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Among the more than 120 languages you can hear around the beautiful city of Oxford, French is one of the most commonly used. In fact, according to the 2011 census, there are at least 1230 native French speakers living in Oxford, which makes it the fourth-most popular non-official language after Polish, Chinese and German. This makes the city a great place to practise the language, as you’ll find many natives from France, Canada, Belgium and many other francophone countries who study or work here who can help you boost your skills.
No matter why you’ve decided to start learning this fascinating language, you’ll find that speaking French is one of the smartest ways to improve your life in Oxford and also abroad. Because it’s such a widespread language, if you can communicate fluently in French you’ll have many job opportunities open up for you in the more than 29 countries where French is spoken, and also in the local job market. On top of that, you’ll get the chance to meet some of the 321 million French speakers that live all around the globe, explore the many cultures where it’s spoken and expand your knowledge of the world while doing so, so what are you waiting to get started?
Do you want to increase your chances to get a great corporate job in the city or even abroad? If so, learning French is the best way to achieve that goal. Many great local companies like BMW Manufacturing Ltd, Unipart Group of Companies and Oxford Biomedica, are constantly looking to hire bilingual applicants who can help them expand and build better business relationships all around the world. This means that if you learn French, you’ll be able to apply for great positions in Oxford like French-speaking Marketing Executive, French-speaking Project Manager and French-speaking Business Development Executive. What’s more, learning French will make getting a job in countries like Switzerland, Luxembourg and of course, France, much easier and completely change the way you experience the local culture and people, so whether you want a better job in Oxford or to access the international job market, learning French is the way to go.
There are many ways of experiencing French culture in the city. If you’re interested in exploring French cuisine, one of the best places you can visit is Pierre Victoire. Located at the heart of the city at 9 Little Clarendon Street, this wonderful restaurant offers traditional French food that’s cooked properly by skilled native chefs. Their menu follows the seasons, so depending on when in the year you visit, you’ll enjoy different French dishes made with fresh, locally-sourced ingredients. Some of the most popular dishes you can enjoy here include the Fondue Savoyarde, a mouth-watering Swiss cheese and Kirsch fondue with bread, mushrooms, potatoes, gherkins and garlic sausage, Risotto d’Asperges, which is asparagus risotto served with a wild rocket and pecorino salad and Poulet Frites au Fromage de Chèvre, a delicious butter-fried chicken breast grilled with goat cheese and bacon. On the other hand, if you are looking for local events that celebrate French culture, the Alliance Française d’Oxford, located at 30 Polstead Road, organizes different activities like French film screenings, French book clubs and different workshops and open talks where you can learn more about the French culture and language.
If you have been learning French for a while but feel that you’re not making much progress, a fun way to work on your skills while socializing is to attend the local meetups held by different language groups. The Oxford French Language Meetup Group, for example, organizes different events where you can meet native speakers and other learners who can help you improve your conversational skills and expand your vocabulary. All ages and language levels are welcome, so you don’t need to be fluent to attend, being passionate about the French language and culture is enough. Although they meet at several different locations, most of their events take place at the Jam Factory Restaurant and Gallery, located at 27 Park End Street. Another great place to meet like-minded people to have regular soirées in French are the meetings held by Central Oxford French Banter. This friendly group meets every month at The Jam Factory, located at 4 Hollybush Road, to enjoy all sorts of conversations in French at different levels. Although this event is open to all, you do need to register before attending, as they have a limited capacity of 15 people per meeting.
No matter what your language level is, at the Oxfordshire Public Library located on Queen Street, you’ll find a wide range of audio and online learning courses in French, as well as books in the language and other great resources like films and music albums. If you’re just starting learning the language, you should check out Basic French, by Berlitz Publishing, a beginner-level French course which focuses on authentic everyday situations to help users acquire basic language skills with confidence and ease. Alternatively, if you are an intermediate or advanced learner, you might want to go for Confident French by Muriel Placet-Kouassi, a self-study course that will help you master French conversation, grammar and vocabulary. However, there are many drawbacks to studying a language on your own, like limited speaking opportunities and the fact that developing your own educational programme is pretty hard and can lead to wasting a lot of time not making any progress. Instead, why don’t you start a French language course? At Listen & Learn, you’ll find fun, entertaining lessons taught by native tutors that are completely tailored to your language goals and interests. All you have to do to start learning with us is send us a quick enquiry so that one of our team members can get in contact with you and find out what you are looking for so that we can create the perfect French course just for you!
These French lessons fit a broader spectrum and can be useful for those who need different things from the language. Most beginner students will have a handle of survival French by the end of their lesson, which will provide them with enough French to communicate at least at a basic level during short trips to the country, but those who require more would benefit greatly from these sessions. Typical students have been those eager to travel all over the world, those buying overseas property, those with foreign spouses, aficionados of French culture and those who just wish to pass a particular French exam. Enquire now about our French Courses or Take A Free French Level Test
The people who would benefit the most from these French tutorials are those who feel they need to learn French to help them out in their business lives. For starters, learning salutations and business etiquette is essential. Once these have been practised, then reading and writing lessons can begin. Typical studiers have been those involved in international imports/exports, negotiations and acquisitions, multinational companies requiring another language and those working in any way with international governments and relevant administration. Even our simplest lesson for beginners will have students finishing the lessons with basic telephone and e-mail French as well as survival French should a visit to the country be necessary. Enquire now about our French Courses or Take A Free French Level Test
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
You and your colleagues can be trained by our native-speaking fully-qualified French tutors at a time and location to suit you. Classes can take place any day, even weekends, and can happen in the morning, afternoon or evening. If the case may be that your home or office is not convenient, there is always the option to take your classes at the office of your teacher. Study books for the lesson are provided. Enquire now about our French Courses or Take A Free French Level Test
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
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!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.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!From our clients all over the world
Have a look at successful and satisfied clients.
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