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Alliance Française de San Francisco
Category: Education Colleges & Universities Colleges & Universities [Edit]
1345 Bush St(between Polk St & Larkin St)
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 775-7755
- Hours:
Mon 11 am - 5 pm
Tue-Thu 9 am - 9 pm
Fri 11 am - 7 pm
Sat 9 am - 5 pm
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21 reviews for Alliance Française de San Francisco
21 reviews in English
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Review from Manabu M.
6/2/2011 3 photos
Cheap Date: Just 5 dollars got me a glass of French wine and a French movie.
Cheap Date: So cheap that I forgot to bring my date. Oops!
Alliance Française is a French language institute and a culture center on Bush St. between Larkin Street and Polk Street. They have a large library with lots of French books and DVDs, language classrooms and a theatre. There is one bistrot downstairs as well.
**** Their French movie night is GREAT and I absolutely love it!****
You don't have to be a member. It is open to public.
All the movies have English subtitles so you don't have to know French.
It starts at 6:45p.m., every Tuesday.
5 dollar donation is suggested.
And we get the ticket to the theatre and a glass of French wine.
All of us can enjoy sipping the wine watching a French movie! Hey, it is like a cheap version of Sundance Kabuki Theatre!
If you would like to join their movie night, just go there and open the door.
The receptionist, usually a friendly French dude, will say "Bonsoir!", so you can just repeat after him. After entering the building, you will see the stairs to the basement level on your right. The theatre is located at the bottom of the stairs.
In the front section of the theatre, young French ladies and dudes will welcome you so you give them 5 dollars and receive a ticket and a glass of wine. Don't be scared, they can speak English! You take a glass to your seat and wait for the movie to start. They usually have around 20 people attending. Some of them don't speak French but we always have fun there. We laugh together and we cry together. Their movie selections are really good as well. Sometimes, they have technical problems but don't worry. We all have wine and we're feeling pretty good.
In June, 2011, the theme of the month is 'French Summer' so they are showing the movies related to French vacations. The movie for June 21st will be 'La gloire de mon père/My father's glory' and it is my favorite French movie and also a book. Highly recommended!
As a former student of Alliance Française, I liked their classes as well but the fifth star is for their movie night.
On Tuesday evenings, you will likely find me there. And if you see me sitting by myself, you know that I am having a cheap date. You are always welcome to join me.Listed in: Paris in San Francisco!
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Review from Jaimie M.
New York, NY
7/7/2009
My first visit to the Alliance recently was for a double-feature screening sponsored by the school in conjunction with I V Y Paris. I was really impressed with the facility overall! Location was convenient, and the school was well laid-out with lots of study/practice rooms, a library, cafe and a nice screening room downstairs.
We saw two (free) movies, "Two Days in Paris," and Luc Besson's terrific "Angel-A." The theater set-up was really nice, with bleacher seating raked so that you don't end up staring at back of someone's head.
If my schedule ever lines up, I would definitely like to take a class here. I checked out the schedule, and it looks like they have two blocks of weekend classes, as well as a 4 week intensive program, which could be cool.Listed in: SF Favorites
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Review from Hiromi N.
San Francisco, CA
3/10/2007
A little piece of France in the city. As soon as you walk in the door, you will hear the melodic lilt of French and be transported back to your first visit to La France. The classes are quite expensive at about $300 + a session, PLUS a $40 annual membership fee. Yet, as previous reviewers have remarked, the quality of your professors and lessons, well they are top notch. Plus, your annual membership fee allows you to use the library and to attend Francophile cultural events. Where else can you become a part of an Elite society? Well, outside of Yelp, of course?
Oh and in the basement is a cute, petit french bistro called La Cave...but that will be a totally separate review from me!Listed in: Going Solo
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Review from Babak S.
San Jose, CA
6/5/2011
Bonjour a' tous,
I am pleased to write a very positive review of this institute, its staff, and my awesome teacher Prof. Ngal. I have been a student at AF since Jan 2011 and am about to complete Beginner-3 in few weeks. I am fluent in 3 languages and French is the 4th one that I am learning. I started learning French without any prior knowledge of the language. My assessment is based on more than 20 years of formal education at top schools in 3 continents including a Ph.D. from an Ivy league school.
Prof. Ngal has been my teacher for Beginner 1, 2, and 3. She is very knowledgeable and encouraging. Her teaching method is brilliant which makes learning the language an amazing experience. She is very patient and supportive of her students. Her classes are fun and very laid back. She makes learning French a wonderful experience. I give her an A+ rating. We had Prof. Christelle for two weeks and I liked her personality and method as well. I believe the institute holds a very high standard for the professors and their educational method. They take a pride in the excellency of AF.
No matter if you don't know any French or can say few sentences, the focus at AF is to build a solid foundation of the grammar, vocabulary, comprehension, and conversation. Classes are not crowded and they provide a great environment to learn the language. Tuition is very affordable and obviously a great deal. I have met the director few times and found him a courteous gentleman. At the end of each series he comes to the class and chats a bit with students. He usually offers 10% discount if you are continuing your studies. They are not into making profit out of you, up to this moment nobody has suggested me to take private classes or anything extra. They are also very accommodating of their students, I have seen a couple of students who were transferred to different levels because they were more advanced or beginner.
Library and social events are also nice. I recommend visiting the website which is pretty useful and also paying a visit to the institute. The location is convenient and close to the public transport, highways, restaurants, and coffee shops. There is a public parking besides the institute that makes it very convenient if you drive.
You can build a true experience around your French classes. For me it has become part of my Sat routine that I am enjoying very much. I do some workout or outdoor activities in the morning, have lunch at one of the restaurants close to AF, go to the class, enjoy a good cup of coffee during the break, and after the class join friends for a glass wine.
AF of SF is a high caliber institute, but don't forget that having a little bit sense of humor and being laid back would make it a much more pleasant experience for you. This is not corporate America or a 150k+ MBA program, it is a low key and friendly environment to expand your horizon. -
Review from Loulou d.
San Francisco, CA
2/27/2007
Ready to learn French? Brush up on your skills? Formidable! You've come to the right place mon petit!
The Alliance provides instruction by *real* French people who know what they're doing. The classes are very small and intimate so one gets a lot of personal attention. There is a good sized library including video tapes, DVDs and CDs that one can check out if a member. They also have cultural events, including movie nights. I can't wait until I can go back to continue with my classes.
I made more progress here than I did studing at community college, which was inexpensive, but didn't really give me anything more than the basics.Listed in: My Neighborhood, Excursions & Other…
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Review from Jenny W.
Brooklyn, NY
11/2/2009
I really enjoyed taking classes at the Alliance Francaise de San Francisco. Everyone was super friendly and you automatically become a member if you are signed up taking classes there.
I took a beginner level 3 class here on Sundays for 8 weeks and thought it was too easy. That in mind, I plan on skipping the next session (beginner level 4) and starting with intermediate level 1 after the new year rolls around.
I wish I could afford to take classes throughout the year, but one session costs over $400 including books, which is a ton of $$ for only 8 weeks, which only covers 3-4 chapters.
My professor was Luna, from Paris and she was great. Native French speaker, very patient, and was helpful in making the class suit each student. For example, there were 6 students in my class and none of us were really on the same level, but she would kind of speak to each of us on our particular levels.
I definitely plan on taking other courses here. Ideally, I'd like to find a job that requires French fluency. Only four stars just because it's so friggin' expensive.Listed in: My Neighborhood
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Review from Loren R.
San Francisco, CA
7/29/2009
My daughter took a beginning French class here and learned her alphabet, numbers, and colors -- so that's a plus. The negative was that the class had been described as learning French through songs, stories, and games. In reality, the children (aged 2.5 to 7) sat around the table and did repetition. My daughter cried about going every week. I didn't force her to continue.
Worse, when I signed her up for the class, we were charged an additional $40. I waited several weeks for a workbook or other material to appear before emailing to request an explanation of the fee. Apparently all students are charged to become members of the Alliance, even 5-year-olds. I wish I'd known to figure that into the cost of the class.
No one in my family ever had occasion to use the Alliance membership until recently. I've been receiving the Alliance's e-newsletter, which includes advertisements for discounts to members at French restaurants around town. Last Friday, my husband and I had a very nice dinner at one of the advertised restaurants. When I presented the Alliance membership card, the restaurant had no idea what discount I was talking about. They were nice enough to discount our meal anyway, but it was yet another instance of strange financial dealings connected with the Alliance.
Unfortunately, there seem to be no other French classes offered for young kids in San Francisco. It's all very disappointing. -
Review from Conny F.
San Francisco, CA
4/23/2007
I have been with Alliance francaise for quite a while now and this is the place to go if you
A) want to learn french
B) want to brush up on your french
C) just hear the french that you miss so much.
All the teachers are la creme de la creme. They know their stuff, not just a french speaking person trying to survive by teaching the language. You want to learn about the culture, the history, the latest political news or about their movie stars - l'alliance will have a teacher who knows exactly your answer.
Prices are stiff, but believe me - its worth it. One day you will be able to speak an excellent french!
The School also has special classes a theme....the last incredible one was a make-up class. But there are others: History, Literature, Movies.... -
Review from Laura B.
Alameda, CA
2/28/2008
I have taken 2 classes and am signed up for another. All the teachers I've had were really cool and all completely different, although some put more effort into encouraging students than others. It can be hit or miss depending on who your fellow students are. A few students who don't seem to try very hard can be irritating but generally it's great. It comes down to this: you get out of it what you put into it. If you don't study, you may scrape by and be allowed to move up without really understanding. If you study and you care, you'll learn more. I think this is a place where it's supposed to be fun to study french, not a university class where you have tests and grades.
I knocked off 1 star for the horrible series of books they were using last year. I believe they have selected a new series, we'll see when I go to pick up my new books today! -
Review from Kristen S.
San Francisco, CA
6/15/2009
Their French classes are really hit and miss - in my opinion it largely depends on which instructor you get. FYI, considering each 8-week session costs almost $400 and covers only three chapters, it can get quite expensive.
In addition to language classes they also offer wine tastings as well as cooking lessons, etc. The staff here are generally very helpful and friendly. It's great to have a place that adds some culture and flair to the city. We could always use more! -
Review from sylvia c.
San Francisco, CA
2/5/2009
I have been a continuous student for 5 sessions now (started beginner 3, about to finish intermediate 3) and my opinion of the school has changed fairly dramatically over that time. When I first started attending classes, I was really excited about what the AF had to offer. I liked my instructor very much (Albert - very entertaining) and there seemed to be a wealth of activities to supplement the classroom work.
One complaint I have is that if you take a make-up class with a different instructor, they don't necessarily move at the same pace. Recently, I took a make-up where we were going over material that I'd already done in my regular class two weeks earlier.
Another is that they offer "office hours" on Fridays where you can go in and meet with one of the instructors to get some one-on-one help with material covered in class or just some extra conversation practice. Their website says you can contact them via email and they'll schedule an appointment. I've tried this twice and both times, I got absolutely zero response. No return email and no phone call - thus, no office hour session for me.
My last very large gripe (hence the reason for the low rating) relates to the administration. The content on the website with respect to class registration does not stipulate a minimum number of students in order for the class to be held. Accordingly, when I signed up for a class that only ended up having one other student besides myself, I didn't see a problem. Or at the very least, I would have expected to be contacted within the first week or two if it was a problem to continue the class. Imagine my surprise when nearly halfway through the session, I get a rather terse email from the director announcing (not asking, mind you) that they've been having some financial difficulties and the addressees of the email must either pay extra for the last two classes of the session or they will simply cut the 8-week session down to 6. Here is the text verbatim from her email:
"Dear all,
This message to let you know that it is a tad difficult to keep your classes
open since there are only 2 students in each of them.
We can suggest two options: we shorten the session by 2 classes or we have to have you pay $92.50($46.25 per class)
We are sorry for the inconvenience but we know that you will understand.
Cordially,
[signature block]"
My response was the following:
"Dear [__________]:
I am writing to express my surprise and dismay at the content and tone of your message below. Assuming students will "understand" and pay extra for classes they have already registered and paid for *midway through the course* and calling it an "inconvenience" is more than a bit shocking. Not only is it quite probably illegal (akin to the shady business tactic of "bait and switch"), but it certainly does not promote the goodwill and loyalty that I believe the AF wants to foster in its community. I have been a continuing student for nearly 10 straight months now and while I have been pleased with the level of teaching and the array of activities offered by the organization, this request is outrageous. Perhaps a more amenable solution would be to try to merge some of the classes together. Should that not be possible for some students due to schedule conflicts or if the school's financial needs require a class to be canceled or shortened, then I believe a pro-rated refund would be in order. In the meantime, I will assume classes will continue as scheduled with no further financial obligation due on my part.
Regards,
[signature]"
After a few days, I got a response from someone copied on the message who obviously works in the administration, but not the person who originally wrote. In that message, I was offered a letter of credit for the "inconvenience" - again, that word. No real apology, no explanation, and no mention of my suggestion to merge the classes. I'm a bit disgusted by the whole situation, but I'll probably keep going since I'm used to their format and the location is fairly convenient.
Update: I received a letter from some higher-up at the AFSF, apologizing for my recent treatment and reassuring me that steps have been taken to address the issues I brought up. While I would like to give the organization credit for at least acknowledging my complaints (both directly to the administrative person [the director of studies] described above and indirectly through this Yelp review), I can't say that I'm completely satisfied. The original email exchange occured at the end of January, and the letter from the AFSF executive wasn't sent until mid-March, which left me a good month and a half of stew time. I never did receive any word from the director of studies, which I think was in poor taste. Dare I say that this is hands-on learning about French culture?! -
Review from Jorge C.
San Francisco, CA
10/7/2007
I wish I could give it 3.5 precisely because this place swings between being pretty good and not so good.
The pretty good:
- For a small annual fee, you get access to hundreds of books, magazines, cds, and dvds of all genres and francophone countries.
- When the class is good, it's VERY good. With this I mean to say that if you run into a nice group of people with a solid teacher, you're gonna learn a lot for your money. The problem is... well, I'll explain this later.
- There's a variety of classes and times, from simple Grammar and Conversation courses, to others that include both, or even Literature, Politics, and French for Babies!
The not so good:
- Even though the teachers are very good, and they are all native speakers, the curriculum they have to follow, and the style they have to follow is simply not suitable sometimes. For example, forget about playing games to learn vocabulary, or the teachers correcting your pronounciation until you are in a more advanced class. Forget about getting acquainted with colloquialisms or a wide variety of applied french: the people who go here are for the most part 30-something professionals with a pretty solid financial situation; for the most part, they don't wanna learn how to pick up boys/girls, or "verlan", or how to fit in a french crowd of regular folks. Not to mention that talking/learning about politics, philosphy, literature and other "not useful" subjects is almost impossible (I've seen some of my teachers try only to be met with indifference).
- People don't do homework, and teachers don't take any kind of tests. Thus, progress is based solely on those 3 hours a week of instruction, and little else.
There's no dictation, composition, or any informal method of testing where the class is at.
The quiet kind stays quiet and goes from one level to the next simply because they pay. Nobody cares to talk to them and make them stay/repeat a level. Thus, in an advanced class you'll find people who don't know how to use passe compose, or talk about anything other than what they like to do on the weekends.
This is the Alliance's fault as much as it is the student's.
The Alliance Francaise in Buenos Aires, and I'm sure in other cities too, is much more serious about teaching french. They know that the more progress the student sees, and the more focused attention he gets (even in a 8 people class), the more loyalty the student is going to have towards the institution. Not so here, and I'm not surprised they loose students regularly.
Here goes another one. -
Review from Rosana S.
San Francisco, CA
9/18/2007
I've had some good teachers there, the library is pretty good and the staff nice. But after 4 years studying French at the Alliance in New York and now in San Francisco I came to realize that the school doesn't have a great administration. The teachers are left alone so in every class you go you will see a different approach even though the school works with student books/ workbooks. I feel like they are happy to get our money but not really caring about the service they are offering. There is one more thing - as much as I don't like tests, I think they are important. In my advanced level class you can find people that know very little French but only because they have been studying for a couple of years they have the right to be there. There is no balance.
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Review from Magdelyn P.
San Francisco, CA
1/15/2008
I have just started attending French classes at AFSF, after a few months of self study in preparation for spending some time in Paris in 2009. I love everything about it. From the reception, to the class. From the second you step into class and sit down, you are practicing French. The classes have up to 12 students. So its not like taking a class at University. If you are willing laugh at yourself, and let others laugh at you...you will have a great experience. I love their library. I am now hooked on French movies, with intense character development, living in a world with thread bare plots.
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Review from Alex S.
Vallejo, CA
8/9/2005
The Alliance Francaise is an excellent place to go to if you want to brush up on your comprehension of the French language and Francophone culture. Its library is, for a small place, quite informative and stocked well. And the staff are warm and friendly.
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Review from n. h.
San Francisco, CA
11/7/2007
i took french here for several years and have to agree with some of the other posters.
It is a nice place to learn french IF you have an amazing class and teacher. But, the problem is every session new people enter your class who may or may not be at the same level. The alliance has a test you have to take unless you are starting at level 1 beginner. It seems like a lot of students do not study, do poorly on the test and enter a class way below their actual skill level (which greatly improves after a few classes and some studying). ie. if you were a french major in college you prob shouldn't be in the beginner class?
Often it seems the teacher teaches to the best person in class - making it difficult for others to keep up.
once in my beginner level 3 class (so basically like the 17th week of taking class since each session is 8 weeks) a girl said 3 (yes 3) words in french are difficult for her to remember since she lived in France for years and years. why was she in beginner level 3?! -
Review from O K.
San Francisco, CA
8/18/2005
Really great teachers! I took the French history class (taught in French). My teacher had a masters and Ph D from the Sorbonne and some other crazy wowness place. She really knew her stuff. The librarian on Monday nights is really cute too hahaha ;) Great selection of French videos, CDs, magazines, and books, if you are a member that is. If not, you can browse the selection and watch French TV5!!!
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Review from Jen Ken H.
San Francisco, CA
8/22/2006
J says: I've been taking french here for the last 6 months and really like the teachers here. The Sat classes tend to be pretty full and I'd try to avoid that if you want more chances to participate. All the teachers are native french speakers and mine (Aurelie) even has a masters in linguistics. They have multiple levels of classes so even if you took french in school ages ago, you can probably still find a level (even within beginner's there're 4 levels) that will suit you just fine.
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Review from Pamela S.
San Francisco, CA
5/31/2009
My teacher at the Alliance (Beginner Level 4 Sat. mornings) is first rate. However, someone called my classmate and said the class was cancelled. I never received the message. Turns out that one of our students moved to another class, leaving only two of us. The Alliance said that that wasn't enough students to leave the class open. I met with the director and told him that I understood that economic times are tough but the student's rescheduling didn't reduce the amount of money that the Alliance received. It was just a scheduling issue. The director said, "That's a charming argument. Are you in sales"?
I wrote to him later and said that I thought that he was unprofessional. No response.
Also, my classmate received a call saying that the class would not be cancelled "now."
The teacher is first rate. The administration is terrible. If I were rating the teacher, we'd have five stars.
Pamela S. San Francisco. -
Review from Edward R.
San Francisco, CA
4/10/2009
i've attended all grammar classes from debutant 2 through avanced 4 with several intermediate conversation classes mixed in. i have had some amazing professors and some excellent classes but i have also had some less than stellar profs. i'm hoping they have changed management as it seems every single great teacher whose classe i have taken has seemed to "leave to pursue other opportunities". one exception is a prof named Olivier - he may still be there and he's excellent.
i enjoyed my classes at l'alliance franciase, i learned a lot, i still love all things french, but i'm really hoping they have changed management and are now able to retain some high quality teachers.
also, they need much more conversation classes offered at 5:30 or 6:00 for those of us who work full time.
merci -
Review from Miinno N.
New York, NY
9/14/2009
The classes are well structured and the library has nice books / CDs/ DVDs. I enjoyed taking classes there and hope to take more classes when my schedule allows.
