TRY SOMETHING NEW WEEK


Try Something New Week - December 19 - 22

Winter 2023 program will be announced in fall 2023. Below you'll find 2022 program.

During the long winter break, the Alliance offers French learning experiences that go with the holiday spirit. Treat yourself to something exclusive and entertaining, or try something you haven't had a chance to do this year, before it's over. 

Buy two workshops and get 10% off. Use the code "WorkshopBundle". Offer valid until December 12!

 Beginner and Lower Intermediate Levels - CECR A1/A2



French Holiday Commercials - A1

Get in the holiday spirit and immerse yourself in comprehensible, beginner-friendly French with this workshop around the theme of holiday commercials. French commercials celebrating the holiday season will be used as a jumping-off point to tell stories, learn new vocabulary, and discuss holiday traditions and preferences. This is mainly a conversation-oriented workshop, with a lot of listening and some simple speaking, but we will also do some writing as a group. (This year’s class will feature new content from last year for those who would like to take the workshop again!)

Ideal for beginning/intermediate students (CECR A1/A2). 
Prerequisites: Completion of 101 or instructor approval.
Monday 6-8pm


Tourist French 101 - A1

Planning a trip to France or a Francophone country soon? This class will provide you with the tools you need to communicate while you travel. You will learn how to ask for directions, order at restaurants, and make polite requests, using key vocabulary and colloquial expressions.

Prerequisites: Completion of 102 or instructor approval.
Tuesday 9-11am


Mes bonnes résolutions pour 2023 - A1/A2

Whether you believe in making New Year’s Resolutions or not, this holiday-themed workshop will show you that they can be a fun way to improve your French! The workshop will focus on futur simple, futur proche, and everyday life vocabulary. You’re welcome to share your list of resolutions for 2023 with the class or keep it private!

Prerequisites: Completion of 103 or instructor approval.
Wednesday 6-8pm



Les expressions idiomatiques A1/A2

When speaking French, do you find that you often have something on the tip of your tongue, but you can’t quite express yourself effectively? An idiom or two might remedy the situation! In this one-time class, you will expand your vocabulary in French and learn new expressions to help you speak more naturally. 

Ideal for levels A1/A2
Prerequisites: Completion of 104 or instructor approval.
Monday 10am-12pm



Lower Intermediate and Intermediate Level - CECR A2 and B1


Dictée Festive - A2/B1

Learn and understand traditional French holiday songs through dictée! You will be introduced to new holiday vocabulary and test your comprehension skills by listening to classic and modern carols in French. La dictée is considered to be one of the best ways to learn the nuances of spelling and grammar in the French and is done by millions of children in French schools every day.

Prerequisites: Completion of 204 or instructor approval.
Tuesday 1-3pm

Enrich Your Vocabulary - A2/B1

Intermediate level students, this is your chance to enrich and polish your vocabulary by working on problematic areas such as cognates and false friends. Avoid common mistakes and take your French to the next level with this 2-hour workshop offered as part of Try Something New Week program!

Prerequisites: 204
Monday 6-8pm


Intermediate and Upper Intermediate Level - CECR B1 and B2



Jeux de rôle festifs avec le subjonctif, B1

Students will prepare for the holidays and practice the subjunctive by roleplaying a variety of typical holiday situations such as running last minute errands, putting up decorations, gift buying, meal cooking, party planning.

Prerequisites: CECR B1
Monday 1-3pm


Le Chandail (The Hockey Sweater) : A Classic Québécois Story, B1/B2

"Les hivers de mon enfance étaient des saisons longues, longues. Nous vivions en trois lieux: l'école, l'église et la patinoire; mais la vraie vie était sur la patinoire.” Québécois author Roch Carrier’s memoir about hockey and childhood heroes is so beloved, the opening lines actually appear on Canada’s five dollar bill! Get in the winter spirit and discover this Francophone treasure through the original text and short film. The focus of the workshop will be on written and oral comprehension, but you will also have the chance to express yourself in conversation and writing as we summarize the story and share our ideas. This is a class for upper-intermediate to advanced (CECR B1/B2) students. (Prerequisite: Completion of 206 level or instructor approval)

Prerequisites: Completion of 206 or instructor approval.
Tuesday 6-8pm


Montparnasse: Les Années folles, B1 and up

Travel back in time and discover a golden age in Parisian history. During the roaring twenties, Montparnasse was the heart of intellectual and artistic life in Paris. Artists came from all over the world to thrive in this creative atmosphere, including Pablo Picasso, Man Ray, Jean Cocteau, Erik Satie, Amedeo Modigliani, Ernest Hemingway, Salvador Dalí, and more. Learn about the cafés and bars that served as gathering places for the great minds of the era. Your teacher Melody, who lives in this neighborhood, will suggest visits and walking routes.  

Ideal for students starting at B1 level through C1 level.

Prerequisites: CECR B1
Monday 9-11am



Advanced level B2/C1



Que veut-dire transclasse?: Annie Ernaux et “l’auto-socio-biographique”

In books like Une femme and La Place, 2022 Nobel Laureate Annie Ernaux tells stories structured around ruptures. In both cases, the rupture is the death of a parent, but another rupture had taken place long before: a rupture with the socio-economic and cultural milieu of her parents, the world in which she was raised. Ernaux grew up in a working-class environment from which she distanced herself through education and choice of career. This atelier will weigh the term “transclasse” and examine the ways in which this term applies to Ernaux. Finally, participants will be invited to reflect upon (and write about) the ways in which they do or do not fit such a moniker. No prior knowledge of Ernaux necessary. Short excerpts to be provided.

Prerequisites: CECR B2
Tuesday 10am-12pm



"Il n'y a pas d'exil" : à la découverte de l’écriture d'Assia Djebar

Assia Djebar refigured the role of women in Algerian society before, during, and after the Algerian War for Independence, becoming one of the pioneers of modern Maghrebian Francophone literature. In this workshop, you are invited to discover some of the themes, motifs, and stylistic elements that characterize Djebar’s writing through a discussion of her 1959 short story “Il n’y a pas d’exil”. The text will be shared with the participants in advance. No prior knowledge of Assia Djebar’s works is necessary.

Prerequisites: CECR B2
Monday 10:30am-12:30pm


 WORKSHOPS In English

Study Skills

This workshop is designed for those wishing to develop a specific skill-set to learn the language more efficiently. Here's what you should expect from this 2-hour long workshop:

- How to take USEFUL notes and maximize them for learning.
- Learn to cultivate a success-oriented attitude toward the immersion approach.
- Clarify what NOT to do.
- Work smarter, not harder: tap into your brain’s memorizing powers.
- Tips for training your ear and your tongue to perform the mental gymnastics needed to speak French well.
- Strategies to milk your materials for every last drop of purpose they hold.
- A Q & A opportunity for honing in on your top study challenges.
- An introduction to listening resources available free online.

Prerequisites: none
Wednesday 6-8pm




Repas de fête bourguignon

Let us help you take your dinner parties to the next level - we are bringing a traditional French feast from Burgundy to your household! Attend this 2-hour cooking demo to learn all about how to cook Bœuf bourguignon, Gougères aux olives, Escargots, Sauce salade à la moutarde dijonnaise without forgetting about the Kir! Participants will receive the ingredients list so you can recreate this festive dinner for your guests. Our teacher, Lisa Rollot and her husband, Olivier, who hails from Burgundy will lead the demo.

Prerequisites: none. This cooking demo is in English!
Monday 6-8pm
Price: $25


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PARKING

Street parking on SW 20th St. facing the Kamm House is limited. Free parking is available in Lot B at SW 18th and SW Columbia. Please obtain a parking pass from the office. After 6 pm weekdays, students may park in the Willamette Dental lot at SW 20th and SW Jefferson as available.

OFFICE HOURS

The Alliance office is virtual
during the COVID pandemic.
Quickest contact is  info@afportland.org.
Leave a voicemail at  503.223.8388. 

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