This introductory class is intended for students with no prior experience in French. It is the first of 3 levels at the A1 beginner level.

Course content: Totem 1 - Dossiers 1 - 2

Make sure to purchase your textbook before your class: Textbook information

This introductory class is intended for students coming in from A1.1. It is the second of 3 levels at the A1 beginner level.

Course content: Totem 1 - Dossiers 3 - 4

Make sure to purchase your textbook before your class: Textbook information

This class is intended for students coming in from the level A1.2. It is thelast of 3 levels at the A1 beginner level.  Contact us to make sure this is the right class for you.

Course content: Totem 1 - Dossiers 5 - 6

Make sure to purchase your textbook before your class: Textbook information

This class is intended for students coming in from the level A1.3. It is the first of 4 levels at the A2 elementary level.  Contact us to make sure this is the right class for you.

Course content: Totem 2 - Dossiers 1 - 2
Make sure to purchase your textbook before your class: Textbook information

This class is intended for students coming in from the level A2.1. It is the second of 4 levels at the A2 elementary level.  
Contact us to make sure this is the right class for you.

Course content: Totem 2 - Dossiers 3 - 4
Make sure to purchase your textbook before your class: Textbook information

This class is intended for students coming in from the level A2.2. It is the third of 4 levels at the A2 elementary level.  
Contact us to make sure this is the right class for you.

Course content: Totem 2 - Dossiers 5 - 6
Make sure to purchase your textbook before your class: Textbook information

This class is intended for students coming in from the level A2.3. It is the last of 4 levels at the A2 elementary level.  Contact us to make sure this is the right class for you.

Course content: Totem 2  - Dossiers 7 - 8

Make sure to purchase your textbook before your class: Textbook information

This class is intended for students coming in from the level B1.1. It is the second of 4 levels at the B1 intermediate level.  Contact us to make sure this is the right class for you.

Course content: Totem 3 - Dossiers 3 - 4
Make sure to purchase your textbook before your class: Textbook information

This class is intended for students coming in from the level B1.4. It is the first of 4 levels at the B2 intermediate level.  Contact us to make sure this is the right class for you.

Course content: Cosmopolite 4 - Dossiers 1 - 2
Make sure to purchase your textbook before your class: Textbook information

This class is intended for students coming in from the level C1.2. It is the third of 6 levels at the C1 advanced level.  Contact us to make sure this is the right class for you.

Course content: Cosmopolite 5 - Dossier 3
Make sure to purchase your textbook before your class: Textbook information

Program

• Dec. 7 Les Fêtes d'hiver/ Winter holidays: Talk about your traditions and holidays. Learn about French holiday traditions.
• Watch Podcast 1, Podcast 2, Podcast 3.

• Jan 25:  Les résolutions de 2026.
• Watch Podcast

• Feb 15: Le Mardi Gras.
• Watch Podcast

• March 15:  Les recettes de famille. Faire la cuisine.
• Watch Podcast

Past topics

• Sept 2025:  La Rentrée/Back to School: Talk about your school days and what you like to study. How does the French school system differ from where you were a student?
  Watch Podcast
• Oct 2025: La Famille et les amis / Family and Friends: Talk about your family and friends. Where do your ancestors come from? What do you like to do with your family and friends?
  Watch Podcast
  
• Nov 2025: La Vie à KC /Life in KC: Talk about festivals, activities, sports, museums and all the great fun to have right here in KC! 
  Watch Podcast

This class takes place over a series of 5 sessions throughout which we will discuss how words have developed into their current forms in Modern French and how interested students might successfully pursue further etymological research on their own.

The series is tought by Dr. Andrew Clark will be held in English, so regardless of your level in French, you will be able to enjoy this class.

Nearly everything in French is thousands of years old: from Latin, Greek, Frankish Germanic, and other Indo-European and even Semitic languages, the adoption and evolution of words, syntax, and grammatical structures follow specific rules that can easily be understood with the basic instruction of a few starting principles.

Since with respect to the changing of individual words over time – in addition to the omnipresent historical, geopolitical, and cultural influences – the physiology of the human body plays the most important role, we will thus begin with the exciting fundamentals of phonetics and train our minds to understand how the mouth produces the sounds of language. We will then move on to the composition of word forms (Morphology), the principles of spelling (Orthography), and the relationship of parent languages to their daughters (Comparative and Historical Linguistics).

Course Highlights 

1. Session 1: Introduction
   Phonetics, Morphology (Roots and Affixes), and how the French language emerges out of Latin; Modern French words case studies
2. Session 2: Orthography, Phonetics and Syntax
   Principles of spelling, sound, and grammar; Modern French word case studies
3. Session 3: The logic of verb conjugation
   Present and "passé composé"; Modern French words case studies
4. Session 4: Modern French words case studies
   Seeing how some words have evolved to become what they are in Modern French  
5. Lesson 5: “How to do your own Etymology”
   Interactive workshop day – work backward and forward through time to guess either the origin or outcome of both ancient and modern words; bring a list of interesting words to do etymology together in real time

Pace: 2hrs per week for 5 weeks
Saturdays: 1 pm-3pm

👉Classes start on Saturday February 14, 2026

Each week, join Jean-Louis, for a Conversation en Français.

✨ This is a great opportunity to practice your French while exploring the French Culture! We can’t wait to help you add some flair to your French conversations!

• This is seasonal course cycle of 10 sessions.
• You can select any or all of this season's remaining sessions here.
• Cost: $20 per class.
  
• By enrolling in at least 5 sessions, you get a 15% discount at checkout.
• To enroll in multiple sessions select a day/time and add it to your cart.
• Repeat for each session you would like to enroll in before proceeding to your cart to check out.

Program of the 10 weeks of the Winter session

• Week 1 – Monday, January 12
  The Seventh Art (Cinema)
  Topic: Which film changed your view of the world? French cinema vs. Hollywood.
• Week 2 – Monday, January 19
  Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Work
  Topic: Is AI a threat to human creativity? (Debate around ChatGPT, generative art, etc.)
• Week 3 – Monday, January 26
  Fashion and “French” Elegance
  Topic: Is fashion an art form or a superficial industry? The impact of fast fashion.
• Week 4 – Monday, February 2
  Media and “Fake News”
  Topic: How can we stay informed today without being manipulated? The role of social media.
• Week 5 – Monday, February 9
  Humor and Satire
  Topic: Can we laugh about everything? Irony and second-degree humor in France vs. other cultures.
• Week 6 – Monday, February 16
  Myths and Urban Legends
  Topic: Why do we need to believe in the supernatural? (Ghosts, creatures, conspiracy theories.)
• Week 7 – Monday, February 23
  Architecture and the City of Tomorrow
  Topic: Should we demolish to rebuild, or preserve everything? (Haussmann’s Paris vs. eco-districts.)
• Week 8 – Monday, March 2
  Education and Knowledge Transfer
  Topic: What is the role of school today: learning a trade or learning how to think?
• Week 9 – Monday, March 9
  Nostalgia and the Passage of Time
  Topic: Was it better before? Why is retro culture so popular (vinyl records, vintage)?
• Week 10 – Monday, March 16
  Music and Emotions
  Topic: Is music a universal language? The importance of lyrics vs. melody.