French lessons for Adults?

[WifiNappies]

Hi All, was going to post this in FE but realised there'll be far more people here who've done it already!

We hope to move to France within 5 years, we have a house there already and we spend all our holidays there. However I refuse to go without being able to speak and understand the language properly. I don't want this to be a reason we don't do it IYKWIM.

I've done Rosetta Stone up to level 3 so far and will continue to L5. I also have Linguaphone, but I want more formalised learning. I did it at school in (what is now) Y7-9babur that was 20 years ago. I went to an evening class recently at my local college and it was very very basic, but I don't know if a course in GCSE French might be a bit beyond me.

I wondered what other people have done? Did you do GCSE and find it ok? What level if competence did you already have? How about the OU course (though I'm not sure this would be much different from doing the software I've already got)?

Also I have an 8mo DD who has not yet acquired her 1st language never mind a 2nd but any advice with regard to her learning would be great too so I can plan early!

Many many thanks if you got this far and can help!

I don't live in France, but have a French husband and have been doing evening courses with Alliance Francaise and have found that they were very good - they teach grammar, vocab etc. but also more colloquial French (in the courses I did they'd teach the official way of saying stuff, and then how it's pronounced by the French) and all the teachers are native speakers.

Alliance Francaise also have a Saturday morning club for children - or they used to in the Manchester one.

Are you able to get French tv? or listen to French radio when in the car? Inter is quite good as they have discussion programmes where you can pick up quite a lot.

Also, if you've got a Kindle, you can get loads of books in French to improve your vocabulary.

Also, bear in mind that living in a country needs a completely different vocabulary from the one you need for holidays. Think 45 minutes argument with edf about the direct debit they are proposing to take from your bank account etc etc (voice of painful experience)

After nearly 6 years there are loads of words connected with renovations that I know in French, but, despite having moved house 5 times in the UK, haven't a clue about in English.

Good luck

Thank you I'll look into that it sounds perfect
I can't get French tv but I do watch a lot of French films and I sometimes put DVDs on for my DD with the French audio selected (will this just confuse her though )

I've got Harry Potter in French, the actual book so I can write in the vocab (I know that's probably sacrilege). I know lots of wizardry terminology... With a kindle can you look up the words automatically? I have one but my DH commandeered it and I haven't seen it since!

I've had the conversations with edf, mairie, those ppl you go to to pay your tax, and I know all the terminology for swimming pool bits and bobs but I always feel like I'm embarrassing myself a bit

I feel like I'm doing a lot more than DH but I think I need something formal too - someone to teach me how verbs work and that sort of thing!