Next session

WINTER SESSION 2 2024

Classes start on the week of 

Monday, February 26th, 2024

ALL CLASSES REMAIN ONLINE WITH ZOOM

Early bird member discount 10% till Friday, February 23rd 2023 

 

TO REGISTER FOR A CLASS AND RECEIVE THE EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT, IT IS NECESSARY TO BE A MEMBER. If you are not a member, please buy your membership for 12 or 24 months. You can use our online store for memberships, classes, books, activities & donations. You are welcome to purchase a membership over the phone if you prefer - At this time and until further notice, the AFT office and school remain closed. 

CLASSES FOR GROUPS OF 3 STUDENTS (minimum number) ARE 1 HOUR, CLASSES FOR GROUPS OF 4 OR MORE STUDENTS ARE 1 AND A HALF HOUR.

New students with prior experience in French language learning are invited to contact us directly by phone or by email to arrange for a short placement test.

ALL CLASSES FOR THIS SESSION WILL TAKE PLACE  ONLINE UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.

Please also review our policies

 

BEGINNER CLASSES

A1.1 (complete beginner - part 2). Thursdays with Victoria at 6p - Zoom

The students in this class have been exposed  to and have practiced the very basics of French. In the upcoming session concepts will be reinforced: greetings/salutations, introducing yourself and others, communicating basic information about yourself and others, expressing likes and dislikes, negation, numbers, alphabet, and basic sounds.

The textbook for this class is INTÉRACTIONS 1 (Méthode de français A1.1 - deuxième édition). It is available for purchase on Amazon.com. Click here -   From 03/07/24 to 04/11/24 - Early bird member rate: $138 and regular member tuition fee: $154 (tuition only) - Please note that there needs to be a minimum enrollment of 4 students in the class to honor the early bird/regular member rates. If the enrollment is 3, the rate increases to $170.

 

A1 (false beginner), Tuesdays with Victoria at 4p - Zoom 

This course is designed for false beginners to strengthen their competency in French. They have previously learned the basics of the French language and wish to increase their competency. The students in the class have mainly studied the present tense and the formation to express the near future. They have dabbled with the compound past tense and will reinforce the formation of this tense in the upcming session.  

 From 02/27/24 to 04/02/24.  Early bird member rate: Early bird member rate: $138 and regular member tuition fee: $154 (tuition only). Please note that there needs to be a minimum enrollment of 4 students in the class to honor the early bird/regular member rates. If the enrollement is 3, the rate increases to $170.

 

A1/A2 (false beginner/high beginner), Mondays with Victoria at 4p - Zoom (this class begins one week later)

This course is designed for beginners to strengthen their competency in French. The student has studied beginner French in the past and now wishes to push forward. The basics of the language are studied, reviewed and reinforced. The compound past tense (passé-composé) and future tense have been introduced. In the upcoming session, both tenses will be practiced along with vocabulary pertaining to travel. Please contact us for a short placement test.  

From 02/26/24 to 04/01/24 - Early bird member rate: $138 and regular member tuition fee: $154 (tuition only). FREE MATERIALS PROVIDED BY THE AFT AND DELIVERED DIGITALLY. Please note that there needs to be a minimum enrollment of 4 students in the class to honor the early bird/regular member rates. If the enrollement is 3, the rate increases to $170.

 

ADVANCED BEGINNER, LOW INTERMEDIATE CLASSES

A2 (high beginner), Mondays with Victoria at 6p - Zoom (this class begins one week later)

This course is designed for students who are able to comfortably express the past, present, and future tenses in a variety of contexts and wish to strengthen their competency in French and continue making progress. The basics of the language are studied, reviewed and reinforced. The compound past tense (passé-composé) and future tenses have been introduced. In the upcoming session, participants will be introduced to the conditional tense in various contexts and hypothetical sentences will be practiced. Please contact us for a short placement test.  

FREE MATERIALS PROVIDED BY THE AFT AND DELIVERED DIGITALLY - From 02/26/24 to 04/01/24- Early bird member rate: $138 and regular member tuition fee: $154 (tuition only). FREE MATERIALS PROVIDED BY THE AFT AND DELIVERED DIGITALLY.

 

INTERMEDIATE, HIGH INTERMEDIATE CLASSES

B1 (intermediate), Thursdays, from 10a to 11:30am with Victoria - Zoom

This course is designed for intermediate to high intermediate level students working to strengthen their competency in French. Students in this class can communicate the past and the future, as well as hypothetical situations, and express opinions on a variety of topics and in a variety of contexts. They have also studied the subjunctive mood. In the upcoming session, the participants will begin a graphic novel ‘Simone Veil: L’Immortelle’  based on the life of Simone Veil, an emblematic figure in France who is remembered as a beacon of courage and justice. The graphic novel is available in Amazon Kindle format. Grammar and vocabulary will also be studied in context.

To register for this class, please email us first so that we can arrange a short placement test by phone. Materials provided by instructor and students. From 02/29/24 to 04/04/24 Early bird member rate: $138 and regular member tuition fee: $154 (tuition only). 

 

 B1/B2 (low intermediate to high intermediate), Conversations du dimanche, Sunday morning with Victoria, at 10.30a - Zoom (this class begins one week later)

Enjoy your favorite breakfast food and beverage while having a friendly, low key Sunday morning chat en français. A variety of topics will be discussed with an emphasis on form, vocabulary and pronunciation. Students are encouraged make short weekly presentations, with visuals as a support, on topics either chosen by them or the instructor. At times a grammatical component is highlighted and incorporated into the presentations.

To register for this class, please email us first so that we can arrange a short placement test by phone. Materials provided by instructor and students. From 03/03/24 to 04/07/24  Early bird member rate: $138 and regular member tuition fee: $154 (tuition only). Please note that there needs to be a minimum enrollment of 4 students in the class to honor the early bird/regular member rates. If the enrollement is 3, the rate increases to $170.

 

HIGH INTERMEDIATE, ADVANCED CLASSES

C1 - Advanced Reading and Conversation, Friday at 10a with Liz - Zoom

Through selected readings chosen by the instructor and with an emphasis on current events in France and the francophone world, students will fine tune their reading skills, develop their vocabulary, increase their knowledge of French and francophone cultures and develop their abilities to analyze and express the authors’ motivations as well as their own opinions.

To register for this class, please email us for a 10-minute placement test by phone. The class runs -From 01/12/24 to 02/12/24. Authentic reading materials provided by the instructor. Early bird member fee: $138 / regular tuition fee: $154 (tuition only). Please note that there needs to be a minimum enrollment of 4 students in the class to honor the early bird/regular member rates. If the enrollement is 3, the rate increases to $170.

 

C1 - Apéro / discussions, Friday at 4p with Lieve - Zoom

This class is for the student who has achieved an advanced level of French and who enjoys discussing works of French and francophone literature. Both students and the instructor will provide short readings of classic and contemporary literature. Readings will then be discussed. Instructor will lead the group by giving background information on the selected works and by providing feedback on the student’s speaking skills, choice of vocabulary and grammar structures with the goal of improving those skills.

To register for this class, we will need to arrange for a 10-minute placement test by phone.From 01/12/24 to 02/16/24. Authentic materials provided by the instructor and students. Early bird member fee: $138 / regular tuition fee: $154 (tuition only). Please note that there needs to be a minimum enrollment of 4 students in the class to honor the early bird/regular member rates. If the enrollement is 3, the rate increases to $170.

 

SPECIALTY CLASSES (in English)

French Cinema Series, Thursdays at 5p with Liz

Join Liz Guillen, our very own French film aficionada for a lively discussion of French cinema. Films will be selected according to different themes such as: classic celebrities of French cinema, historical drama, social commentary, Francophone cinema, famous French directors, etc... Liz will help you understand the historical, political, societal, geographical background of each film and will engage you in a lively discussion. A session runs 6 weeks. Each class will meet once/week for 90 minutes.

First, watch selected films from the comfort of your own home. Films will be available for streaming on either Kanopy for free, Netflix with a subscription, or Amazon Prime Video with a subscription or a rental fee. Then, join the class online for the weekly discussion.. Each week will  feature the exploration of a different film. From 02/29/24 to 04/04/24. Early bird member rate: $138 and regular member tuition fee: $154 (tuition only).

First proposed theme: Embark on a cinematic journey across France's diverse regions. Through a curated selection of entertaining films, uncover the essence of several French regions and gain a better understanding of the richness of France in all its diversity.

Thursday, February 29th: Antoinette dans les Cévennes (My Donkey, My Lover, and I - 2020) - Département de la Lozère (Central France) - Streaming on Kanopy, Amazon Prime Video

Thursday, March 7th: La Fille du Puisatier (The Well Digger's Daughter - 2011) - Département des Bouches du Rhône - Streaming on Kanopy, 

Thursday, March 14th: Ce qui nous lie (Back to Burgundy - 2018) - Département de la Côte d’Or - Streaming on Kanopy

Thursday, March 21st: Bienvenue chez les Ch’tis (Welcome to the Sticks - 2008) - Département du Nord - Streaming on Amazon Prime Video

Thursday, March 28th: Médecin de Campagne (The Country Doctor - 2016) - Département du Val D’Oise - Streaming on Amazon Prime Video

Thursday, April 4th: Visages Villages (Faces Places: A road trip - 2017) - Various locations - Streaming on Kanopy and for rent on Amazon Prime Video

 

Mosaïque series, Saturday at 10a with James

Mosaïque, a new AFT thematic series, created by James Minnett, a life-long resident of Paris and French history buff, invites you on a entertaining exploration of French culture through the presentation of a multifaceted mosaic of carefully selected examples from history, literature, the arts, and even current events. The series will help you  gain a better understanding of the intricate layers that compose the richness of French culture and identity.

In this first Mosaique two-part series, step into the gilded age of French history: La Belle Epoque. Join James Minnett, for an exploration of elegance and intrigue as you journey through this French cultural pinnacle. In part 1, discover the glitz and the glamor of Parisian high society, from Madame Strauss's salons to Marcel Proust's Madeleine and the transatlantic influence of John Singer Sargent. In part 2, delve into the darker side of the Belle Epoque, from the thrilling yet often seedy nightlife of Paris as seen by Toulouse-Lautrec to the momentous Affaire Dreyfus that divided France for more than a decade. With James as your guide, you will navigate the dualities of this fascinating period in French history. 

Part 1: Saturday, April 6th from 10a to 11.30a - The Gay Paris: Part 1 explores the Belle Epoque era, Parisian society and its literary salons, Marcel Proust and his famous madeleine, American expatriates in Paris, and the Art Nouveau movement. We will use illustrative examples like paintings, excerpts from novels, film and historical figures to bring the era to life.

Part 2: Saturday, April 20th from 10a to 11.30a - Long Day’s Journey Into Night: Part 2 dives into the darker side of the Belle Epoque, exploring Toulouse-Lautrec's depictions of nightlife, the tragic Bazar de la Charité fire, and the political turmoil of President Sadi Carnot's assassination and the Dreyfus Affair. We'll end by reflecting on the factors that led to the era's decline, including the looming shadow of World War I. Expect to see art, articles, and historical figures bringing these events to life.