About Our Language Courses

WICE offers French language classes plus French and English guided discussion classes, film classes, and free conversation groups. Language courses are offered from September through June, except during Christmas holidays and official public holidays.

2023 Winter Trimester courses will be held on-line via Zoom as WICE reorganizes following the closing of our office location. Some classes may elect to meet from time to time in a café or other shared space.

For optimal personal attention and expression, core language classes (French 3 and 4) are limited to a maximum of 8 students, film and discussion groups to a maximum of 10.

Which Level Is Right For You

Before enrolling for the first time in a language-learning course, you may want to complete our online Placement Evaluation. It will collect your responses and display your final score sending a notice to the Languages Department. While it is not required, this evaluation may help you choose the right course level. If you have questions thereafter, or are unsure which course to take, please email us at languages@wice-paris.org.

Currently WICE is offering core French classes for levels 3 and 4 only. (See below for criteria.) If you are interested in a lower level, please email us at the address above.

  • Level 3: Capable of having a conversation on familiar topics and routine situations, with some errors. Ability to deal with simple, straightforward information. B1
  • Level 4: Capable of having a more fluent conversation on a wide rante of topics. Strong vocabulary with few mistakes. B2-C1.
  • Film and Discussion courses: These classes offer an opportunity to practice your oral and language skills and to increase vocabulary in a stimulating, less formal context. To participate fully, an intermediate level is recommended.

English Placement Test

French Placement Test

UPCOMING EVENTS

  • BL011 Tuesday In-Person French/English Conversation Group

    • 01 Jul 2025
    • 09 Sep 2025
    • 11 sessions
    • Porte Vavin, Rue D'Assas, Jardin du Luxembourg, 75006 Paris

    Are you a WICE member staying in Paris for the summer? Do you want to keep on practicing your French/English? Join us in the month of July for a casual, in-person conversation group.

    The group will meet at the Jardin Luxembourg - Vavin Entrance on Rue D'Assas (the carrefour of Rues Guynemer, Vavin, and D'Assas). There are plenty of chairs around the entrance and the nearby Pavilion Davioud (pictured below).



    In case of rain or general preference, we will gather at Cafe Le Guynemer, just across the street from the Vavin Entrance.

    ****

    Êtes-vous membre de WICE et restez-vous à Paris cet été ? Souhaitez-vous continuer à pratiquer votre français ou votre anglais ? Rejoignez-nous au mois de juillet pour un groupe de conversation convivial en présentiel.

    Le groupe se réunira au Jardin du Luxembourg – entrée Vavin sur la rue d’Assas (au carrefour des rues Guynemer, Vavin et d’Assas). Il y a de nombreuses chaises autour de l’entrée et près du Pavillon Davioud. En cas de pluie ou selon les préférences, nous nous retrouverons au Café Le Guynemer, juste en face de l’entrée Vavin.

    Show details

  • BS151 French 2.1 (Beginner DELF A2)

    • 15 Sep 2025
    • 18 Dec 2025
    • 26 sessions
    • Hybrid: Monday live; Thursday on Zoom
    • 7
    Register

    Course Description

    This course is designed for post-bonjour beginners, either for first-time learners or those who want to refresh their French at a basic level.

    Throughout the course students will acquire the essential French skills (writing, speaking, pronunciation) needed to function in everyday-life situations.

    Each class will take place in a lively and friendly atmosphere that encourages students' enjoyment and active participation. Along with  linguistic exercises, references to French culture and gastronomy will also be presented.

    The course meets twice a week for 90 minutes (a total of 3 hrs/week; Mondays in person, Thursdays on Zoom); and is conducted in French. When necessary, supplementary explanations may be given in English. Class will not meet te 20th and 23rd of October during the second week of vacances scolaires. 


    Contact Languages@wice-paris.org with any questions

    About the instructor

    Nathalie Allain is a native French speaker with a master’s degree in FLE (French as a foreign language) who is also fluent in English, German, and Japanese. To future students, she says: “In addition to textbooks, I like to make French come alive by using the language to discover the culture and history of Paris in one field trip each month.”

     
    Contact Languages@wice-paris.org with any questions.

     

    Show details

  • BS152 French 3.1 (Intermediate, DELF B1)

    • 15 Sep 2025
    • 18 Dec 2025
    • 26 sessions
    • Remote on Zoom (online)
    • 6
    Register

    Course Description

    This lively French course will improve your ability to deal with an array of everyday life situations in French. This level is for students who understand simple, straightforward information and can express themselves in familiar contexts and take part in an everyday conversation on simple, predictable topics.

    Using interactive methods to ensure learner engagement and lasting progress, the course will help you develop your vocabulary, oral and written expression, comprehension, and pronunciation.

    Geared for learners with an intermediate knowledge of French, the 90-minute class will be held in French, twice a week for a total of 3 hours per week.

    The class will not meet on the following dates: 27 and 30 October (vacances scolaires).
    Contact Languages@wice-paris.org with any questions.

    About the Instructor

    Audrey Charmont has a Masters in Marketing and Communications as well as a DAEFLE (French as a Foreign Language). She has years of French teaching experience in France and abroad.

    Show details

  • BS181 English Guided Discussion

    • 18 Sep 2025
    • 18 Dec 2025
    • 12 sessions
    • Online via Zoom
    • 11
    Register

    Course Description

    This English Guided Discussion Group is open to people who have a strong intermediate or advanced level of English. Our group leaders suggest interesting topics and readings prior to each group discussion. If you enjoy reading, speaking, presenting, and engaging in diverse topic-centered discussions, this group is for you. In addition to learning and developing through guided conversation with other participants, you will also have the opportunity to get personalized constructive feedback. The group speaks only in English for one
    hour.

    The class will not meet on 30 October (second week of vacances scolaires) or 27 November (Thanksgiving). 

    Note: A Zoom link will be provided the day before the
    course begins. Be sure to check your email for it.

    Contact languages@wice-paris.org with any questions.

    Ce groupe de discussion guidée anglaise est ouvert aux personnes qui parlent anglais presque couramment (niveaux intermédiaire-avancé ou avancé). Nos animateurs proposent des sujets intéressants et des textes avant chaque groupe. Si vous appréciez la lecture, la communication, la présentation et la participation à des discussions
    diverses, ce groupe est pour vous. En plus d’apprendre et se développer à travers des discussions guidées avec d'autres participants, vous aurez également la possibilité d'obtenir des
    commentaires constructifs. Ce groupe de discussion guidée est un endroit idéal pour rencontrer d’autres passionnés de la langue anglais. Le groupe ne parle qu’anglais pendant une heure.

    Facilitators

    The group will be led by several native English speakers of varying interests and backgrounds.
    Show details

  • BS183 Exploring French History through Novels

    • 18 Sep 2025
    • 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
    • Le Nelson's Café, 16 rue de Coquillière, 75001 Paris
    Register


    Free for WICE members! Come with us on a captivating journey where literature and history intertwine to offer a uniquely vivid perspective on France's past. You’ll plunge into a vibrant tapestry of pivotal events, cultural shifts, and influential figures…while falling under the spell of some of France’s best historical novelists.  And then the discussion begins!

    Our meetings take place in French so you'll enhance your understanding of the past while simultaneously improving your French reading, comprehension, and speaking skills in a friendly convivial group.

    Group facilitator: Claudia Oudet, French teacher, editor, and translator, will offer linguistic help and literary/historical insights.

    We'll meet in person at Le Nelson's Café,

    16 rue Coquillière, 75001 Paris

    Métro : Lignes 1/4/7/11/14 RER A/B/D Châtelet Les Halles 
    Bus : 74 – 85 : Louvre – Etienne Marcel / Bourse du commerce


    Préparez-vous à discuter:

    “Les Rois maudits, tome 3: Les Poisons de la Couronne”

    Les Poisons de la Couronne ressuscite presque jour par jour, les intrigues, les haines et les crimes du règne de Louis X le Hutin, qui ne dura que dix-huit mois, mais dont les conséquences devaient être capitales pour la monarchie française. 

    Lorsqu'il meurt empoisonné, en juin 1316, c'est la première fois depuis plus de trois siècles qu'un roi de France décède sans laisser un héritier mâle.

    Come prepared to discuss:

    “Les Rois maudits, tome 3: Les Poisons de la Couronne” is the third volume in Maurice Druon's historical series, retracing the events of 14th-century France. It recreates almost day by day, the intrigues, hatreds and crimes of the short reign of Louis X le Hutin, which lasted just eighteen months, but whose consequences were to be momentous for the French monarchy.

    When he died of poisoning in June 1316, it was the first time in over three centuries that a French king had died without leaving a male heir.




    Show details

  • BS182 French Guided Discussion

    • 18 Sep 2025
    • 18 Dec 2025
    • 12 sessions
    • Remote on Zoom
    • 8
    Register

    Course Description

    This French Guided Discussion Group is open to people who have a strong intermediate or advanced level of French. Group leaders provide participants with engaging weekly readings on a wide range of topics prior to each dynamic and fast-paced seminar. If you enjoy reading, speaking, presenting, and engaging in varied, topic-centered discussions, this group is for you. In addition to learning through focused conversation with other participants, you will also have the opportunity to get personalized constructive feedback. The French Guided Discussion group speaks only in French for 90 minutes which gives participants an excellent space to practice.

    Classes do not meet during the two weeks of vacances scolaires: 18 October - 3 November.
    A Zoom link will be provided the day before the course begins. Be sure to check your email for it
    Contact Languages@wice-paris.org with any questions

    About the Instructors

    Brice Dardel and Brigitte Le Quéré, both native French speakers with extensive experience leading discussions, alternate weekly sessions.

    Show details

  • BS191 French 4.1A (Advanced Intermediate, DELF B2)

    • 19 Sep 2025
    • 19 Dec 2025
    • 13 sessions
    • Remote on Zoom (online)
    • 7
    Register

    Course Description

    This dynamic course will fine tune your abilities in an array of everyday life situations in French. Students at this level have the ability to express themselves on a range of topics. They are comfortable in most situations and have a strong vocabulary with few mistakes. Using interactive methods to ensure learner engagement and lasting progress, the course will facilitate your progress in vocabulary development, oral and written expression, comprehension, and pronunciation. Geared for learners with prior advanced-intermediate French, this course will be held in French once a week for 90 minutes. 

    This class will not meet during the second week of school vacation: 24 October. Contact languages@wice-paris.org with any questions. 

    About the Instructor

    Audrey Charmont has a Masters in Marketing and Communications as well as a DAEFLE (French as a Foreign Language). She has French teaching experience in France and abroad.
    Show details

  • BS192 French 4.1B (Advanced Intermediate, DELF B2/C1)

    • 19 Sep 2025
    • 19 Dec 2025
    • 13 sessions
    • Remote on Zoom (online)
    • 7
    Register

    Course Description

    This dynamic course will fine tune your abilities in an array of everyday life situations in French. Students at this level have the ability to express themselves on a range of topics. They are comfortable in most situations and have a strong vocabulary with few mistakes. Using interactive methods to ensure learner engagement and lasting progress, the course will facilitate your progress in vocabulary development, oral and written expression, comprehension, and pronunciation. Geared for learners with prior advanced-intermediate French, this course will be held in French once a week for 90 minutes.

    This course will not meet during the second week of vacances scolaires: 24 October.

    Please contact languages@wice-Paris.org with any questions.

    About the Instructor

    Audrey Charmont has a Masters in Marketing and Communications as well as a DAEFLE (French as a Foreign Language). She has French teaching experience in France and abroad.
    Show details

  • BO104 French Film Discussion

    • 10 Oct 2025
    • 12 Dec 2025
    • 3 sessions
    • Remote on Zoom
    • 9
    Register

    COURSE DESCRIPTION: For this advanced French course, you will watch a film at home (available on Netflix, Amazon Prime, Canal Plus, Orange, YouTube and other platforms) before a lively and engaging discussion in class. Each month a new film provides a basis for an immersive lesson with authentic spoken language and cultural reference points. If you love movies, there’s no more enjoyable way to increase vocabulary, improve conversational skills, and deepen your understanding of French cinema and culture. 

    Each discussion will focus on analyzing the film from different angles:

    • Creation; production; and reception, both critical and commercial
    • Screenplay, direction, and artistic collaborations such as script, cinematography, acting, and music
    • Specific features in the director's filmography and its place in the French cinema of his/her era.

    Fall trimester films

    Ce trimestre, nous discuterons de trois films de Claude Chabrol (1930-2010) est à la fois un cinéaste célèbre et méconnu. Il fut jusqu’à sa mort en 2010, un personnage public, se façonnant un portrait de bon vivant gourmand, joyeux et sarcastique. Il a attiré dans les salles de cinéma françaises environ 50 millions de spectateurs, ce qui est le cas de très peu de cinéastes français. Auteur d’une œuvre prolifique - 57 films, 23 téléfilms- Chabrol a filmé la France et la société - avec un prisme principal, la bourgeoisie – comme aucun autre.

    Comment choisir 3 films seulement dans cette œuvre immense qui parcourt cinq décennies ?  A travers trois thèmes : le couple et ses mensonges (La femme infidèle),  la vengeance et la culpabilité (Que la bête meure),  la morale  et la loi sous la France des années noires d’occupation (Une affaires de femmes).

    La femme infidèle

    France, Italie I 1968 I 1h38
    Avec Stéphane Audran, Michel Bouquet, Maurice Ronet

    Lorsqu’il découvre que sa femme le trompe, Charles décide de tuer son amant.



    Que la bête meure

    France, Italie I 1969 I 1h53, d’après le roman de Nicholas Blake

    Avec Jean Yanne, Michel Duchaussoy, Caroline Cellier, Maurice Pialat

    Pour venger la mort de son fils, tué par un chauffard, un homme se lance sur la piste du coupable.

    Une affaire de femmes

    France I 1988 I 1h43, d’après Francis Szpiner

    Avec Isabelle Huppert, François Cluzet, Marie Trintignant

    L’occupation. La province. La pluie, la guerre, le froid. Marie Latour vit avec ses deux enfants dans la pauvreté. Un jour, par sympathie pour une voisine, elle l’aide à avorter. Grâce à ses pratiques, elle parvient à vivre dans l’aisance. Condamnée pour l’exemple, elle est guillotinée en juillet 1942.

    • ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR: A graduate of Sciences Po Paris and ESCP Business School with a master's in political philosophy, Pascale Borenstein co-founded the first professional training course for screenwriters, the Conservatoire Européen d'Ecriture Audiovisuelle (CEEA), which she subsequently directed. From 2004 to 2017, she was Director of International Relations and Continuing Education at France's national film school, La Fémis, where she collaborated with the film departments at NYU, Columbia University, and Calarts. Pascale is the co-author of "Histoire de films français" published by Bordas and a lecturer at l'ICART (École du Management Culturel & Marché de l'Art).


    Show details

  • BO244 American Film Classics

    • 24 Oct 2025
    • 19 Dec 2025
    • 3 sessions
    • Remote on Zoom
    • 8
    Register

    Course Description

    Discover and discuss masterpieces of American cinema in this class for intermediate and advanced English speakers. You’ll watch a film at home on streaming, or borrow the DVD from your local library, before a lively and engaging discussion in class. You’ll be assigned one scene to watch at least three times! Every month you’ll view a film from an influential director so you’ll come to know the stylistic hallmarks of favorite genres and filmmakers.

    If you love the movies, this course is an enjoyable way to increase vocabulary, get comfortable with idiomatic expressions, improve your conversational skills, and deepen your understanding of American culture and cinema.

    Films for the Autumn 2025 trimester:

    We know all about the (male) “Buddy Films” in the United States—just think of the adventures of two men in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. But where are the woman buddy films? This trimester, we'll be discussing three films about women friendships.

    Girlfriends, 1978, by Claudia Weill, with Melanie Mayron (Susan Weinblatt), Anita Skinner (Anne Munroe), and Eli Wallach (Rabbi Gold). Girlfriends was a ground-breaking, influential independent film, made in in New York City in the early years of second wave feminism. It shows a complicated friendship in the context of its time, with twists and turns and ups and downs. The film is described by one critic as “intelligently written and beautifully acted,  [capturing] the rhythms of female friendship -- and late '70s New York -- with a deftly assured hand.”  It can be streamed on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV, among others. 

    Tootsie, 1982, by Sidney Pollack, with Dustin Hoffman, Jessica Lange, and Teri Garr.

    A chronically unemployed actor finally hits it big when he presents himself as a woman... but his personal life quickly gets out of hand. 



    Thelma and Louise, 1991, by Ridley Scott, with Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis, Harvey Keitel, and Brad Pitt.

    Two friends set out for a weekend road trip which leads them into complex and unforeseen circumstances. A commercially and critically successful film that, deservedly or not, became a feminist classic


    About the instructor:

    Ellen Feldman grew up in Philadelphia and currently lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She holds a Ph.D. in cinema studies from New York University and has taught film studies at the State University of New York, Geneseo campus, and Brooklyn College.
    Show details