Intensive One-to-One Language Immersion Courses

Your Testimonials about our Intensive French Immersion Courses

K. H.

I wanted to thank you once again for a very rewarding week with you. My French improved tremendously. For someone who hadn't spoken French since GCSE over 15 years ago, the combination of intensive individual lessons and continual immersion in the language proved invaluable. Merci beaucoup!

Rauno Leijola

Thank you very much for the professional teaching & excellent hospitality during my stay in Spa. It was a pleasure to meet you and your colleagues.

I have talked positive about Dialogue to my friends here in Luxembourg.

James Hatcher

President, Grasta Solutions LLC

As far as I am concerned, it’s the only way to go. I learned more in my two weeks there than I would in a year of school, although I was tired by the end.

I think I could do another two weeks and hope Mme Godard would be so courteous as to share breakfast with me in the mornings again.

John Walker

I would like to thank you all at DialoguE in Spa for our superb two week French immersion experience recently. The course surpassed my expectations and your teaching method has truly provided me with the key to continue that improvement. Please convey my thanks to your teaching staff for their effective teaching and their consistently high level of expertise.

I would also like to express my sincere appreciation to yourself and Claudine for your hospitality as well as the entertaining discussions and the gentle corrections of my French during mealtimes.

All the best until we see you the next time.

Jeffrey Hill

I have spent a lot of time over the last few years trying to learn French. In reading books, learning rules of grammar, I have learned a lot about French, but not really to speak the language. It has been quite frustrating to be able to read fairly well, but not to express myself, fully understand others or participate in conversations. All that is in the process of change following my 10 day stay in Spa.

Claudine and Jean-Luc Godard, and their terrific professors, have a different and better method. The concentration is on the sounds of the language, comprehension of spoken French and correct pronunciation. I can see now that with work on the right things, as directed by DialoguE, it is possible for me to learn to speak the language. I arrived in Spa with the hope that I would make progress and I certainly did that; but, I also made some wonderful Dialogue friends; Claudine, Jean-Luc, Genevieve, Valerie, Sylvia & Gerdemie, but also other students from Spain, Switzerland and Holland. I left with personalized tapes with about two hours of my professors speaking about subjects that I chose, concentrating on vocabulary important to me. I will continue to practice with these tapes, expand my oral comprehension and speak with more confidence.

I have been to other schools. If I had found DialoguE sooner in my work to learn the language, I have no doubt that I would be much further along today. I plan to work with my tapes, the other recordings available at DialoguE and, with time and effort, expand my ability. It is clear to me that with DialoguE’s method, and a lot of work – no way to avoid that, but it is very enjoyable and rewarding – I can become a French speaker. I will certainly return. DialoguE has a very well deserved reputation for excellence among its students and other schools. Were it possible to easily learn a language, DialoguE would have discovered the secret. It is not easy, it requires effort and repetition, but this is quite clearly the way for an adult to learn to speak a language.

The accommodations and meals are exceptional. Claudine is in charge of the meals, Jean-Luc the wine and everyone the conversation. Meal times are delightful; breakfast with Claudine, lunch with the professors and dinner entertainment with the Robin Williams of Spa, Jean-Luc. It will be very hard for me not to become a regular guest at DialoguE. In short, the language experience is exceptional, the people and place delightful.

Robert Fig

General Manager
Global Risk - Treasury
Arcelor Mittal

I arrived on the course with little or no background in French and left a week later with a very good foundation. Your teaching staff were very patient with me which I appreciated. I have been actively working every day at the language and hope to start bi-weekly lessons through work. I also have every intention of coming back, hopefully during late summer to polish up on what I have learnt.

Once again very many thanks.

Sussinskie Mary

Thank you for all of your help! The class was great!

Brian Dalton

Having just completed a week at DialoguE, I wanted to write to compliment you on your fine school and hospitality. As you know, this completes my third stay at DialoguE, and I still feel quite strongly that there is no other language learning experience quite like DialoguE.

The format of the course is novel and designed for rapid assimilation of French, since all lessons are private and geared to the level of the student. No one needs to feel shy or self conscious about their verbal abilities in French, and verbal expression in French is encouraged at all times.

But the real “magic” occurs during the time of total immersion in the French language and culture, which does not happen in many other schools. At DialoguE, even meal times and television time are opportunities to learn and exercise newly learned French! It is not surprising to realize that you are thinking in French, and it is true, actually dreaming in French after a time!

I would whole-heartedly recommend DialoguE to anyone who is seriously considering a language school, and wishes to make quick and enjoyable progress.

A.W.

DialoguE is, in my opinion, by far the best program for learning spoken French in Europe or North America.

The school is full-immersion, residential, and specialized in teaching spoken French to adults. The students live and study in the home of the school's owners, taking meals together in French with their teachers. There might be anywhere from 3 to 6 students, depending on the time of year.

All instruction is completely individual (one teacher, one >student) and customized in light of the individual student's objectives. I have attended on several occasions to improve my spoken French for professional reasons, and have always been fully satisfied.

In my view, the key to Dialogue's success is that all lessons are individual and personalized, so that a maximum of progress is made for whatever time one has to devote to learning French. The ratio of one student/one teacher explains, of course, the apparently high price, but in terms of a quality/price ratio, I think that the school is a better buy than less expensive alternatives where much time is wasted in group instruction.

Reiko Skillman

I would appreciate your conveying my sincere thanks to you all, especially Claudine and Jean-Luc for their wonderful hospitality. I truly enjoyed my three-week stay there and hope to visit there again sometime this autumn.

Nirbhay Mehta

Mumbai, India

I spent 2 weeks at DialoguE and it was a great experience. I think I learned more French over there than I did in 2 years in high school! Though it is expensive, it is worth the money. The quality of teaching is very high and the atmosphere is great. Before DialoguE, I could barely speak the language. Now, I can speak pretty well and can understand even the French news on TV!

The advantage about this programme is that one is constantly conversing in French. No English at all for the entire duration. This is what really makes a difference; in a couple of days I was able to understand pretty much everything that was being said in French.

Jean-Luc, Claudine and the entire team are very professional, but also make one feel at home. It is quite informal and there is no pressure as such.

It really was a very good experience and I encourage people who have the chance to go there not to think twice about it.

Martin Stuart

I’d like to thank you all for the extremely enjoyable, and productive time I spent with you last week in Spa.

To Jean-Luc and Claudine, I congratulate you on your excellent concept, and let me say once again how much I enjoyed your 1st class hospitality and the convivial atmosphere you create. The fine foods prepared so expertly by Claudine and matched by Jean-Luc’s wine were a particular treat.

To my "Professeurs", thank you for your professionalism, patience and perseverance. I was very pleased with the results of my tuition in all areas, and it was only after I left that I appreciated properly how much I had improved. It took me a while to get to grips with the "Triangle Vocalique", but now I am finding it immensely useful in improving my comprehension and expression.

I have already recommended to a number of colleagues that they should attend, and I believe that at least one will be contacting you very shortly. I myself would very much like to come back later in the year if the opportunity arises, so hopefully I shall be able to show you all how things have progressed.

In conclusion thank you all once again, and feel free to use me as a reference if you feel it would be helpful.

With Best Regards, and until next time,

Keith London ROGERS

Many thanks for a superb weekend. A short, sharp spell of total immersion in a francophone environment was just what I needed to give me the confidence to tackle my exams. It made a big difference as I passed them with flying colours!

John Spicer

PMI Engineering SA

I would like thank you for what has been an incredibly rewarding experience.

Learning something new is almost never easy, it takes effort & commitment from all concerned.

For a person like me, I needed, a motivating environment, without distractions; this you uniquely provide within the setting of Dialogue.

The Dialogue system of immersion from morning to night, without intrusion into personnel space is unique and something I still do not understand how you to manage to achieve so apparently effortlessly.

Personally the most important things were the intangibles & details provided by you, Claudine & your team.

The things I will most remember apart from the French language are:

• The patience and persistence of your team of professors.
• Your infectious enthusiasm for language and communication.
• The truly stimulating conversations over excellent dinners.

Thank you again for opening up the Francophone world to me.

John Knutton

Professor
United Kingdom

Many thanks for your efforts of last week which made my stay at Dialogue both enjoyable and productive.

Over the past few days I have come to realise just how much I learnt in my one week stay at Spa. My wife, who speaks French fluently, was pleasently suprised at the extent of my progress and is currently helping me consolidate the excellent work of you and your staff. Your work will help me to enjoy my time in the Dordogne even more than I normally do.

My appetite for the French language has been whetted and I fully intend to return and to further increase my language skills. Your total immersion method certainly worked for me and the whole week was very good value for money.

Please convey my thanks to the other teachers.

Greg Tasker

Shell

Dear Ms McBean,

I undertook the course at DialoguE during the last week of September and first of October last year. I was a beginner at the start with no more than some remnants of schoolboy French with a few tourists phrases thrown in. I had been reading a Teach Yourself book for a few weeks before attending the course. I had originally booked a two week course with the intermediate weekend but due to a family death just before going on the course and an unfortunate incident in Brussels station on my way to the course I actually lost 4 days of tuition. Mr. Godard was most helpful through this and not only did he provide me personal assistance such as taking me personally to the Police Station to make a statement but also assisted me with getting funds into the country through his account. In addition we were able to make up for some of the lost time through Mr. Godard re-arranging schedules to give me extra lessons on the days I was present. He has credited me with the remaining lessons to be taken on my next visit which I will definitely take once time allows.

I took the course because I had been offered a job with a French company and as I was to be working with French speaking indigenes I had to undergo an interview in France, in French, two days after finishing the course. I passed the interview and was offered the job the next day. One of the many good things I found about the course was that I told Mr. Godard at the start that my initial aim was to pass the interview, with a secondary aim of continuing to learn the language, and he was able to tailor specific aspects of the course directly towards my interview. This definitely helped me get through a rather nerve racking experience as some key points, questions and responses had been turned into key phrases during the course and recorded on cassette allowing me to hear and rehearse them time and again. This 'Key Phrases' is a particular aspect of the course and I have found it particulary useful and still listen to the tapes on a regular basis now. Through this I am gaining more confidence and having been given a good grasp of the structure of the language have now found it much easier to learn on my own the grammar and verb conjugations. I have three French contractors working for me here in Nigeria and whereas I used to conduct all business in English with them, I now spend a lot of time speaking French on the job and even go out for a beer with them where we only speak French. The 'immersion' part of the course gave me the confidence to do this as only French is spoken throughout the course, although you are helped when you are in particular difficulty in trying to make yourself understood.

I found the whole atmosphere to be very relaxed and pleasant with meal times and evening interaction being something to look forward to. The food was excellent although Mr. Godard and myself could never agree on the best choice of wine, luckily he always had several. The instructors were very pleasant and relaxed, although forceful in their coaxing of French conversation from you and getting across the lessons material. I felt the individual instruction was of particular benefit because the moment I had a problem with a particular aspect the instructor was able to concentrate on that aspect until I had understood it. In a class session this would often not be possible leaving a gap in ones learning. Where the instructor noticed a particular problem this was specifically addressed on the 'Key Phrases' tapes so that it was available to me for continual reference.

By the end of the course I was rated as around level 2 with a notation that I should be able to achieve level 4 with another weeks training. In the few months since I've finished it I believe I have been able to raise myself well above level 2 with what I took from the course in both materials and the experience and am quite confident writing to the French company with which I had the interview in French. Even if I don't end up with the job that started it all, the course has given me impetus to learn a second language fluently and I intend to do that. I cannot actually, at this moment in time, think of anything that I would like to see improved. Jean-Luc and his wife, Claudine, made you feel very welcome and the small numbers gave the evenings a sense of a friendly gathering. For those who wanted less intensive study it would even make a pleasant and different holiday as Spa is a very pleasant area of Europe. I am happy to recommend the course and will be going again myself as soon as I can fit it in.

I trust I have been able to answer all your questions as fully as you would wish and that you find my personal view useful in your deliberations. A friend on mine is attending the course this month on my recommendations.

Kind regards,

NODA Koichi

Teacher
Osaka
Japan

I have studied French for the past four summers in French-speaking countries and no other school is better than Dialogue thanks to the "private lessons".

I brought some cassettes on which I had recorded French programs, made a transcript before each lesson and had a teacher correct it. This practice greatly helped me improve my French.

This autumn just after the lessons I passed the DELF 1st grade at the score of 16.5~18 out of 20.

The fees are a little expensive but they are worth it. DialoguE is for those who really want to improve their French because no one speaks Japanese there.