Learning to speak fluent French is undoubtedly one of the hardest parts of moving to France.
It takes time, there are no shortcuts and unfortunately French courses can be really (really) expensive.
Luckily, there's a solution at town halls around the country -- French courses aimed at foreign learners that don't break the bank.
"I did it for a year and I really enjoyed it. I learned a lot of practical information about living in France and speaking the language," language learner Jennifer Dyson told The Local.
"I also met people from all over the world who were trying to learn to communicate in French. It was an experience I value and will not soon forget."
So why don't most people know about them?
It turns out that most of the information you need to enroll on these courses is in French, which can naturally leave a lot of the people who would be most interested in them unable to navigate their way through the registration process.
But we've put together some key information to help you beat the system.
How does it work?
The lessons are arranged by town halls across France.
Some of these are arranged as a partnership between the town hall and a Greta, a group of local public educational institutions that pool their skills and resources to offer adult education classes, including French as a foreign language.
In Paris, they are typically split into two terms which go from October to February and from March to July and you can sign up for just one term or for the annual course if you're planning on being in France for the long-term.
In the French capital, they mostly take place in the evening between 6.30pm and 9.30pm or on Saturdays so they're ideal for people who have a day job.
Elsewhere in France, the way the lessons are structured varies from town to town although the ones that offer lessons often offer year-long courses.
...and just how low is the price?
This is one of the major selling points of doing the town hall courses, the prices are the lowest we've come across for formal French lessons.
Prices vary depending on what kind of course you want to take but in Paris for the standard course of 60 hours of French lessons, you'll pay around €110-220 and it can be a lot cheaper outside of the French capital, with some courses costing as little as €70.
You can find out more about the prices in Paris HERE and for lessons in other parts of France, you can check the details on the website of your local town hall.
"The primary reason I switched to the Mairie classes [from Alliance Francaise] was the cost was so much less and the times worked better for my family," Sheila Olsen, who lives in the Paris suburbs, told The Local.
Paperwork
How to sign up
Let's start with people looking for lessons in Paris.
To subscribe online you'll need to create an account on the Paris City Hall website. Find out more about how to do this HERE.
Once you've done that you'll be able to access the Cours Municipaux d’Adultes (or CMA) where you'll find a list of all the courses available.
Select cours de francais and you'll be able to file your application.
If you're applying for the first time online you'll be asked to come in for an assessment before the course starts so that they can make sure you're put in the right class for your level.
These tests may not be held at the same place you plan to take the classes.
It's fair to say that the online application can be a little complex but if you're struggling to navigate it, there is another option.
Keep an eye on the registration periods online, which usually last about a week and visit either 77 Boulevard de Belleville in the 11th arrondissement or 132 rue d’Alésia in the 14th between 9am and 6pm to sign up and there will be people on hand to help you out.
If you're not based in Paris, the best way to sign up is to contact your local town hall directly and many of them also have online applications you can use to sign up.
These are generally a lot easier to fill out than the Paris enrollment forms.
You'll want to sign up for the course named Français Langue Etrangère (FLE) or similar.
Intensive courses
If you miss out on signing up for either term, the Paris town hall also offers a series of intensive courses on subjects such as information technology and lessons designed specifically training for a language diploma.
How big are the classes?
Classes are usually made up of 20-25 people although some people who have attended them told The Local that their classes had been as small as ten people.