If you live in Glasgow and you'd like to learn or practice French and make new friends then you should check out French Ignition.

At French Ignition, we believe that the best way to learn how to speak French is to speak it. We hold events in Glasgow every week. Join us and you'll enjoy; conversation groups, cinema trips, book clubs, eating out in style, concerts, special events and even trips to France! All ages are welcome, complete beginners are welcome and first timers can come along for free.

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French courses and classes in Glasgow

From conversation groups to social events, you get everything you need to practise your spoken French!

Have you ever felt that no matter how much French you know, you find yourself tongue-tied when it comes to actually speaking it? Don't worry, you're not alone. All you need is increased confidence and French Ignition is here to help you gain it effortlessly, in a fun and relaxed environment. Join our friendly French conversation groups for a French chat. Even if you're a complete beginner, you're welcome to come along. Non member? No problem! Non members can come along to their first conversation group for free!

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We've taken the classroom out of the conversation

When you join French Ignition, you'll be able to choose from a wide assortement of opportunities to speak French and enjoy French culture. Not only will you be able to improve your spoken French but you'll also exposed to the very best that the French have to offer in terms of exquisite food, fine wines, music, cinema and literature.

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Beginners and non-beginners are all welcome

You don't need to be fluent in French to have a great time at French Ignition. Even if you are a complete beginner, French Ignition has a group tailored to your needs. You will get plenty of support from our native speakers and more fluent group members are ever so happy to help.

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We hold events in Glasgow every week

Do you love to read? Why not come along to our cafe litteraire? Why not meet with us to enjoy French films at our new Cinema Club? This group is free and open to everyone. We also offer a wide range of exciting social events. Simply choose your events and come along. It's a great way to meetup with new people!

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Upcoming Events

The French Ignition Blog

A bit of French conversation about Aix-en-Provence

Published on Tuesday 9th of February 2016 by Valerie

As the French Ignition trip to Aix-en-Provence is approaching, how about finding out a bit more about the place? Let's start with a bit of geography and history. Aix-en-Provence is 33km from Marseille and surrounded by the Trevaresse mountain range in the West and the famous montagne Sainte Victoire in the east, immortalised by Cezanne's painting. Various rivers cross the region from West to East which has earned Aix-en-Provence its reputation as a thermal resort. Like…

La Famille Belier, the film at the centre of last year's every French conversation

Published on Tuesday 26th of January 2016 by Valerie

When 'La Famille Belier' came out on the French screens in December 2014, it was the topic of many French conversation. Was it the best film you could ever see? Probably not. But add to it a bit of the Christmas spirit, a good dose of French popular music nostalgia and a mix of humour and tenderness and you get the secret of its success. The story is fairly simple: Sixteen year old Paula's family are…

French conversation over a festive table

Published on Thursday 24th of December 2015 by Valerie

It is well known: The French way of life is mostly about good French conversation, wine and food! Christmas and New Year provide the best opportunity to engage in all three. Unlike our British counterpart, the celebration starts on the 24th of December for le reveillon de Noel (Christmas eve) and continues on Christmas day. The whole operation is of course repeated on the 31st of December and 1st of January, thus leaving enough time in…

French conversation: A pre-Christmas tour of France

Published on Sunday 20th of December 2015 by Valerie

A pre-Christmas French conversation: A little tour of France at the festive period… As the Christmas trees light up in France and across the world, what makes a Christmas typically French? Christmas markets, family, presents and food of course! Like most countries celebrating Christmas, the run-up period is full of exciting promises. Let's start our French conversation with Paris. Not because it's the capital but because it is the place I grew up in and know…

French conversation under the stars

Published on Friday 25th of September 2015 by Valerie

What could be better after some good French conversation than to go for some star-gazing? That is exactly what some French Ignition members did last Wednesday at the Glasgow University observatory. After a few wrong turns, we finally found ourselves in a suitably deserted high point of the campus with a view over Maryhill and beyond. Not exactly high-tech I may add… The old fashion observatory dome looked like it had been built a few centuries…

Learn French through the art of wine tasting

Published on Wednesday 9th of September 2015 by Valerie

How do you like your French wine? Are you a sip on it type or a drink it slowly but steadily type? Our French and Canadian experts from Oddbins, Ben and Pierre, certainly set us straight when it comes to the art of wine tasting. At the end of their presentation, which was conducted in French (with some translation for those who were a bit less fluent), smelling, swirling and tasting wine held no more secrets.…

Learning French vocabulary can be fun!

Published on Thursday 2nd of April 2015 by Valerie

Learning French means learning new vocabulary as it is an essential part of any language acquisition and will increase your confidence when you engage in French conversation. However, it doesn't have to be hard labour. If you've conjured up a mental picture of you setting time aside to relentlessly commit to memory a dry, long list of new French words, it's time to change that picture to something much more fun. Here is how you can…

French conversation over a good raclette

Published on Sunday 8th of March 2015 by Valerie

Nothing beats a raclette on a cold winter night! Add to it a few bottles of wine and you've got a winning recipe for a good French conversation, regardless of how fluent your French is. This is exactly what happened when the 15 of us headed out to Chalet Beaumartin in the West-End of Glasgow to sample one of their delicious raclette accompanied by unlimited potatoes and pickled gherkins. Originally, the raclette comes from the French-speaking…

La Galette des Rois

Published on Friday 16th of January 2015 by Valerie

Any opportunity not to let the festive season fade away to soon... And what could be better than doing just that the French way with an authentic Galette des Rois! From the 6th of January to the end of the month, French families gather to share the galette, a French almond based cake with a small ceramic favour (feve in French) hidden inside. Whoever finds it becomes king or queen and there's a crown to go…

La semaine du gout

Published on Thursday 30th of October 2014 by Valerie

And very tasty it was too! Creme brulee aux trois fromages, boeuf bourguignon accompanied by pommes de terre Dauphinoise and to finish it all, the most fantastic creme brulee a la lavande. Our taste buds were definitely tickled in all the right places. It was 'la semaine du gout' in France and French Ignition could not resist bringing a taste of it to its members. Started in France by Philippe Tomber in 1990, 'la semaine du…

Voyage a Paris

Published on Wednesday 15th of October 2014 by Valerie

Early morning on the 9th of October and we all gathered at Glasgow International airport, full of anticipation if somewhat still glazzy eyed from the early rise. Luckily, it was only a short flight to Paris and not long before we could enjoy a well earned French lunch while sitting at the terrasse of a French café. Everyone took the time to settle in their French apartment before the evening entertainment: A dinner-cruise on the river…

Le Beaujolais nouveau est arrive!

Published on Thursday 21st of November 2013 by Valerie

TO LEARN FRENCH IS SO MUCH EASIER WITH A GLASS OF BEAUJOLAIS NOUVEAU! Le Beaujolais nouveau est arrive - November 2013 It's the time of year every wine connoisseur awaits with impatience : The arrival of the Beaujolais nouveau. And when it came out, French Ignition treated its members to a very special wine tasting event at The Bistro Beaumartin. The Beaujolais nouveau is produced in the Beaujolais region of France. It uses a specific fermentation…

Beginners listening skills to improve your French conversation

Published on Tuesday 30th of November 1999 by Valerie

French conversation is a two-way process whereby receiving the language is as important as producing it. Although the Net is an incredible resource when it comes to hearing spoken French, it can be a bit daunting for French language learners to sieve through hundred of material. To make matters worst, a vast amount of listening material is delivered at normal French speed and this can often be off-putting. So here are a few ideas and websites…

Intermediate and advanced listening skills to improve your French conversation

Published on Tuesday 30th of November 1999 by Valerie

This article is a follow-up from the previous one but this time, with intermediate and advanced levels in mind. How can I work on my listening skills in order to improve my French conversation is one of the most frequently asked questions. This makes perfect sense considering that listening and talking are two sides of the same coin when it comes to French conversation. Whilst the Internet provides an abundance of listening opportunities, it can often…

French conversation with a taste of Algeria

Published on Tuesday 30th of November 1999 by Valerie

Nothing gets a French conversation going like the titillating of taste buds. A few weeks ago, French Ignition organised a Algerian cooking demonstration and food tasting at Studio 93, in the West-End of Glasgow. The event was a great success and the venue was superb. Our French native speaker and Algerian-born Nadjia did a fantastic job demonstrating her cooking skills to the 16 people assembled there. Okay, Algerian cooking isn't French cooking but with a strong…

French conversation: The Auld Alliance in Aix en Provence

Published on Tuesday 30th of November 1999 by Valerie

On the 23rd of September, Edinburgh airport was swarmed with a group of French Ignition members jetting off to Aix en Provence for a French exchange. Here is Moira's account of their big adventure: La Nouvelle "Auld Alliance" Vendredi le 23 septembre, nous onze Ecossais courageux sommes arrivés à l'aéroport de Marseille pour le commencement d'un séjour inoubliable. Huit Français courageux nous ont accueillis chez eux dans le village de Villelaure à 25km d'Aix-en-Provence, pour trois…