Award-Winning French Courses & Classes in Houston, TX

Varsity Tutors is the only resource you need if you're looking for a top-quality Houston French course. French has almost 300,000,000 speakers worldwide, including geographic areas you would expect (France, Canada) as well as some locales you may not immediately think of (Monaco, Southeast Asia, Lebanon, West Africa, etc.). It is also commonly utilized in the business community and recognized as one of the UN's official languages in international affairs. Clearly, French is one of the world's most significant languages.

Every individual has their own reason for studying French. High school students at local schools such as Memorial High School and Carnegie Vanguard High School may take it to fulfill their graduation requirements. Similarly, an undergrad attending a college such as the University of Houston may need to take a language in order to earn their degree. Working professionals may study French as a means of enhancing their resume, and world travelers often learn it to make more out of trips to Francophone areas. Heck, maybe you're a lifelong learner interested in studying primary French texts in their original form, or just somebody craving a new intellectual challenge. There is no wrong reason to study French, so know that your reason is a good one.

Sadly, deciding that you would like to learn French and actually doing so can be two very different things. Both French and English were derived from Latin, so there are many points of commonality between them. The alphabet is the same, and several cognates (words that mean roughly the same thing in both languages) exist. For example, "le basketball" means exactly what you would expect it to. Unfortunately, these similarities can make the differences harder to grasp. The letters are the same, but French has a lot of accent marks that produce phonetic sounds that are completely foreign to English-speaking ears. There are also false cognates, words that sound the same but have completely different meanings. For instance, "oui" means yes in French, but "we" is a pronoun in English. We (not oui) can enroll you in a Houston French class today to help you work on your French skills.

What skills can I work on in a Houston French course?

One of the biggest learning obstacles to learning a new language is frequently a lack of conversation partners to practice with. It's easy enough to listen to French media and look up unfamiliar phrases online, but you don't get that same sense of interaction that you can from a live partner. Enrolling in a Houston French class means that you have a set block of time each week to practice your French skills with a fluent speaker. For advanced students, sessions may even be conducted exclusively in French to force you to get more comfortable with it.

Taking a class can also help you work on your French writing skills. For example, set phrases such as "je veux" (I want) can be used on any assignment where you're asked to produce an opinion, making it easier to get something on the page and feel like you're making progress. Your teacher may also show you how to compose an outline to help organize your thoughts, an effective technique no matter which language you ultimately compose in. Your instructor can also provide constructive criticism of your work, helping you identify what you did well and areas of opportunity for improvement.

The finer points of French grammar are also a common topic of discussion. Most French verbs are conjugated in a set way based on their last two letters, with "er," "ir," and "re" verbs being the most common. That said, irregular verbs such as etre (to be) follow unique rules, and they're too common to try to just avoid. Your instructor can teach you the general rules while noting important exceptions as they arise.

If your studies have a historical or cultural component, your instructor can also help you with that aspect. This is likely to feel more like a social studies class than learning a new language, but understanding the history and culture that has produced a language is often a good step toward understanding why a language works the way it does.

How does Varsity Tutors structure each Houston French course?

Each course we provide consists of a virtual classroom full of students with a knowledgeable teacher leading the class. Every instructor has been thoroughly vetted so you can count on studying under a great communicator with a strong foundation in the fundamentals of all aspects of French. Your teacher is also available for private study sessions outside of normal course meeting hours, allowing you to seek personalized extra help on an as-needed basis.

Our exclusive live virtual platform also allows you to communicate with your peers in real time. Working with other students may seem like an unwelcome distraction at first glance, but it can actually be a good thing. Listening to your classmates can expose you to new dialects and accents, providing a more realistic simulation of what it would be like to hear French spoken in a Francophone country. You can also work together to establish a collaborative learning environment that may make it easier to develop a deeper understanding of French mechanics. For instance, you can try to help each other out while the teacher is busy with another student.

We also try to make attending a class as convenient as possible. We offer two-week and four-week options to make it easier to find a fit for your lifestyle. Similarly, new classes start on a monthly basis so you never need to wait too long to enroll in one. Add in the convenience of studying online, and it really couldn't get any easier.

Can I sign up for a Houston French course today?

Yes you can. Simply reach out to an educational consultant using the contact info provided on this page to learn more about how to enroll in a Varsity Tutors Houston French class today. We eagerly anticipate working with you!