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French Language courses
French is the most widely studied language in Ireland after English and Irish. Many people learn it at school or university, and a growing number are taking a French nightcourse for personal, business or travel reasons…
There are many reasons why people decide to learn French, but the most common is that it just sounds so cool and sophisticated when spoken (even in the thickest of Irish accents). The words roll softly and musically into each other. They lift both the speaker and the listener onto a higher, more artistic, more enlightened plane. Excusez moi madamoiselle. Oo la la. Je t’aime. Je ne sais pas pourquoi. French is a kind of magic.
There are other, more concrete reasons to learn French. Finding a good job is one. After English, French is the second most important EU language. Anyone looking to work in an EU institution, or for a company doing business anywhere in Europe, will find their career prospects greatly improved by a certain level of fluency in French.
French language skills also look very attractive on the CVs of people looking for work in career areas such as marketing, IT, international relations, financial services, sports administration, the civil service and the media. The French language’s global importance is shown by the fact that it is, alongside English, one of the two working languages of the UN. With Ireland’s modern globalised economy those without a second language are at a serious disadvantage.
Many people also learn French because they want to travel. France is the easiest to get to of our continental European neighbours, and offers a wealth of different travel ideas. You can immerse yourself in the Parisian café lifestyle, sun yourself on a beach on the French Riviera or find yourself skiing in the French Alps. Being able to buy your metro ticket, get directions to the beach, or order an après-ski in the local lingo is most satisfying.
It is also a fairly widespread dream to go and live in Paris for a year, especially for students finishing university and looking for some romantic experiences before they settle down. Many people decide to move to France to paint, write or pull pints in an Irish bar.
French is also widely spoken in other countries all around the world. It is an official language in 29 countries on four continents. 87 million people speak French as a mother tongue and another 182 million people are second language speakers who use French for daily communication. You can speak French to the natives in Canada, Vietnam, Switzerland, Morocco, Haiti, Mauritius, Monaco, Laos and French Polynesia. We don’t recommend “voulez vous couchez avec moi” until at least the second date.
It is worth remembering that over a quarter of English words are “borrowed” from French – visit, attraction, service, cousin, judge, castle and honour are examples – which means nobody is an absolute novice. French also has the advantage of being akin to other romance languages such as Italian and Spanish, sharing many words, sounds and grammar rules. If you already have a decent knowledge of these languages, you should find it easier to pick up French. And if you speak good French, you might be able to get the gist of the football commentary on Spanish or Italian TV.
Plenty of people might already know some French from school or university, where the French language now often forms part of a business or arts undergraduate course. Which is great. However, as is the way with most things, especially languages, if we don’t use it we lose it. Only a few years out of school or college, many people have trouble remembering even basic words and phrases. It is amazing how quickly it all comes back though, if you refresh your memory with a nightcourse.
A great way to practice the French language, and to learn about French life and culture, is to watch French films. France has probably the leading European cinema industry (although they don’t like to call it an industry) and you will be surprised how much you can pick up just by watching a classic film. After a few weeks on a nightcourse you might find yourself complaining that the subtitles don’t really capture the “essence” of the “amour” between the two young “beautés”.
As French is such a popular nightcourse option, it is not surprising that there are so many different course types available. You can try weekend immersion courses, one night a week beginners or refresher classes, or programmes designed to move you towards fluency. Some courses concentrate on speaking and conversation, where other advanced programmes look at French culture or literature.
There are also courses available that are directly aimed at those who have some French already, and want to improve their ability to use it at work. A course can teach business letter writing, telephone French and formal French for business conversations. Other courses teach French law and legal terminology. There are also translation courses available for those confident in their French language ability.
The internet is increasingly being used in language learning. There are many sites on the web which will teach you basic French (and many other languages) vocabulary and grammar, and some language schools are now offering e-learning courses which you can work at on your home PC or laptop in your own time at your own pace.
People take French nightcourses for different reasons. Whether for work, to refresh what is seemingly forgotten, because you want to travel, or just because you like the way words sound, a French nightcourse is definitely one to consider.
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