Learn French in Lyon

French in Lyon

Lyon had 519,127 residents on 1 January 2023 (INSEE), narrowly ahead of Toulouse as France's third city. French is the only official language, used in schools, the town hall and the courts. Historically the region spoke Franco-Provençal, also called Arpitan, a Romance language distinct from French, and the old parler lyonnais borrows from it. That heritage now survives mainly in a few everyday words and in Guignol, the puppet character created in Lyon in the early nineteenth century. Lyon is also home to Interpol's headquarters, which brings an international community to the city, yet ordinary life in Lyon is lived in French.

Why people in Lyon learn French

Many people come to Lyon to study at its universities, such as Université Lumière Lyon 2 and Université Jean Moulin Lyon 3, where most degree courses are taught in French and international applicants are usually asked for proof of level. Others arrive with an employer and find that meetings, lunches with colleagues and conversations at the school gate all happen in French. Eating out is a large part of social life here, and ordering in a bouchon or chatting with a stallholder at the Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse rewards a bit of practice. For residents planning to stay, the 2026 language rules for residence cards add a clear target of A2 or B1.

The French you'll hear

Lyon's French sounds close to standard, but locals keep a few words of their own. A bouchon is a traditional Lyonnais restaurant, and wine there often comes in a pot, a 46 cl bottle with a thick glass base. People from Lyon call themselves gones, and the covered passages that cut through buildings in Vieux Lyon and the Croix-Rousse are traboules. You may also hear mâchon for a hearty late-morning meal. These words appear on menus and tourist signs, so learning them pays off quickly.

• 🔊On mange dans un bouchon ce soir ?Shall we eat in a bouchon tonight?
• 🔊Un pot de côtes-du-rhône, s'il vous plaît.A pot of Côtes du Rhône, please.
• 🔊Où est l'entrée de la traboule ?Where is the entrance to the traboule?
• 🔊Je prends le funiculaire pour Fourvière.I'm taking the funicular up to Fourvière.
• 🔊C'est un vrai gone de Lyon.He's a true Lyon native.

French exams in Lyon

The Alliance Française de Lyon is an exam centre for the DELF and DALF and for two versions of the TCF: the TCF IRN, designed for residence and nationality applications, and the TCF Tout Public, which employers and universities often ask for. If your goal is a residence card or citizenship, confirm with the Rhône prefecture which level and certificate it expects before you register, since the TCF IRN and the DELF serve different purposes.

Check dates and fees with the exam centre directly; they change every session.

Where to start in the course

French Ultimate is an online course, so you can follow it from Lyon or anywhere else. These topics are the most useful here:

• A1Food in French and how to say « some »
• A2Ordering at a restaurant in French
• B2Spoken French and slang: what people really say

Questions about learning French in Lyon