Welcome to the Class of 2021!
The Coffee Break French Masterclass is back, and we're getting ready to open the doors for the Class of 2021!
Join thousands of learners who have already taken their French to the next level with this interactive course.
The Masterclass is organised in monthly modules, and in each module you'll receive five audio lessons with accompanying notes and background reading. In addition, each month you'll take part in an activity to practise the language you've learned, and we'll send you a checklist and a review video to help you consolidate the language before you take the monthly test. Read on to find out more about what language is featured in each module.
What's involved?
6 months, 6 modules
5 self-access lessons per month
Audio, video and text materials
Bonus resources for consolidation each month
Homework tasks with feedback
VIP support from our Masterclass tutors
Month 1: September 2021
Learn about some of the trickiest verbs in the French language. Do you know the difference between savoir and connaître? What about amener and emmener? And can you use faire in all its senses and situations, including the tricky faire faire construction?
Month 2: October 2021
How is your relationship with pronouns? Can you comfortably use direct and indirect object pronouns? Do you know when to use y and en? Do you despair with disjunctives? This module will help you build your confidence with French pronouns.
Month 3: November 2021
Sometimes words in French look like words in English – and that’s when you need to be more careful! Words don’t always mean what they look like they mean. In this module on “false friends” you’ll encounter a series of words and expressions which often trick learners, and you’ll learn exactly what they mean, and how to say what you think they mean!
Month 4: December 2021
Get on top of five of the most common tenses in French and know exactly when to use which one, how to conjugate regular and irregular verbs in each tense, and master the perfect, imperfect, future, conditional and pluperfect completely!
Month 5: January 2022
In this module you'll be introduced to what learners often find to be one of the most tricky aspects of French: the subjunctive. You'll learn to recognise triggers, to form the subjunctive and use it in your own speaking and writing.
Month 6: February 2022
The final module of our first season of the Coffee Break French Masterclass will help you to sound more French, using filler words, changing your questions and word order and lots more to help you sound more like a native speaker.
Your host and teacher
Bonjour à tous ! I'm Mark, and along with my colleagues Géraldine, Anne-Sophie and Pierre-Benoît, I'll be guiding you through the lessons of the Masterclass.
I've been teaching French for over 25 years. In addition to teaching, learning languages has always been a huge passion of mine and I've been able to see the amazing benefits that being able to speak a language can bring, from getting to know people in a different way, building your own self confidence and enjoying travel so much more.
When you start learning a language it can feel like you're making great progress, moving forward steadily as you learn new things. However, there comes a point when it becomes more difficult to keep that forward momentum going. It's this "intermediate plateau" which often stops learners in their tracks, and prevents that feeling of accomplishment and progress.
We've created the Masterclass to take you beyond that intermediate plateau, helping you to build your confidence and take your French to the next level. I'd love to help you do just that with the Coffee Break French Masterclass!
Shortly before the Masterclass begins, I'll be introducing you to my colleagues on the Coffee Break French team who will be supporting you directly with feedback and corrections throughout the course. You'll be in experienced hands over the six months of the Masterclass!
Example Curriculum
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the Masterclass start?
We're opening up the Masterclass for access in August 2021, and the course begins on 1st September 2021, continuing until 28 February 2022. Of course, we understand that you may have commitments which mean that you may not be able to take each lesson on the day it's released. However, once they're released, the lessons will be available to you for as long as you need them. Please note that registration will close around 31 August and you will not be able to sign up again until the next time we open the course for registration.
Who is the Masterclass for?
We’ve developed the Masterclass specifically for learners who are at an intermediate level. If you’ve already completed Seasons 1 and 2 of Coffee Break French, then it will be the perfect way to develop your range of expression and build on what you’ve previously learned. The materials covered in each lesson will also be perfect if you’re currently working on Season 3. If you’ve already completed Season 4 it's possible that you will still find the Masterclass materials useful, but you should be aware that some students of Season 4 have found that the Masterclass materials may be a bit too easy.
How do I access the Masterclass?
The Masterclass is a bit different from our other courses because it is more like a 'coaching course', running for 6 months. You can access the audio lessons, the text documents and the video reviews for each module on the Coffee Break Academy. You can also download the materials to your own device or use a third party app such as Documents to organise and store the media files. Please note that there will not be a podcast feed for audio or video elements of the Masterclass.
Do I get access to all the materials at once?
No. The materials are "dripped out" over the course of the 6-month course. Lessons are published every few days, with five main lessons and additional activities, reviews, checklists and module tests over each month. Our experience is that this gradual release of the materials will help you keep on top of the course and avoid being overwhelmed.
How does the membership work?
There are two payment options for the Masterclass: either pay in six instalments over the six months of the course, or make a one-off payment at the start of the course. If you choose to go for the one-off payment we'll give you the equivalent of one month free. Regardless of how you pay, you'll be able to continue to access the audio files, text documents and video reviews in our Coffee Break Academy after your six months are ended. Please note that after February 2022 we will no longer be actively monitoring the comments and discussion areas in this course.
What happens after I pay?
That depends a bit on when you pay! During the registration period your first payment will be taken, and if you've decided to go for the monthly payment option, subsequent payments will be taken on the same day of the month for a further 5 months. As soon as you sign up you'll receive a confirmation email and this will include some further information about the course and a link to the Coffee Break Academy login page. We'll also send some further emails to help you prepare for the course starting on 1st September. On 30th August we'll activate the Orientation Module for you in the Academy. The lessons will be made available on each publication day at the time you originally purchased the course. So, if you sign up at 2pm UK time, then the lessons will become available at 2pm on each publishing day.
Do I need to use Facebook for the Masterclass?
No. Previously we organised homework activities and discussions through a private Facebook group, but for the Class of September 2021 we are working entirely within the Coffee Break Academy. All homework activities and discussions will take place within the Coffee Break Academy, so you do not need to be a Facebook user. If you are a Facebook user, you're welcome to follow our main Coffee Break French Facebook page where we post regular content for learners, but this is not linked in any way to our Masterclass of September 2021.
Testimonial - Ann
Ann is from Sydney, Australia and is a previous student of the Masterclass.
Testimonial - Stephen
Stephen from California enjoyed his experience learning with the Masterclass.
Testimonial - Lorna
Lorna from Scotland is another former student of the Coffee Break French Masterclass.