Fall in love with what many believe is the most romantic of all the Latin-derived languages; spoken in 29 countries across five continents.
These courses are delivered face to face on ANU campus.
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French 1
Details
- Sessions: 9 evening sessions
- Dates: Term 3 TBA
- Times: 6-8pm
- Enrolment fee: $420
Studying French 1 is stimulating and enjoyable as you will cover a large amount of French in a short period of time. You will also learn about French and Francophone culture.
Course outline
The course is based on Units 1 to 3 (and introductory unit) of Défi 1: A French Course for English Speakers, which offers both a traditional textbook and online materials should students wish to purchase a hybrid edition of the book. Défi 1 provides language learning to level A1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. The Défi 1 textbook will be supplemented by other learning resources in French by your teacher, including written texts, audio, video, and other online materials. Each week, students will also be given some Traveller Abroad vocabulary. Each lesson covers topics outlined below.
- Topic 1. In the ‘Dossier de découverte’ begin your discovery of French and Francophone culture, with a snapshot of speciality cuisines, key monuments, and artists from different regions, exploring a map of ‘la Francophonie’ (the French-speaking world). Learn vocab for ‘Salutations’, how to greet people in familiar and formal situations, and introduce yourself. Ask how others are in French and describe how you are. Study the verb ‘s’appeler’ (to be called), ‘pronoms sujets’ (subject pronouns), and ‘pronoms toniques’ (stressed pronouns). Plus, survival phrases for a ‘classe de FLE – français langue étrangère’ (French as a foreign language class).
- Topic 2. Start Unit 1 of Défi 1, revising ‘Salutations’ (looking at French culture regarding greetings) and learn how to say and ask where someone is from. Read key cultural statistics about France, its geography, and its peoples. See how to spell in French (including accents) and learn the French alphabet via Paris monuments from A-Z. Learn numbers from 1-20 and explore the Paris métro. Discover how to order a pizza in French. Learn the verb ‘être’ (to be) and gender via masculine and feminine words and definite articles ‘le’, ‘la’, ‘les’ (the). Plus, ordinal adjectives in relation to ‘arrondissements’ in Paris, such as ‘premier’ 1st and ‘deuxième’ 2nd.
- Topic 3. Study key facts about life expectancy and age groups in France and other countries. Learn key professions and their masculine and feminine forms and how to say your own job title. Explore numbers, from 20 to 5 million! Learn the verb ‘avoir’ (to have) and how to say how old you are.
- Topic 4. Commence Unit 2 of Défi 1, with a voyage to the Zinneke Parade in Brussels. Learn more about Belgium, a key French-speaking region, hearing testimonials of Belgian residents and master the skills to fill in a ‘fiche d’identité’ (identity form). Investigate question words (including quel, quoi, que, qui, combien, où, quand, and comment).
- Topic 5. Continue the discovery of Belgium through the lens of multiculturalism, and additionally explore ‘une Europe multiculturelle’. Read about ‘stéréotypes’ around the Francophone world. Learn the vocab for different countries in relation to gender and prepositions to accompany regions and cities in French. Study the verbs ‘venir’ (to come), ‘aller’ (to go) and ‘aimer’ (to like or love).
- Topic 6. Look at Morocco and Switzerland, other French-speaking regions (their sites, attractions, souvenirs, and local specialties). Revise the verb ‘aimer’ whilst learning other verbs ‘adorer’ and ‘détester’ to express tastes. An introduction to regular -er verbs in French. Learn negation in phrases with ‘ne’ and ‘pas’ (not). Study indefinite articles ‘un’, ‘une’, and ‘des’ (a, an, some). Plus learn how to agree and disagree with affirmative or negative sentences.
- Topic 7. Start Unit 3 of Défi 1, learning vocab around families and relationships. Learn to describe your family and relationships via an ‘arbre généalogique’ (family tree). Explore different types of families, including ‘la famille nucléaire, recomposée, monoparentale’ (nuclear, hybrid, single-parent family). Learn about key regions of ‘la Francophonie’.
- Topic 8. Continue learning vocab about families alongside possessive determiners to indicate familial relationships, such as ‘mon père’ (my dad), and ‘ma mère’ (my mum). Discover adjectives to describe peoples’ characteristics. Analyze cultural statistics about types of partnerships and their evolution over time in France, from the traditional ‘mariage’ to ‘PACS’ and ‘l’union libre’ (cohabitation).
- Topic 9. Read about former French presidents Nicolas Sarkozy and François Hollande and consolidate your understanding of families and relationships vocab. Learn how to describe civil statuses and their adjective endings. Study the usage of terms ‘C’est’ and ‘Il est’ when describing nouns, adjectives, and professions. Look at different nationalities in relation to gender. Plus read about the concept of a ‘mariage mixte’.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course you should:
- be able to greet people in French and ask how they are;
- acquire the confidence to introduce yourself and say your age, profession, civil status, and nationality, plus talk about other peoples’ professions and nationalities;
- be competent to talk about some of your likes and dislikes, asking and answering simple questions;
- learn how to describe your family, relationships, and friends;
- gain an appreciation of France and the French-speaking world through discovering French and Francophone culture, such as Paris, Belgium, Morocco, Switzerland, and other French-speaking regions.
Who should enrol
The course is designed for complete beginners who are interested in, and enjoy, learning about the French language and culture.
French 2
Details
- Sessions: 9 evening sessions
- Dates: Term 3 TBA
- Times: 6-8pm
- Enrolment fee: $420
Studying French 2 is stimulating and enjoyable as you will cover a large amount of French in a short period of time.
Course outline
The course is based on Units 4 to 6 of Défi 1: A French Course for English Speakers, which offers both a traditional textbook and online materials should students wish to purchase a hybrid edition of the book. Défi 1 provides language learning to level A1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. The Défi 1 textbook will be supplemented by other learning resources in French by your teacher, including written texts, audio, video, and other online materials. Each week students will also be given some Traveller Abroad vocabulary. Each lesson covers topics below.
- Topic 1. Revise some materials covered in French 1. Commence Unit 4 of the Défi 1 textbook, learning vocab to describe homes and accommodation in French, such as ‘une maison’, ‘un appartement’, different rooms and outdoor spaces. Compare different accommodation in France, Belgium, and Switzerland, via studying rental ads of real estate agencies in French and listening to student testimonials about their ‘logement’. Look at prepositions of location and the structure of ‘il y a’ (there is). Learn how to describe your current residence and/or your dream home.
- Topic 2. Study how to describe interior décor in French for various accommodation. Consolidate your vocab for housing via looking at rentals in Spain, then comparing them to rentals in France and Francophone regions. Read about the history of artists’ attics in Paris, originally the ‘chambres de bonne’ (servants’ quarters) and hear testimonials of students living there. Revise grammatical structures ‘c’est’ and ‘il est / elle est’ and learn more adjectives to describe people and things.
- Topic 3. Look at vocab for interior furnishings and décor in the home (plus the art of Feng Shui in French) alongside descriptive verbs and colours in French. Learn to describe accommodation in detail. Focus on the grammar of colour adjective endings, the verbs ‘pouvoir’ (to be able), ‘devoir’ (to have to), and ‘Il faut + infinitif’ (it is necessary to). Further prepositions of location will also be covered.
- Topic 4. Start Unit 5 of Défi 1, exploring vocab for daily routines and work schedules in French. The culture of ‘métro boulot dodo’ of Parisian city life is contrasted against the working day in Québec. Learn how to tell the time and describe your daily routine. Study reflexive verbs, such as ‘se lever’ (to get up).
- Topic 5. Read texts in French about breaking free from the 9-5 routine. Study the cultural differences between France, Belgium, and Switzerland in relation to key stats of working hours, holidays, salaries, and retirement age, hearing the testimony of three Europeans talking about their work-life rhythm. Revise telling the time in relation to your daily activities. Learn verbs, ‘sortir’ (to go out), ‘dormir’ (to sleep) and ‘prendre’ (to take).
- Topic 6. Read about the phenomenon of Sunday workers in France. Expand from daily routine, to describe events across periods of time and decipher calendars in French, learning days of the week, months of the year, and the various seasons. Identify key events, festivals, and public holidays in the French calendar. Compare the academic year in Mauritius with that in Toulouse.
- Topic 7. Begin Unit 6 of Défi 1, learning vocab to describe free time, leisure activities and holidays. Focus on the city of Essaouira in Morocco, a French-speaking region and learn about Moroccan pastimes. Then read about the leisure time of the French and find ways to talk about your own free time and favourite activities, including music and sport. For grammar, study contracted articles and the verbs ‘faire’ (to do) and ‘jouer (to play).
- Topic 8. Learn vocab to describe internet and computer technology and read about the French and their online habits and use of social networks. Study the grammatical structures of ‘pour + infinitif’ and ‘parce que’ phrases and the pronoun ‘on’. Read and listen to testimonials about different holidays with friends in France and the Francophone world. Talk in French about what you like to do on holidays and where you like to go.
- Topic 9. Study vocab to describe character traits of friends and family with different adjectives and learn about adjective endings for masculine and feminine. Talk about important qualities in friends, family, and work colleagues. Discover your personality profile in French. Learn how to invite someone to do something and how to accept or refuse an invitation yourself. Continue learning about the pronoun ‘on’. Study how prepositions accompany certain verbs.
French 3
Studying French 3 is stimulating and enjoyable as you will cover a large amount of French in a short period of time.
Course outline
The course is based on Units 7 to 8 of Défi 1: A French Course for English Speakers, which offers both a traditional textbook and online materials should students wish to purchase a hybrid edition of the book. Défi 1 provides language learning to level A1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. The Défi 1 textbook will be supplemented by other learning resources in French by your teacher, including written texts, audio, video, and other online materials. Each week students will also be given some Traveller Abroad vocab. Each lesson covers topics below.
- Topic 1. Revise some materials covered in French 2. Start Unit 7 of Défi 1, discovering the Francophone region of the Ivory coast, with a virtual trip to Abidjan and other sites. Learn some more travel vocab.
- Topic 2. Learn how to ask your way and follow directions in French. Discover the town of Nancy in France. Master the grammatical structure of the near future tense, plus the pronoun ‘y’ (there) to replace places and destinations. Study how to incorporate sequence words in writing, from emails to simple narratives.
- Topic 3. Learn modes of transport in French, such as ‘la voiture’ (car), ‘le bus’, and ‘le métro’. Study the grammar of direct object pronouns. Continue learning how to find your way and ask directions in French.
- Topic 4. Go shopping in French! Learn vocab to buy food items at the ‘marché’ and ‘supermarché’ and traditional French shop names such as ‘boulangerie’ and ‘pâtisserie’. Study the imperative form to give commands and make suggestions. Read about shopping apps in France.
- Topic 5. Learn vocab for various clothing in French and how to describe it with colours, sizes, and fabrics. Read fashion ads from different French brand names. Study the grammar of demonstrative determiners ‘ces’, ‘ce’, ‘cet’, ‘cette’. Describe your wardrobe (real and/or ideal) and explore different fashion looks or styles. Create a mind map of your city and talk about your typical or dream day there.
- Topic 6. Commence the final unit 8 of Défi 1, continuing to study vocab around various food items. Revise colours and days of the week. Learn how to say different food groups in French and how to describe various tastes from ‘sucré’ (sugar) to ‘salé’ (savoury) and the vocab for mealtimes. Look at some simple recipes. Read in French about food wastage in France and the world and how to prevent it. Study the grammar of partitive articles and adverbs of quantity.
- Topic 7. Continue learning to decipher recipes in French. Look at different types of ‘crêpes’ from Brittany, Quebec, and Morocco. Learn weights and measures in French. Read about essential foods and the history of their origins and journey to France and Europe.
- Topic 8. Read about a famous French chef and his inspiring employment program for young people. Learn the past tense in French and how to form it with the auxiliary verb ‘avoir’. Describes the stages of your life path in French using the past tense. Master some irregular past participles.
- Topic 9. Continue learning about the past tense, now also with the auxiliary verb ‘être’. Read about Parisian agricultural salons, Vietnamese marketplaces, and food-trucks in Montreal. Learn to describe different tastes and flavours and what foods you like. Keep adding to your food vocabulary lists! Revise food groups and talk about your favourite dishes and food habits.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course, you should:
- learn how to talk about travel and transportation for daily/weekly routines and holidays;
- acquire the ability to ask for directions and understand instructions when finding your way around places in France and French-speaking regions;
- feel confident to go shopping in France and describe both food and clothing items in French;
- be able to express yourself in the present tense, plus describe events in the future and past tenses.
- gain an appreciation of France and the French-speaking world through discussing French and Francophone culture, such as regional cuisines, eating habits, the origins and history of particular foods, visiting France, Quebec, Switzerland, Morocco, and the Ivory coast.
Who should enrol
The course is designed for beginners (with some knowledge of French or who have completed French 1 and French 2) who are interested in, and enjoy, learning about the French language and culture.