50+ : French Language Course for Seniors

alpha.b’s Club 50 is the perfect French language course for adults already possessing a basic level of French that they wish to further develop, whilst also allowing them to discover many aspects of the stunning French Riviera’s culture. You will spend your mornings in our language school learning and improving your French during lessons taught by our native-speaking, university graduate teachers. And each afternoon, you will participate in various excursions and activities to expand your cultural knowledge and continue practising outside of the classroom.

So, how does the course work…?

Those with an A2 or above level of French are eligible for this 2-week course. In 2019, the starting dates for Club 50 are Monday 6^th May, Monday 28^th May and Monday 28^th October. The course is made up of 15 lessons per week which equates to 12 hours of teaching. These lessons are taught in the morning from 9:30-10:30/ 11:00-12:15.

Club 50 is designed to satisfy our adult clients and the principal focus of the lessons is to aid each student in becoming as confident and able as possible in their expression and communication of the French language. The morning sessions are taught in a light-hearted and ‘fun’ manner and are often based upon the afternoon activity. Our teachers use a variety of methods, including: debates, role-plays or news articles to keep the lessons both informative and engaging.

Interested by the prospect of this particular French language course? Want to find out more?

Continue reading to discover all of the information you might need/wish to know.

Day in the Life at Club 50

As you will have already read, the Club 50 French language course begins with morning lessons at our school. alpha.b is in the heart of Nice’s bustling city centre, just a stone’s throw from the main shopping street, ‘Avenue Jean Médecin’ – the perfect setting to experience the Niçoise way of life!

One of the advantages of studying French at alpha.b is the small class sizes. As a result, you will benefit from an intimate atmosphere and attentive teachers.

The lessons often feature discussions about French current affairs, which is a great way to inspire students to share their points of view and learn new and precise vocabulary.

In order to reinforce what you have already learnt, you will have a small amount of homework to complete, each night, for the following lesson. Not only does this provide structure, it also enables you to spot any issues/ problems you have so that you can tackle them, in class, with your teacher.

For example, in France the Conditional Tense is used: to indicate politeness or when giving advice. This will ensure that you avoid any faux-pas when ordering in a restaurant or asking for directions!

Firstly, in class, with a teacher you would go over the formation and rules of the tense. Then you would be expected to complete some short exercises, at home. The following day, you would re-visit this topic again in class, so that you can understand how to practically apply what you have learnt.

Our lessons are full of group activities and class participation, which creates a friendly environment where everyone will be able to contribute and receive individual attention from the teacher.

Although we offer a variety of activities at alpha.b (such as: trips, sporting activities, museum excursions), one of the most popular is the ‘dégustation’ evening where you will be able to try many of the specialities of the local Niçoise cuisine.

The tasting evening is often held at Chez Pipo, an authentic Niçoise restaurant close to the lively ‘Place Garibaldi’. Chez Pipo’s slogan is “aquì si manja la socca”.

Don’t recognise it? That’s because it is written in the Niçard dialect, which is no longer widely spoken in the region, but it draws attention to one of Nice’s most famous dishes: ‘Socca’ – a delicious sort of flat-bread made from chickpea flour!

You may have already heard of, and eaten, a ‘Niçoise salad’ – but this evening gives you an insight into some of the lesser-known dishes of the area… such as: ‘Tapenade’, ‘Pissaladière’, ‘Pan Bagnat’ and ‘Tourte des Blettes’.