French

Many students are eager to study French because of its associations with sophistication and elegance; not to mention the cultural and professional doors that such an important world language can open.

However, learning French is easier said than done, as it is an incredibly complicated language. Having countless grammatical and pronunciation rules with plenty of exceptions, French has often been called the enfant terrible of Romance languages (languages derived from Latin). It is also the language with the oldest regulatory organization in the world, l’Académie Française, which standardizes and oversees every aspect of this language used by what is proudly dubbed La Francophonie (the French-speaking world)—so speaking it correctly is important! If you have ever been to Paris, you may know firsthand just how unforgiving Parisians can be with beginning French-speakers.

The bumpy road to French proficiency can be daunting, but with the aid of a tutor there is light at the end of the tunnel. Sadly, many foreign language tutors, especially native speakers, are unable to effectively teach their language simply because, like English to Americans, the rules, nuances, and conjugations of the language are all “givens” that cannot be explained.

Our tutors have an intimate understanding of what it’s like to learn French the hard way (i.e., as a learned language and not a native language) and can from experience relate to étrangers (foreigners) who wish to wrap their head around this oftentimes inscrutable tongue.  Bonne Chance!