those who have a little prior knowledge from a long time ago.
In this course – which is an amalgamation of the most practical food-related lessons from the Beginners 1 and Beginners 2 modules of the methodology- we will cover:
1. buying simple food and drink in a small village/campsite shop
2. buying specific quantities/types of food for a picnic in a deli
3. names of small food shops and opening times/days
4. how to order food at a restaurant
5. being the perfect meal guest at the home of French friends.
You will learn a little grammar as this is necessary but you will learn a lot more about how to just communicate effectively with the very little language you have so far (choosing the most important words, using facial expressions and gestures, pointing and actually pronouncing words correctly). You will also learn how to see things from the point of view of a French person which is helpful… and I’ll throw in a few ‘Frewin’s fun French food factoids’ too!
Since my first of many twinning exchange trips to the Loire Valley in France and to the Ruhr Valley in Germany in my teens, I have always loved foreign languages, cultures and people (and of course the food and drink too). As part of my university studies, I spent eight months in Lorraine on the border with Belgium and Luxembourg, four months in Nordrhein-Westfalen on the border with the Netherlands and four months in the city of Lyon. Having only started learning Spanish as an adult, I have not spent extensive amounts of time in Spain but I have holidayed there as well as in Peru. Before becoming a licencee with Language for Fun, I taught for twelve years in secondary schools, including one in Zambia near the border with French-speaking Congo. I have had many adventures in many Francophone, Germanophone and Hispanophone countries where my language 'skills' have both saved the day AND got me into a bit of hot water! Let me use MY cringeworthy past experiences of making hilarious mistakes save YOU from doing the same.
When I am not teaching or learning languages (I speak some Dutch and Italian now too), I enjoy swimming, reading and walking but I am particularly passionate about the performing arts; I think you will be able to tell this when you meet me! I look forward to meeting YOU!