French Tutors & French Lessons
A Romance language derived from Latin, French remains an official language of 29 countries, including Canada, France and the latter’s North African ex-colonies. Its European speakers number around 129 million who regard it as a first language, with a further 69 million using it as a second. French remains the second most-studied foreign language in the world, behind English (though 45% of English words have a French origin!) Our French tutors can guide you through to French Language Proficiency.
The French language is beloved for its melodious tones, giving it the title of ‘The language of love’. However, it can present difficulties to non-native speakers in its nasal vowel sounds and gendered nouns. While French and English share the same alphabet, the letters produce different sounds, and it is rare to find French words beginning with the letters ‘W’ and ‘K’ as they were not in the original French alphabet and only appear in foreign loanwords.
Considered by many to be synonymous with cultural and intellectual distinction, the French language has played a leading role in shaping the cultural tapestry of Europe and the rest of the world. Held to be the lingua franca of Europe for well over 800 years, French writers and intellectuals have authored some of the world’s most famous literature, poetry, plays, cinema and scholarship, so there are plenty of available resources to improve your French comprehension. The country is home to the largest museum in the world (The Louvre) and is the most visited country globally, offering metropolitan cities, beaches and rural villages.
One of the strongest in the world, the French economy is based on the manufacturing and service industries. Business culture in France leans towards intellectualism, with hierarchical debates and centralised workplaces. The French Institute offers specialised courses on Business French. Taking French language lessons will open various international markets.
There are various French proficiency exams based on your needs and language abilities. The DELF (Diplôme d’Etudes en Langue Française), DALF (Diplôme Approfondi de Langue Française) and DILF (Diplôme Initial de Langue Française) are the only official language certifications administered by the French Ministry of Education. They are valid for life, and aid those who want to study or live in a French-speaking country. The various levels in each qualification cater to children, teenagers and adults from 18 – 77 years old across all levels of the French language. In addition, the TCF (Test de Connaissance du Français) is a test of knowledge of French required for applications to French universities or for French citizenship. It covers listening and reading comprehension, writing and speaking. Under the TCF and TEF umbrella, there are also specific tests for those who intend to move to Canada and Québec.
There is also a GCSE in French and French A-Level administered by AQA. The topics covered include French society, culture and politics. Additionally, Cambridge offers an IGCSE in French.
French Courses and Tuition in London
Mayfair Consultants offers fully-qualified French tutors for private tuition across London. Our tutors are either native or fluent French speakers who use interactive and immersive approaches, focussing on extending clients’ vocabularies while perfecting their pronunciation and writing. We also focus on French culture and business etiquette. Many of our tutors use literary materials, as well as online, journalistic and other non-fiction sources, as part of their instruction tools. We work with learners of all ages and abilities, including those preparing for French GCSE, A-Level and IB exams, and those acquiring the language for research, travel or business purposes.
If you would like to arrange French lessons or have any questions about our courses or tuition services, please call us on Tel: +44 (0) 207 665 6606 or you can send us an email via our contact form.
Useful French Language Resources
http://www.delfdalf.fr/index-en.html – Language Qualification from French Ministry of Education
https://www.francophonie.org/ – Institution dedicated to promoting French
https://www.institut-francais.org.uk/ – French Institute
https://www.ibo.org/about-the-ib/the-ib-by-country/f/france/ – International Baccalaureate French Language
https://www.lang.ox.ac.uk/french – University of Oxford Language Centre French
https://www.mmll.cam.ac.uk/french/online-resources – University of Cambridge French Language Resources
https://guides.library.yale.edu/french – Yale University French Language and Literature Resources
http://www.sussex.ac.uk/languages/resources/french – University of Sussex French Language Resources
https://www.ncl.ac.uk/language-resource-centre/education-outreach/linguacast/french/ – University of Newcastle French Language Resources
https://www.open.ac.uk/courses/languages/french – Open University French Language
https://uk.ambafrance.org/Studying-in-France-7040 – Resources for Studying in France
https://www.france-education-international.fr/en – France Education International
https://frenchculture.org/resources – French Cultural Resources
http://www.fiaf.org/frenchclasses/frenchexam-tef.shtml
http://www.ciep.fr/en/delfdalf/DELF.php
http://www.institut-francais.org.uk
http://int.rendezvousenfrance.com
http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/french/
http://www.sussex.ac.uk/languages/resources/french
http://www.lang.ox.ac.uk/links/french.html
http://www.mml.cam.ac.uk/french/reading/online.html
http://www.ambafrance-uk.org/Studying-in-France,7040
http://www.openuniversity.edu/french
http://www.library.yale.edu/Internet/frenchsir.html
http://www.early-advantage.co.uk/product/MuzzyFrenchTrialOptin.aspx