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Conversation classes in French culture and literature for expatriates and professionals

Speaking French with ease goes far beyond grammar.
It’s about understanding the nuances, registers and cultural codes that give language its depth.
Passages conversation classes offer a demanding and lively way to practice French, through a personalized exchange based on culture, texts and real-life situations.
Each session is designed as a time for exchange and progress, where language is practiced as much as it is worked on.
Recommended level : B1 minimum
For whom: expatriates, students, professionals, cultural enthusiasts
  • Format: one-to-one videoconference or face-to-face course in Paris
  • Duration: 1 hour per session
  • Rates: please contact us
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a conversation class
PLUNGE INTO THE HEART OF A CULTURE

Why take a course
in French conversation and culture?

If you live or work in France, you may already have a good grounding in French. However, some situations remain difficult.

Taking part in a meeting, recounting an experience with precision, understanding what's implicit in a professional or social conversation: these are all moments that require a fine command of language.

Conversation classes can help you achieve just that. They can also be an excellent complement to B2 or C1 exam preparation, helping you to become more fluent, structure your speech and refine your answers in a more natural setting than that of academic training.
They offer you a space to practice French regularly, enrich your vocabulary, refine language registers and gain confidence in exchanges.
The aim is not just to speak French, but to think and interact more naturally in the language.
UNDERSTAND DIFFERENTLY

Course schedule
conversation Passages

Each session lasts an hour and is organized around a “passage”: an extract from a text, a press article, a song, an interview or a literary fragment. This passage serves as a starting point for conversation, and provides an opportunity to explore the richness and nuances of the language.
Introduction and session objectives
Definition of your expectations and presentation of how the course will be run.
Discover
the “passage
Reading or presentation of the material chosen for the session: text, article, song or extract.
Free exchange and guided conversation
The discussion develops around the passage and the themes it opens up.
Language point of focus
We work on a particular aspect: vocabulary, register, nuance, grammar or usage.
Summary and suggestions for the next session
A summary is sent to consolidate what has been learned and prepare for the next lesson.
Each new session begins with a review of the elements covered previously, to anchor progress in a lasting way.
Book
a conversation class
Around a literary text
You discover a few lines by an author like Camus or Proust. We take the time to understand the meaning, the nuances, the rhythm of the language. Then the discussion begins: what do these words say to us today? How can you use them in your own way of speaking?
Based on French news
A press article becomes the starting point for an exchange: understand the vocabulary of public debate, express a point of view, qualify an opinion, reformulate an idea with precision.
In a professional situation
You’re preparing for a meeting, an interview or a speech. We work on the wording: how to structure your message, choose the right register, express a disagreement with nuance.
Through French culture and society
A literary reference, a work of art, a place or a cultural habit can open the conversation. It’s often in these exchanges that the codes and implicits that structure language are revealed.
Around a social issue
Based on an essay, article or literary text, the conversation opens up to contemporary themes: the relationship to work, memory, transmission, justice or the transformations of today’s world. These exchanges provide an opportunity to practice the language while developing personal and cultural reflection.
DEEPEN YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF FRENCH.

Are Passages conversation classes right for you?

Passages conversation courses are for you if you live or work in France and want to improve your French.

They are particularly suited to expatriates, professionals working in French companies, and international students who want to improve the fluidity and precision of their exchanges.

They are also suitable for French-speaking people who want to rediscover a challenging and lively space for conversation around literature, culture and ideas.

A minimum level of B1 is recommended to enable natural, constructive conversation.

Here, the aim is not to cover all the grammatical basics as in a traditional FLE course.

Sessions are based on guided, personalized conversation. They enable you to work with the language as it is used: understanding nuances, choosing the right register, finding the right words for the situation.

Participants wishing to extend this experience can also discover the Passages literary tours, where the language studied in class is put into dialogue with the places, texts and cultural memory of Paris.

Find out more
Made-to-measure
Each “passage” is built around your level, your objectives and your way of learning. There is no fixed method: the course adapts to you.
Conversation & precision
Exchange is at the heart of our work. It goes hand in hand with an attentive eye for registers, nuances, vocabulary and cultural implicits.
Culture as depth
Literature, history and the arts nourish language. Immersing yourself in them helps you understand their complexity and sensitivity.
A relationship of trust
We work in a demanding and caring environment, based on listening and horizontality, where words flow freely.
GET INFORMED

Our publications:
French language, culture and codes

The French language is steeped in history, usage and nuance.
Through our articles, we help you better understand them to strengthen your practice.

In search of ‘that’s it!

Montaigne, or how to inhabit the in-between world

Place Royale

All our articles

Start
a Passages conversation course

Registration is made directly via our Calendly calendar, with payment of a deposit at the time of booking.
Book
a conversation class
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in touch