French courses in France
The French you need is not in the textbook.
For people who did not grow up with this language and now need it every day. Beginners are the rule here, not the exception: most of our learners arrive with nothing, and the first lesson is already held in French.
- 4.8on Google, from 505 reviews
- 11centres across France
- 1878the method, unchanged
- A1 – C2levels, from beginner up
In one paragraph
What this is, plainly.
French as a foreign language, taught to adults, in eleven centres in France and online.
Courses run at 11 Berlitz centres in France: Paris Opéra, Paris La Défense, Versailles, Lille, Lyon, Grenoble, Strasbourg, Bordeaux, Marseille, Nantes and Rouen. Every centre teaches French to non-French speakers, and every centre also teaches online.
Four formats exist: one to one, small group, intensive over full days, and online. All four follow the same method and can be combined or switched between as your situation changes. Levels follow the Common European Framework, from A1 for complete beginners to C2.
There is no fixed timetable to enrol on and no start date to wait for. Your level is assessed first, in a conversation, and the programme is built after that.
Who learns here
Three situations, one language.
What people have in common is a real deadline. Nobody learns French out of curiosity when they are about to live in France.
You have just arrived
The first months are the hardest and the most useful. Opening a bank account, registering with a doctor, understanding the letters that arrive, talking to your child's school. This is the French that is never in a textbook, and it is where we start.
You work here in English
Your job runs in English, and you can feel that the decisions happen elsewhere: in the corridor, at lunch, in the five minutes before the meeting starts. Lessons take your own meetings as their material.
You are not here yet
Starting before you land is the single biggest advantage you can give yourself. Online lessons begin from wherever you are and continue face to face in a centre once you arrive, with the same trainers and the same level record.
Formats
Choose the rhythm, not the method.
The four formats differ in pace, group size and cost. What happens inside the lesson does not change.
Private French lessons
A programme that follows your week rather than a syllabus. This is the format for people whose French has to work in a specific place: a job, a set of neighbours, an administration.
Intensive French courses
This is the format for people who come to France with dates on the calendar and the intention of leaving able to hold a conversation.
Online French classes
Live lessons with a trainer, not a course to work through alone. This is the format for people who are not in France yet, and for people whose week does not hold still.
French group classes
A small group at your level, and the one thing a private lesson cannot manufacture: other people, with their own mistakes, their own accents and their own reasons for being there.
How it starts
From first message to first lesson.
Nothing is booked before your level is known, and the level is not established by a questionnaire.
01
You tell us where you are
Where you live or are moving to, when you would like to start, and what you need French for. Three lines are enough. Write in English, or in French if you would rather try.
02
We assess your level
A conversation rather than a test. It places you on the CEFR scale, from A1 to C2, and it tells us what you actually need to be able to do, which is rarely the same thing as your grammar level.
03
You get a proposal
Format, pace, centre or online, and the cost. Prices depend on the format and the volume, so they are quoted for your situation rather than published as a list.
04
You start
In French, from the first minute. Your trainer is a native speaker of French, trained in the Berlitz method, and will not translate for you.
The uncomfortable part
Why nobody will translate for you.
This is the question every beginner asks, and it deserves a straight answer rather than a slogan.
In a Berlitz lesson the whole hour happens in French, including the very first one, including for someone who knows ten words. Your trainer rephrases, points, draws, acts out and waits. They never give you the English word.
The reason is not severity, it is what a real conversation demands. Nobody in a French office, a French pharmacy or a French school will translate for you either. Being able to reach for another way to say something, when the word you wanted is missing, is the actual skill. A lesson conducted through translation trains the opposite reflex.
It is uncomfortable for about twenty minutes. Then people stop noticing. One rule protects the whole thing: at least half of the lesson time is reserved for you to speak. A lesson in which the trainer talks more than you do is not a Berlitz lesson.
Where
Eleven centres in France.
Each page gives the address, how to get there, and the reviews left by learners at that centre.
- French courses in Bordeaux4,9 ★
- French courses in Grenoble
- French courses in Lille4,6 ★
- French courses in Lyon4,3 ★
- French courses in Marseille5 ★
- French courses in Nantes4,8 ★
- French courses in Paris La Défense
- French courses in Paris Opéra4,7 ★
- French courses in Rouen5 ★
- French courses in Strasbourg5 ★
- French courses in Versailles4,4 ★
What learners say
Reviews left on Google.
Published as written. Nothing here has been commissioned or edited.
J'ai beaucoup apprécié mes cours d'anglais avec Berlitz, la méthode me convenait complètement ! Mention spéciale à Camille et Sonia que j'ai rencontré plusieurs fois et qui sont très pédagogues, agréables et encourageantes.
Je suis à ma septième formation en distanciel en anglais et je suis toujours aussi satisfaite. L'ambiance est agréable et motivante ce qui rend l'apprentissage encore plus efficace. Merci à toute l'équipe pour votre bonne humeur et votre engagement. Je recommande cette formation a toute personne voulant progresser en anglais dans un cadre sérieux et dynamique.
Une formation complète réalisé avec des outils performants, et des formateurs impliqués, et engageants. En étant sérieux et en respectant leurs consignes, le progrès se voit immédiatement. Très bonne formation !
Je suis satisfaite de ces cours d'espagnol individuels. Toute l'équipe est à l'écoute et des profs compétents. Je recommande berlitz sans hésiter et je reviendrai.
Formation de qualité suivie pendant plusieurs mois, avec des formateurs à l'écoute et toujours disponibles. Les intervenants de différentes nationalités apportent une vraie valeur ajoutée en permettant de se familiariser avec différentes façons de parler l'anglais. Cette formation m'a permis de progresser et je recommande ce centre sans hésiter !
Je recommande a 100% ! De la prise de contact à l'inscription, en passant par l’accueil, le suivi et bien évidemment les cours tout était parfait ! Fluide, simple, agréable, conviviale, chaleureux et enrichissant sont les mots qui décrivent le mieux ma formation au cote de Berlitz ! Un remerciement particulier à Isabelle, William, Erica et Tom pour leur patience et professionnalisme ! Thank you so much to all four of you. I wish you all the best for the future. Take good care of yourselves.
Super équipe, des profs très sympas toujours à l'écoute, patients, ce fût un réel plaisir de venir tous ces mardis et je suis ravie du résultat. Encore un grand MERCI. Bonne continuation à vous tous.
Hello everybody…(pour moi c’était cours d’anglais donc!!). De l’accueil aux professeurs de divers pays et horizons, ce fut un réel plaisir suivre cette formation de plus de 30h sur Marseille (ou à distance en visio). Beaucoup de compréhension, souplesse et patience pour vous faire progresser efficacement dans une ambiance chaleureuse et bienveillante. Thanks a lot, you did a good job.
J'ai eu la chance d'améliorer mon niveau d'Anglais pendant ma formation de 6 mois avec Berlitz Artigues. La réactivité et le professionnalisme de l'équipe, la diversité des enseignants et leur bienveillance sont vraiment appréciables. Si vous hésitez pour choisir un organisme de formation, allez-y !
La meilleur façon d'apprendre une langue c'est l'immersion totale. Avec Berlitz, vous êtes en tête à tête avec un professeur de langue maternelle que vous avez choisis. L'école est accueillante, le personnel et les professeurs attentifs et ils se mettent a votre niveau pour vous accompagner. C'est parfait pour progresser.
J ai suivi une formation en anglais en distanciel. Les professeurs étaient tous sympas et compétents et les supports pédagogiques très bien. Merci à eux
Une super équipe de professeurs, une méthode d’enseignement vraiment motivante très réactif lorsqu’il s’agit de modifier l’agenda, je recommande fortement
French courses: the questions we are asked most
- Can I take a French course if I am a complete beginner?
- Yes, and most people who come to us are. Complete beginners start at level A1 and the first lesson is already conducted in French. Your trainer works with gestures, objects, drawings and rephrasing rather than translation, which is why it works without any prior knowledge.
- Do I need to live in France to take French lessons with Berlitz France?
- No. Online lessons follow the same method and the same trainers as our centres, so you can start from another country and carry on in a centre once you arrive. Many people begin three or four months before their move.
- How much does a French course cost?
- The cost depends on the format, the number of hours and whether lessons are private or in a group, so a price is quoted for your situation rather than published as a list. The level assessment that comes first is what makes an accurate quote possible.
- What levels do you teach?
- From A1 to C2 on the Common European Framework of Reference. A1 is the complete beginner, B1 to B2 is where most professional situations become comfortable, C1 and C2 cover advanced and near-native use.
- Are your French trainers native speakers?
- Yes. Lessons are given by native speakers of French trained in the Berlitz method, which is what makes a lesson without translation possible in the first place.
- Can my company pay for my French lessons?
- Often, yes. Language training for employees is a standard part of what companies commission from us, particularly around international moves. The simplest route is to put us in touch with whoever handles training or mobility where you work.
- In which French cities can I take courses?
- In 11 cities: Paris, with centres at Opéra and La Défense, plus Versailles, Lille, Lyon, Grenoble, Strasbourg, Bordeaux, Marseille, Nantes and Rouen. Online lessons are available everywhere.
Tell us where you are starting from.
Three lines are enough: where you live or are moving to, when you would like to start, and what you need French for.