November 30 - December 18, 2026

2026 December Mini Classes

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.

Registration Now Open
Registration Now Open



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

Adult
Children and Youth
Level
Location
Pace

Unsure of your level?  Click here to take a free placement test.

Beginner 1 Skills Builder

Minis

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

Minis

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

Minis
Planning a trip to a French-speaking country but concerned about navigating the language barrier? Join our four "French for Travelers" mini lessons and master essential skills like hotel check-ins, using the metro, purchasing tickets, ordering food, and taking the train. This course is designed for beginners with basic French knowledge and will be predominantly taught in French, with English as needed. Prerequisite is having completed level 101 or possessing an equivalent level online.
Pace: Regular

French Nouns Made Easy

Minis
Build confidence speaking French by learning to use nouns correctly in everyday conversation! This A1-level mini course focuses on noun gender, articles, possessive and demonstrative determiners, and how nouns function in sentences. Through guided speaking practice, you’ll learn to form more accurate and natural sentences in French. Prerequisite 101 or equivalent.
Pace: Regular

Grammar Workshop

Minis
This workshop offers a dynamic review of essential French verbs and tenses through a combination of structured drills and guided conversation. Each week, students will reinforce and recycle key vocabulary commonly introduced in the A1 level, helping build both accuracy and confidence in real-life communication. The focus of this session is the present tense, beginning with regular verbs and progressing to commonly used irregular verbs, allowing learners to deepen their understanding while actively using the language in context. No prerequisites.
Pace: Regular

Holiday Commercial Madness: French Through Christmas Ads

Minis
Get into the holiday spirit while discovering French through the magic of Christmas commercials! From charming holiday stories to funny surprises and heartwarming moments, explore French Christmas ads as a fun and accessible way to learn the language. You’ll build vocabulary, practice listening, tell stories, share your holiday traditions and preferences, and enjoy simple conversations in French. No need to speak perfectly, just come ready to watch, laugh, and communicate! A1 level. Prerequisite: Completion of 101 or French Made Easy.
Pace: Regular

Intro to French Communication

Minis
Join us for a Beginning French Conversation class designed for learners eager to develop their speaking skills in a supportive environment. In this course, students will explore a selection of everyday themes tailored to the group's level. Topics may include introductions, family discussions, sports, leisure activities, daily routines, grocery shopping, weather preferences, seasonal clothing, and pets. Participants will engage in interactive activities, group discussions, and role-playing, allowing them to build confidence and fluency in everyday French conversation. Prerequisites: basic French, 102 level or equivalent
Pace: Regular

French Holiday Traditions: From Noël to New Year

Minis
Discover the history and traditions of Christmas and the holiday season in France! Explore the origins of Saint Nicolas and Père Noël, the tradition of the bûche de Noël, the famous Christmas markets of Alsace,and French New Year’s customs. Through readings, videos, and guided conversation, you’ll learn how these traditions developed and how they are celebrated across France today. Prerequisite 106 or equivalent.
Pace: Regular

Grammar in Action

Minis
Put French grammar into practice! Rather than studying grammar rules in isolation, this course takes an action-based approach: you’ll use grammar to communicate, solve problems, make decisions, and complete real-life tasks in French. Through role-plays, games, and interactive activities, you’ll turn grammar into practical speaking skills and develop more natural, spontaneous communication. Prerequite 204 or equivalent.
Pace: Regular

Phonetics in Action

Minis
Make your French pronunciation more natural and confident through an action-based approach. Instead of simply studying individual sounds, you’ll practice pronunciation while communicating and completing real-life tasks in French. Through role-plays, interactive activities, and speaking exercises, you’ll work on sounds, rhythm, intonation, and connected speech—and put them into practice right away. Prerequite 204 or equivalent.
Pace: Regular

Pre-Intermediate 1 Skills Builder

Minis

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

Minis

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

Minis

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

Minis

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

Minis

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

Minis

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

Minis

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

Minis

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

Minis
This advanced French course is designed for students at the C1/C2 level who wish to deepen their understanding and analysis of French current events. Through interactive classes, participants will explore major events and debates in contemporary French society by analyzing newspapers, articles, reports, and television programs. The course aims to develop skills in oral and written comprehension and expression, enrich vocabulary specific to the media, and strengthen the ability to argue in French for complete immersion in the French language and culture.
Pace: Regular

Order This Course

$155.00 USD

Code: 26D Mini ActuCulture C1
This advanced French course is designed for students at the C1/C2 level who wish to deepen their understanding and analysis of French current events. Through interactive classes, participants will explore major events and debates in contemporary French society by analyzing newspapers, articles, reports, and television programs. The course aims to develop skills in oral and written comprehension and expression, enrich vocabulary specific to the media, and strengthen the ability to argue in French for complete immersion in the French language and culture.

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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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