Frequently Asked Questions

Online learning is a great way for elementary to advanced students (A1-C2) to improve their language skills at a much faster pace than it is possible in face-to-face traditional lessons. This approach is especially convenient for busy professionals and full-time parents who have a limited amount of time to spend on language classes. Time always goes by very quickly when learning online with our outstanding trainers!

When learning online, 60 minutes is sufficient as it is a much more concentrated approach. It indeed eliminates most common distractions which occur during face-to-face lessons as it creates a more focused environment for the participant (especially when using headphones to block all surrounding noises.) 30 minutes is the minimum amount of time to learn and digest new information. The following 30 minutes give you time to put your new knowledge into practice and really start connecting the dots. 

Basic proficiency in French (i.e. level A2) normally takes between 3 to 6 months through immersion, which means living in a French speaking country and surrounding yourself almost entirely by French speakers. Realistically speaking, expats generally need between 9 months to 1 year to develop a good command of basic French and feel comfortable interacting in French in their everyday life.

It also depends on how much time and effort you put into learning French. Motivation is a huge factor in learning a language. Those who learn a language because they’re interested in communicating with others, traveling, or experiencing another culture are more willing to handle the rigors of learning. Practicing everyday versus weekly and taking private lessons with a great teacher will inevitably speed up the process. Of course, someone who dedicates an hour a day will learn more than a person who commits to only 60 minutes a week.

I recommend dedicating 3 to 6 months (20 to 40 private lessons) to make some real improvement on a specific skill (pronunciation, email writing, preparation for a job interview, improving your verb tenses, etc.) if you do not have time to practice a lot outside our appointments.

Absolutely! We have been helping several other expats who had to take this conversation test and are very happy to say that they all succeeded!

We have a special program especially designed for English speaking expats who must pass this test. Please get in touch with us for more information.

If you have never taken lessons online before, it is very normal to be a bit reluctant or skeptical about this learning method. As long as you have a fairly recent computer (best option), tablet or smartphone, a good internet connection, and the latest version of Skype or Zoom, we assure you that the experience will be very enjoyable. We would even dare to say that you might never want to attend another face-to-face lesson again!

We would be very happy to offer you a free trial lesson of 30 minutes to better understand our style of teaching and see if you feel comfortable with your new teacher. Contact us for more information!

We also invite you to read more about the benefits of learning online.

Your reaction is very normal and part of the challenge of learning a new language. Most English speaking expats are afraid to be ridiculed or misunderstood when speaking French.

The good news is that there are diction rules which can be easily integrated in your day to day conversation. Our coaches will provide you with the right tools to improve your French pronunciation from the very first class!

Why isn’t it taught anywhere else? Well, not many language schools are founded by opera singers like Isabelle! She indeed had to attend many diction classes (French, English, Italian, and German) as part of her degree in Music & Languages at McGill University (Montreal, Canada). Over the years, she has created special French pronunciation tips designed for English speaking expats who are struggling to speak French.

You still aren’t convinced? Watch one of Isabelle’s fun and useful pronunciation tip videos.

Yes, we do!

• We offer an online learning program for beginners called French For Everyday Life. You can learn more about this program here.
• Do you need to relearn French because you haven't used it for so long? Get access to our prerecorded group lessons to learn as you see fit! Learn more about it here.
• You have reached level A2 or higher, but you need to work on your speaking skills? Visit our Club de Conversation.

We also offer a bunch of free French learning materials in the "Freebies" section on our website.

Follow us on social media to stay up-to-date on the latest news and promotions that we offer every month!

Absolutely! As we provide online learning, it is easy and a great pleasure to work with francophiles from all over the world!

Prêt à Parler does not offer certificate or diploma courses at the moment, but our teachers are committed to helping you reach the level you need.

We however provide Attestation de français, i.e. French Level Attestation, a document which is also very useful for many Permis C/Swiss naturalisation applicants.

Previously, we helped clients to successfully prepare for job interviews, business meetings, conferences, and to pass the OSEO French Test (to obtain the Permis C and/or Swiss naturalisation).

Learning a foreign language is a big challenge which most people will have to face in this day and age to stay competitive on the professional market. It is a wonderful, mind-opening experience when done with the right teacher.

Prêt à Parler’s multilingual coaches understand the challenge you are facing when learning a new language for the first time. They have been in your situation before and therefore can use English as a support language whenever necessary.

Our understanding bilingual coaches can anticipate what you are trying to express and are dedicated to giving you the right tools to get you speaking from the very first class. 

Your Client Portal is designed for you to easily go from one point to another within Prêt à Parler’s online services (i.e. from accessing your lesson cards to logging into your e-courses). We recommend you start from your Client Portal when going from one service to another.

1. Simply go to our website: https://pretaparler.ch/ and choose "Client Portal"

2. Enter your username and password (which should have already been sent to you via email).

3. Once logged in, go to "Private Courses" at the top. Your private and secure client portal will give you access to:

• Your private lesson contract (Be sure to review the terms and conditions!)
• Your Personal Client Board (This contains all information about your previous and upcoming lessons, summary, links, exercises, PDF documents, screenshots, homework).
• PàP’s paid and free e-courses (step by step process explained in the next article “Prêt à Parler CH Online E-Courses Login Process”).
• PàP’s online reservation system (step by step process explained in the article “Prêt à Parler CH Online Scheduling Process”).

You can also watch our step by step video tutorial below:

How to use our new client portal

Note: If you need to reset the password for your Client Portal, please be sure to reach out to us at info@pretaparler.ch as we will need to manually do the reset on our end.

If you have an existing contract, starting September 2020, all our language programs now include bonus access to our Premium Webinar Program and French For Everyday Life.

1. Simply go to our website https://pretaparler.ch/ and click on “Log in” or you can also directly access it via the URL https://learning.pretaparler.ch/.

3. Once logged in, you will be routed to your dashboard showing you all of the e-courses available on our online platform. Icons in colour would mean you have access to the e-course. Otherwise, it will be greyed out.

Another easier way to easily access the online platform is going through the link inside your Client Portal (Process explained in the first article “Prêt à Parler CH Client Portal Process”).

Note: You should have already received your login information if you have registered for our premium webinar program, subscribed to our paid e-courses, and or purchased one of our language programs.

1. If you’re still logged into your online e-learning account, you can easily change the password by going to “My Account” on the upper right of your dashboard.

● If you completely forgot your password, simply click on the “Lost your password” link below the Login section on the e-learning website https://learning.pretaparler.ch/.

Note: Always check your e-courses access and let us know if you do not have access to an online course you should have access to.

1. Please click here to start the scheduling process. (The link can also be found inside your Client Portal which is explained in the “Client Portal Process” article above).

2. Click on the lesson you would like to book (depending on your needs, you can choose from Everyday French, Business French, exam preparation, etc.). 

4. Make sure to check your timezone in the dropdown menu located above the teacher's schedule.*

5. Select the date and time and book your lesson (You can also schedule recurring lessons if you wish to always take them on the same day of the week and time.)

6. Enter the required information.

7. For easier management of your appointments, please register for an account to create your new login details. 

In order to be compliant with the new GDPR law, you will only be given the option to register for an account right after booking a lesson first. (This will help you keep track of all your past and upcoming appointments.)

8. We recommend adding your schedule to your virtual calendar in order to avoid any "memory slip"!

Et voilà, vous êtes Prêt(e)s à Parler!

Note: You should have also received an email from us with the instructions on how you can schedule your lessons. This email contains your code (which is important as it’s dedicated to track your number of lessons) and the link you can use to book your lessons. Email subject is: Your login information. Sample email below from us: 

We highly recommend registering for an online scheduling account!

FYI, at the moment, the e-learning section of our website and our scheduling system require two different logins as they are located on two separate applications. Therefore, your e-learning login (which is what you have now) will not work on our online scheduling section. (But you could use the same login details when you register your email address to make your life easier!) 

Please refer to Step 7 on the process above or check out the steps below:

1. In order to be compliant with the new GDPR law, you will only be given the option to register for an account right after booking a lesson. Please follow steps 1-6 on “How can I schedule my lessons?” article on the FAQ page.

2. Once registered with your username (email address) and password, you will be able to see all of your scheduled lessons in your account.

3. Click on the lesson you wish to modify or cancel and an option will appear below the page.

Note: To easily access your online reservation account in the future, simply go to https://pretaparler.as.me/schedule.php, and click on the "Returning? Log in" link on the upper right part of the page.

1. After entering an incorrect password, you will be given the option to reset your password.

2. Enter the email address you have registered for your account and click “Reset Password”.

You can also watch our step by step video tutorial below:

How to use our online scheduling system

Note: If you’re still unable to view all of your scheduled lessons after creating a scheduling account, please reach out to us at info@pretaparler.ch so we can assign the past and upcoming lessons you have booked before you created your account.