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French Lessons in Birmingham

Embarking on French lessons in Birmingham offers numerous advantages for both personal and professional development. French, one of the most studied foreign languages in the UK as of 2024, is not only an official language of international diplomacy but also a gateway to rich cultural experiences. In Birmingham, a city with a diverse and cosmopolitan atmosphere, learning French can significantly enhance your social interactions. The opportunity to connect with the local French-speaking community is a major social benefit, fostering friendships and cultural exchanges.

The city's cultural landscape, dotted with events that feature French themes, becomes more accessible to those proficient in the language. Events such as film festivals, music concerts, and culinary experiences offer an immersive experience into French culture, right in the heart of Birmingham.

For those with a penchant for travel or aspirations to work in French-speaking countries, mastering French is invaluable. It not only enriches travel experiences in countries like France, Canada, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Switzerland but also bolsters career prospects in various sectors, both abroad and in the city. French fluency can be a distinguishing factor in the competitive job market, making it an attractive skill for employers.

As you can see, French lessons in Birmingham provide a blend of social and professional benefits, enhancing cultural understanding and global connectivity. Osez découvrir un nouveau monde! – dare to discover a new world. Embrace this journey with French and unlock a more enriched, interconnected experience in Birmingham and beyond.

Why Study French in Birmingham?

Learn French for Work and Travel

Learning French in Birmingham can significantly enhance your professional opportunities. The city, home to multinational companies like Jaguar Land Rover and Mondelez International, often seeks bilingual employees. Proficiency in French is particularly valued due to its status as a major European language, essential for communication in diverse business environments. Entrepreneurs and business professionals aiming to access European markets will find that fluency in French provides a competitive edge, facilitating smoother negotiations and broader networking opportunities.

The benefits of speaking French extend beyond the professional realm. Knowledge of the language enriches travel experiences in French-speaking countries, allowing for deeper cultural immersion and more meaningful interactions. French proficiency opens doors to new adventures and understanding in a wide range of destinations, so whether you're planning to visit relatives in France, forge new friendships in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, or explore Quebec, mastering French is a wise decision that can enrich every aspect of these experiences.

Learn French for Social

Enhancing your French skills in Birmingham offers the unique opportunity to immerse yourself in French culture without ever leaving the city. A prime example of this is the French Film Festival UK, held annually at the Midlands Arts Centre in Cannon Hill Park. The 32nd edition of this festival is scheduled to take place from 6 November to 12 December 2024.

The festival has a history of showcasing a wide array of French films, providing a glittering and stimulating array of cinematic experiences. Previous festivals have featured an eclectic mix of films, including major hits and works by cutting-edge directors. The festival's 31st edition, for instance, showcased "The Taste of Things," a romantic food-themed period drama by Trần Anh Hùng, which was chosen as France’s entry for Best International Feature at the 2024 Academy Awards.

The festival's selections often include school screenings, competitions, and Q&A sessions with filmmakers and actors, making it a comprehensive cultural event. By learning French, you will be able to fully appreciate these films and engage more deeply with the cultural narratives they present. The French Film Festival UK in Birmingham is a testament to the city's cultural diversity and the enriching experiences available to those who embrace the French language.

Learn French for Culture

Becoming a fluent French speaker can significantly enrich your social life, particularly through engaging with local language communities like the Birmingham French Meetup. This vibrant group meets twice a month in various locations, offering a flexible schedule to accommodate different lifestyles. Membership in this group gives you the opportunity to practise speaking French in a relaxed and social atmosphere.

Attending the Birmingham French Meetup offers numerous benefits. It's a chance for learners to use their language skills in real conversations, which boosts confidence and fluency. The diversity of attendees, from beginners to native speakers, enriches the experience, exposing you to various accents and dialects. This not only improves listening skills but also expands your vocabulary and understanding of different cultural expressions.

Furthermore, the Birmingham French Meetup is more than just a language practice session; it's a social gathering where you can make new friends and build connections within a community that shares a love for the French language and culture. Whether discussing current events, talking about your favourite music, or simply enjoying casual chats, these meetups integrate language learning with genuine social interaction and cultural exchange.

Where to learn French in and around Birmingham?

In and around Birmingham, those eager to learn French have excellent options for enhancing their language skills. The University of Birmingham offers a comprehensive range of French courses as part of its 'Languages for All' program. These courses cater to a variety of skill levels, from complete beginners to more advanced learners, making them suitable for anyone interested in delving into French language and culture.

For those seeking a more personalised approach, Listen & Learn in Birmingham is an ideal choice. We offer face-to-face French courses that are tailored to individual goals and interests. Our courses are designed to be engaging and interactive, with qualified tutors who focus on making each lesson both educational and enjoyable. Whether at your home, workplace, or a public place of your choosing, our lessons are convenient and adaptable to your schedule. With Listen & Learn, you'll not only improve your French fluency but also gain a deeper understanding of French culture, which is invaluable for both personal enrichment and professional advancement. Contact us today, and we’ll get in contact to answer any of your questions about our courses!

The type of courses we offer:

Face-to-Face 1-to-1 (Individual) General French

This set of French tutorials are less specific and more targeted for those who want to get a range of different things from learning French. Even though all novice students will cover survival French: as well as French to visit somewhere abroad to make solid contacts with the locals, what do you do from there? It depends on your needs. Those who have benefited from these lessons have been those moving or investing overseas, spouses of overseas nationals, people who love to travel all over the world, those interested in French culture and those who just want to pass a specific examination in French. Enquire now about our French Courses or Take A Free French Level Test

Face-to-Face 1-to-1 (Individual) Business French

These lessons in French are meant for those who feel that learning French would make a change in their work. For starters, it is expedient to learn how to say hello/goodbye, as well as basic business protocol; once the basics have been mastered, reading and writing come to the fore. Students who have greatly benefited have been involved in import/export, international negotiations and acquisitions, jobseekers in multinational companies where another language is required and those working in the international academia and government circuits. Even in our most fundamental beginner's lesson, students can anticipate ending the lesson with basic telephone French and e-mail French skills for communicating, as well as survival French if a short visit to the country is needed. Enquire now about our French Courses or Take A Free French Level Test

Face-to-Face Closed (Private) Group General or Business French

Two or more people can benefit from studying French together as these French lessons are also offered to groups (Two-to-One French Lessons or Small Group In-Company French Lessons). Every student must have the same degree of knowledge of the language, the same business or language needs and the ability to study at the same time and place as everybody else. The booking has to be made for all students at the same time. Listen & Learn does not advocate group sessions of more than 6-8 people, though Taster French Lessons can be experienced by up to 12 people. Enquire now about our French Courses or Take A Free French Level Test

Skype, Google Meet or Zoom Online 1-to-1 (Individual) General or Business French

You and your group can be trained by our native speaker qualified French teachers and can meet at your place of work or home at a time that works best for you. Tutorials can take place any day of the week, including weekends, and can be scheduled for the morning, afternoon or evening. If your home or office is not fitting for you, you can attend the lesson at the teacher's offices. You will be provided with all relevant lesson materials. Enquire now about our French Courses or Take A Free French Level Test

Skype, Google Meet or Zoom Online Group (Closed or Open) General or Business French

Those wishing to learn French in groups of two or more together (Two-to-One French Lessons or Small Group In-Company French Lessons) can sign up for our group classes. All students must be at nearly the same level of French proficiency, have the same needs from the language and be able to study at the same time and place as the others. Bookings must be made for all students simultaneously. Listen & Learn does not propose group sizes of more than 6-8 people, but In-Company Taster French Lessons can occur with up to 12 people. Enquire now about our French Courses or Take A Free French Level Test

Top Tips For…

french Apps

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Memrise

Memrise is one of the most well-known apps in language learning today and you can use it for free as a handy tool on your mobile to expand your vocabulary and strengthen your listening skills. With the app, you’ll have access to an array of resources that include vocabulary exercises, grammar explanations and even video clips with words and key phrases uttered by native speakers (to improve your pronunciation). You will also find quiz-type games, so you can challenge a friend, family member or roommate to learn new words with you and keep on improving your French while having some fun! Click here to get started!

french Apps

Busuu

Looking for an app that helps you improve your vocabulary and language skills in French? Bussu is a great option for you! The mobile app offers guidance for 12 different languages, including French, and features activities about grammar, vocabulary and listening skills. Also, it uses speech recognition technology, so you can upload your French audio recordings to get some feedback on your pronunciation. Furthermore, it has a forum where you can socialise with other learners and share experiences while using your French in real-life conversations. Most of Busuu’s content is free, so take advantage of this opportunity to practise your French in a fun, interactive manner. Click here to start practising!

Nemo Program

The Nemo Program has recently developed a free app for 34 different languages, including French, so it’s a great opportunity for you to practise everything you have learned in your course with Listen & Learn. The best thing about this is that you can use the app whenever you have some spare time, as lessons are very short and interactive and users learn the basic words, concepts and phrases that will help them to get by when using French for communication in real-world circumstances. The app even allows you to record yourself and compare your pronunciation to that of a native speaker. Click here to start practising!

french Youtube Channels

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Joueur du Grenier

Joueur du Grenier is a French YouTuber who specialises in old video games and consoles. He enjoys playing classic games, like Pacman or The Legend of Zelda. While recording these walkthroughs, this YouTuber also talks about the history of the game and makes comments about their stories. The vocabulary he uses might be a bit hard to understand unless you’re a gamer yourself, so make sure you turn on the subtitles, especially if you are a beginner in French. Each episode lasts 5-8 minutes, so you can take a break from work and have a laugh with his videos! Watch his content here!

french Youtube Channels

Squeezie

Lucas Hauchard is a 21-year-old with over 10 million subscribers on YouTube, making him one of the youngest millionaire YouTubers in France. His channel is called Squeezie and features reaction videos to famous series, comical shorts, and walkthroughs of well-known games. One of the most viewed, with over 7 million comments, is a hilarious guide to the all-time famous Nintendo game Mario Bros. He speaks quite slowly while playing, so those who like gaming and the French language can combine both interests and improve their skills while watching entertaining, funny videos. Watch his content here!

Remi Gaillard

Are you looking to have a good time while putting your new French skills into practice? Then, you should follow Remi Gaillard, a famous prankster who impersonates famous athletes and celebrities, with most of his videos hitting over a million views. He gained attention from the French media in 2010, when he disguised himself as a football player at a match and was even greeted by the president of the Republic. Watching his videos is a good idea for those who’re looking to improve their listening comprehension at an advanced level while acquiring some conversational phrases and slang. Watch hilarious content here!

french News

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LCP

With our increasingly developed means of global communication, you don’t need to be in France to know what is going on there or to watch French content. Furthermore, watching and reading the news in your target language is one of the best ways to strengthen your reading, listening and vocabulary skills while also improving your cultural understanding. If you are learning French, La Chaîne Parlementaire is a TV channel that broadcasts activity from the National Assembly and Senate of France. You can watch it online anywhere you are and the channel also features news broadcasts you can download. The newscasters speak slowly and clearly, so you’ll be able to improve your French skills, even if you are a beginner. Click here to be informed.

french News

France TV

Thanks to the Internet, you can access the news from anywhere in the world, at any time. All it takes is a few clicks of your mouse and you have hours of language learning material at your disposal. So, if you are learning French, you’ll be glad to know that France TV allows you to watch public TV channels online a few hours after they aired. Some options for what to watch to improve your language skills include the news, soap operas and programmes for children (which are great for those of you who are just starting out and would like to pick up some new, simple words). Click here to be informed by France TV.

France Télévisions

News is a predominantly helpful tool for those of you wanting to improve either your listening or reading skills (or both!), even if you are just starting your language course. Sure, you might not understand everything the journalists are saying, but you will pick up words over time and start training your ear. After all, the more you practise, the better you’ll get. So, why not tune into France Télévisions to improve your French skills? This is the public national television station of France, a state-owned company that provides users with interactive news, sports and weather services, together with social media sharing features. Click here to be informed by France Televisions.

french For Kids

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Hello World

Games are great instruments to help children acquire a new language while having fun. Luckily, the internet is full of websites that offer language games for free, such as Hello World. This site is full of interactive activities and songs that help kids learn basic French vocabulary, such as the alphabet, numbers, shapes and colours. Most of the games are classical ones, like tic tac toe, listen and match, etc. There is also a section that features expressions, like greetings, thanking others or asking for food, where children can listen to recordings of real conversations and repeat them while completing exercises.

Check out the page here!

french For Kids

Babar

Looking for children’s books in French with a great message to read to your kids? Histoire de Babar is a famous children’s book that tells the story of Babar, a young elephant whose mother is killed by a hunter. The baby escapes and visits different places looking for a new home. So, your kid will learn vocabulary related to the different places and people Babar visits, like the jungle (arbre: tree, feauille: leaf), the city (rue: street, bâtiment: building) and other families (mère: mother, père: father, fils: son, fille: daughter)!

Click here to know more about the books.

Rolie Polie Olie

Looking for a great animated series for your children to watch and acquire French vocabulary and structures? Rolie Polie Olie is a Canadian television series produced by the Disney Channel that follows the adventures of Olie, a little robot and his friends on the moon. The robot is composed of several geometric shapes, so it's a great opportunity for your children to learn new words, such as circle (cercle), sphere (sphère) or square (carré). Also, it is spoken using the Canadian accent, so the series is also helpful to become acquainted with French Canadian.

Learn more about the cartoon here!

Testimonials

From our clients all over the world

"Everything is going well. Adeline is fantastic; I'm definitely learning a lot."
Vallarika Hemanth

French course in Newcastle.

"The first class was awesome and the teacher is so nice and good."
Mansour Helmi

French course in Newcastle.

"The lessons are going very well. Kadidia is an excellent teacher and does very well at preparing lessons and introducing new concepts."
Joy Gridley

French course in Online.

"I enjoyed my course very much."
David Kelly

French course in Dublin.

"My teacher is excellent and only wants the best learning experience possible for his students. He takes the time to explain anything you don’t understand. He makes me want to do my best all the time."
Rhona Smith

French course in Online.

Client case studies

Have a look at successful and satisfied clients.

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Nick Sage French in London
My Listen & Learn tutor, Yann, made a huge effort to help me understand how the grammar works, and how to say things properly – these aren’t things you can learn from a book

Our Clients Include

From our clients all over the world

CMS Peripherals
Language learned: Mandarin Chinese in London.

Nexen Petroleum UK Ltd
Language learned: Spanish in London.

Prinovis Liverpool Ltd
Language learned: German in Liverpool.