French Conversation Club – Modern Life & Real Debates

The 10 classes

1. 1

   Why Are We Obsessed With Other People’s Reviews?

   Tue 3 Nov · 21:00

   ▾

   Online reviews influence what we buy, where we eat, where we stay and even which services we choose. In this class, you will discuss how much we rely on other people’s opinions, whether online ratings can really be trusted and how reviews affect our own judgement and decisions.

   Grammar focus Reported speech and sequence of tenses. You will practise reporting opinions and experiences in the present and past, using structures such as he claims that…, she explained that…, they admitted that…, he denied having… and she recommended that…

   Vocabulary To rely on, to trust, to recommend, to advise against, to leave a review, a mixed review, credibility, reputation, rating, customer feedback, fake review, biased opinion, trustworthy, misleading, to influence a decision and more...

2. 2

   Can We Still Be Bored?

   Fri 6 Nov · 21:00

   ▾

   Phones, streaming platforms, social media and constant notifications fill almost every empty moment of our day. In this class, you will discuss whether boredom has disappeared from modern life and whether being bored can actually be useful.

   Grammar focus Gerunds, present participles and verbal adjectives. You will practise distinguishing structures such as en regardant, regardant, fatigant, fatiguant and using them to express simultaneity, cause and manner.

   Vocabulary To be bored, to kill time, to switch off, to scroll, stimulation, distraction, downtime, attention span, to disconnect, to be constantly stimulated, to fill every spare moment, mental overload and more...

3. 3

   Why Do We Spend So Much?

   Tue 10 Nov · 21:00

   ▾

   Online shopping, impulse buying, luxury products and constant advertising encourage us to spend more than ever. In this class, you will explore why we buy things we do not always need and whether consumption has become part of our identity.

   Grammar focus Advanced expressions of quantity, intensity and restriction. You will practise structures such as ne… que, autant de… que, à peine, presque aucun, d’autant plus que and other ways of expressing limits and degree.

   Vocabulary Impulse buying, to overspend, to save money, to treat yourself, to resist temptation, consumerism, second-hand, bargain, unnecessary purchase, spending habits, disposable income, value for money and more.

4. 4

   Do We Have Too Many Choices?

   Fri 13 Nov · 21:00

   ▾

   From streaming platforms and restaurants to careers, travel and relationships, we have more options than ever. In this class, you will discuss whether having more choice makes us freer or simply makes decisions more difficult.

   Grammar focus Complex hypotheses and unreal situations. You will practise if + past perfect + conditional perfect as well as mixed conditionals, for example: If I had chosen differently, my life would be different today.

   Vocabulary To have too many options, to hesitate, indecisive, to weigh the pros and cons, to make up your mind, to regret a decision, to change your mind, to narrow down your options, overwhelming, decision fatigue and more.

5. 5

   Should We Work Less to Live Better?

   Tue 17 Nov · 21:00

   ▾

   Remote work, four-day working weeks and flexible schedules are changing the way we think about work. In this class, you will discuss whether working fewer hours could improve our quality of life and whether productivity should always come first.

   Grammar focus Indicative versus subjunctive depending on meaning, including the past subjunctive. You will practise structures such as I think that…, I doubt that…, I don’t believe that…, it is essential that…, although… and expressing opinions about past situations.

   Vocabulary Work-life balance, workload, productivity, burnout, flexible working, remote work, to switch off, job satisfaction, to be overworked, working conditions, quality of life, to prioritise and more.

6. 6

   Travel: Freedom or Privilege?

   Fri 20 Nov · 21:00

   ▾

   Travel is often presented as a source of freedom, discovery and personal growth, but not everyone has the same opportunities to travel. In this class, you will discuss mass tourism, travel privilege and the way social media has changed tourism.

   Grammar focus Advanced relative pronouns and relative structures: lequel, auquel, duquel, ce dont, ce à quoi, ce pour quoi and ce avec quoi.

   Vocabulary Mass tourism, responsible travel, slow travel, travel privilege, cultural immersion, tourist trap, overcrowded, sustainable tourism, carbon footprint, local community, authentic experience, accessibility and more.

7. 7

   Do We Still Eat “Real Food”?

   Tue 24 Nov · 21:00

   ▾

   Ultra-processed food, delivery apps, organic products and food trends have changed the way we eat. In this class, you will discuss convenience, health, food marketing and whether modern lifestyles are making us lose our connection with food.

   Grammar focus Advanced passive structures and causative constructions. You will practise the passive voice as well as structures equivalent to to have something done, to make someone do something and more formal passive constructions.

   Vocabulary Ultra-processed food, homemade, ingredients, food label, additives, convenience food, organic products, to consume, to be produced, nutritional value, processed ingredients, food industry and more.

8. 8

   Privacy: Do We Still Have Anything to Hide?

   Fri 27 Nov · 21:00

   ▾

   Our phones, apps and websites collect huge amounts of personal information. In this class, you will discuss how much privacy we are willing to give up for convenience, security and personalised services.

   Grammar focus Advanced concession and opposition. You will practise structures equivalent to although, even though, even if, despite, however, whereas, no matter how and more advanced concessive expressions.

   Vocabulary Personal data, data collection, privacy, surveillance, consent, confidentiality, data breach, to track, to monitor, targeted advertising, digital footprint, to protect your information and more.

9. 9

   Have Social Media Changed the Way We See Ourselves?

   Tue 1 Dec · 21:00

   ▾

   Filters, influencers, beauty standards and constant comparison can affect the way we see ourselves and others. In this class, you will discuss whether social media has changed our expectations of appearance, success and everyday life.

   Grammar focus Advanced expressions of cause and consequence. You will practise structures equivalent to because of, due to, thanks to, on the pretext that, to such an extent that, so… that and choosing between the indicative and subjunctive where appropriate.

   Vocabulary To compare yourself to others, self-image, self-esteem, beauty standards, unrealistic expectations, influencer, edited image, filters, appearance, validation, social pressure, comparison culture and more.

10. 10

    Do We Always Have to Become a “Better Version” of Ourselves?

    Fri 4 Dec · 21:00

    ▾

    Self-improvement, productivity, routines and personal goals are everywhere. In this class, you will discuss whether constantly trying to improve ourselves is motivating or whether it can create unnecessary pressure.

    Grammar focus Regret, judgement and wishes about the past. You will practise the past subjunctive and past conditional through structures such as I regret that…, I wish I had…, I should have…, it would have been better if…

    Vocabulary Self-improvement, to push yourself, to step outside your comfort zone, to let go, perfectionism, to question yourself, personal growth, unrealistic expectations, to accept yourself, to strive for, self-discipline, to feel fulfilled and more.

Before each class you get a short task (10-15 minutes) in your course booklet.