New for 2026: French Summer Camp Chamonix

Top 5 Things to do Before your French Language Courses!!

This a very popular concern from you, our students and students-to-be, regarding the French language courses you are about to attend.

And of course it’s a very relevant one because you have decided to dedicate energy, time and money into learning French, so naturally you want to make the most of it and optimise what you can achieve during your time with us!

As language professionals we can give you plenty of advice to help you to prepare yourself. Of course you will have to adapt our advice to your needs and objectives for your French course but we can help you to find the best tools.

1. Get a good dictionary:

Must be easy to use and easy to carry. Make sure you buy it in your own country because if you buy it in France, the Grammar and the help sections will be for French people learning YOUR language and absolutely of no use for you trying to learn French!

+++ Don’t forget: the teacher is not a live version of a dictionary and you need to get used to looking up new words yourself as much as you can, this is a crucial and important tip!

2. Start a vocabulary notebook:

This is something we have all done in the past when learning a new language. It’s incredibly productive and enables you to build up vocabulary easily and efficiently so that you get the most out of your French language courses. Write words down, learn them, use them! You can organise by alphabetical order (English or French) or by theme; whatever works for you. You can’t be bothered to write? In that case, record vocab on your phone in your voice memo and it’s just as good! You can try just one word a day, or up to 10 if you are feeling ambitious, but give it a go and see for yourself how rewarding this can be!

3. Listen to French:

You might have a CD that you bought 3 years ago lurking in the back of a cupboard somewhere (maybe even still in its wrapper!). Well if this is the case, then find it and listen to it! Don’t looks for the best CD on the market, that one will do fine to get you tuned in to hearing French. If this isn’t the case for you, there is still no need to rush out and spend a lot of money on French learning packs, just tune into a French radio station such as France Info. Or choose another one, but one with lots of talking, not lots of music!

4. Set yourself a reasonable goal:

It’s a good idea to think about where you are starting from and what you would like to achieve. For example, ask yourself the following questions: ‘What do I need most?’, ‘What am I missing most?’, ‘Do I need to push it harder’, ‘Do I need to consolidate’, etc…

5. Know what kind of learner you are:

If you can find out how you learn, then you are giving yourself the best help that anyone could ever give you! Ask yourself: ‘What are my weaknesses?’, ‘What are my strengths?’, ‘How do I memorise things: visual, audio, kinaesthetic?’. Then apply this to your learning by making appropriate decisions: for example if I’m a visual learner, then I need to write a lot; if I’m an audio learner, then I might consider recording the lessons, etc… Also, please be honest about your ability to do homework, concentrate in class etc. These things help the teacher and the student to ensure that you get the most from your French course with us.

Finally: anything you do that involves the French language is a great start! As you can see, it doesn’t have to be anything fancy or costly. The key is to be diligent, regular and patient… Little and often is best. Bonne chance à vous tous! :)

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