This is for you if…
- ➡️ You already have an A2 level (or higher) in French, but feel like you're stuck between understanding and actually expressing yourself.
- ➡️ You’ve always wanted to read in French, but every time you tried, it felt overwhelming or frustrating.
- ➡️ You’re tired of textbook French and want to experience the language as it’s really lived and spoken.
- ➡️ You want to learn vocabulary that actually sticks because it’s connected to emotions, context, and real situations.
- ➡️ You enjoy reflecting, sharing opinions, and having meaningful conversations (not just answering grammar exercises).
- ➡️ You’re curious about French and Francophone culture and want to explore it through stories, perspectives, and lived experiences.
- ➡️ You’re looking for a learning experience that’s creative, interactive, and a little different from anything you’ve tried before.
- ➡️ You want to finally feel confident reading in French, and maybe even enjoy it !
What happens in a Learn French with Comic Books Workshop :
Each workshop follows a simple but powerful structure designed to help you move from reading to understanding to expressing yourself confidently in French.
You read a part of the story
Every week, you read around 15–30 pages of a real French comic book.
A story written for native speakers with visuals that help you grasp meaning even when you don’t understand every word.
You explore the story with a guided reading pack
You receive a reading guide with:
- Vocabulary explained in context
- Comprehension questions
- Reflection prompts
You learn grammar & vocabulary in context
In class, we go back to key moments from the story and naturally extract:
- Useful vocabulary
- Grammar structures
- Expressions that people actually use
You practise through speaking & creative activities
This is where the magic happens. You don’t just understand the story, you use it.
- Role-plays (step into the characters’ shoes)
- Simulations & alternative endings
- Games and interactive speaking activities
- Creative writing tasks
You build confidence, week after week
By the end of the workshop, you’re not just reading. You’re:
- Expressing your thoughts and emotions in French
- Using new vocabulary naturally
- Discussing real, meaningful topics
- Feeling more at ease speaking and understanding
The result?
You don’t just learn French. You start to:
- ✨ think in French
- ✨ feel in French
- ✨ and most importantly enjoy using it
🎤 When learning goes beyond the classroom
In one of the workshops, after reading Lebensborn, something quite special happened.
My students had the opportunity to meet and interview the author herself, Isabelle Maroger. They asked questions, shared their reflections, and engaged in a real conversation about the story, its themes, and her creative process all in French.
Not perfect French. Not rehearsed French. But real, thoughtful, emotional communication. Because this is what we’re working towards : not just understanding a story, but being able to:
- ✓ Talk about it
- ✓ Question it
- ✓ Connect with the people behind it
That moment, for many of them, was a shift: “I can actually have a real conversation in French.”
From reading a comic book… to speaking with its author. That’s the kind of progress we build here.
📖 Upcoming Learn French with Comics Workshops
Learn French with Comics Workshop (Level A1+ / A2.1)
A little bit about La Longue Marche des Dindes:
Missouri, 1860. Simon is not exactly a model student. But when he discovers that turkeys are worth far more in Denver than they are at home, he comes up with a rather extraordinary plan: buy 1,000 turkeys and walk them nearly 1,000 kilometres across the American West!
What follows is a funny, heartwarming and action-packed adventure filled with unexpected encounters, unlikely friendships, difficult choices and plenty of obstacles along the way.
Adapted by Léonie Bischoff from the novel by Kathleen Karr, La Longue Marche des Dindes takes us on a colourful journey through 19th-century America while exploring themes of friendship, courage, prejudice, freedom, growing up and finding your own path.
P.S. you don’t need to understand every word, and you won’t be reading it alone.
Who is this workshop for?
🏆 An award-winning graphic novel: La Longue Marche des Dindes won the Fauve Jeunesse at the 2023 Angoulême International Comics Festival, one of the most prestigious comic book festivals in the world.
This workshop is designed for A1+ / early A2 French learners who already have the basics and are ready to start using French more confidently through stories and conversation.
It’s a good fit for you if you:
- are comfortable using the present tense to talk about yourself and everyday topics
- can ask and answer simple questions in French
- can make basic sentences using the passé composé to talk about past events
- understand common everyday vocabulary and expressions
- can follow the general idea of short, simple texts and conversations
- are ready to move beyond textbook exercises and start engaging with real French in context
- want to build your vocabulary, improve your comprehension and become more confident speaking
- love the idea of reading your first full graphic novel in French, with plenty of guidance along the way
What will we be doing over the course of 10 weeks ?
Over 10 weeks, we’ll journey through La Longue Marche des Dindes together : reading, talking, playing and discovering French along the way.
Each week, you’ll read a small, manageable section of the comic book before class (about 15 to 25 pages). Then, during our live sessions, we’ll bring the story to life through games, quizzes, role plays, creative activities and plenty of conversation in French.
Along the way, you’ll:
- Build confidence speaking French through guided discussions and fun activities
- Learn how to read a real French comic book without needing to understand every single word
- Pick up useful vocabulary and everyday expressions directly from the story
- Explore grammar in context, rather than through endless isolated exercises
- Develop your reading and comprehension skills with guidance and support
- Step into the characters’ shoes through role plays, games and imaginative challenges
- Share your opinions and ideas in French, even with a limited vocabulary
- And, of course, follow Simon and his 1,000 turkeys on their extraordinary adventure across America!
By the end of the 10 weeks, you won’t just have finished a whole graphic novel in French, you’ll have discovered that you’re capable of reading, understanding and talking about a real story in French.
Materials Provided
- Illustrated vocabulary support.
- Documents to guide reading at home with questions on reading comprehension.
- Interactive activities and games to learn and apply new concepts.
Learn French with Comics Workshop (Level B1+ / B2)
A little bit about Les Cahiers d’Esther - Histoire de mes 10 ans:
Meet Esther: she’s 10 years old, opinionated, curious, brutally honest… and she has a LOT to say about the world around her.
Inspired by real conversations with a young girl, Riad Sattouf’s Les Cahiers d’Esther takes us into Esther’s everyday life in France through 52 funny, touching and sometimes surprisingly insightful stories.
School, friendships, family, crushes, celebrities, money, popularity, growing up and even major events happening in France, everything is filtered through Esther’s wonderfully unfiltered perspective.
But behind the humour lies a fascinating portrait of contemporary French society and, for you, a brilliant opportunity to discover how the French actually speak: everyday expressions, informal language, slang and plenty of cultural references.
Funny, accessible and packed with conversation starters, Les Cahiers d’Esther invites us to rediscover France, and the strange world of adults through the eyes of a 10-year-old.
Who is this workshop for?
This workshop is designed for B1+ intermediate French learners who are ready to move beyond textbook French and discover the language as it’s actually spoken.
And don’t be fooled by Esther’s age! Les Cahiers d’Esther has become a cult favourite in France among teenagers and adults alike, loved for its humour, sharp observations and wonderfully honest portrait of French society.
It’s perfect for you if you:
- already feel comfortable using the present, passé composé and imparfait, futur simple and conditionnel présent, and can express yourself in everyday situations
- can follow the main ideas of a conversation or text in French, even if you don’t understand every word
- want to expand your vocabulary and become more familiar with informal, everyday French and slang
- would like to speak more spontaneously and feel more confident expressing your opinions
- enjoy learning through stories, humour, games and conversation rather than traditional grammar exercises
- are curious about French culture and want to understand not only the language, but the references, attitudes and little cultural details behind it.
You don’t need to understand every word of the BD. That’s part of the adventure! You’ll receive guidance, vocabulary support and plenty of opportunities to explore the trickier bits together.
Most importantly, come ready to read, talk, laugh, share your ideas and experiment with your French.
What will we be doing over the course of 10 weeks ?
Over 10 weeks, we’ll step into Esther’s world and use her hilarious, honest and sometimes surprising stories as a springboard to speak, explore and play with French.
Together, we’ll:
- Read a selection of stories from Les Cahiers d’Esther – Histoires de mes 10 ans, with guidance to help you understand the language, humour and cultural references.
- Discover real, everyday French : from informal expressions and slang to the little words and phrases you rarely find in textbooks.
- Explore everyday life and culture in France through Esther’s eyes: school, family, friendships, money, popularity, celebrities, social expectations and more.
- Take part in lively conversations and debates inspired by the themes in the book, while learning to express your opinions with greater ease and nuance.
- Learn through games, quizzes, role-plays and creative activities designed to get you speaking without overthinking every sentence.
- Compare Esther’s experiences with your own childhood, culture and country, opening the door to plenty of spontaneous conversation.
- Build your vocabulary and strengthen key grammar naturally through the stories, rather than studying them in isolation.
By the end of the workshop, you won’t just have finished another French BD, you’ll have gained a better understanding of how French is actually spoken, discovered a wonderfully quirky snapshot of life in France, and become more confident discussing a wide range of everyday topics in French.
Materials Provided
- Vocabulary and grammar support.
- Documents to guide reading at home with questions on reading comprehension.
- Interactive activities and games to learn and apply new concepts.
Be the first to access the next batch
These workshops are kept small to give each participant space to speak and grow.
- ✨ Priority access before public enrolment
- ✨ First choice of time slots
- ✨ Exclusive updates (and a surprise bonus 👀)
💛 My journey with comic books
I didn’t always read comic books in French. At level B1, I remember wanting to read, really wanting to but every time I picked up a novel, I felt stuck. Too many unknown words, sentences that felt heavy, and that constant frustration of losing the thread of the story.
I thought: maybe I’m just not there yet. Then one day, almost by accident, I picked up my first bande dessinée – Astérix le Gaulois on a trip to France !
I still remember that feeling sitting with it in an SNCF train from Paris to Lyon , a little unsure at first and then the most miraculous thing happened.
For the first time, I wasn’t trying to understand every single word. The images were guiding me. The emotions were visible. The story was carrying me forward.
And instead of stopping every few lines, I kept going. That’s when I realised something had changed. I wasn’t just reading more, I was understanding more, feeling more, and remembering more. The words started to stick, not because I had memorised them, but because I had lived them through the story. Certain scenes stayed with me. Certain expressions came back naturally.
And for the first time, reading in French didn’t feel like a task anymore. It felt accessible and even joyful.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here's what our students have to say:
Alexandre, A1+, Edinburgh
Francis,
A1+, Edinburgh
Jivanti, B2,
Mumbai
Aakanksha, C1,
Mumbai
Revathy, B2,
India
Medha, C1, India
Jiv, C1, India
Sara, B1, Edinburgh
Melina, A1+,
Edinburgh
Melina, A1+,
Edinburgh
Melina, Edinburgh