French Class for Academics in Paris

Whether you're moving to France for a semester, preparing to give a lecture in French, or aiming to publish in an academic journal, you may need more than just "good enough" French.

 

Our private lessons are designed for international scholars — PhD candidates, researchers, visiting professors — and for curious, independent learners with a deep interest in French intellectual life.

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Here, learning French isn’t only about acquiring vocabulary or grammar. It’s about developing a voice — your voice — in an academic context. One that allows you to express ideas rigorously, write with control and depth, and participate in French cultural and academic life with full presence.

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Over the years, we've seen scholars find in French not just a language, but a tool for thinking differently.

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Tailored Instruction for University-Level Needs​

Our courses are fully bespoke. Each session is adapted to your academic background, your research interests, and the real-life situations in which you’ll use French.

 

That may include:

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• Writing abstracts, articles, or essays for submission to French or bilingual journals

• Preparing conference talks and oral interventions in colloquia or seminars

• Understanding feedback from supervisors, reviewers, or colleagues

• Navigating French academic administration, emails, and meetings

• Translating your own work from English or Spanish into French — with precision

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We don’t teach with generic textbooks. Instead, we draw from articles, essays, lectures, interviews, and literary or philosophical texts related to your discipline — whether you work in political theory, gender studies, literature, history, sociology, philosophy, art history, or beyond.

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One of our students, a researcher in anthropology, rewrote her English article in French after just six sessions — not perfectly, but with style, and more importantly, with confidence.

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Academic Fluency with a Human-Centered Approach​

We believe in rigor with kindness. Our tutors combine intellectual depth with a pedagogy based on trust, attentiveness, and flexibility. Most have experience teaching international scholars, postgraduates, and visiting researchers from top universities. But we also welcome independent learners — writers, translators, and thinkers — seeking to engage with the French language in all its subtlety.

 

Each lesson is an encounter, shaped around your questions, your challenges, your ambitions.

The goal: helping you build advanced French proficiency in a space where mistakes are not only allowed, but encouraged — as signs of learning and engagement.

 

We don’t correct for the sake of correctness. We clarify meaning — and rhythm, and voice.

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Learn French Through Ideas, Not Drills​

Our academic French courses are for those who want to learn through content — not repetition. You’ll explore language through:

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• Contemporary debates in French intellectual life

• Critical essays and literary fragments

• Speeches, lectures, and long-form interviews

• Comparative vocabulary across disciplines

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We’ve helped political theorists wrestle with Rousseau in French, and art historians refine a curatorial statement down to ten elegant lines.

This approach allows you to internalize not just words, but the structures of argumentation, the rhetorical codes, and the cultural references that shape academic French today.

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Support for Translation and Cultural Adaptation​

If you’re already producing work in English or Spanish, we can help you translate or adapt your texts into French — not mechanically, but meaningfully. That means preserving your authorial voice while finding the right tone, register, and idioms for a French academic readership. We’ll guide you through the choices that matter: formulation, syntax, footnotes, transitions, citations, and how to sound persuasive without sounding foreign.

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Who Are These Courses For?​

These courses are ideal for:

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• Visiting academics spending a semester or year in France

• Researchers preparing to teach or publish in French

• Doctoral students writing dissertations or preparing a soutenance

• Humanities and social science scholars seeking linguistic precision

• Artists and curators engaging with French-speaking institutions

• Independent learners and intellectuals drawn to French thought and expression

 

Whether you’re already fluent and want to refine your expression, or you’re building your skills from an intermediate level, we’ll meet you where you are — and help you go further.

 

These are not standard courses. They’re conversations — anchored in your work, your discipline, your ideas.

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FAQ​

Can I take classes online before arriving in France?

Yes — many of our students start remotely, then continue in person once in Paris. The curriculum follows you.

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Do you offer help with writing academic papers in French?

 

Absolutely. We help with structure, clarity, tone, and editing — including self-translation or rewriting of existing work.

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What level of French do I need to begin?

Intermediate to advanced (B1+ recommended). However, we can build a bridge for dedicated beginners aiming for academic contexts.

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Can I focus on a specific field like philosophy or anthropology?

Yes — we specialize in humanities and social sciences, and adapt materials to your exact focus.