Learn French in Rennes, capital of Brittany
Rennes is the capital of the Brittany region and one of France's biggest student cities. People arrive for university, for jobs in digital and cyber security, or for a calmer life in the west. French Ultimate is an online course, so you can learn from home in Rennes and practise at the market or on campus.
French in Rennes
French is the official language in Rennes and the one you need for study, work and paperwork. The city had about 231,000 residents in 2023 according to INSEE, and more than 70,000 students. Brittany has two regional languages, Breton and Gallo. Rennes lies in Upper Brittany, the Gallo-speaking part, and Université Rennes 2 has offered optional courses and research on Gallo since 1981. A 2008 survey for a Rennes 2 research lab estimated about 200,000 Gallo speakers across the region. Breton is taught in some bilingual schools and evening classes. Neither replaces French in daily life, but both are part of local culture and festivals.
Why people in Rennes learn French
Students are the largest group of learners. The city's universities draw international students, and the CIREFE at Rennes 2, open since 1963, teaches French to around 1,500 students from about 100 countries. Rennes is also a major centre for digital research, with laboratories such as IRISA, and for cyber defence, so engineers often start in English and then need French for colleagues and clients. Brittany's coast and towns are an easy trip away, and life there runs in French.
The French you'll hear
The accent in Rennes is close to standard French and easy for learners. Food vocabulary is where Brittany shows. A galette is a savoury buckwheat pancake, not a sweet crêpe, and a galette complète comes with ham, egg and cheese. The galette-saucisse, a grilled pork sausage rolled in a buckwheat galette, is a snack typical of Upper Brittany. Like elsewhere in the west, a shopping bag may be called a pochon.
- Une galette-saucisse, s'il vous plaît.A galette-saucisse, please.
- Une galette complète et une crêpe au beurre.A ham, egg and cheese galette and a butter crêpe.
- Je cherche une colocation près du campus.I am looking for a flatshare near campus.
- On va au marché des Lices samedi ?Shall we go to the Lices market on Saturday?
- Tu parles un peu breton ?Do you speak a little Breton?
French exams in Rennes
The CIREFE at Université Rennes 2 has been an approved DELF and DALF exam centre since January 2023, accredited by France Éducation International, and it also runs preparation courses. It holds the Qualité FLE label and is based on the Villejean campus. For the TCF or TEF, for example for a residence card or nationality, use France Éducation International's or the TEF provider's centre finders to locate an approved centre in the area.
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 Rennes or anywhere else. These topics are the most useful here:
Questions about learning French in Rennes
Do I need to learn Breton to live in Rennes?
No. French is the language of daily life, work and administration in Rennes, and almost everyone speaks it as their main language. Breton and Gallo are part of the region's culture, but you can live here fully in French. Learning a few Breton words is a nice gesture, not a requirement.
Can I take the DELF in Rennes?
Yes. The CIREFE at Université Rennes 2 has been an approved DELF and DALF centre since 2023 and runs preparation courses. French Ultimate is not linked to it, but its DELF B2 and DALF C1 preparation units and mock exams are a good way to get ready at home before you sit the exam.
I study in Rennes. Is an online course enough?
An online course gives you structure and practice you can fit around lectures, and French Ultimate covers A1 to C2 with speaking practice and graded stories. Most students get the best results by combining it with real use: seminars, flatmates, the market and student clubs. Rennes, with its huge student population, gives you plenty of chances.
Learn French from Rennes, at your own pace
Animated video lessons that stop for your answers, speaking practice, graded stories and DELF/DALF mock exams, from A1 to C2. Start with the free placement test to see where you are.
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