The ABC of Learning to Speak French in Lagos

I did it through Alliance Francaise lagos. I had always wanted to learn French. I had interest in secondary school but classes were not so regular hence, I only understood the basics which almost everyone knows. Bonjour, Ça va, Merci Beaucoup, Très Bien, Bonsoir and a couple of other phrases. In truth it must have been a little more than that before starting classes at Alliance Francaise Lagos. I also had learnt the pronouns – Je, Tu, il/elle, nous, vous, ils/elles. I had also learnt the three most important verbs ( to be – Être), ( to have – avoir) and (to go – aller). Maybe I went just a bit further, I remember having learnt the conjugations of these verbs in present tense as a song but then that was it. That was all I knew.

LEARN FRENCH ONLINE WITH NATIVE SPEAKERS! SEND AN EMAIL TO FIND OUT MORE

Its a year since my first day at Class at Alliance Francaise Lagos and I will say I did it. Mama! I made it!. Je peux parler francais maintenant.  I have a DELF B1 Certification in French. I have a role at the World Bank in Washington DC, being bilingual put me at an advantage. I can speak french and hold up a conversation in French, of course I am not a native and I struggle sometimes. There are words I do not know, just like in English. There are times I speak slow, I sometimes have to think in English and translate in my head in French (very rarely though) but overall I would say that it’s been awesome and I applaud myself for where I am at currently.

My Reading Skills I would say is currently the best. I can read and understand almost anything in French, of course there are words I would have to check up but that’s fine, up next will be my listening skills, I understand perfectly when Africans speak french. I understand French folks, however sometimes it can be difficult especially when having a conversion with those who speak too fast and have an accent . However, this only happens when we are not having day to day conversations, it occurs when we are talking, arguing or expressing opinions on certain issues on which I  have limited vocabulary. My speaking can use a bit of work but I can communicate with ease and honestly that’s what I need. The most important thing is, I am not stopping but continuing in the pursuit of knowledge and to daily improve. Lets go through a bit of my journey at Alliance Francaise Lagos and what finally got me started.

Learn how to get started through my E- Guide to learning French!!!

What finally got me started was my Trip to Sao Tome and Principe HERE. Sao Tome  was a Portuguese colony and thus the people speak Portuguese, however, they almost had french as a second language thus, people mostly spoke Portuguese but a large sum of people could speak french also. Only if I could speak French yeah? I mostly survived using google translate and  hand gestures. On extremely rare occasions a met few people who spoke English and this travel experience was basically the turning point for me. I got back to Lagos and the intensive class was it for me. I took 6 months in total of classes A1 for 6 weeks A2 for 6 weeks and B one for about 12 Weeks and that was it.

I would not say I was the best student in the class, I know I am smart and able to pick up new things quickly, but what really worked for me was consistency and commitment. Putting in the extra hours, showing up to classes early (very important), studying after classes, listening to french songs, watching french movies, being actively involved in french cultural activities including competitions and public speaking, making friends who can speak french, bothering my professors with calls and messages and sending pictures and exercises for them to correct, also making friends who could only speak french and with whom you had to communicate with in french, using french learning applications and websites and also traveling to french speaking neighboring countries.

Purchase a $10 or N3,900 E- Guide to getting a US Study Visa

I thought to put this out there and help someone looking to start learning french, trying to find out how long it will take to grasp a full understanding of the language just like I was. I have a more detailed guide titled ‘A Nigerian’s Guide to Learning French‘ It has the extra things I did that will help you start out and get a grasp. The $10 E-Guide entitles you to;

1. Two page DIY beginner guide to learning French
2. A Native French Speaking Buddy
3. 15 French movies with English and French Subtitles.
4. 15 French songs with English Subtitles
5. 15 Mobile or Video Calls once a week for 6 months
6. Tips on Planning a weekend French Immersion trip like I did here, here and here
7. How to land internship, volunteer or exchange experience in a Francophone country like I did
8. Unlimited access to me via emails and Instant Messages for Tips and Tricks
9. Books, Mobile Application and Recommendations and;
10. Pre-Delf Preparation Tips

Think this sounds like a Plan Click this payment link for the E-Book and lets get started or send me an Email -olopadeanu@gmail.com to find out more. You can also connect with me on Social Media, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pintrest and Tumblr.

Alliance Francaise

Alliance Francaise or simply AF is an international organization that aims to promote the French language and culture around the world. its primary concern is teaching French as a second language and is headquartered in Paris.

Alliance Francaise Lagos

The Alliance Française of Lagos is a Nigerian non-profit institution in Lagos whose status has been approved by the Alliance Française of Paris. The Institute is involved with the training and education of Nigerians, most especially Lagosians in the French language and culture. Alliance Française has branches two branches in Lagos.

• Alliance Française Ikoyi

The Alliance Francaise Ikoyi is located at the Mike Adenuga Center on Alfred Rewane Road Ikoyi. Landmark is Osborne Foreshore Estate. The institution just moved to the new building which was commissioned by Emmanuel Macron in May 2019. The Alliance Française Yaba actually moved to the new site at Ikoyi hence, there are no classes anymore at Yaba.

• Alliance Française Ikeja

It is located at No – Muiz Banire street  Landmark is Arch Bishop Vinning Cathedral. It is inside Nursery and Primary School.

• Alliance Française Ibadan

The center at Ibadan is located at 7th Day Adventist Road, Ibadan, Oyo-State.

Alliance Française Website

The Alliance Francaise Nigeria does not have a website, however, there is an Instagram Page and Facebook Page also a Twitter Handle for people to reach out to them. It’s basic, I wonder why they do not have a website up yet.

Alliance Francaise Lagos Course Fees 2020

The table below shows the Fees as at August 2019.

WEEKDAY CLASSES 58,000 PER SESSION TEXTBOOK N10,000
	Time	Days	Duration
Morning Class	7:00am -8:30am	Mon – Fri	8weeks
Evening Class	6:00pm -8:30pm	Mon Wed Fri	8weeks
WEEKEND CLASSES 28,000 PER SESSION TEXTBOOK N10,000
Saturday Classes	9:00am -1:30pm 1:30pm – 4:30pm	Sat Only	8weeks
INTENSIVE PROGRAM 58,000 PER SESSION TEXTBOOK N10,000
Morning Class	8:30am – 11:30am / 11:30 – 2:00pm	Mon – Fri	4weeks
SUMMER INTENSIVE CLASSES N40,000 TEXTBOOK N10,000
Morning Class	9:00am -2:00pm	Mon – Fri	2weeks
CONVERSATION AND PRONUNCIATION CLASS N35,000 PER SESSION
Afternoon Class	3:00pm – 5:00pm	Tues & Thurs	4weeks

How do I speak French like a Pro in 6 months?

Alliance Francaise Lagos  was a great experience and one I would totally recommend to anyone. The date each session commences have to however be confirmed with the school.