Blog
Want to pass the FIDE? This blog content would be very useful for you. We publish weekly blogs to help our students with various topics that will help them pass the FIDE easily and effortlessly.


From Basel to Berlin for 10 euros by train?
From Basel to Berlin for 10 euros by train? No, I’m not kidding, it’s possible! Maybe you have taken over a green FlixBus on the freeway. You have vaguely thought that it must be a low-cost way to travel around Europe but then, you gave no more thought to it. It was...

Is Marius Bear going to bring victory to Switzerland? The Eurovision final will tell.
The Swiss contestant, Marius Bear has qualified for Saturday’s Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest in Turin. He is performing his own song “Boys do cry” at the prestigious song contest. My first thoughts? Well, what a raw voice full of emotions and soul. This...

Key French for the last cycle of compulsory education in Switzerland (le Cycle d’Orientation)
Compulsory education ends at the age of 15/16 in Switzerland. The last three grades, namely the 9th, 10th and 11th grade represent the last years of compulsory education. The aim of this cycle is to choose an academic path for your teen depending on their school...

Key French for the Swiss primary school (l’écoleprimaire)
Kids might or might not attend nursery school, it really boils down to their parents’ choice. At the age of 4 or 5, though, compulsory education starts and the Swiss state is going to be responsible for the quality of your kid’s (or kids’) education. Primary school is...

Key French for the Swiss nursery school (la crèche)
2021 was a great year for Switzerland: the highest number of babies were born in the country. Half of all babies and toddlers are going to attend nursery school in Geneva at some point between 0 and 5 years of age. And if you have just recently arrived to the country,...

Swiss family lives are not as straightforward as 2 + 2
The times of “2 parents, 2 kids” types of families are long gone. My own experience is that loads of people divorce, have blended families or stay single and raise the kids alone. So where shall we start our fact-finding mission of what does family life mean in...

Paying for the coffee: a perfect example of an English-French “faux amis”
Aaah, and there we go, you’ve sipped up the coffee and ready to go but have to ask for the bill. Let’s start with the prices. We all know that Geneva is expensive, no question about it. Since covid though, I find that prices have been on the rise (and that started...

The good vibes of Geneva at the Cottage Café
If you happen to have a walk by the lake, the Cottage Café is a popular place to have a coffee, or even lunch for that matter. It is right by Brunswick monument close to the Quai du Mont Blanc with a fantastic view not only on the water jet, the stunning Mont Blanc...

You said coffee, but girl, there are so many types!
How do you like your coffee? Black or white? Some years ago this might have been the standard question, but times have changed. The above question is a complex one right now because we are spoilt for choice. Ordering coffee in Suisse Romande is quite different from...

How native French speakers order coffee
If you are a beginner in French, saying anything in the language of Molière may seem daunting. Or simply impossible. Or you may think that nobody is going to understand you, or you may find a million reasons why not to try. They’ll surely understand your English or...