Parlez Français avec les autres! In addition to our Social Hours, Francophones and French-language learners can meet pour parler la belle langue in several French conversation groups in our area. All are open to the public:
Burlington: Pause-Café
This group has offered French conversation for decades. Currently they sponsor two weekly conversations: one online and one in person.
In person: Meets Tuesdays from 5pm to 6:30 pm at Burlington Bay Café, College and Battery Streets. For info, email Steve Norman at: pause-cafe+owner@groups.io.
Online: Meets Saturdays at 10:00 a.m. via Zoom at this link. Meeting ID: 724 0906 5430; passcode: nK3E0H
Jericho: Deborah Rawson Memorial Library
French Conversation Chez Henry. Come join this informal French conversation group, named in fond remembrance of our past leader and raconteur sans pareil Henry Weinstock. All levels of French speakers, as well as the French curious, are welcome.
Meets on Tuesdays from 7pm to 8pm at the Rawson Library, 8 River Road in Jericho. The schedule may vary—please check the library’s calendar page.
Middlebury: ShireTown Cafe / Haymaker Bun Co.
This group meets every Saturday from 9:30 am to 11:30 am, at varying locations in Middlebury. From October 2024 to January 2025, it meets at the Middlebury (Ilsley) Public Library, 75 Main Street. From January to May 2025, it will meet at the ShireTown Cafe and Market, 54 College Street. From May to October 2025, it will meet at the Haymaker Bun Co., 7 Bakery Lane. All levels of French are welcome. If you have questions, email Linda at lindahamptonsmith@gmail.com.
Peacham: Peacham Public Library
This group meets every Monday from 1pm to 2pm at the Peacham Library. For information, contact Liza Browne at glad2binvt@gmail.com.
Plattsburgh: Plattsburgh Public Library
This group usually meets every Monday at 3:00 pm depending on weather and holidays. It alternates between Zoom and in-person meetings. To get the schedule and the Zoom link, please email Anne, the facilitator, at ajobin-picard@cefls.org.
Waitsfield: Joslin Memorial Library
This group meets every Tuesday from 4:45 pm to 6 pm, at the Joslin Memorial Library, 4391 Main Street in Waitsfield. All levels of French are welcome. For more information, contact Patrick Travers at pattravers@madriver.com.
Williston Village: Dorothy Alling Memorial Library
This group meets the second Saturday of each month from 10:45 to 11:45 am at 21 Library Lane. All levels of French are welcome. Participants rotate through small groups, so that all have the opportunity to talk and listen. Contact romain.feuillette@gmail.com.
French Storytime for children also meets at the library on the second Saturday of each month, from 10:15 am to 10:45 am.
If you know of a public French conversation group in northwestern Vermont that isn’t mentioned here, let us know at info@aflcr.org.
Form your own group!
Are you interested in starting your own French conversation group? Check out our tips!
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Forming a French Conversation Group
Informal conversation groups are a great way to practice your French speaking skills, learn new vocabulary and grammar structures, and, perhaps most important, meet new people with whom you can share your love of French language…
Alliance Française USA’s Online Apéro
Our national federation hosts a weekly Apéro conversation group via Zoom. It’s for adult participants, ages 17 and up. Your level should be high-intermediate to advanced or fluent; and you must be a current member of a U.S. Alliance Française chapter. You will be assigned to a breakout room of 4-5 people, with each breakout session lasting 14 minutes. The rooms are then are re-created (for a different mix each time). In this way, participants get to meet and chat with a variety of people from different backgrounds, regions, and fluency levels.
The host is Linda Witt. The group meets by Zoom for an hour every Wednesday, at 8:00 p.m. ET. To get on the invitation list, click here.