L’Union Française supports a school for adults to learn the French language and culture. The goal of our language program is to make communication in French a natural, personalized, enjoyable, and rewarding experience. The instruction is intimate and student-centered while providing a balanced focus on comprehension, speaking, writing, and reading. Our class schedule features offerings at various times and days, including nights and weekends. The school is located at 4522 Prytania Street in New Orleans.
Our small classes allow for an emphasis on individual attention. Conversational French is balanced with instruction in proper grammar and vocabulary. All classes are taught by experienced French teachers who are either native speakers or have lived in France.
The school features six levels of instruction: Beginner 1 and Beginner 2; Intermediate 1 and Intermediate 2; and Advanced and Near Native. The Intermediate and Advanced levels are for those who have some previous background in French.
Beginner French
Level A1
A1 Absolute Beginner French
True beginner, no previous French instruction required. This class is for students who have never taken French or whose French has been all but forgotten. By the end of the course, students can expect to be able to introduce themselves; ask and respond to simple questions; conjugate simple er and ir verbs in the present tense as well as key irregular verbs (avoir, être, faire and aller). Students should also be capable of employing the near future and the recent past tenses.
A1.5 Beginner French
Level A1.5
This course is for students who have already taken a semester, or the equivalent, of French, and are comfortable performing the objectives described in the A1 description. By the end of the course, the students will be able to construct simple sentences, including correctly placing adjectives and adverbs. Students will be able to employ possessive adjectives as well as conjugate verbs from the three major groups, er, ir, re in the present tense, near future and near past.
Level A2
A2 Beginner Plus French
This course is for students who have met the requirements for both A1 and A1.5 levels. Entering students should be able to conjugate regular er, ir, re verbs, as well as essential irregular verbs, in the present, near future and near past. They should also be able to ask and answer basic questions from peers and the teacher. By the end of the class, students should be able to conjugate verbs in the passé composé, correctly employing either être or avoir. Students will also be introduced to the futur and imparfait tenses. They also will start to use possessive pronouns.
Intermediate French
B1 Intermediate French
Level B1
Entering students should be able to conjugate verbs in present, recent past, passé composé, and imparfait tenses. Students should be able to describe what they did the previous week as well as to ask questions and understand responses from others. By the end of the course, students should be able to describe their experiences and current events in complete sentences as well as convey feelings and opinions, such as dreams, hopes and ambitions. Students can expect to be comfortable navigating between the passé composé, l’imparfait, futur, and conditionnel tenses.
B2 Upper Intermediate French
Level B2
Enrolling students should have successfully completed B1 or its equivalent—and be comfortable conjugating verbs in all tenses. They should be able to describe what they did the previous week and ask clarifying questions of others as well as understand their responses. By the end of the course, students would be able to comprehend oral and written newspaper articles on current events.
Advanced French
C1 Advanced French
Level C1
Enrolling students should be able to engage in on-going conversations; they should be able speak freely and fluidly, using a variety of verb tenses and a wide vocabulary; they should be able to discuss current events with peers as well as explain and substantiate their point of view. Very little English is used at this level. There is no textbook; newspaper and internet articles as well as the audio program, “News in Slow French,” form the basis for discussion. By the end of the course, students will have built a more nuanced vocabulary and improved fluidity of expression, including humor, and refined their pronunciation.
C2 Near Native French
Level C2
Entering students should be able to speak almost like natives. They should understand articles written for a native Francophone audience and be able to discuss the content freely and spontaneously, including with nuanced ideas and humor. No textbook is used and no English is spoken.
This semester, we have a variety of In-Person classes and Online-Only classes.
The school year follows a semester framework with fall, spring, and summer semesters.
Please note that our classes are for adults only; one must be at least 18 years old to register.
All in-person classes meet at our location at 4522 Prytania Street, unless otherwise noted.
Please note that classes typically last for one and a half hours, but may vary somewhat based on level and subject matter covered.
