5 Reasons to Join AF Chicago this Fall!

Jess from Scotch & the Fox is one of our students! 1: It’s the place for all things French in Chicago! The Alliance Française de Chicago is the place for all things French in the city! It was established in 1897 and is part of an international network of over 1,100 Alliances and affiliated cultural centers worldwide. It is the second oldest Alliance Française in the U.S. and second largest after the one in New York City.

Francophone Vacation Spots

Qui veut voyager ? Now that many countries are loosening their COVID restrictions, we can turn our travel daydreams into travel plans! We’ve compiled a list of some great vacation spots in Francophone countries and cities to get your planning started. Make sure to prepare for your trip with some French classes here at the Alliance Française!

Monthly Médiathèque: Août

Le personnel de notre Médiathèque a rassemblé une liste de six livres différents à lire en août, avec des options pour chaque lecteur, quel que soit leur âge. Vous pouvez trouver tous ces livres dans notre Médiathèque ! Allez, on va lire !

Some more Frenchness in your life

Needing a little more French in your life right now? We created a couple of photos that you can use as your screensaver, Zoom background or Microsoft team background that help you share the love of all things French.

"Ça va ?" : A conversation

Salut tout le monde, ça va? Have you ever noticed how much francophones use the phrase ça va? Yeah, a lot. Like a lot, a lot. It feels like you and I could have an entire conversation using different variations of ça va! Let’s highlight ways to use this simple phrase to expand our vocabulary and converse more naturally. I took the liberty of coming up with a little made-up conversation between two imaginary friends to start us off on our ça va journey. On y va !

Un café, s'il vous plaît!

Bonjour tout le monde, Your favorite Alliance intern here. If you are anything like me, you enjoy a good cup of coffee. I know some of you aren’t fans of coffee, and I get that… you’re just wrong. No disrespect, I just needed you to know who you’re talking to: an avid coffee drinker and lover. And as that coffee lover, I have come to encounter many cups and different types of coffee, including the famous French café.

Superfluous: An Architectural Project

J’ai rencontré dans la rue un jeune homme très pauvre qui aimait : son chapeau était vieux, son habit était usé ; il avait les coudes troués ; l’eau passait à travers ses souliers, et les astres à travers son âme. (I have met in the streets a very poor young man who was in love. His hat was old, his coat worn, the water passed through his shoes and the stars through his soul) -Victor Hugo ; Les Misérables (1862)

Francophones in the outfield!

Does America’s pastime translate to the langue de Molière ? Mais oui! Learn les positions de baseball en français and meet some of the many big-name players have connections to France. Here’s a rundown of just a few.

Irène Jacob for a live jazz concert at the Alliance!

Irène Jacob is a singer and an actress of stage and screen. She doesn’t seem to be one to shy away from any genre and her career so far is a rich tapestry woven with a little bit of everything, from dramatic TV shows to Shakespeare to French art-house films, all of which she shines in.

Cheesy cheesy melty food

In the mid-west we are known for our casseroles and hot dishes. If you grew up here you might have memories of eating mounds of tater tot hot dish or green bean casserole. These recipes probably involved some variation of vegetables and/or tater tots swimming in a pool of condensed mushroom soup.