Learning French is not easy. The unimaginable amount of tenses, words that are written a certain way but pronounced a completely different way, and we haven't even started talking about the worst of all, the Subjonctif! Even the French realized how ridiculous it was and wrote this hilarious song:
Until now, I thought the only way to learn the language properly was exclusively according to the method of Madame Amir, my French teacher at the Hebrew University. She had no tricks and the lessons felt like a formation for a Sartre patrol. 3 hour and a half lessons a week, crazy amounts of homework, a test every week and two huge exams during the year.
If you survived all of this, there's a chance you'll know French (at least basic) and from there you'll have to continue on your own by reading books in French, speaking French to passersby who will snort at you with contempt, and watching movies without subtitles where the actors speak at the rate of a machine gun.
What options for studying French exist outside of university?
Studying French at university will provide you with a basic level of language, but not all of us have the time and resources to invest three years in the French department at Bar-Ilan and Tel Aviv universities (as far as I know, only there can you get a degree in French or French culture).
So what do all those who are interested in knowing French do in order to visit France or reach its treasures?French culture Directly without the need for an intermediary? Especially for you, I have collected a number of different options here, each of which will allow you to learn the language according to your needs and the amount of free time you have.
Frontal French lessons
The French Institute offers French language studies in a classroom format. You can enjoy these classes at any of the institute's branches, located in Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Nazareth.
The institute aims to teach those interested in communicating in French. The focus is on the spoken language, to enable rapid use of the French language. You can study in a group or choose personalized lessons.
The studies give you access to all events of the French Institute in Israel and its partners, as well as free access to the content of La Closerie - the mediatech of the French Institute in Tel Aviv, and the Culture-Tech digital library.
The French Institute's teaching staff is professional and skilled, and French is their native language. The courses are designed for all audiences, and for every level of French proficiency. For more information, click here..
Private frontal lessons
Since frontal classroom lessons are not suitable for everyone and there are quite a few who want private lessons that are tailored precisely to your needs, let me recommend two excellent teachers to you.
Lynn Levy
Lynn immigrated to Israel from Paris and lives in Paris. In addition to being a great French teacher, she is also a writer who has written several children's books and a playwright who has written several plays. And if all that wasn't enough, she is also a super talented person who can speak very quickly (when necessary), as you can see in this video.
If you would like to take private lessons with her, please contact her by phone. 0542571407.
Frederick Rebecca Sadeh
Frederic Rebecca Sadeh is a very professional and experienced teacher. She teaches in the IDF, at the French Institute, and in companies. She was born and raised in Paris, and French is her native language.
Her courses are designed for all audiences and all levels of French proficiency. Her goal is to strengthen self-confidence in speaking French through small conversation groups, with each weekly meeting discussing France through songs, tourism, gastronomy, wine, literature, cinema, and everyday life.
The lessons are held at her home in Tel Aviv and you are welcome to contact her by phone at 054-612-3517.
French lessons on Zoom
If you have some background in French, I recommend “French is Poetry.”
This is an online academy for learning French on Zoom through alternative methods, initiated several years ago by my dear friend Dr. Nofar Israel, and which receives many recommendations.
Despite her name, Nofar speaks Hebrew with a French accent 😉 She was born and raised inFrance And she has a doctorate in French literature.
You won't find traditional textbooks here. Nofar teaches French through songs by singers of all times, through shared reading of contemporary books, through lectures in easy French on literature, current affairs and society, through conversation groups and more.
Although the classes are held via Zoom, Nofar has managed to build an amazing community thanks to her happy and generous nature and the personal attention she gives to each and every one of her students, as well as the festive spirit in which the meetings are held.
Super valuable bonus: Nofar has built a 24/7 open Zoom channel for her community, where students can initiate spontaneous meetings and practice French with each other. The cherry on top – on this channel, they meet once a week for coffee-philosophy according to the best French tradition and discuss together in French around a philosophical question, led by Nofar herself, or one of the facilitators she has trained.
The Community Zoom and Philosophy Coffee are a free gift that Nofar gives to its student community.
I got you a bonus.
When you talk or correspond with Nofar on WhatsApp, mention that you are an anonymous Francophile and you will win a whole week of lessons with her free of charge!
You can contact Nofar through the website. French is poetry., or via WhatsApp to 054-7228262
Study French online with Frantastique
A few years ago, I was contacted by Gymglish, a French company that specializes in English language learning, and asked me to review their product, called FantasticThis is a site where you can learn French at your own pace and in a more fun way than usual. After playing with their product, I realized that there is finally an application for learning French for beginners to advanced learners, which I can recommend wholeheartedly.
So what's so good about Frantastique?
It's just fun.
Let's start with the most important question in my opinion: Do I have fun learning French? The answer is... Fantastic She definitely is! Many of Frantastique's lessons begin with a cute and funny animated video that is part of an evolving story.
The plot is about an intergalactic agency that decides to take over Victor Hugo who was frozen along with other French cultural heroes such as Marie Antoinette וEdith Piaf And ask him to spread French culture. The problem begins when Victor Hugo has to return to Earth to obtain quality mustard, in order to prevent a revolution.
Sounds funny? Wait until you watch the whole video. I couldn't stop laughing (when you see their joke about Marie Antoinette You'll understand what I'm talking about.) This is a video in series, so you have a good reason to wait for the next lesson.
It's not oppressive.
Every lesson of Fantastic It lasts between 10-15 minutes and includes watching a video and exercises based on its plot. Through the exercises, you will learn about French grammar and slowly improve your vocabulary. The system is made up of five lessons per week and you have the option to decide on which days not to study.
The system allows you to set dates when you will be on vacation, so that you will not receive lessons on those days. Add to this polite reminders in case you forget to do one of the lessons and you will find that this way you study French every day long enough for it to be effective but not burdensome.
Study at your own pace and level
One of the things that surprised me when I started learning French through Fantastic It's that no one asked me about my level. So how does it work? At first, everyone is sent the same lessons and the system starts to learn you and your skill level. After 5 lessons, the system will start sending you personalized lessons.
The system is very smart. For example: in the first lesson, she noticed that I made some grammatical errors (I won't reveal them to you, because as you know, my French is perfect). In the next lesson, she sent me additional exercises, in which I would practice exactly the topics where I made errors.
Don't forget French culture.
As I wrote before, people learn French to get to know French culture and as part of the French course of Fantastic, they definitely get this information. They use important figures from French culture and even provide you with information about them. Also, at the end of each lesson they have a “dessert” where they show you a short clip from a French movie. The goal is to both teach you a little more grammar through that clip and also expose you to movies you may not have known about.
Can I get a certificate?
If you need a certificate that proves your knowledge of French, you will be happy to know that after about 6 months of study you can receive a certificate showing your level. This certificate is recognized by the French government, and can therefore be very useful for those who want to move to France and need to prove that they are fluent in French.
And they have AI, which really helps you practice the material.
The AI revolution that swept through our lives over a year ago didn't miss Gymglish, and they launched an app called AiMigo, which accompanies their lessons. It's an app that's available 24/7 and allows you to chat with Victor Hugo about anything that comes to your mind.
The app learns your interests and adapts to them, so by talking to it you both have fun and improve your French. Here's a short video that demonstrates this:
How much does it cost?
The price for the French course varies depending on the package you want and the amount of time you buy. The basic package starts at 23 euros per month, Premium costs 34 euros per month, and the Pro package starts at 45 euros per month. (The differences between the packages are mainly in the level of support you will need and whether you want to receive a professional certificate at the end of the course).
Want to try Frantastique? Get 15 days free
Before you decide whether to buy the courses – it is best to try them out. I am happy to inform you that I managed to convince them to give the readers of “Francophiles Anonymous” 15 days of free studyAll you have to do is click on the link below, go through a short registration process, and your first lesson is on its way to you.
To receive 15 days of free study, click on this link
Good luck to you and I would love to hear from you if you liked Frantastique and whether it helped you improve your French.
Want to learn more languages?
Following the success of Frantastique, the company that created these fun French lessons has also started teaching Spanish, German, and English. You can find these lessons at the following links:
- Italian lessons
- Spanish lessons
- German lessons
- English lessons for adults
- English lessons for children
Whether you chose a French course or are interested in other languages, all I can wish you is success and great fun!
First of all, thanks for everything, I love reading and following. I love everything about French and I started with an app for learning the language.
I really want to learn French, what is the price of the course you offer and where can I see the costs?
Happy holiday and a good signature⚘
French fries, what is the price please???
I was also looking for costs… How much does it cost???
Hi Ruthie.
The price is about 300 euros for six months, which comes out to about 200 NIS per month.
Try their product for a week and at the end of the free period you will receive the exact price.
Best regards,
deer
Are we obligated to work on a lesson every day or does everyone work at their own pace and receive the next lesson accordingly?
Hi Sherry,
You get 5 lessons a week, and if you don't do a certain lesson, after a few days you start receiving reminders until you finish the aforementioned lesson. Therefore, it cannot happen that a certain lesson will arrive if another lesson is not finished.
Is the course suitable for someone who understands and speaks French but lacks common expressions and slang?
The course definitely places a strong emphasis on spoken language, including slang. It also learns you and within a few lessons understands your level and adapts itself to you. If you register through the link on the website, you will receive a free week with no obligation so you can see for yourself.
And what about absolute beginners? Those who don't know French at all and want to start learning?
The service is suitable for all levels. You can take it for a week for free with no obligation and see for yourself.
Dear Zvi, amazing site. I am a huge “Francophile” (in my opinion), and I really enjoy the articles. Thank you very much for the fun. I plan to travel to Paris again, and travel to other places, after the current situation calms down, and I would be very happy to accept your offer to place orders through you. Keep up the fruitful work, and stay healthy. Best regards, Mickey Lombroso.
Thank you
Hello
If I take the basic package for 36 months, at NIS 90 per month, how will the payment be made? Is it possible to pay by direct debit through the bank every month (I am retired and live mainly on an old-age pension).
Hello Mickey,
I think this is done through your credit card which is charged according to the package you take. To be sure I would recommend contacting customer service on the site and getting a qualified answer.
Best regards,
deer
Thank you very much, our lovely and dear Francophile. France and French, it's not the name of a cheese... it's a culture and an amazing abundance of art, music, intelligence of a state of mind, and it is the original French, and its icing is love and beauty, chic, and medieval architecture, and technology. I even have a French car with delicate rims.
Hello Zvi,
You are doing a wonderful job! The site is great, diverse, in-depth and fascinating articles.
I met Friendstick through your website in 2020 and continue to study with them to this day. Very suitable for self-taught types.
All that's missing is conversation practice.
Thank you!
Glad to hear 🙂