Mini classes are a perfect opportunity to keep studying French without a long commitment. Each class targets a specific area or theme. December Mini classes are offered in a 3-week series, with 2-hour sessions each week.
Please register by November 22. Classes with low enrollment may be cancelled, so early registration helps ensure your class
can go forward. For last-minute registration requests, please contact the office at info@afportland.org .
To find the right level for you, check out our level descriptions here.
Registration
Unsure of your level? Click here to take a free placement test.
Beginner 1 Skills Builder
Perfect for building your foundational French skills! This supportive class strengthens essential beginning grammar, vocabulary and
conversation skills through interactive practice. You’ll review present tense verbs (être, avoir, regular -er verbs), basic question
formation, articles and gender, numbers, and everyday vocabulary for introductions, family, and daily activities. Prerequisites: Currently
enrolled in Défi 101–103 level class, or with an equivalent proficiency to level 103. Not sure of your level? Schedule a Zoom assessment.
Pace: Regular
Beginner 2 Skills Builder
Designed to strengthen and expand your A1 skills, You’ll review and practice essential grammar such as passé composé, object pronouns, negations, and more complex sentence structures, while expanding vocabulary related to travel, technology, leisure, and cultural topics. Through conversation, targeted exercises, and real-life scenarios, you’ll improve fluency, accuracy, and confidence. Prerequisites: Currently enrolled in a Défi 104–106 level class, or equivalent strong A1 level.
Pace: Regular
French for Travelers
Pace: Regular
French Nouns Made Easy
Pace: Regular
Grammar Workshop
Pace: Regular
Holiday Commercial Madness: French Through Christmas Ads
Pace: Regular
Intro to French Communication
Pace: Regular
French Holiday Traditions: From Noël to New Year
Pace: Regular
Grammar in Action
Pace: Regular
Phonetics in Action
Pace: Regular
Pre-Intermediate 1 Skills Builder
Perfect for strengthening your A2 foundations! This supportive class focuses on key grammar topics such as comparatives, superlatives, relative pronouns, giving opinions and advice, and using negation more confidently. You’ll also expand vocabulary and practice communication around everyday themes including sports, cooking, health, and meals. Through guided exercises, interactive practice, and conversation, you’ll develop greater fluency and accuracy while gaining confidence in expressing your ideas more clearly in French. Prerequisites: Currently enrolled in Défi 201-203 level class, or with an equivalent proficiency to level 203. Not sure of your level? Schedule a Zoom assessment.
Pace: Regular
Pre-Intermediate 2 Skills Builder
Perfect for strengthening your A2 foundations! Through guided exercises, interactive practice, and conversation, you’ll develop greater fluency and accuracy while gaining confidence in expressing your ideas more clearly in French. Prerequisites: Currently enrolled in Défi 204-206 level class, or with an equivalent proficiency to level 204. Not sure of your level? Schedule a Zoom assessment.
Pace: Regular
Intermediate 1 Skills Builder
Develop your intermediate French skills through engaging, hands-on practice! This dynamic class brings together students from the lower B1
levels, allowing everyone to learn from a wider range of perspectives and strengths. You’ll focus on applying B1-level grammar and
vocabulary in real-world contexts, practicing essential structures like past tenses, future forms, and the subjunctive. Vocabulary will
expand around topics such as memories, emotions, careers, hobbies, and everyday situations. Through guided exercises, role-plays, and group
discussions, you’ll strengthen your ability to narrate events, make plans, and express yourself clearly in familiar contexts. Perfect for
current B1 students enrolled in Défi 301–303 looking to build fluency and confidence at the intermediate level.
Pace: Regular
Intermediate 2 Skills Builder
Develop your intermediate French skills through engaging, hands-on practice! This dynamic class brings together students from
the higher B1 levels, allowing everyone to learn from a wider range of perspectives and strengths. Through guided exercises,
role-plays, and group discussions, you’ll strengthen your ability to narrate events, make plans, and express yourself clearly in familiar
contexts. Perfect for current B1 students enrolled in Défi 304–306 looking to build fluency and confidence at the intermediate level.
Pace: Regular
Cinema: ROBERT BRESSON : LE VISIONNAIRE MINIMALISTE
Join us on Zoom, beginning December 7 at 6pm, to discuss 3 French films featuring the French visionary Robert Bresson. Discover a film both thrilling and meditative, focusing on the fascinating theme of escape from prison {Un Condamné à Mort S’Est Échappé); Bresson’s final film, a harrowing yet humane observation of the indifferent, egotistical world (L’Argent); and perhaps Bresson’s most poetic, haunting, personal work – an unsettling vision of human cruelty, folly, and destructive behavior seen through the eyes of a donkey (Au Hasard Balthazar). You will be expected to see the three films on your own before each discussion. They are all available on Amazon Prime with English subtitles for a nominal rental fee.
Pace: Regular
French Cinema: Three Colors: Krzysztof Kieślowski’s Film Trilogy
What does it mean to be free, to love, and to live in solidarity with others? In this short course, we will explore these questions through Three Colors: Blue (1993), Three Colors: White (1994), and Three Colors: Red (1994), the celebrated trilogy by Polish filmmaker Krzysztof Kieślowski.
Inspired by the colors of the French flag and the ideals of the French Revolution—liberty, equality, and fraternity—the trilogy offers a subtle and provocative examination of human relationships, moral choices, loss, and the search for meaning in modern European society. Through close analysis of key scenes, cinematography, color, music, symbolism, and narrative structure, we will examine how Kieślowski transforms abstract political ideals into deeply personal stories.
Through guided discussion and accessible film analysis, participants will discover the visual and philosophical richness of Kieślowski’s work and consider why this remarkable trilogy continues to resonate with contemporary audiences.
Note: Students are responsible for obtaining or renting full films if they wish to watch them in entirety; class will feature selected excerpts. Class materials will be shared in Google Classroom. A subscription to the Criterion Channel is a requirement for this course. Prerequisites: 303 or equivalent.
Pace: Accelerated
High Intermediate 1 Skills Builder
Strengthen your upper-intermediate French in a dynamic, supportive setting! This class brings together students across the B2 spectrum,
allowing practice with peers at slightly different levels while working toward shared goals. You’ll develop greater command of complex
sentence structures and expand your vocabulary in professional, cultural, and social contexts. Through debates, discussions, role-plays, and
guided activities, you’ll gain confidence expressing nuanced ideas, defending opinions, and engaging with more abstract topics. Perfect for
current B2 students enrolled in Défi 401–406 looking to refine accuracy, fluency, and sophistication in their communication.
Pace: Regular
Advanced 1 Skills Builder
Perfect for refining your advanced French skills! This class focuses on complex grammar, nuanced expressions, and expanding vocabulary. Through guided exercises, interactive practice, and conversation, you’ll strengthen your accuracy, fluency, and ability to express sophisticated ideas more naturally and confidently in French. C1 level.
Pace: Regular
Advanced French: Current Events and Media Analysis
Pace: Regular
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PARKING
Street parking on SW 20th St. facing the Kamm House is limited. Free parking is available in Area D at 1838 SW Jefferson St (access off of 18th) . 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 open Mon–Thu, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., and Fri, 10 a.m.–3 p.m., plus during evening and Saturday classes. Check our homepage for occasional closures.Call us at 503.223.8388 during business hours or leave a message.
Email us at info@afportland.org.
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