IS-DBA École de Français Langue Étrangère

During the 4 weeks at the language school, I was able to expand my vocabulary considerably. I was able to make the most progress orally. The teachers and staff were very competent and friendly, and switching to an easier course was no problem. My only comment would be the timetable, where I had travaux dirigés on Fridays from 2pm to 5pm, which was often empty and used ineffectively.

The location of the school, is fantastic, the lessons were very usufull, the hours per week as accorded and the teachers very helpfull

I attended the Intensive French summer course for 4 weeks. It turned out to be an excellent experience for me. The two main teachers I had created a casual but professional atmosphere where every student was encouraged to speak and participate but never 'put on the spot'. I was very lucky to be in a small, fun class where the conversation flowed freely. My only complaint is that the airconditionning was not working in our main classroom, room 602. We did have a couple of fans but the room was still warm, which made concentrating for 2.5 hours more difficult.

I enrolled for 5 weeks only, and would like to have continued. Classes are small enough to challenge and involve anyone interested in improving their french. Students I met were from Korea, China, South America, Russia, Germany, Italy, and Ukraine - I was one of two Americans I met, and the only American in my class - and clearly the oldest student by far!

The school has a friendly atmosphere and it is in a central part of Paris easily accessible by metro and bus. I rented a friends apartment nearby, so I cannot comment on accommodation. But there are good restaurants everywhere near the school, and a market twice a week just next door. The Museum of the Liberation of Paris, La Fondation Giacometti, La fondation Cartier, Le Cimetière du Montparnasse, Rue Daguerre, Even the Catacombs of Paris are all within walking distance on Blvd Raspail. All fascinating in their own way. You can sample Parisian culture right outside the school doors!

I have taken private classes in the past, I studied french in boarding school decades ago, I’ve taken classes at the ‘heralded’ Alliance Français in NYC, and I can report IS-DBA in Paris is as good if not better than all of those. You will enjoy your time here because the teachers are lovely, the classes small, and the teaching methods are engaging - especially if you are willing to put in the work.

I am a French beginner. Although I have only taken a one-month course, my excellent teachers have made me improve quickly. Thank you very much, IS DBA

The course offered lots of content and moved at a fast pace, which was great. I enjoyed the conversational element a lot. I felt it improved speaking the most, as you get to understand if you are comprehensible. Plus it was good for class dynamic. I think the course needed a bit more of this. Sometimes I felt there was too much long grammar lessons where we are all lost because the teacher would speak very fast in french, and we only A2 level. So, a lot of us were lost here.

I studied at IS-DBA for an entire month and had a great experience. The school is very easy to reach, as it is located at a few minutes walk by the tube. The only thing I didn't quite like was the room allocation - we were allocated a few times a room with no windows which isn't the best choice also for health reasons, especially since covid-19. But for everything else it was great. What I did like especially was the quality of teaching. My teacher was Alexis, and he was always well prepared, made lessons engaging and was always open to students' needs. I can definitely say that, thanks to this experience, my level of written and spoken French has definitely increased.

I enjoyed my intro level class at IS-DBA. The location is great, very central to Paris and easy to get to via Metro. My main teacher, Andres, was easy to understand and encouraging. He made the class super engaging and fun. The class progresses at a pretty fast pace for a complete beginner but as long as you make time to study you'll progress on schedule. The classrooms are a bit small but they changed our schedule to accommodate the number of people in our class, and so there weren't any problems.

The professors were excellent and the staff was friendly and helpful. The institution is very well situated and has a great view on Paris from the classroom.

I had courses from professor François and he was always dedicated, enthusiastic, and fun. In every lesson, he provided us with his own made print-outs which were very compact, unlike FLE textbooks. Besides the knowledge of the french language, he taught me a lot including the overall culture, history of France, and the lifestyles of Parisien. When I was taking the DELF exam, he also provided me with courses focused on DELF.

The ateliers were diverse and comprehensive. I took the pronunciation, business-french, civilization, and art course.

Overall, I highly recommend IS-DBA to those who want to earn french intensively in Paris.