How will the week be organised?

On the SUNDAY of your arrival, you will check into your room and attend a welcome aperitif followed by dinner.

From MONDAY to FRIDAY, each day will consist of a series of carefully designed programme of lessons linked to a visit to a local place of interest.

Teaching will take place in a well-appointed and spacious annexe of Château de l’Hoste. Water, fruit juice, tea and coffee are all available during the teaching sessions.

Each teaching session will have a clear set of objectives aimed at improving
(i) your fluency
and/or
(ii) your accuracy
and/or
(iii) your ability to understand French in the written or spoken form.

All visits will be planned to help you improve and use your French in a practical context whilst at the same time absorbing the gastronomy and culture of the area. Visits might typically include a local bastide town, a market, a vineyard, a museum of local history or a guided tour of a plum farm and its extraordinary prune museum. Transport will be by mini-bus.

Our unique knowledge of the local area means that we are able to plan for you to have direct contact with a range of native French speakers. Contact opportunities will include such things as visits to an estate agent, a local bakery or a restaurant kitchen. We will also help you to plan and prepare an interview that you will conduct with a member of the local community (don’t panic… you will not be on your own and you WILL be able to manage it!). Your contacts will be aware of who you are and why you are visiting. They will be delighted that you are working to improve your French, so they will be welcoming and encouraging whilst at the same time doing their best to communicate with you at an appropriate level.

Most days will continue until early evening, but we will not be on the go non-stop. Periods of free time will be built into the programme to give you the chance to relax, go for a stroll, have a swim, read or do some private study.

Here is an example of a typical day’s programme:

LE PETIT CANARD DISCOVERY COURSE: DAY 3 8:00 - 9:30 Buffet breakfast at Château de l’Hoste. 9:30 - 13:00 Visit Villeneuve-sur-Lot. • Directed activities and assignments building on language taught the previous day: to include visits to estate agents to get details of local properties. • Coffee. Visit the market. • Light lunch. Conversation in French. Return to Château de l’Hoste. 13:00 - 14:00 Free time 14:00 - 15:30 Tuition: • Feedback on the morning’s activities and assignments. • Formulating questions - in preparation for interviews with members of the local community later in the week. 15:30 - 16:00 Refreshments 16:00 - 17:30 Tuition: • For early learners… (i) pronunciation: sounds of letters, letter strings. (ii) giving and understanding directions • For improvers… (i) an aspect of grammar (e.g. the future tense) (ii) a skill (e.g. understanding more of what you hear) • Preparation for tomorrow’s visit to nearby local history museum. 17:30 - 19:00 Free time 19:00 - 20:00 Apéritifs (compulsory!) and pétanque competition (optional). 20:00 Dinner. Opportunity to relax in the language of your choice.

On the SATURDAY of your departure, you will have breakfast followed by a short meeting of the whole group. You will need to check out of your room by midday but you will be welcome to remain in the hotel and use its facilities for the remainder of the day.

Staying on

Following the course, if you wish to continue your stay at Château de l’Hoste, please let us know and we will contact the hotel manager to ensure that arrangements are made.

Non-participating partners

If you would like to stay at Château de l’Hoste with a friend or partner who does not wish to take part in the course, the management of the hotel and the local tourist offices will be delighted to provide him/her with details of the wide range of local attractions and places of interest. The hotel has an outdoor swimming pool and solarium, mountain bikes are available for hire and there are opportunities for horse-riding nearby.