Speaking Practice Sessions and Conversation Club: What's the difference?

This is one of the questions we get asked all the time (along with 'How can I become fluentbefore my exam tomorrow?'). By completing each of the lessons in the Complete French Course, learners will have enough material to develop and perfect their reading, writing and listening skills on their own.

But working on your pronunciation, building your confidence and understanding how to respond quickly and coherently to another speaker - these are all tricky things to achieve by yourself! Without the aid of someone correcting your mistakes and helping you shape a natural, free-flowing conversation, you won’t ever be able to get, well, conversational in French.
That’s why we set up our Speaking Practice Sessions and Conversation Club. These online classes are the perfect opportunity to put your speaking skills into practice with other learners, to elevate your conversational skills and make talking in French second nature.

Both take the form of a series of online classes, where you and other learners will work on your skills under the guidance of a native French teacher. However, there are some key differences between the two. Read on to find which one is right for you.

Speaking practice sessions

The aim of these speaking practice sessions is to help students hone their speaking skills and improve their confidence in speaking French. The structured activities in these sessions complement the materials covered in the Complete French Course.

During the sessions, students will be introduced to new words and expressions and advised on pronunciation. You will have the opportunity to put into practice everything you learn during the class.

Class sizes are limited to seven students to ensure everyone gets the opportunity to speak and practise their skills. Students will be provided with worksheets to help guide them through each lesson, as well as a link to a private Google Classroom to share questions and stay in touch with their teacher and fellow learners.

You can join the waitlist by filling out this form.

Should I join the 10-week course or the intensive classes?

The regular speaking practice sessions take place once a week over the course of ten weeks. The classes are one hour each. These regular sessions are ideal for students who want to learn at a steady pace and would like more time to digest what they've learned between lessons.
The intensive sessions take place at the same time every day for five days. The lessons are two hours and fifteen minutes long, including a short break in the middle. The intensive sessions are ideal for students who want to improve their French speaking skills over a very short period of time.

Conversation Club

If you’re around A2 level and above, our French Conversation Clubs are a great way to practise chatting in a relaxed, friendly group.

Think of these sessions as social activities rather than traditional classes. A teacher will be present for the purposes of moderation, to help guide the conversation and to correct any mistakes speakers make, but the aim is to foster an organic conversation. You’ll build your confidence, learn everyday phrases and have fun speaking with others at your chosen level.

Class sizes are limited to six to ensure everyone gets the opportunity to speak and practise their skills.