to make sure you understand everything we explain.
• Start with the basics of French and work your way up, level by level.
• Learn in a group.
• Get support from a teacher, coach or educational team.