Are you an English-speaking Ottawan who wants to improve your French? It may be a question of starting from scratch or of reviving some almost-forgotten elements acquired in school long ago.
In either case, this article will provide useful suggestions on how to learn Canadian French online and find language training in Ottawa. Furthermore, if you’re still a student, French isn’t your specialization and you have a lot of other tasks to handle, you can hire an essay writer UK. Professional helpers will happily save your time and give you a chance to do what you truly love.
1. Start Taking Private Lessons
Even though it might be hard to find a thoroughly competent French tutor in Ottawa who meets both your goals and schedule, it is still undeniably one of the best ways to make rapid progress without any wasted efforts.
A Canadian trained or provincially certified teacher would be the best option, but a recently graduated Francophone student is okay for a start too. The most important thing is that he or she had experience in teaching French as a second language and knew the linguistic peculiarities of Canadian French.
2. Get an Ottawa Public Library Card
If you are a member of the Ottawa Public Library, you can access for free:
- An online tool Mango Languages which offers around 40 language learning courses for English speakers;
- A database CHOIX Média that lists 40,000 titles in French every year, in all fields and for all audiences, on multiple media;
- A database Eureka.cc which allows you to read full articles, columns, and features from the major French-Canadian newspapers and magazines. For example, Protégez-vous and L`Actualité.
- Online courses L’amour des temps to improve French grammar.
You can get a free library card in three cases:
- You live in Ottawa
- Pay property tax to the City of Ottawa
- Have a SmartLibrary membership
3. Check Out The Online Lessons by Tv5monde
The open-access interactive website «Première classe» has been created by the famous French television network in partnership with Belgium. It is aimed at older teenagers and adults who have no knowledge of French and who wish to acquire a rudimentary basis for quick and easy communication with francophones.
Now it has more than 500 exercises on basic topics: greetings, activities, meals, housing, work and health, and is strongly recommended to language learners by the French Embassy in Canada.
4. Look for Educational Programs at the University of Ottawa
«UOttawa» is the largest bilingual English-French university in the world. Located at the heart of Canada’s capital, it offers lots of various immersion studies and online language courses.
Moreover, students who would like to socialize in French and participate in interesting activities can also join the Immersion Club. It organizes various social and cultural activities on campus throughout the year such as movie nights, trips to Montréal for the Nuit blanche festival, board game nights, etc.
5. Join the Club Social Francophone et Francophile (CSFF)
CSFF is an online group of people that meet weekly to speak French in Ottawa and delighted to welcome among their ranks new francophiles or francophones. They use an innovative concept FRANCO-ANGLO that enables fully fluent English speakers and fully fluent French speakers to practice their second language skills.
The classes are held on Fridays at the Café Equator, National Arts Centre and Saturdays in The Royal Oak Pub. Participation in the event is $1 per member.
6. Start attending Ottawa French Conversation Express Meetup
Ottawa French Conversation Express Meetup is another online group of the French language lovers who want to improve their speaking skills.
They organize different in-person workshops under the guidance of experienced French teachers. Their classes are suitable for everyone: novices with a limited vocabulary and very little knowledge of French, intermediate and advanced speakers.
The group usually meets up on Saturdays at Starbucks Cafe on Preston Street. The participation fee is $10.
7. Learn Canadian French at the Algonquin College Language Institute
Algonquin College in Ottawa offers 8 levels of proficiency and a perfect bilingual workplace. All levels complement each other and are built upon the concepts and vocabulary previously introduced.
Its French as a Second Language course provides students with an understanding, not only of the language but also of the vibrant French-Canadian culture. There is also the opportunity to expand knowledge and accuracy in the usage of grammatical structures in the Grammatical Skills course.
Each level lasts about 2 months with classes held twice a week. The price varies: $354.20 for a standard FSL level and $719.00 for an intensive one.
As you can see there are many possibilities to learn French in Canada regardless of your language skills and financial capabilities. You can go to college or hire a private tutor, attend fee-based courses or use free learning platforms, study remotely or meet up offline.
All you need to do is choose one of the training options and try. We’re sure that after a couple of months of dedicated study, you will already remember the long-forgotten «Passé composé» and start speaking «la langue de Molière» much more fluently.
Photo: Gerd Altmann Pixabay