The French group is for those who already have a good basic knowledge of French and who would like to improve their communication skills and grow in confidence with the language. (The current level is B1 on the Council of Europe’s CEFR levels for languages). We meet twice a month on a Thursday from 10.15 to 12.15 in the home of a member of the group. The actual dates of the meetings are planned around members’ commitments and times away.

Our current workbook is 'Vite et Bien 2, méthode rapide pour adultes’. A typical morning would include French conversation, reading out loud, translating, learning grammar and vocabulary, listening to a dialogue in French and doing written and oral exercises based on what we have studied that morning. For homework, we all watch a video from Yabla French, the group members taking it in turn to choose one, so we hear and learn about a variety of interesting topics, whether political, exploring France or something a bit cheeky and amusing. We then talk about it at our next meeting.

In addition to the bimonthly meetings, we have an exchange arrangement with a group from Bordeaux, who are learning English and who are of a similar age to ourselves. This has been ongoing for a number of years and firm friendships have been formed through it. This year (2023) our group plus some spouses flew to France in May and enjoyed ‘un séjour’ in the Basque Country with our Bordelais hosts. This was a part of France unfamiliar to most of us. We are now busy planning a return trip for our French friends for 2024, starting with a couple of days in Bath.

Our numbers are limited by the size of the dining room table, around which we can safely and comfortably sit, spread our books and hear what each other is saying! We are currently 11 in the group SO WE ARE NOT AT PRESENT OPEN TO NEW MEMBERS. The website will be updated if that situation changes.

Please click French to email (preferred contact method)

Links

• Visit to France, May 2023