Category: Blog

French Accents Explained: A Beginner’s Guide (é, è, ç, ê, ë)

ACCORD Paris Beginner’s Guide to French Accents

If you’re just starting to learn French, one of the first things you’ll notice is that French words are peppered with small marks above and below certain letters: é, è, ç, ê, ï. These aren’t decoration, and they aren’t optional extras you can skip while you’re still a beginner. In French, accents change how a word sounds, and sometimes they change what a word means entirely. Learning to recognize them early will save you a lot of confusion later. So let’s go through all five, one at a time, with plenty of examples for each.

The Acute Accent — l’accent aigu (é)

The acute accent appears only on the letter e, and only ever pointing up and to the right: é. It changes the e from a neutral, almost silent sound into a clear, closed “ay” sound, similar to the “e” in the English word ‘bed’.

You will see it constantly in French, both in the middle of words and at the end of them:

• café (coffee, or café)
• été (summer)
• étudiant (student)
• désolé (sorry)
• télévision (television)
• médecin (doctor)
• marché (market)

A useful pattern to notice: the acute accent very often shows up at the end of past participles and words derived from Latin verbs – né (born), allé (gone), fatigué (tired) – which makes it one of the first accents you’ll start using in your own sentences.

The Grave Accent — l’accent grave (à, è, ù)

The grave accent points the opposite way, up and to the left: à, è, ù. Unlike the acute accent, it can sit on three different vowels, e, a, and u, but its meaning changes depending on which one it’s attached to.

Over an e, it opens the sound into a softer, more open “eh”, closer to the e in the English word ‘very’:

• très (very)
• mère (mother)
• père (father)
• frère (brother)
• problème (problem)

Over an a or a u, the grave accent doesn’t change the pronunciation at all. The accent is purely to distinguish two words that would otherwise be spelled identically:

• a (has, from the verb avoir) versus à (to, at)
• la (the, feminine) versus là (there)
• ou (or) versus où (where)

This is a nice example of how French accents sometimes carry meaning rather than sound, a small mark doing the work of an entirely different word.

The Cedilla — la cédille (ç)

The cedilla is the small hook or tail that sits underneath a c: ç. French spelling rules say that the letter c is pronounced hard, like a k, whenever it’s followed by a, o, or u. The cedilla exists to override that rule and force a soft s sound instead.

You’ll spot it in words like:

• garçon (boy)
• français (French)
• façon (way, manner)
• leçon (lesson)
• reçu (receipt, or received)
• commençons (let’s start, from commencer)

Notice that last example: the cedilla often appears in verb conjugations specifically to preserve a soft s sound before an a, o, or u ending, even though the infinitive itself (commencer) doesn’t need one before the letter e.

The Circumflex — l’accent circonflexe (â, ê, î, ô, û)

The circumflex is the little pointed hat ^  that can be perched on top of any of the five vowels: a, e, i, o, and u. It’s the most historically interesting of the five accents, and it has three different meanings depending on the word in which they are.

First, on a, e, and o, it can subtly alter pronunciation, generally lengthening or deepening the vowel sound slightly:

• âge (age)
• fenêtre (window)
• hôtel (hotel)
• côte (coast)

Second, and most famously, the circumflex often marks a letter, almost always an s, that used to exist in the word’s older French or Latin form but has since disappeared from spelling. If you ever want a quick trick for guessing an English cognate, try mentally putting an s back where the circumflex is:

• forêt (forest)
• hôpital (hospital)
• île (isle, island)
• coût (cost)
• fête (feast)
• château (castle, from the older chastel)

Third, it can simply distinguish two identically spelled words with different meanings:

• sur (on) versus sûr (sure, certain)
• du (of the) versus dû (due, owed)
• mur (wall) versus mûr (ripe, mature)

A quick note for our ACCORD students: in 1990, the ‘Académie Française’ approved a spelling reform that made the circumflex optional on the letters i and u in many words (so you’ll sometimes see maitresse instead of maîtresse). Both spellings are considered correct today, but the traditional accented forms are still by far the more common ones in books, newspapers, and everyday writing, so it’s worth learning to recognize both.

The “tréma” (ë, ï, ü)

The “tréma”, two dots placed side by side, like the German “umlaut”, sits over the second of two vowels that appear next to each other in a word. Its entire purpose is to tell you: don’t blend these two vowels into a single sound, pronounce them separately.

Without the “tréma”, French readers would often expect two adjacent vowels to combine into one sound, the way “ai” or “eau” do. The “tréma” breaks that expectation:

• Noël (Christmas), pronounced no-EL, not like the “oe” in “phoenix”
• naïf / naïve (naive), pronounced na-EEF, not “naife”
• égoïste (selfish), pronounced ay-go-EEST
• maïs (corn), pronounced ma-EES, distinct from mais (but)

That last pair, maïs versus mais, is a perfect example of how much work a single “tréma” can do: without it, you’d have no way of knowing “corn” wasn’t the word “but.”

A Related Mark Worth Knowing: The Apostrophe (l’apostrophe)

The apostrophe isn’t technically classified as one of the five French accents as it doesn’t change how a letter is pronounced the way an accent does. But it’s a mark you’ll run into constantly from your very first French lesson, so it’s worth a quick note here. In French, the apostrophe is used to show elision: when a short word ending in a vowel (like le, la, je, ne, or que) comes directly before another word starting with a vowel or a silent h, the final vowel is dropped and replaced with an apostrophe, so the two words can flow together smoothly.

• le + école = l’école (the school)
• je + aime = j’aime (I like, I love)
• la + amie = l’amie (the friend, feminine)
• ne + est = n’est (is not)
• que + il = qu’il (that he)

Unlike the five accents, the apostrophe isn’t tied to a single letter or sound, it’s a spelling rule triggered by whatever word happens to follow. But because it shows up in some of the very first phrases beginners learn (j’aime, l’école, c’est), it’s just as essential to get comfortable with early on.

Putting It All Together

The best way to absorb all this information about the French accents is simply to keep reading and writing French and let your eyes get used to spotting these marks in newspapers, books, magazines, restaurants’ menus as well as in the documents your teacher at ACCORD French Language School in Paris will give you for your French lessons and you will find that within a few weeks, é, è, and ç in particular start to feel completely natural, and the rarer circumflex and “tréma” will follow soon after.

Accents aren’t an obstacle standing between you and fluent French. They’re a shortcut the French language gives you, built right into the spelling, for knowing exactly how a word should sound before you ever hear it spoken aloud.

Select Your French Language Course in Paris.

 

Why Staying with a Host Family Is the Best Accommodation Choice for Your Paris Language Stay

Choosing your accommodation is one of the most important decisions you will make when planning a language stay in Paris. You can choose a hotel, a residence, an apartment or an aparthotel, but if your goal is to improve your French, experience real Parisian life and keep your budget under control, there is one option that must be seriously considered: staying with a French host family.

For international students coming to study French at ACCORD Paris, a host family is much more than a place to sleep. It is your first point of contact with French life, your opportunity to continue learning and practising after class, and often your first real relationship with people who live in Paris.
And there is another important advantage: compared with many other accommodation options in Paris, a host family can offer excellent value for money, particularly when meals and the everyday costs of living in the capital are taken into account. 

Your French course doesn’t stop at ACCORD school door

Imagine your typical day. You arrive at ACCORD at 8:45 and spend the morning studying French in a multinational class of your level with your teacher. You learn new vocabulary, practise grammar, improve your pronunciation and speak French with classmates from around the world. Then class finishes. After a nice and quick lunch with classmates, you enjoy visits with them or go back to ACCORD for additional lessons, but what happens when it’s time to go back to your accommodation.

If you return to a residence or private apartment where you spend the evening alone, your French practice may stop until the next morning. With a host family, the lesson continues naturally.
You ‘come home’ and speak French with your host, you explain what you did at school, ask questions. You hear expressions that your teacher may not have taught you, you discover how French people speak in everyday situations.
At dinner, you can talk about your day in Paris, food, films, travel, your country and your plans. Without even realizing it, you are practising French. This is one of the greatest advantages of a homestay: you are not simply studying French, you are living it.

ACCORD specifically recommends host-family accommodation for students who want a fully immersive experience, with opportunities to continue practising French after class in a relaxed family environment.

Learn the French you will use

Classroom exercises are essential, but everyday conversations teach you something different. Living with a French family exposes you to the language of everyday life:

• informal expressions
• everyday vocabulary
• conversations around the dinner table
• the cultural references that make communication feel natural.

You can ask your host: “What does that expression mean?” and instead of looking it up , you get an explanation from someone who uses it.
The next day, you can try using the expression yourself. This is how vocabulary becomes active vocabulary. And for students who need French for their university studies in France or future professional career, that daily practice can be extremely valuable.

Important French lessons may happen over dinners!

For many students, dinner becomes one of the highlights of their homestay. ACCORD’s half-board option includes breakfast and dinner every day, including weekends. This means that after a busy day of classes and sightseeing, you return home to a welcoming environment and share a meal with your host family.
And dinner is not just about food. It is an additional French lesson, but without the feeling of being in a classroom. You can talk, listen and make mistakes. You can laugh, discover French cuisine and French eating and evening habits. And perhaps most importantly, you can be yourself in French.

For students who are nervous about speaking, this informal environment can be particularly helpful as there is a difference between completing a speaking exercise in class and having a conversation about your day.

A host family can be a smart way to control your Paris budget

Paris is one of the world’s most desirable cities, and accommodation can be (very) expensive. This is why students should look beyond the advertised price of a room and consider the total cost of their stay.

With a host family, depending on the option selected, your accommodation can include breakfast, dinner or sometimes kitchen access. Think about what that means financially.
If you rent a private studio, you still have to buy food. You need to shop, you need to prepare meals, you need to equip your accommodation or pay for services. With a host family, some of those everyday expenses and practical complications are already taken care of. That is why the real value of a host family can be considerably greater than the room price alone suggests. For students on a budget, this can make a significant difference.

Compare the prices between accommodation in a host family and another type of accommodation in Paris

To help you understand just how cost-effective a homestay room is compared to other accommodation options such as residences, aparthotels, or even online platforms, here are some 2026 homestay rates.
Price per week:

• Single room with breakfast: 370 euro
• Single room with breakfast + access to kitchen: 420 euro
• Single room with breakfast + 5 dinners: 450 euro
• Single room with half-board (breakfast + dinner): 500 euro

And no “Taxe de séjour” (Occupancy tax) to be paid, a tax you will have to pay if you stay in a hotel, a residence, a hotel or an aparthotel.

What is the “Taxe de séjour” (Occupancy tax)?
Since July 1st, 2015, all clients staying in a hotel, residence or aparthotel in Paris have to pay an occupancy tax. This tax is per night and per person. It can’t be paid in advance, and it has to be paid at the reception on arrival. No “Taxe de séjour” on a host family accommodation.

And you stay in Paris, not in faraway suburbs
This is another important advantage: ACCORD’s host families are located in Paris rather than in distant suburbs.
ACCORD French Language School is located in the 15th arrondissement, close to the Eiffel Tower and Champ de Mars, with convenient Metro and bus connections. Your host-family experience combines two important elements: a real Parisian neighbourhood and easy access to your school.

Your own private room
Some students hesitate when they hear the words “host family”. They imagine that they will have to share everything, share someone else’s life and perhaps feel like a guest in a stranger’s home. The reality is different.

With ACCORD host-family accommodation, you have your own room, while becoming part of the household and adapting to its everyday routine. This is not a hotel experience. And that is precisely the point. You are not simply checking into a room, you are experiencing how people actually live in Paris. You will discover things that no hotel brochure can teach you: at what time and what people eat for dinner, what they have for breakfast, how they organize their evenings, what they watch on television, where they shop, what they do at weekends and how they talk to each other. These details may seem small. But they are French and Parisian life.

A “second family” in Paris

One of the most beautiful aspects of a successful homestay is that the relationship can continue beyond the end of your language course.
ACCORD partners have a network of host families that have been welcoming international students for many years. Some families have hosted ACCORD students for almost two decades, and many former students remain in contact with their hosts or return to Paris and ask to stay with the same family again. This is something a hotel simply cannot offer. You may arrive in Paris not knowing anyone. A few weeks later, you may have people in Paris who know your name, know where you come from, know what you are studying and are interested in your life. For a student travelling abroad for the first time, that can make an enormous difference.

A safer and more reassuring choice for younger students

For parents sending their children abroad to study French, accommodation is naturally a major concern. A host family offers a reassuring alternative to having a young student live completely alone in an unfamiliar city. There is someone to welcome the student home, someone to ask questions, someone who understands everyday life in Paris and someone who can provide a familiar presence.

ACCORD also supports the accommodation process and uses information supplied by students to help match them with the appropriate host family. Students are encouraged to provide details about their preferences and lifestyle, including matters such as smoking, pets, children and dietary requirements. This matching process is important. The objective is not simply to find an available room. It is to find a suitable living environment.

For students between 16 and 18 y.o. the accommodation option has to be “Single room with half-board”. No other option (like “Single room with breakfast”) is possible.

You arrive ‘at home’
Another advantage of organizing your accommodation through ACCORD French language school is that you have support. Once you have enrolled and selected a host family, ACCORD’s accommodation partners’ process helps prepare the placement, and students can contact their host family before arrival. This gives both sides an opportunity to introduce themselves and makes the first meeting much easier.

Discover French culture from the inside
A language stay should be more than a series of French lessons. You come to France because you want to learn French but also understand France. A host family gives you access to the country from the inside. You will discover:

• French food: not just what you see on a restaurant menu, but what people eat at home.
• French way of life: the routine in the mornings, evenings, weekends and family life.
• French conversation: everyday language.
• French culture: traditions, habits, humour, television, music, celebrations and everyday life.
• Parisian life: not the Paris of postcards alone, but the Paris where people live.

The perfect option for solo travellers
Travelling alone can be exciting, but it can also be lonely. After a day of French lessons, you may return to an empty hotel room or studio. With a host family, there is a much greater possibility of having someone to talk to. Perhaps you will have dinner together. Perhaps your host will recommend a museum or a ‘quartier’ to visit. Perhaps they will tell you about an exhibition you had not heard of. Perhaps you will spend part of the weekend together. Or perhaps you will simply have a conversation in the kitchen. These apparently ordinary moments are often the ones students remember most.

With ACCORD you can choose the option that suits you

Not every student wants the same experience. That is why ACCORD offers different host-family options.
You can choose, subject to availability:

• Single room with breakfast
• Single room with breakfast and kitchen access
• Single room with breakfast and 5 evening meals
• Single room with half-board (breakfast and dinner every day)

The half-board option is particularly popular because it combines accommodation with breakfast and dinner every day, giving students both convenience and additional opportunities to practise French.

What makes an ACCORD host family different?
Choosing a homestay independently through an online platform can feel uncertain. Who will you be living with? Where exactly is the accommodation? Does the host regularly welcome international students? Will they understand that you are here to learn French?

With ACCORD, the host families are part of a network specifically accustomed to welcoming international students. ACCORD’s accommodation partners carefully select families, and students’ profiles and preferences are used to help identify an appropriate match. This experience matters. A family accustomed to international students understands that you may make mistakes in French. They understand that you may not know every French custom. And they know that communication is part of your learning experience.

A host family is not just accommodation. It is part of your French course.

This is perhaps the most important thing to remember. When you book a host family together with your French course at ACCORD Paris, you are effectively extending your learning environment from the classroom into everyday life. For example:

• Morning: French lessons.
• Afternoon: explore Paris, study, meet friends, or additional French lessons at ACCORD.
• Evening: dinner and conversation in French.
• Weekend: discover Paris and French life with your language skills becoming increasingly natural.

This is why the combination works so well. You learn something in class, you use it at home, you hear it again, you try it, you make a mistake, you try again, and French becomes less of a subject you study and more of a language you live.

Your Paris experience starts when you choose where you live
When planning a trip to Paris, it is tempting to think only about the French Language School, the French course and the attractions you want to visit. But your accommodation will shape your entire experience.

A host family can give you something a hotel or rented flat cannot: a home base, a daily connection with French life, opportunities to practise French, meals, human contact and a genuine sense of belonging. And because ACCORD’s host families are located in Paris, you can enjoy the capital rather than spending your language stay commuting from far outside the city.

For students who want the best combination of immersion, comfort, cultural discovery and value for money, a host family is difficult to beat.

Come to Paris to learn French. Stay with a French family to live it.

Your French course at ACCORD teaches you the language. Your host family helps you make it part of your everyday life. Together, they can transform a few weeks in Paris into something much more memorable than a language course. It can become a life experience, one that continues long after you have returned home.

Choose ACCORD Paris, choose a host family and discover what it really means to live French in Paris!

Host family accommodation in Paris

Select your French language course in Paris

 

History & Meaning: Why Is the French Flag Blue, White, and Red?

Stroll through any French town on July 14th and you will see it everywhere fluttering from windows, atop town halls, and on café terraces, just as you will all year round on the facades of all town halls and official buildings: the French tricolour flag. Blue, white, and red, three simple vertical bands that instantly say “France” to anyone in the world. But why these three colours, and why in this order?

Behind France’s national flag lies a story of kings, revolutionaries, and centuries of political change. It’s the kind of cultural detail that makes so much more sense once you’re living and learning French in France.

The Meaning of Blue, White, and Red

Each colour of the French flag carries its own symbolism, shaped by history.

• Blue has long been associated with Paris and, further back, with Saint Martin, a soldier who became the patron saint of the French army. Over time, blue came to represent freedom and the French people standing against tyranny.
• White was historically the colour of the French monarchy and the House of Bourbon. Rather than disappearing after the Revolution, white was kept at the centre of the new flag, symbolising unity, and, in the context of the new Republic, purity.
• Red, alongside blue, was one of the traditional colours of the city of Paris. During and after the Revolution, red came to represent courage and the sacrifices made in the fight for liberty.

Together, the three colours are widely understood today as embodying the revolutionary motto that still defines France: liberté, égalité, fraternité (liberty, equality, fraternity).

The History of the French Flag

Before the Tricolore existed, France had no single national flag. Under the monarchy, the country was represented by a variety of banners, most famously a blue shield decorated with three golden fleurs-de-lys, later displayed against a white background, the colour of the Bourbon dynasty.

Everything changed with the French Revolution of 1789. After the storming of the Bastille, the Marquis de La Fayette presented a blue-and-red cockade, the traditional colours of Paris, to King Louis XVI. White, the colour of the monarchy, was added to the cockade to symbolise the (short-lived) alliance between the king and the French people. This tricolour cockade quickly became a badge of loyalty worn by revolutionaries across the country.

The cockade’s colours soon made their way onto flags. In 1790, a flag with three vertical stripes was adopted for French ships. It wasn’t until 1794, however, that the National Convention formally fixed the design we recognise today: blue nearest the flagpole, white in the centre, and red flying free at the edge.

The flag’s story didn’t end there. When the monarchy was restored between 1814 and 1830, the Tricolore was set aside in favour of the plain white royal flag. It made its comeback after the July Revolution of 1830 and has remained France’s national emblem ever since, officially enshrined in both the 1946 and 1958 constitutions, and confirmed today in Article 2 of the French Constitution.

Do Other Countries Use the Same Three Colours?

France was far from the only country to adopt a blue, white, and red flag. In fact, the design has inspired dozens of nations across the world. A few notable examples:

• The Netherlands: often credited with one of the earliest tricolour flags, dating back to the 16th century, though arranged in horizontal red-white-blue stripes rather than France’s vertical bands.
• Luxembourg: a horizontal red-white-light blue tricolour, visually close to the Dutch flag but with its own distinct shades and origins tied to the coat of arms of the House of Luxembourg.
• Russia: a horizontal white-blue-red flag, historically linked to the influence of Western European maritime flags.
• The United Kingdom: the Union Jack combines the same three colours in a very different cross-based design.
• The United States: the Stars and Stripes, another revolutionary-era flag built on red, white, and blue.
• Many former French colonies and territories, including Quebec and Martinique, which still carry echoes of historic French blue-and-white designs.

Altogether, more than 30 countries around the world fly flags built from this same trio of colours, making blue, white and red one of the most popular colour combinations in flag design, closely tied to ideas of liberty, revolution, and independence.

Fun Facts About the French Flag

• The Tricolore‘s exact colour order was reportedly finalised with input from the painter Jacques-Louis David.
• The flag’s official name, le drapeau tricolore, simply means “the three-coloured flag”.
• Despite popular belief, the Gallic rooster is not an official symbol of France, the tricolour flag and La Marseillaise, the national anthem, hold that status.
• France’s flag ratio is 2:3, the same proportions used by many other national flags around the world, including the Netherlands and Russia.

Discover French Culture and History In Paris

Learning French language is never just about grammar and vocabulary, it’s about understanding the culture, history, and symbols that shape everyday life. Knowing why the French flag is blue, white, and red is an example of the kind of cultural insight that makes learning French so much richer when you do it in France itself.

At ACCORD French Language School in Paris, our French language courses combine language learning with real immersion in French culture and history, just steps from some of the city’s most iconic landmarks. Our students don’t just memorise facts about France, they walk past the Tricolore flying over public buildings every day, discuss French history with their teachers, and start to understand the country from the inside out.

So, if a flag’s story can spark this much curiosity, imagine what a few weeks of full immersion in Paris could teach you. Join ACCORD Paris and turn your curiosity about French culture into real, spoken French.

Contact ACCORD

 

Become confident when speaking and listening French

Are you looking to get some French listening comprehension practice? Don’t look any further… ACCORD’s intensive French lessons are what you are looking for and so much!

More than 1.700 students come from all over the world to ACCORD language school in Paris each year to improve their French language skills, including their French listening comprehension. ACCORD’s French immersion courses in France for adults combine an authentic French environment with high-quality French lessons, focusing to help students improve their French in all areas, speaking, listening, reading and writing.

In as little as one or two weeks in the ‘intensive French course ‘C’ (26 hours/week, which means 34 language lessons of 45 minutes per week!) at the ACCORD French Language School located nearby the Eiffel Tower, in the lively 15th arrondissement, students can practise and make impressive progress in fields such as French listening comprehension and French oral communication, feeling confident to use their French skills outside the classroom environment.

With lessons in multinational classes every morning Monday to Friday and two afternoon lessons on Monday and Friday dedicated to French oral communication, ACCORD French course ‘C’ provides students with many opportunities for French listening comprehension practice. As students are placed in classes of their level of French, learners are sure that they are getting the most effective learning experience for their linguistic level.
In multinational groups, students can practise their oral communication with their fellow students who are at the same level as them and continue speaking French during break times and after lessons are finished. ACCORD courses also prepare students for their A/AS level, ILC and Abitur French exams as often these students need to focus on improving their confidence when speaking and listening to pass their French exam easily and get the marks they want.

ACCORD qualified and experienced teachers, through French listening comprehension tests, make sure that all students improve their linguistic skills effectively, whether they are complete beginners learning the language for the first time, or advanced students looking to continue improving for professional reasons or simply because they want to be able to watch a French film without the subtitles, sing one of the famous French songs such as l’Hymne à l’Amour or read one of our France’s literary masterpieces in French such as Le Petit Prince or Les Misérables.

For those who prepare a French language diploma such as the TCF, DELF and DALF, French listening comprehension practice is essential, because these exams include oral tests.

For those wishing to hone their linguistic skills in a niche area, such as French for business or law, for example, the ACCORD French Language School in Paris also offers tailor-made courses which are highly beneficial for these students.

If you’re looking for the most valuable French listening comprehension courses, ACCORD’s experience and versatility make them the language school of your choice.

So, what are you waiting for…

Contact us

 

The Gardens of Paris: A Selection by ACCORD Paris Students

All it takes is a ray of sunshine and a blue sky for Paris to reveal its best side. Between two French classes, it’s hard to resist the pull of shaded lawns, ponds where little wooden sailboats drift by, and tree-lined paths flanked by century-old statues. The French capital is full of parks, gardens, and squares, each with its own history and atmosphere. Here’s a selection of the Parisian gardens most loved by students at ACCORD French language school, spanning royal heritage, scientific botany, and everyday Parisian relaxation. (In an upcoming post, we’ll share our students’ favorite parks too, stay tuned!)

Tuileries Garden

Let’s start with the Tuileries Garden, whose name comes quite simply from the tile factories (“tuileries”) that once stood on this land, before Queen Catherine de’ Medici had a palace built here in 1564, long since gone, but whose name stuck to the garden that replaced it. It was the famous landscape architect André Le Nôtre who, from 1664 onward, gave the garden the look we know today: the geometric, symmetrical style known as the “jardin à la française,” or French formal garden (**). Stretching between the Louvre and Place de la Concorde, the Tuileries is one of the most beloved places to stroll in Paris, for locals and ACCORD students alike, who love wandering among sculptures by Maillol, Rodin, and Giacometti.

(**) The “jardin à la française,” perfected by André Le Nôtre, is defined by its geometric layout and perfect symmetry. The Tuileries and the Luxembourg Gardens are both classic examples. The “jardin à l’anglaise,” or English garden, by contrast, embraces a wilder, more natural look with irregular shapes, as seen at Parc Monceau and Parc Montsouris.

Palais Royal Garden

Just steps from the Louvre, the Palais Royal Garden was created in 1633 by Cardinal Richelieu. It served as home to the royal family for years before they relocated to Versailles. Today, this elegant, peaceful garden is framed by remarkable architecture that stays firmly rooted in the present, with striking contemporary artwork throughout. Its best-known feature is the Buren Columns, a work by artist Daniel Buren installed in the courtyard next to the garden, near the Ministry of Culture: black-and-white striped octagonal columns that have become one of the most photographed symbols of Paris.

Jardin des Plantes

In the heart of Paris, the Jardin des Plantes offers a genuine slice of nature. This botanical garden, founded four centuries ago, still serves its original dual purpose: advancing scientific research and welcoming the public. Between its remarkable trees, statues, and pathways, it offers visitors a varied and beautifully preserved place to wander, complete with a few hidden, quiet corners. Across its 2.5 hectares of “jardin à la française,” you can lose yourself among plants from every corner of the world, get a first taste of botany, or admire trees loaded with history, including a pistachio tree that’s 315 years old, the garden’s silent elder.

Luxembourg Gardens

On the edge of Saint-Germain-des-Prés and the Latin Quarter, the Luxembourg Gardens were inspired by Florence’s Boboli Gardens and created in 1612 at the request of Queen Marie de’ Medici. Across its 25 hectares, the garden combines a French formal section and an English-style section, divided by a geometric forest and a large central pond. There’s also an orchard of rare, heirloom apple varieties, a small apiary for learning about beekeeping, greenhouses housing a breathtaking orchid collection, and a rose garden. The park counts no fewer than 106 statues, the monumental Medici Fountain, an Orangerie, and the Davioud Pavilion. It’s also a lively meeting place where Parisians and ACCORD students alike play chess, tennis, or bridge, or watch wooden sailboats glide across the pond. Culturally, the garden regularly hosts free open-air photography exhibitions along its railings, plus concerts at the bandstand.

Champs-Élysées Gardens

The Champs-Élysées Gardens stretch from Place de la Concorde to the Rond-Point des Champs-Élysées, flanking Paris’s most famous avenue on both sides. While their current layout dates back to 1840, their origins go back to the 17th century. In their most wooded section, they hold plenty of surprises: statues, fountains, and a bandstand, must-see museums (the Grand Palais, Petit Palais, and Palais de la Découverte), performance venues (Théâtre Marigny, Théâtre du Rond-Point, Théâtre de Guignol), and celebrated restaurants (Pavillon Ledoyen, Restaurant Laurent). Between majestic trees and colorful flowerbeds, it’s an essential stop for Parisians and ACCORD students alike.

A Student’s Tip

Barbara, a German student at ACCORD, shares her favorite spot: “Above all, don’t forget to visit the oldest tree in Paris — a black locust planted in 1601. For more than four centuries, it has stood proudly in Square René-Viviani, right in the heart of the Latin Quarter, and it truly is a striking sight to see.”

Your Turn to Explore

These gardens are just a glimpse of Paris’s green riches, each with its own atmosphere, its own history, and its own quiet invitation to slow down for a while. The best way to discover them? Lace up comfortable shoes, step out of the classroom between two French lessons, and let the paths guide you. And since learning French in Paris doesn’t stop at the classroom door, every one of these gardens doubles as the perfect place to practice: ask for directions, strike up a conversation with a Parisian feeding the pigeons, or simply listen to the French being spoken around you as you read a few pages in the shade of a tree.

So, which garden will be first on your list?

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Student Visa: What You Need to Know Before Studying at ACCORD Paris

So, you’ve decided to learn French in Paris. Congratulations, you’re about to start an unforgettable adventure! But before you picture yourself ordering une baguette bien cuite at your neighbourhood bakery or chatting with locals on a café terrace, there’s an important administrative step to sort out first: the visa.

Visa rules can feel confusing, especially when they depend on your nationality, the length of your stay, and the type of course you’re booking. To help you prepare with confidence, we’ve put together this practical guide answering the questions we hear most often from our future students. Here’s everything you need to know before packing your bags for Paris.

I Would Like to Follow a French Course at ACCORD. Do I Need a Visa to Book a Course?
No, you do not need a visa to study at ACCORD French Language School in Paris.
However, you may need a visa to enter France.

Do I Need a Visa to Come to France?
If you are a citizen of the European Union, a member state of the European Economic Area or Switzerland, you do not need a visa to come to France.
For students of other nationalities, depending on your nationality and the length of your stay, you may need a visa. There are several types of visas:

• Short-stay visa:
  “Uniform Schengen” short-stay visa
  Short-stay visas for non-European French territories
  All information about these visas is on https://france-visas.gouv.fr/en/visa-de-court-sejour
• Long-stay visa:
  For any stay in France exceeding 90 days, you are required to apply in advance for a long-stay visa. In this instance your nationality does not exempt you from requirements. There are two main types of long-stay visas.
  All information about long-stay visas are on https://france-visas.gouv.fr/en/visa-de-long-sejour

Can ACCORD French Language School Provide Me With a Visa?
No, ACCORD does not provide visas, as French language schools are not recognised and allowed to deliver a visa. If you have any questions about visas, please contact the French Embassy and/or the Campus France office nearest to you.
Important information: Due to the increase in the required income threshold for long-stay student visas, applications submitted starting August 1, 2026, will need to be accompanied by proof of income corresponding to a minimum of €877.50 per month.
More information on the official website of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs: https://france-visas.gouv.fr/en/accueil

Is There an Official Website or a Webpage Where I Can Check My Visa Need?
Yes, here: https://france-visas.gouv.fr/en/assistant-visa

Is an Online Visa Application Possible?
Yes, here: https://france-visas.gouv.fr/en/demande-de-visa

Can ACCORD Language School Help Me Get a Visa?
Once we have received your complete registration (registration form and full payment by bank transfer for the programme or the requested and non-refundable deposit), we will send you an official letter of invitation also called letter of acceptance to be submitted with your application to the Embassy.
It is your responsibility to gather the other documents required by the embassy for your visa application (proof of income, passport, photos, payment of administrative fees, etc) and make sure you meet all eligibility criteria.

Are There Any Fees for Studying at the ACCORD French Language School in Paris?
Yes, and you can access our 2026 and 2027 tuition fees on our official website: https://www.accord-langues.com/accord-dates-and-prices/

How Do I Register for a French Language Program at ACCORD?
To book your French language course, you must complete an online registration form on https://www.accord-langues.com/adult-booking/

Can Any French Course Allow Me to Ask and Get a Visa?
No, usually French Embassies and Campus France offices ask for a course of minimum 20 hours per week. At ACCORD we recommend you to book the morning intensive course ‘A’ (20h or 26 lessons/week) or the PM2 afternoon course (20h or 26 lessons/week) which is a bit cheaper than the morning course A.
Tuition fees are, for example, 350 euro/week for a course ‘A’ booked for minimum 13 weeks in 2026 and 360 euro/week in 2027, and 280 euros/week for a PM2 course for minimum 13 weeks in 2026 and 305 euro/week in 2027.

After Completing the Online Booking Form, What Are the Next Steps?
At reception of your booking form, we will contact you by mail to ask you to send us the required documents (copy of your passport…) and our Bank details to allow you to make the payment by bank transfer of the full fees or the non-refundable deposit.
After reception of these documents, we will send you a letter of invitation and a certificate of registration if you have paid the full fees or a certificate of pre-registration if you have paid the non refundable deposit.
ACCORD reserves the right to cancel your enrolment if no payment has been received 1 month before the start of the requested course. Once payment has been received in full, you will be also sent a placement test which you will need to complete and return a minimum of one week prior to your course start date, so you are placed in the class of your level on your first day.

Can I Start a French Course Any Monday, at ACCORD?
If you are not at a beginner level, you can start a French course any Monday. For beginners, there’s a starting date beginning of each month. Exact beginners course start dates are published on our website on each course page, and they can be also downloaded from that webpage: https://www.accord-langues.com/accord-dates-and-prices/

What Happens if I Am Refused a Visa?
In case of visa refusal, the stay will be cancelled upon receipt of the visa refusal letter. To obtain a refund, you must send the original refusal document you have received from the French authorities. You can send a copy of the refusal document by email to inform us of your situation, but NO refund will be possible if ACCORD doesn’t receive by post the original document. We will then refund the stay, after deduction of the registration fee and bank charges, as mentioned in our Terms and Conditions’ webpage: https://www.accord-langues.com/accord-terms-and-conditions/

Ready to Start Your French Adventure?

Navigating visa rules may seem daunting at first, but with the right information and a bit of planning, it’s a very manageable step on the way to your new life in Paris. Thousands of international students go through this process every year to come and study with us, and soon, it could be your turn.

At ACCORD Paris, we’re here to support you throughout your journey, from your first registration to your first day of class in the 15th arrondissement, just steps from the Eiffel Tower. Our team will provide you with the documents you need for your visa application and guide you at every stage, so you can focus on what matters most: making real progress in French and enjoying every moment of your Parisian experience.

Still have questions about visas or your upcoming course?
Don’t hesitate to reach out to our team, we’re always happy to help future students turn their Paris plans into reality.

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How to Order Your ‘Café’ Like a True Parisian

One morning, push open the door of a Parisian bistro and you’ll always see the same scene: a customer leaning on the counter, a small black coffee in front of them, a croissant next to it, and a newspaper or phone in hand. In France, coffee isn’t just a drink to wake you up: it’s a real ritual, an institution. People have it before work, before class, between two appointments, or simply to give themselves a break at the counter.

But here’s the catch: when it comes time to order, the coffee menu can quickly turn into a headache for a foreign student. Espresso, noisette, allongé, crème, macchiato… Each word refers to a very specific preparation, and mixing them up can surprise the waiter, or make you miss out on the coffee you were really dreaming of. Don’t panic: this guide will teach you to order your coffee with confidence, as if you were a local.

The counter classics

Here are the coffees you’ll find on (almost) every French bistro menu.

• An espresso (or expresso) – the classic: short, strong, with a beautiful golden foam on top.
• A double expresso – simply double the coffee in the cup, for mornings that need a bit more.
• A café serré, or ristretto – an espresso even shorter and more concentrated than a classic espresso, with less water and therefore a more intense taste.
• A noisette – an espresso with a small amount of hot milk or foam added, just enough to give it its “hazelnut” (noisette) colour.
• An allongé – an espresso with extra water added. The more allongé (stretched) a coffee is, the longer the water runs through the coffee grounds, which makes its taste more bitter and its caffeine content higher than that of a plain espresso.

Milkier coffees, for a softer taste

If you prefer a rounder, milder coffee, head to this category.

• A café au lait – an espresso with a large amount of hot milk and a thin layer of foam. A little anecdote: café au lait is said to have been born in France in 1685. Coffee made its first appearance in France in 1644 in Marseille, but it really became popular when Louis XIV discovered it in 1669. Quickly labelled a “noble” drink, it charmed the Sun King and his courtiers. Since coffee remained very bitter, sugar and honey were first added to it. It was in 1685 that a court physician had the idea of softening this coffee, “black as the devil,” by adding white milk — and café au lait, as we know it today, was born.
• A café filtre – slow-brewed coffee, giving a milder, larger, and less concentrated cup than an espresso.
• A crème – an espresso with a little cream or milk added. An insider tip: avoid ordering a “grand crème,” an expression that instantly gives away a tourist to Parisians!
• A cappuccino – an espresso topped with hot milk and a lovely layer of smooth foam, with a little cocoa powder sprinkled on top.
• A mocha – an espresso with chocolate powder or syrup, and frothy milk, for lovers of indulgent coffee.
• A macchiato – a coffee with a thin layer of hot milk foam added, literally “stained” with milk in Italian.

And in summer, why not order an iced coffee?
When temperatures rise, it’s hard to stay loyal to your piping hot coffee. Iced coffee is the perfect drink to cool off while still satisfying your caffeine craving: a tall glass, black coffee, ice cubes, and sometimes a little syrup are enough to create this star of the hot season.
You can also ask for your iced coffee with sugar, whipped cream, and syrup, to turn your coffee break into an even more indulgent, generous moment. This is what’s known as a café frappé.

The price: counter, seated inside, or terrace?
In France, the price of a coffee depends on where you drink it, not just its recipe. A coffee taken standing at the counter will always cost less than the same coffee served seated at a table, indoors or on the terrace. It’s a very French tradition: service and a seat come at a price, even for a simple espresso, so don’t hesitate to lean on the bar like the regulars.

Want to order (and understand) your coffee in real French?

Knowing coffee vocabulary is good. Ordering it with confidence, in French, right at the counter of a real Parisian bistro, is even better. That’s exactly what our students experience every day at the ACCORD French Language School in Paris, in the 15th arrondissement.

Our French language courses for adults aren’t limited to the grammar and vocabulary learned in class: they naturally continue in the streets around the school, between two bistros, a pastry shop, and a sunny terrace. Just steps from the school, our students love testing their freshly learned French by ordering “une noisette,” “un café allongé,” or “un crème” like true Parisians — and leaving with a little more confidence with every cup.

So, ready to trade your thermos for a real bistro counter?
Join ACCORD Paris, immerse yourself in French language and culture, and turn your next coffee into a real, life-size French lesson.

With ACCORD, it is not only about a French course, it is a life experience!

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You can’t visit France without falling in love with a French baguette. But step into any boulangerie and you’ll quickly realize that bread in France is a whole universe of its own: dozens of shapes, flours, and names, each with its own personality.

Whether you’re planning a language trip to Paris or already dreaming about your next croissant, this guide will walk you through the essential French bread vocabulary you need to know before you order. And if you’d rather learn this vocabulary the fun way, standing at a real Parisian boulangerie counter, baguette in hand, keep reading to the end, because that’s exactly what we do at ACCORD Paris.

Your Guide to the Boulangerie

Breads are classified according to the flours used

• brown bread
• white bread
• wholemeal bread

French legislation classifies breads based on their composition and production method: traditional French bread, homemade bread, sourdough bread, wood-fired bread, artisan-style bread, country-style bread, rye bread, bran bread, wheat bread, and standard French bread.

Baguette-Style French Breads
The baguette is the icon, but it has plenty of relatives.

• Une baguette: the classic French bread stick, long and thin with a crisp crust. In fact, the Belgians call it “French bread”, so commonplace is it in our country. Bakers offer it in a variety of specialty baguettes: seeded, épi (sheaf-shaped), fournée, amourette…
• Une baguette tradition: made according to a strict standard, without additives, featuring a more pronounced flavour and an open, airy crumb.
• Une ficelle: This narrower version is as long as a standard baguette but weighs half as much.
• Un pain: bigger and heartier than the baguette.
• Un bâtard: literally “bastard,” because it sits between une baguette and un pain in size.
• Une baguette sarmentine: a loaf with four-pointed ends, giving bread lovers extra crust to enjoy.
• Une baguette viennoise: a sweeter baguette, often studded with chocolate or nuts, and noticeably smaller than the original.

Other Types of French Bread
Beyond the baguette family, French bakeries offer plenty of variety.

• Un pain rond: a round loaf.
• Un pain complet: whole wheat bread.
• Un pain de campagne: a round loaf with a thick crust, often made from a blend of wheat flour, rye flour, and natural sourdough starter.
• Un pain viennois: mild and enriched with milk, butter, and sometimes sugar.
• Un pain de seigle: rye bread, traditionally served with oysters.
• Un pain au levain: characterized by long fermentation, a dense and slightly tangy crumb, and a longer shelf life.
• Un pain aux céréales – aux graines: bread studded with whole seeds.
• Un pain aux lardons: bread loaded with bacon bits.
• Une fougasse: a flatbread originating from the south of France, often flavoured with olives and herbes de Provence.
• Un pain de mie: A soft, rectangular white bread, often eaten in slices. The perfect sandwich bread. You find it in many bakeries, but the supermarkets usually offer a wide selection of this bread.

What is a “biscotte”?
Une biscotte is a dry, twice-baked bread that almost every French household keeps in the cupboard, the emergency backup for when the fresh bread runs out. Not quite a bread, not quite a cracker, it’s a small but essential part of French food culture. Its name, biscotte, is a borrowing from the Italian *biscotto*, composed of the prefix bis– and cotto, the past participle of *cuocere* (to cook), meaning “cooked twice”.

Essential Bread Vocabulary
Before you order, it helps to know how the French actually talk about bread itself.

• La mie: the soft, white interior of the bread.
• La croûte: the crust, the crunchy outer layer.
• Le croûton: the very end piece of a baguette, prized by many French people as the best bite of all, since it’s all crust.

Sweet French Bread Specialities
No trip to a French bakery is complete without exploring les viennoiseries, the sweet cousins of everyday bread.

• Un croissant: the buttery, flaky classic.
• Un pain au chocolat : a pastry filled with chocolate.
• Un pain aux raisins: a spiral pastry with vanilla cream and raisins.
• Une brioche: soft, fluffy, and slightly sweet bread.
• Un chausson aux pommes: a pastry filled with stewed apples.
• Un pain au lait: similar to a brioche, but with its own distinct texture and taste.
• Un palmier: a caramelized, palm-leaf-shaped puff pastry.
• Des chouquettes: Small choux pastries sprinkled with pearl sugar. Light and airy, they are perfect for snacking on at any time of day.

Boulangerie or Pâtisserie: What’s the Difference?
Many French shops combine both specialities under one roof: une boulangerie-pâtisserie. But technically, they’re two different trades.
Une boulangerie is where you’ll find bread, baguettes, loaves of every shape, and the sweet viennoiseries too. Une pâtisserie, on the other hand, is dedicated to cakes and pastries.
Now you know exactly what to ask for on your next trip to a French bakery, and you’ll understand what the baker means when they ask whether you’d like it bien cuite (well baked) or not!

Learn French in Paris — And Taste It Too

Reading a vocabulary list is one thing. Standing in a Parisian boulangerie, smelling warm bread, and confidently asking for une baguette bien cuite or un pain aux raisins in French is another experience entirely, and it’s one of the joys that makes learning French in Paris so rewarding.

At ACCORD Paris, our French language courses for adults go beyond grammar and textbooks. Just steps from the Eiffel Tower and in the lively 15th arrondissement, our students practice real, living French every day, including the exchanges that happen at the bakery counter, the market, and the café terrace. Vocabulary like this isn’t just something to memorize, it’s something you’ll use every morning before coming to class or during the break, sampling a fresh croissant or a warm croissant or a pain au chocolat with your coffee.

So why not turn this bread vocabulary list into your first real conversation in French? Join us at ACCORD Paris, immerse yourself in the language, and discover that the best way to learn French is to live it, one boulangerie visit at a time.

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Ready to Make Real Progress? Discover Full Immersion in the Heart of Paris

If you want the fastest way to improve your French, an intensive French course is exactly what you need. Packed with 20 to 35 hours of classes a week over a relatively short period, it’s the ultimate shortcut to real progress, and a genuine opportunity for full French language immersion.

ACCORD French language school in Paris offers 12 intensive courses, running all year round. So which one is the best fit for you? Here’s a side-by-side look at five of our most popular intensive courses, to help you pick the one that will take your French to the next level, and get you one step closer to booking your stay in Paris.

What Is an Intensive French Course?

Taking an intensive French course means learning French for several hours a day, usually at least 4, often more, alongside classmates from all over the world. Our courses welcome every level, from complete beginner to advanced, and you can join most classes any Monday. The one exception is complete beginners, who start on a dedicated date at the beginning of each month.

During the Covid years, many schools switched to online French courses. But for most learners today, an in-person course is by far the better choice: you stay fully focused, and you get to put your French into practice through real conversations and everyday French culture, well beyond the classroom walls.

Want to go even further? Live it, don’t just learn it.

ACCORD also offers full French immersion, with accommodation in carefully selected Parisian host families. On top of your French classes, you’ll be hearing and speaking French all day, every day. For the fullest experience, we recommend a half-board host-family stay: your own room, breakfast, and dinner with your host family, every single day. It’s one of the most effective — and most memorable,, ways to genuinely live in French.

How Much Does an Intensive French Course Cost?

A selection of 5 intensive and super-intensive courses at ACCORD Paris:

• Intensive French course ‘B’ — 23h/week
• Intensive French course ‘C’ — 26h/week
• Intensive French course ‘D’ — 29h/week
• Super Intensive French course ‘G’ — 32h/week
• Super Intensive French course ‘E’ — 35h/week

The longer you stay, the less you pay per week. In 2026, a one-week intensive course of 23h costs €445, a 26h course €475, and a 35h super-intensive course (E) €575.

Stay 5 weeks, and the weekly price drops to €425 for the 23h course, €455 for the 26h course, and €555 for the 35h super-intensive course (E).

For longer stays, the savings are even bigger: €405/week for the 23h course over 9 weeks, and €385/week over 13 weeks.

Prefer to study in the afternoon?
Our PM2 course (20h/week) costs only €315/week for a one-week stay, dropping to €290/week over 9 weeks and €280/week over 13 weeks.

And for the full immersion experience: select a host-family accommodation

Host-family accommodation costs €370/week for a single room with breakfast, or €500/week for a single room with breakfast and dinner every day.

One more perk: staying with a host family also means you don’t pay the Paris Occupancy Tax that applies to hotels, aparthotels, and residences.
As with any trip, remember to budget for extras like transportation to and from France, and any excursions or activities you’d like to enjoy on your days off.

Which Intensive French Course Is Right for You?

Start by thinking about your hopes and expectations, and where you’ll feel most comfortable and focused. Are you after a truly intense experience, packing in as many classes as possible? Or something a little more relaxed (though still genuinely “intensive,” as the name promises)? Would a homestay or immersion experience take your progress even further? Does your choice of location in France matter to you?

Whatever your answers, ACCORD has an intensive course built around your goals, and your French.

Ready to take the next step?
Book your intensive French course in Paris today and start living the language.

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France, the kingdom of cheese: the French fromage top 20

“How can you govern a country that has 246 varieties of cheese?” Général de Gaulle’s words from 1962 capture the complexity and independent spirit of the French in the nation’s diverse gourmet heritage. The tally grew in the French mindset to 365 varieties, one for every day of the year, when Général de Gaulle (him again!) apparently also said: “A country that produces 365 types of cheese cannot lose the war.”
Fast forward to the present day and the number has exploded since the 1960s, with over 1200 or even 1600 types, as different varieties of the same cheese have been brought to market.

There are two things for sure:

• France is the world’s third biggest cheese producer and the undisputed leader in terms of regional diversity and AOP designations (Appellation d’Origine Protégée or Protected Designation of Origin).
• France is the world’s biggest cheese consumer, weighing in at around 26kg per year per person, a little over 2kg per month per person.

There are definitely over 1200 types of cheese in France, ranging from unpasteurised to pasteurised, hard cheese to cheese spread, cow’s milk to goat’s milk… Enough cheese for you to try a different one every day for over three years!

The French’s top 20 favourite types of cheese

Brie (de Meaux): Soft cheese with a bloomy rind from Île-de-France. One of the oldest types of cheese in France and called “the king of cheeses” at the Congress of Vienna.

Camembert: Soft cheese with a bloomy rind from Camembert in the Orne region of Normandy. Scroll down to find out more about camembert.

Roquefort: Blue cheese made using ewe’s milk and aged in natural cellars in the village of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon, in Aveyron. Diderot and Alembert named it “le roi des fromages”.

Comté: Hard, pressed, cooked cheese made from unpasteurised cow’s milk in the Jura region. The best-selling AOP cheese in France and the nation’s favourite in taste tests.

Emmental: The French eat more of this cheese than any other (over 150,000 tons per year) and tend to buy it grated, ready to use in their recipes. Its big holes make it easy to recognise.

Reblochon: Pressed, uncooked cheese from Savoie with an orange washed rind. The star ingredient in tartiflette.

Munster: Soft cheese with a washed rind from Alsace, famous for being strong in aroma yet mild in flavour.

Cantal: Pressed, uncooked cheese from Auvergne, one of the oldest types of cheese in France and sometimes called “cheddar’s French cousin.”

Crottin de Chavignol: Dinky goat’s cheese with a natural rind from Berry. The texture changes depending on how long it has been aged for.

Beaufort: Pressed, cooked cheese from Savoie known as “le prince des gruyères” and made at high altitude using milk from Tarine and Abondance cows.

Bleu d’Auvergne: Blue cheese with prominent green-blue veins made from cow’s milk. Milder than roquefort.

Saint-Nectaire: Pressed, uncooked cheese from Auvergne with a natural grey rind and an earthy flavour.

Époisses: Soft cheese with a washed rind soaked in Marc de Bourgogne, one of the strongest-smelling cheeses and a big hit among fromage fans.

Tomme de Savoie: Pressed, uncooked cheese with a sweet hazelnut flavour. Often less fatty than other mountain cheeses.

Mimolette: Pressed cheese from the North with an iconic bright orange colour and rough, grey rind.

Morbier: Pressed, uncooked cheese with a signature strip of black ash in the middle, hailing from back when the cheese was made in two stages.

Chaource: Creamy soft cheese with a bloomy rind and tangy flavour from Champagne.

Livarot: Soft cheese with a washed rind from Normandy. Nicknamed “le colonel” because of the dried reeds wrapped around the rind, reminiscent on the stripes on an army uniform.

Pont-l’Évêque: Soft cheese with a washed rind and classic square shape. One of the oldest cheeses from Normandy.

Ossau-Iraty: Pressed, uncooked cheese made using goat’s milk and from Béarn and the Pays Basque. Usually served with cherry jam.

Chat about cheese like a local

An un-brie-lievably useful glossary

The French have specific words for things like the pâte (texture), croûte (rind) and affinage (how it’s made or aged) to describe the flavour and feel of your fromage.

Texture:

• Pâte fraîche: Fresh, unaged cheese with a high water content (e.g. faisselle).
• Pâte molle: Soft, creamy, melt-in-the-mouth (e.g. camembert).
• Pâte pressée: Cooked/uncooked cheese pressed to remove water (e.g. cantal, comté).
• Pâte persillée: Veined with blue mould (e.g. roquefort).

Rind:

• Croûte fleurie: Soft white rind (e.g. brie).
• Croûte lavée: Smeared or washed in water or alcohol whilst ageing (e.g. munster).
• Croûte naturelle: Natural unwashed rind (e.g. crottin de chèvre).

How it’s made or aged:

• Caillé: Curds produced once the milk has coagulated.
• Présure: Rennet, a natural substance to help coagulate the milk.
• Affinage: The time the cheese spends ageing in the cellar to build flavour and rind.
• Persillage: Little blue or green veins in the cheese itself.

We just can’t camembert the suspense!

Camembert is named after the little Normandy village where the cheese is made. The village lies in the Pays d’Auge, an area famous for its lush grass and dairy cattle. The reputation cheese from the Camembert area was first mentioned in texts dating back to the early 18^th century.
Legend has it that a local farmer called Marie Harel invented camembert in 1791. The story goes that she got the recipe from a priest who she hid during the French Revolution. The priest told her to use a similar ageing method to the technique involved in making brie.

Which cheese do the French call “le roi des fromages”?

The French call roquefort “le roi des fromages” after Diderot and Alembert gave it the nickname in the 18^th century. Outside France, Italian parmesan is often called something similar whilst Brie de Meaux was named “the king of cheeses” at the Congress of Vienna.

What is France’s best-selling cheese?

Emmental is the biggest seller in France, closely followed by camembert and comté.

• Emmental: Over 150,000 tons sold annually in France. Often bought grated and ready to use.
• Camembert: Second in terms of sales volume (44,000-47,000 tons per year).
• Comté: The biggest-selling AOP designation cheese (Appellation d’Origine Protégée) and France’s favourite in taste tests.

In the name of fromage:

If there’s one cheese that will give you a giggle in French with its naughty play on words, it’s Le Trou du Cru. This little Burgundy cheese’s rind is washed in Marc de Bourgogne and its tongue-in-cheek name joins the likes of Clacbitou, Le Bouton de Culotte and La Boulette d’Avesnes.

“En faire tout un fromage”

The French expression, “en faire tout un fromage”, means to make a big stink about something (an apt translation given the subject matter) or make a mountain out of a molehill. It’s often used to put things in perspective, e.g. “Ce n’est qu’un retard, ce n’est pas la peine d’en faire tout un fromage !”).
The expression first came about in the 20^th century and “en faire tout un fromage” refers to making milk into cheese. Milk is readily available, whereas it takes time, technique and craftsmanship to make cheese. So, “en faire tout un fromage” is about turning something basic, like milk, into something more elaborate and complex, like cheese.

Cheesy slang

How do you say cheese in French slang? The French tend to say frometon, fromton, clacos (or claquos) and calendos.

• Frometon: the cuter dimunitive.
• Clacos/Claquos: a common term often used to describe soft cheeses.
• Calendos: a nod to our famous camembert.

It’s your turn to cheese the day!

When it comes to French, ACCORD French language school in Paris is the place to brie! Now you know your stuff about twenty types of cheese and you have the lingo you need to wax lyrical about any cheese platter that appears on the table!
Make the most of your French course in Paris to sample, compare and ask for advice at the market, cheese shop or over dinner with your host family: the French love sharing their passion for cheese and you’re bound to get into a fascinating conversation about it (a golden opportunity to practise your spoken French too!).
Who knows, maybe you’ll find your own “roi des fromages” by the end of your stay in Paris.

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