Petit Déjeuner du Vendredi – Automne 2024 – All Levels

Friday, 7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.
Registrations are now closed until Wednesday 09/25 at which time you will be able to sign up for Friday  09/27.

PLEASE READ ON…

Location and NEW RULES:
– We will meet in person, at Valérie’s Office – 217 Commercial Street in Portland (you will need to be let in; please arrive on time)
– There is ample parking available on the street and no parking fees at this time of day.

– Please note that space is limited. For this reason, registration will take place WEEKLY, from Wednesday 12:00 pm until Thursday 12:00 pm or as soon as we have reached full capacity. Sign up early. We will send a reminder weekly, by noon on Wednesday.
(If you did not sign up before the first breakfast (9/6) to be added to the list of people who will receive weekly reminders, please contact us by email)

– If we need to cancel a gathering (it happens!), we will be in touch by email using the email list we are gathering here and the address you have provided when signing up.
We reserve to right to cancel a weekly gathering for insufficient enrollment. Please make sure to always check your spam box. 

Moderator:  Valerie Guillet
Price: $7.50/person/meeting (non refundable unless we cancel for insufficient enrollment)
Dates: Every Friday from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. from September 6 until December 13.

Beginning through advanced speakers are welcome and you do not need to be enrolled in a weekly class to participate. Those of you who have been coming regularly know that an extra hour of conversation practice outside of class, during which any and all topics can surface, is a great way to improve your ability to understand spoken French and communicate when put on the spot.

Please keep in mind that this is not a structured “class” but rather a social gathering during which the only requirement is that you be willing to speak French only as we assist you when needed to keep the conversation flowing.

If you need assistance to determine if this is right for you, we would be happy to help.
Please get in touch.

Last but not least, we kindly ask that you respect the concerns of those who remain vulnerable to Covid and other seasonal diseases due to unrelated health issues. We will assume that you are symptom free when coming to breakfast or wearing a mask if in doubt.  Thank you!

We look forward to seeing you at breakfast very soon!

This is what happens every Friday:

The door opens at 7:30 sharp. We gather around a large table where cups, plates, and napkins await. Coffee and tea essentials are available, and a strong coffee aroma has already spread throughout the meeting room. New comers are first welcomed and asked to introduce themselves — indeed, why on earth would you get up this early for a cup of strong coffee (organic French roast from CBD and French style… pas de jus de chaussettes ici!) — and all others are greeted with a casual “Ça va? Quoi de neuf?” and off it goes. Whatever comes up will be discussed, analyzed, criticized, joked about, made fun of, agreed with, and also… corrected by the French language police and their bionic ears! We mostly laugh a lot and can’t wait for the following week after we feel caught up on everyone’s news and on any city or worldly occurrence worth our attention.

We ask that you bring food items to share whenever possible (not to feed an army! just a croissant or two, or an apple!). Coffee, tea, cream, sugar, jam, and butter are provided.

Voilà… c’est simple.