PSL voices | Oui, oui, un croissant et une baguette – How important is it to know French?

Bonjour, mes amis! This article aims to understand whether surviving without knowing French to study at PSL or in France is possible. In this text, I talk about all the opportunities to learn French. I will not only talk about my experiences but also talk about my observations from other people.

Do I need to know French to study in France?

If we answer the question in a short way, the answer is ‘yes’ and ‘no’. You can come to France to study without knowing any French and you’ll do just fine which was the case for many of my international friends. Because in Paris and specifically at the university most people speak English and they’ll try to help you as much as they can. But I should be honest in saying that this is quite a challenge in some situations, especially for the French bureaucracy. You’ll understand what I am referring to if you have experience of France. Because mostly, the French don’t speak English very well… or they don’t want to. That’s why knowing some French for your appointments in different services, finding a job or an internship or your daily life is handy.

Before coming to Paris I already had A2-level French, which is generally only enough to understand basic topics and have small daily conversations. My first interaction in French in Paris was in a taxi from the airport where I tried to explain to the driver how I missed my flight. I still remember how I said it: “Il y a l’avion et après il y a pas” – if we ignore all the mistakes with grammar it literally means “There is the plane and then there is no”. But guess what? He understood what I said. And this gave me the confidence (a meaningless one, but still) to speak without the fear of being judged. This is important if you want to improve your language skills.

I live in a student dorm () where I had the chance to interact more with French people (this wasn’t easy to get in their groups). As you talk to them you understand that not everything that you learned in classes is used in a perfect way in real conversations. This helps you to be more natural when speaking a language. In the beginning, you only nod and smile to not to be expelled from the group even though you barely understand anything (I hope they don’t see this). But with time you improve your understanding.

PSL services for learning French

If you’re an international student coming to PSL, you’ll also have the FLE (Français langue étrangère) classes. Thanks to our professors we had amazing classes not only teaching us French grammar but also French culture, history, lifestyle, etc.

“Tandem program’ is another great opportunity to learn French. This Program pairs you with different PSL members, according to the preferences you have indicated, so that you can practice the languages you are interested in and get to know other people at ��̳.

As a international student, you can contact the PSL Welcome desk before or after your arrival at PSL. The Welcome desk offers you personalized assistance with all your administrative formalities (accommodation, visa, etc.) and puts you in touch with the right people if you are interested in FLE courses or the "Tandem program" for exemple.

That’s all from me for this article. Take care and it’s ‘pain au chocolat’!