French is spoken by a total of around 220 million people either as a mother tongue, as a secondary language or as a foreign language, in the member countries, associated or with observer status in the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF).
In the ranking of the number of speakers of different languages, French is the sixth place in the world and the second place in Europe. It is the official language in 29 countries, ranking second in this respect after English.
As a foreign language, French is, after English, the second most learned language in the world (by 120 million people), in most countries. 5% of the Internet space would be occupied by French, being on the 6th (in 8th) place among the most used languages.
Thus, knowledge of French can open up many opportunities to study in high schools with bilingual teaching or intensive French classes, or to study in faculties with teaching in French or abroad, but also for future opportunities in professional careers.
At our Center, young schoolchildren and teenagers can prepare for the DELF (Diploma of Studies in French) and DALF (Advanced Diploma in French) language proficiency exams, levels A1 – C2 defined in the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). The DELF and DALF certification exams are held at the French Institute.
In order to join one of our French language courses, at the level you need, older students or those who have learned French from other sources, will receive a free of charge test at our center. Pupils in the first years of study are not tested, but will join an age-related group and the teacher will decide at the end of the first class, whether this child fits in well in that group or has other recommendations according to the level he/she displayed.
We are looking forward for you to join us at our headquarters to study French with pleasure and at the same time to be able to obtain the necessary certifications for enrollment in the desired colleges, high schools or faculties, without going through the stress of the examinations specific to the language competences. If students obtain the DELF or DALF international certifications before the end of the final years, the 8th and 12th grades, then they will be able to focus more easily on the final cycle examinations, respectively the National Assessment Exam or the Baccalaureate Exam.
For each level of knowledge of the French language, as for the other languages within the European Union, the following 4 competences are assessed:
oral comprehension;
oral expression;
written comprehension;
written expression.
Level | Names of the certificates attesting the skills | Skills |
DELF |
A1 |
The certificate confirms the person’s ability to communicate and exchange simple information in a predictable field. |
DELF |
A2 |
The certificate confirms the person’s ability to use a direct and simple information and to express oneself in a known context. |
DELF | B1 | The certificate confirms the person’s limited ability to express in current situations and to treat a less common information globally. |
DELF | B2 | The certificate confirms the person’s ability to complete most communication intentions and to express oneself in relation to a wide range of subjects |
DALF | C1 | The certificate confirms the person’s ability to communicate by highlighting relevant and specific elements and to treat less common subjects |
DELF | C2 | The certificate confirms the person’s ability to use university studies or cognitively dense documents and to use specific English language at a level of performance that, in some respects, may be higher than the level of an average native speaker. |