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"Alliance Française offers elegant educational opportunities for persons who want to learn French and who want to improve and practice their French. The program is varied, but of high quality, including classes, tutoring, book club readings of French classics, lectures, and luncheons. Pasadena is privileged to have this active program of teaching French and sharing the French culture."
BILL BOGAARD, Pasadena Mayor
"I have been a student at Alliance Française de Pasadena for over 10 yrs. I took some French in high school, but as an adult, had long forgotten it, especially grammar, which had always been difficult for me. Neverthless, I always loved the sound of the language and wanted to learn to speak it well.
The great teachers and staff at Alliance Française de Pasadena attract interesting people with whom I share a small class. We have become friends, and this has enhanced the experience of learning, as well as speaking French often.
The immersion into not only the language, but French culture, both historic and current, gives context and additional meaning to the vocabulary and syntax of the language.
It continues to be a pleasurable activity for me to learn French. Doing so at Alliance Française has made it a more rich and rewarding experience, one which I could have never imagined could be as comprehensive and also fun!
This is why I keep coming back for more!"
"I really enjoy the relaxed and informal atmosphere Alliance Française de Pasadena provides for its students. The accessibility of the instructors is what I appreciate the most. Everyone, at all levels, is encouraged to speak, read and to learn French in a warm and non-confrontational manner – and one can learn in such a setting!
I've taken both group classes and private lessons, and now due to my tight workschedule, I find the private Skype lessons convenient and extremely focused. Alexandra, my instructor, is patient and exceptional at explaining French grammar - not my forté! She is quite professional in her preparations for our time together.
I'd like to thank everyone at Alliance Française de Pasadena for all their hard work in preparing wonderful classes, programs and events for their students and the public at large. What a wonderful French cultural resource they are for Pasadena and greater Los Angeles!"
-- Heidi L. Spiegel, artist
"My passion for the language, culture and people of France led me to the Alliance Française in Pasadena. I have not been disappointed. First, my instructors are French. Not only do they speak with a French accent, but they are also instilling in us what we may call a certain "je ne sais quoi" ! Second, everything being taught is from a French perspective, whether it be through the news, magazines, books, movies, food, music and art. I am immersed in French life at the Alliance Francaise/Pasadena. Third, the atmosphere that they have created is warm and inviting, it is simply all inclusive."
Nayiri Partamian, student at Alliance Française Pasadena
"Bonjour! Allô! Salut! Need a change of scenery? Crave a new path in life? Want to learn about a foreign culture? Want to meet new and interesting people from all walks of life? For myself, when the answer to all of these questions was "yes!", rather than stay at home going from day-to-day in my job, I chose to register for my first immersion course here at the Alliance Française and add some glamour to my life. I had no idea what I was "in for" when I walked through the door and sat down with Nathalie and other members to tour Paris. I entered thinking that I was going to be laughed at, mocked, and then shuttled out of the room. To the contrary, Nathalie was one of the kindest, most welcoming and patient souls I'd ever met. Moreover, the people within the group were a fantastically-mixed bunch, full of different levels of learning and all eager to explore. I left with my head spinning with future possibilities; dreaming of being at a French-café, walking the streets of Paris, seeing the "Tour Eiffel", and marveling at the plethora of different museums. What was becoming a mundane lifestyle, had suddenly transformed into a world of opportunity. This is the magic of Alliance Française de Pasadena!
Since then, I've taken language and immersion courses, an "argot" (slang) course, and have even had private one-on-one tutoring. I have learned to sing the cultural songs, study the varying tastes and foods across France, and explore different regions of the world that speak French. Amazingly, I have found enough confidence to spend all of next summer in France by myself studying gastronomy and language in Lyon. Even now, I am playing with the idea of visiting islands off the coast of Madagascar, and visiting northern Africa. I simply can't wait to take the pronunciation classes and pass the international DELF/DALF exams towards mastery of the language. I marvel at the progress I've made in just one year here. And, while I still have a long way to go, I can confidently carry on a conversation, read/listen to the French or Canadian news, and read books without much difficulty.
The incredibly supportive teachers here come from immensely different backgrounds, all native-French speakers, and offer the "full gambit" of French culture. The people I've met here have been fantastic, worldly, and down-to-earth, their wisdom and knowledge tempered only by their warm hearts, sharp wits and genuine smiles.
My time here at the Alliance has been incredibly rewarding, enriching, and fulfilling. I look forward to each week with enthusiasm, and constant wonder about what else there is for me to learn here. I am in deep gratitude to the Alliance and all its members for the expansion of my life! For you, my dear reader, whatever you would like to study, however you view the French-speaking world, prepare yourself for all that AND MORE at the Alliance Française!"
"I enjoy studying French at the Alliance Française de Pasadena because they really help you improve on pronouncing how you say French words when your native language is English. My teacher, Blandine, is relly nice because we sing and play games in French. The Alliance Française is the easiest place to learn French, so why not come?"
"Ever since I've started going to Alliance Française, I've been learning a lot about the beautiful language of French, and about the unique French culture. I've only been taking classes for a little while, but I'm sure that if I were to go to France, I'd be able to communicate with people pretty well. I look forward to class, too. My teacher (Mireille) is very kind, and I've made lots of friends. I've really opened up to a new culture, too, which is great because it's interesting, and it's helped me get a feel for how things work outside of the U.S.A. I've really enjoyed learning French, and I'm glad that I decided to go to Alliance Française."
"Alliance Française de Pasadena is a school that teaches people of all ages the French language. It's very fun!!! You learn a lot of French that you might not have known. I really like it and the teachers are very sweet and so nice. I personally like it a lot and I think anyone that would like to learn French should go there and meet new people and make friends and then at the same time learn a new language or just learn more of it.
My favorite thing about this school is that I get to learn more than I know since I already speak French because my dad is French and he was born in France and when I was little I got to learn a little of the words.
I think if you try it and stick with it and not quit, and go to the classes, then you will like it just like me and the other kids and even adults and teens. SO I SUGGEST THAT YOU GO THERE AND LEARN A DIFFERENT LANGUAGE AND SO THEN YOU WILL BE ABLE TO SPEAK MORE THAN 2 LANGUAGES, LIKE ME!!!!!!!!"
 This is the building on Union in Pasadena.
-Miss Alia Della Marie-Claire Daridan (age 11)
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