Beginner Level Review (Basic User Level A1 & A2)

Review of the grammar of the entire beginner level (class 101 to 201) + conversation. Grammar items include: all basic tenses (présent, passé composé, imparfait, near and simple future), pronouns (direct object, indirect object), prepositions, adverbs, feminine-masculine of nouns and adjectives...

Beginning French 101

Grammar: gender, definite/indefinite articles, negation, interrogation, present tense regular "-er" verbs and Etre & Avoir , nationality adjectives, interrogative adjectives quel and quelle, possessive adjectives (1), prepositions + contracted articles, pourquoi/parce que, closed questions (est-ce que...) present tense for prendre and descendre, prepositions + names of country(1 and 2), demonstrative adjectives.

Conversation: alphabet, numbers 0 to 99, dates, days of the week, months of the year, formal and informal greetings, formalities, questions and answers, nationalities and languages, expressing one's tastes (1), city places, housing, directions, ordinal numbers.

Know-How To : introduce oneself, inquire about someone, ask or give personal information, count, communicate in the classroom, greet, take leave, ask politely, ask about the price of something, talk about one's tastes (1), one's dreams and passions, talk about one's city, give directions, ask or give explanations, get information on housing/ lodging, give out a simple itinerary, write a postcard, give one's impressions of a place, talk about one's hobbies, talk about the weather

Lessons:Alter Ego 1, Unit 0 to Unit 2 (page 9 to 48)

Beginning French 102

Grammar: verb + noun/verb, present tense of aller and faire+ contracted prepositions, gender in professions, gender and plural for adjectives, stressed pronouns, present of pouvoir/vouloir/devoir, pronoun "on" = "nous", imperative, different ways of telling time, pronominal verbs in the present tense, expressing time, présent/ passé composé, passé composé (1): verb dire in the present, near future, chez + stressed pronoun.

Conversation: work, sports and culture, animals, physical and psychological description, outings, colloquial and idioms (1), time, daily activities, celebrations.

Know-How to: talk about one's tastes and activities/hobbies (2), talk about one's job, talk about oneself, describe someone, suggest an outing, invite someone, accept an invitation, refuse an invitation, make an appointment, give instructions, ask about time and schedules, talk about one's personal schedule, tell events in the past, understand and complete a survey, talk about one's projects.

Lessons:Alter Ego 1, Dossier 3 et 4 (pages 49 à 80)

Beginning French 103

Grammar: possessive adjectives (2), recent past / near future, passé composé (2): pronominal verbs and verbs with être, C'est / Il est + adjective, il a + noun, grammatical structures to indicate weather /climate / date / season / month, grammatical structures to describe a place, place of the adjectives (1): adjectifs qualificatifs, pronoun y for places, simple future, continuous present, specifics of oral French, pronoun on (2)

 Conversation: family events, avoir mal à + body parts,  family links, telephone conversations, expressing percentages, physical description, weather and climate, senses, sensations, perceptions, geography, outdoor activities; food. 

Know-How to:  announce a / react to a family event, ask about or give news about someone, talk about one's family, call / answer the phone, understand statistics, relate past events, understand biographical data, describe someone physically, express sensations and feelings, talk about the seasons, understand and give simple information about the weather (2), place an event in the year, locate a geographical place, present and describe a place, talk about outdoor activities, understand a program of visits, talk about cultural activities, write a vacation letter, talk about one's culinary tastes and food consumption; understand and compose a menu.

Lessons:Alter Ego 1, Units 5 and 6 (pages 81 to 112) and first lesson in Unit 7 (pages 113 to 117)

Beginning French 104

Please note that 104 U is a once a week class.

 Grammar: Prepositions de / à ; partitive/definite/indefinite articles, negative quantity : pas de, direct object complement pronouns: le, la, les, l'; indirect object complement pronouns: lui, leur; relative pronouns qui/que; pronoun en; precise quantity, remainder (ne...plus), restricted quantity (ne...que); place of the adjective (2), imparfait  to narrate memories; imparfait for a past situation / present for a current situation; comparative structures (with nouns and adjectives); depuis / il y a; infinitive and imperative; devoir / pouvoir + infinitive; il faut + infinitive.

Conversation: clothing and accessories; positive and negative appreciation; colors, size; characteristics of an object; adjectives ending in -able; commerce; quantity; shows and performances; ordering; positive and negative adjectives for characterizing; colloquialisms (2); memories; advantages and disadvantages of one's whereabouts; servir à / de; housing, furniture; prohibition, recommendation.

Know-How to: describe an outfit; give a positve or negative appreciation; advise someone; choose a gift for someone; give the characteristics of an object and its function; do everyday shopping; express precise quantities; food ; understand an ad for a show; suggest an outing, choose a performance; book a theatre seat; express a restriction; order, express satisfaction or displeasure at the restaurant, understand a short presentation on restaurants in order to choose one; narrate memories; compare past situation with current one; describe one's lodging and eventual rehabilitations; locate an event in time; look for housing through classified ads; understand and ask information about housing and rental conditions; talk about one's relationships with roommates or other condominium owners; identify behavioral differences; understand and express prohibitions; make a recommendation.

Lessons:Alter Ego 1, Unit 7 (second half) to Unit 10 (pages 118 to 165)

Objectif Express - French for Professionals Level A1 / A2

This class will take the complete Beginner through Basic User Level A1 and A2  but with the specific objective of learning French for work.

The curriculum targets specific situations at work: on the phone, in a meeting, with colleagues, etc. and will be useful for anyone called to work with French or francophone co-workers.

It takes one full year to cover levels A1 and A2. Students can enroll at the complete beginner level or after a class 101. Students cannot switch to regular class 102 to 104 once they start Objectif Express since the curriculum has a different goal.

Parlez! 1

This 2-hour once-a -week class focuses on conversation topics. A good way to take a break from the regular classes as well as to reinforce your conversational skills. For students achieving levels 103 to 201.