Happy Holidays!

We are wishing you Happy Holidays or Bonnes Fêtes! Here is a little French Guide with some French key words to learn during this holiday season. Your French Holiday Guide:

Happy Frenchgiving! Enjoy Thanksgiving with this French touch!

We hope you have a happy Thanksgiving holiday, here are some words you can use on Thanksgiving or share with your French friends! Enjoy!

10 French foods you're probably saying wrong!

Avoid a faux-pas, take this quiz on 10 French foods you’re probably saying wrong! Our very own Geoffrey Ruiz even gives you a few tips to wow the waiter next time you’re in a French restaurant.

Celebrating 20 Years with Chicago Public Schools

Last week, almost 50 students from Chicago Public Schools visited the Alliance for one of their last times this school year and exchanged laughs, memories, and even some bittersweet tears at the 2018 Awards for Excellence Program. It was an evening for students who successfully completed their program to reflect on their time with teachers and friends. The ceremony was also a celebration of 20 years of bringing CPS students into the Alliance to study French.

Connected Through French Language

Meet Jin Jin, better known by her family and friends as Kitty! When she first stepped into the Alliance Française de Chicago four years ago she didn’t know any French, not even “bonjour.” She had just quit her job and moved to Chicago where she knew no one. Now she is an accomplished French speaker who wants to continue to perfect her skills and share her love of the language.

Gazette de l'Alliance par nos étudiants !

As some of you might have seen this past week we have released our first edition of the “Gazette de l’Alliance,” our very own student-made journal available here. I am very proud to introduce this fantastic work realized by our students and I want to congratulate and thank them for their hard work, their perseverance and their accomplishments in learning French. I am thoroughly impressed by what they did and as a teacher I feel so lucky to have the opportunity to work with them. Bravo à Ashley, Kim, Lauren et Andres!

French, Pierre de Coubertin and the Olympics

The 2018 Olympics are upon us and let me preface this blog post by saying that I am a huge Olympics fan. Being a naturally competitive person, I am drawn to competitions and what competition is more grand than the Olympics?

Paul Bocuse: A French legend and culinary icon

But enough about his death, what about the life of Monsieur Chef Bocuse. To begin to understand this grand chef, let’s look at the opening line of Paul Bocuse’s cookbook La Cuisine du Marché: “Tous les matins — c’est une tradition lyonnaise dont j’aurais bien du mal à me défaire — je me rends au marché et je flâne parmi les étalages. […] Parfois, je ne sais même pas quels plats je ferai pour le repas de midi : c’est le marché qui décide.” - Bocuse 1976

Grammar with Elodie — "U" vs. "OU"

Bonjour à tous! Elodie Kaplan, our wonderful co-director of the learning center sits down with us and gives us grammar and pronunciation tips when learning French. In this series of the Mais Oui! Podcast, get to know her and improve your French!

Grammar with Elodie — the ins and outs of H's and S's

Bonjour à tous! Elodie Kaplan, our wonderful co-director of the learning center sits down with us and gives us grammar and pronunciation tips when learning French. In this series of the Mais Oui! Podcast, get to know her and improve your French!