French Daytime Classes

However if you want to improve your language skills you should join one of the French classes in Ealing run for Friends of Marcq members. These are held under the expert tuition of Dominique Liesse, a native French speaker with many years' teaching experience.

 

The classes take place at the Brentham Club which is off Pitshanger Lane:

Tuesday 10:00 am to 11:30 am  - Upper Intermediate level

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The class is full at present, but we are currently organising further classes at different levels, and you can be put on a waiting list until we have sufficient students to make a new class viable (please contact Yvonne Little on the number below). We plan to open an Intermediate level class in January 2023.

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Our classes focus on practising the language in class, with a variety of tasks aimed at exploring new vocabulary and reinforcing learners’ grammar and oral skills. Activities include oral and aural tasks, translation, team working and mini research projects on diverse French topics. Between classes, some work needs to be done at home, to reinforce learning.

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The year is divided into three terms of around 11-12 weeks each, with weekday classes that last for one and a half hours. Payment is in advance but on a rolling basis: there is no financial penalty for missing a class.

NB Currently we do not teach Beginner’s level French language, but there are opportunities available at Beginner’s level to get started at local colleges; for example Hammersmith and Fulham Adult Learning College, King Street Hammersmith http://www.hfals.co.uk/, has a range of French Beginners’ classes. We have a waiting list for a beginners/near beginners class. A few more names on the list will mean we can start a new class at this level.

 

For more information on classes contact Yvonne Little on 020 8567 2955.

 

Already speak the language and simply want to find others to converse with? Join us on one of our many social activities and excursions.

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The purpose of our Association is to promote and foster friendship between the people of Ealing and Marcq-en-Baroeul, a town adjacent to Lille, in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of Northern France. Our counterpart twinning group in Marcq-en-Baroeul is Les Amis d’Ealing.  More commonly known as “Friends of Marcq”, the Friends of Marcq-en-Baroeul was founded in 1987. Since 1991 it has been Ealing’s official French twinning association, when the relationship was formalised by the signing of a declaration by the mayors of the two councils.

 

​As well as organising activities this side of the Channel for Friends of Marcq that range from a summer boules competition and French Scrabble sessions to French classes for members, our Association also works with Les Amis d’Ealing to arrange shared events such as intensive French courses in Marcq and an equivalent Intensive English course in Ealing. We also organise an annual picnic that takes place in alternate years in France and England. Cultural weekends and walking weekends add variety to the mix of opportunities for members in Ealing to get to know and understand France and the French rather better, as well as for our friends in France to get to know us.

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In addition to French classes in Ealing, there is also a "stage intensif" held in Marcq near Lille every year, usually in March. This was disrupted by the Covid pandemic, but we plan to restart in 2023. Participants stay with local families and attend classes on three days of the four-day long weekend. As well as socialising with their hosts, there is a final evening of celebrations for course participants and members of Les Amis d'Ealing our French opposite numbers. Similarly, again usually in March and two weeks apart from the "stage intensif", French participants in the Intensive English weekend are hosted by Friends of Marcq members in London. In this way close friendships have developed over the years between members of the two associations.

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