Learning French in Paris on a Budget

Tailor-made lessons in Paris

If you are over 18, you may take a municipal course. In Paris, many organisations, such as the Alliance Française, enable you to obtain basic knowledge of French.

Courses run by Paris City Hall

Municipal courses for adults include French as a foreign language (F.L.E.) classes in several districts. They are available for people over 18 living in Paris, regardless of their professional status or their nationality.  

Students can choose from a wide range of classes tailored to non-French speakers with various needs: learning the alphabet for foreign students of non-Latin native languages, improving written expression, pronunciation, etc.  

F.L.E. classes are organised into five levels. Each level requires the validation of skills acquired in the previous level. There are also preparation classes for exams such as the Diplôme d’études en langue française (D.E.L.F.), a qualification of the Ministry for Education. Catch-up classes, spelling, grammar and literacy classes are also available for native French speakers.

How does it work?

Courses usually take place in the evening and are organised into modules which can fit into your timetable. The price of courses varies according to course length (annual or half-year classes) and the number of hours per week. To enrol, you will find registration forms in each arrondissement town hall and in the reception area of the City Hall (4th districts).

For more information, please write to:

Cours municipaux pour adultes
4, bis boulevard Diderot
75012 Paris
Tel: + 33 (0) 1 56 95 21 23

» Consult the list of municipal classes (in English)

Alliance française courses

The Alliance française in Paris offers a range of French language classes for different levels. The centre has more than sixty classrooms, a multimedia centre, a press area and a cinema room, etc.

Alliance française de Paris
101, boulevard Raspail
75270 PARIS cedex 06

Metro: Saint-Placide (line 4) or Notre-Dame-des-Champs (line 12)
Telephone switchboard: +33 (0)1 42 84 90 00

» Consult the Alliance française Paris website

- The French Ministry for Foreign Affairs has a directory of French as a foreign language training centres in France on its website: a useful tool.

- The website of F.L.E. centre groups lists the courses offered in each region of France. In Paris, 10 centres are recommended.

» Consult the map of France with F.L.E. centres

-Some universities in Paris offer F.L.E. lessons:

Université de la Sorbonne (Paris 4):

»French courses at the Sorbonne

Université René Descartes (Paris 5):

» French courses at René Descartes

» Consult the "Enrolling in primary school" document  (628 Ko)