Learning French in Rennes: 6 ways to make progress every day

You live in Rennes and you are learning French? Taking classes is obviously a good way to make progress, but it is not the only one! To really gain confidence and improve your French, what matters most is creating as many chances as possible to use the language in daily life.

In Rennes there are plenty of ways to practise French, meet French speakers and discover French culture at the same time. Here are a few ideas!

1. Go to language exchanges

There are lots of events in Rennes for practising languages, French included!

One of them is the Café des langues, held every other Friday. It usually takes place at Les Chouettes youth hostel, and sometimes in bars around Rennes. The idea is simple: practise every language imaginable, depending on who turns up. So you can practise English, Spanish or Italian just as easily as French, with native speakers or with other people learning French.

Blabla Exchange also runs every Tuesday in a bar in Rennes. Here the two main languages are French and English. French and English speakers mix and switch languages over the course of the evening.

At WestFrench Academy we also hold regular French-English apéros with native French speakers who are learning English at the A+ Formation language school.

The last apéro was in September and it was a great evening! We ran several games, such as "Find someone who...", as well as speed talking. These activities let my students practise French with native speakers without fear or stress, and let the French practise their English with them.

These get-togethers are also a very good opportunity to find a language partner and keep practising outside class with someone who knows how hard learning a new language can be. And plenty of friendships start at these events!

2. Join the free conversation workshops

At Les Champs Libres, French conversation workshops are held regularly.

La Fabrique du français in particular offers activities, games and conversations led by volunteers. It is a good way to practise French in a friendly setting and can be an excellent complement to lessons with a professional.

Les Champs Libres is also home to a large media library with plenty of books, magazines, films and other resources you can consult or borrow. It is a very good way to work on your reading while exploring subjects that interest you.

3. Take French classes in Rennes

Taking French classes is obviously a very good way to make progress.

But if you combine classes with practising French regularly outside the classroom — with the shopkeepers in your neighbourhood, your neighbours, your friends, or simply your partner if they are French — your progress can be far quicker.

French classes let you build solid foundations and understand how the language works. But they also let you make mistakes, be corrected and above all practise.

That matters enormously when you are learning a language: you need to be able to dive in and have real conversations in a supportive environment, without being afraid of getting something wrong.

At WestFrench Academy, my French classes are held in small groups precisely so everyone gets to speak as much as possible. We focus particularly on speaking and listening.

We use videos and all sorts of authentic material: films, adverts, songs, podcasts. One of the goals is to understand how French people actually speak, because written French and spoken French can be very different!

From that material we work on grammar, pronunciation, vocabulary and comprehension, but always by practising out loud.

And for me, someone who speaks several languages fluently (English, Spanish and Catalan), that is essential: you learn a language in order to use it and communicate with other people.

4. Go to the cinema

Passive listening is also very important when learning French.

Watching films and series, listening to podcasts, music or the radio gradually gets you used to the melody of the language and the way French people really speak.

It is also an excellent way to pick up new expressions, slang and turns of phrase you will not necessarily find in a French textbook.

And above all, you discover the whole culture behind the language: the humour, the cultural references, what French people care about, the social debates.

In Rennes you can go to the Arvor cinema in particular, which shows arthouse films and classics, but also popular French comedies worth discovering or rediscovering.

5. Make friends

Making friends is probably one of the best ways to progress in a language and settle into a new city.

But it is not always easy to make new friends when you arrive in Rennes, especially when you do not speak French very well yet.

Joining a sports or hobby club can be a good solution. You can also join an association, go to events, or sign up for activities that match your interests.

The city of Rennes offers plenty of activities and you can find part of the calendar on its website.

At WestFrench Academy we also regularly organise events outside class with our students. They can bring their friends or partners, who are often French!

The aim is to have a good time together, but also to create chances to practise French in a far more natural setting than a classroom. We have been to restaurants several times, organised board game nights in bars, picnics, craft workshops, mini-golf and bowling afternoons!

We also hold French-English apéros with A+ Formation. It is a chance to meet French people and foreigners, practise languages and, of course, make new friends.

And several lovely friendships have already come out of these events!

6. Use small local shops rather than big supermarkets

Here is another small trick for practising French in Rennes: do your shopping in small local shops!

As my students often tell me, people in Rennes are very kind and warm. They will generally be delighted to chat with you.

In a big supermarket the chances to speak are fairly limited. Apart from the famous "Would you like the receipt?", there are not always many opportunities for a conversation with the person at the till!

A grocery shop, a bakery, a butcher or a fishmonger, on the other hand, makes it far easier to exchange a few words with the shopkeeper.

And of course you can also go to the Marché des Lices, one of the biggest markets in Rennes and in Brittany. Between the producers, the traders and the customers, there is no shortage of chances to speak French!

Restaurants and cafés are also good places to practise.

But be warned: people in Rennes speak better and better English! 😄

So if a shopkeeper sees you hesitating in French, they may well switch straight to English to try to help you.

If that happens, do not hesitate to tell them: "I am learning French and I would really like to practise with you."

You will see: people in Rennes are generally delighted to help!

And above all... do not wait until you speak perfectly to speak French!

Learning a language takes time. It is normal to search for your words, make mistakes, not follow some conversations, or have to ask people to repeat themselves.

What matters most is taking the chances to practise.

In Rennes you can take classes, go to language exchanges, go to the cinema, chat with shopkeepers, join an association, play sport, meet other expats, or simply talk to your neighbours.

All these small opportunities add up.

And little by little you will build vocabulary, understand French people better and, above all, gain the confidence to speak French in every situation of daily life.