* We reserve the right to deliver classes via zoom if Covid safety advice changes over the course of 21/22
French
Languages for all Twilight Programme (LTP)
The French language - did you know?
With nearly 80 million native speakers and over 274 million speakers worldwide, French is one of the most popular languages in the world. It is an official language of 29 countries and is the sixth most spoken language in the world.
Whilst approximately 40% of French speakers reside in Europe, there are significant numbers of speakers in Africa, Canada, United States and many other countries.
It is also the only language, alongside English, that is taught in every country in the world and boasts over 100 million students and 2 million teachers. About a third of basic English words come from French.
French is one of the working languages of the United Nations and a number of international organisations like UNESCO, WHO and NATO. It is also, together with German and English, one of three procedural languages of the European Union.
The Académie Française protects the integrity of the language. It was created in 1634 by Cardinal Richelieu and consists of 40 members who regulate the language by determining standards of acceptable grammar and vocabulary, adapting to linguistic change and updating the meanings of existing words. French has more than a million words, with 20,000 new ones created every year. Many languages have similar types of academies, except for English.
French Language Day - The United Nations annually celebrates six “Language Days” dedicated to its official languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish). Language Days were introduced in 2010 to celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity. The date of the French language Day was chosen symbolically with reference to March 20, 1970, which marks the creation of the Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation (ACCT), which has since become the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF).
Modules available:
French level 1
Methodology: Teaching is communicative with class work emphasising listening, speaking and practice of sentence structure. Self-study consists of reviewing work done in class and practising language skills as advised by tutor. Resources to support the course include a textbook, online exercises and materials as advised by the tutor.
Description: Level 1 assumes no previous knowledge of the language.
The course introduces some of the basic structures of the language through topics related to social and everyday life in France. The focus is on listening, speaking and reading basic materials that introduce grammatical structures which will facilitate manipulation of the language. By the end of the course students will be able to use both the present and the future tense in French. Elements of French culture will be incorporated into the classes and private study materials to support the topics listed below in the provisional schedule.
Classes will take place between 18:00-20:00*.
French level 2
Methodology: Teaching is communicative with class work emphasising listening, speaking and practice of sentence structure. Self-study consists of reviewing work done in class and practising language skills as advised by tutor. Resources to support the course include a textbook, online exercises and materials as advised by the tutor.
Description: Level 2 assumes that you have either completed level 1 or have a pass at GCSE.
The course develops communicative competence across a range of situations as may be encountered during daily life and enables you to handle routine writing and reading tasks. Vocabulary, grammar and independent learning activities will help you build a strong foundation for continued French language acquisition beyond this module. By the end of the course, in addition to the present and near future tense (mastered at level 1) you will be introduced to the perfect, imperfect, future and conditional tenses. Elements of French culture will be incorporated into the classes to support the topics listed below in the provisional schedule.
Classes will take place between 18:00-20:00*.
Additional information:
French level 1
Tutor: Dr Danielle Bishop.
Class dates: Starting in week commencing 18 October 2021 and finishing week commencing 7 March 2022.
Class times: Mondays 18:00-20:00.
Frequency of class: Two hours of class contact and approximately 60 minutes of self-study a week are recommended in order to make good progress.
Venue: Cookworthy Building, Plymouth Business School.
Course fee: Students: £40; Staff: £60; External participants: £70.
Number of students: Maximum 23.
Textbook: Based around Foundations French 1, (Palgrave 3rd edition, 2017). ISBN-10:1137579196 ISBN-13:978-1137579195.
Additional resources: These will be provided for you both in class and in the form of weekly private study learning packages (available on the DLE).
Cancelled classes: any classes that are cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances will be re-arranged by your tutor for a later date.
French level 2
Tutor: Dr Danielle Bishop.Class dates: Starting in week commencing 18 October 2021 and finishing week commencing 7 March 2022.
Class times: Tuesday 18:00-20:00.
Frequency of class: Two hours of class contact and approximately 1.5 hours self-study a week are recommended in order to make good progress.
Venue: Cookworthy Building, Plymouth Business School.
Course fee: Students: £40; Staff: £60; External participants: £70.
Number of students: Maximum 23.
Textbook: Based around Foundations French 2, (Palgrave 2nd edition, 2008). ISBN-10: 0230574076 ISBN-13: 978-0230574076.
Additional resources: These will be provided for you both in class and in the form of weekly private study learning packages (available on the DLE).
Cancelled classes: any classes that are cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances will be re-arranged by your tutor for a later date.
Semester 1
| DATE | TOPIC | CONTENT | GRAMMAR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18.10.21 | Greetings, personal information 1 | General greetings. Asking after others and responding accordingly. Giving /asking/spelling name (alphabet). Where you live. Nationality. | Tu & vous |
| 25.10.21 | Personal information 2 | Professions and places of work. University studies.Languages and countries of the world. | Masc & fem agreements. Intro to key verbs travailler, étudier, parler in the ‘I’ form. |
| 01.11.21 | Personal information 3 | Numerical personal information – age, telephone numbers, birthdays etc. Introducing others in terms of info. spanning weeks 1-3. | Key verbs avoir and être |
| 08.11.21 | The family | Describing your own family. Asking about other family units. | Possessive adjectives |
| 15.11.21 | Describing yourself and others | Describing yourself and others in terms of physical appearance and personality. Colours and key adjectives. | Adjectives & their agreements. Further practise with avoir and être. |
| 22.11.21 | Leisure interests 1 | Leisure interests/tastes. | Key verbs faire, aller and aimer. |
Semester 2
| DATE | TOPIC | CONTENT | GRAMMAR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31.01.22 | Daily routine | Describing a typical day. Discussing other people’s daily routine. The time. | Reflexive verbs. Practise with regular ER verbs. |
| 07.02.22 | In town | Typical services in a town. Asking about location & describing position of services (x in relation to y). Receiving & giving directions. | Imperatives. Prepositions describing location. |
| 14.02.22 | Shopping (the market) | A trip to the market – fruit and vegetables. Expressing quantities. Typical conversational vocabulary / scenarios. | The partitive article. Intro to RE verbs. |
| 21.02.22 | Travel 1 | Purchasing tickets. Enquiring about arrivals/departures/times. Typical conversational vocabulary / scenarios. | Intro to IR verbs. |
| 28.02.22 | Hotels | Making a reservation. Describing hotels and their facilities. Planning a future holiday. | Near future tense. Revision of adjectives. |
| 07.03.22 | Cafes & restaurants | Typical café / restaurant foods. Ordering from menu / enquiring about food. Flavours & fillings. | Pouvoir. À la/au/aux. Qu’est-ce que c’est? |
The above is an indication of content that may be covered over the duration of the course, but it could vary depending on the level and progress of students in the class.
Semester 1
| DATE | TOPIC | CONTENT | GRAMMAR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18.10.21 | Briser la glace! | Refresh covering name, age, profession, location, nationality, studies, family, physical appearance, personality. Discussions based on introduction of self and others. | Present tense. Adjectives & agreements. Possessive adjectives.Basic question forms. Depuis + present tense. |
| 25.10.21 | Villes et logements | Discussing location and accommodation in detail. Refresh of associated vocabulary. | Present tense cont. Additional adjectives. Comparatives. |
| 01.11.21 | Temps libre et invitations | Issuing and responding to invitations to go out. Discussing leisure interests and pursuits. Refresh of vocabulary associated with leisure and invitations. | Modal verbs ( pouvoir vouloir, savoir). Direct/indirect object pronouns. Y and en. |
| 08.11.21 | Qu’est-ce qui s’est passé? | Describing routine activity at a given moment in time. Recounting/understanding a sequence of events in the past. | Introduction to the perfect tense. Appropriate time phrases. |
| 15.11.21 | Ah, les vacances! | Discussing a past holiday experience/day trip. Interviewing others about a past voyage/memorable moment. Revision of weather/months/seasons/time. | Further practise with the perfect tense. Recap adjectives & adjectival agreements. Further question forms. |
| 22.11.21 | Comment c’était? Part 1 | Setting the scene. Memories of earlier years. Appropriate time phrases. | Introduction to the imperfect tense. |
Semester 2
| DATE | TOPIC | CONTENT | GRAMMAR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31.01.22 | Le monde du travail 1 – Education et expérience | Discussing your background, education and work experience. | Further revision of the perfect tense and object pronouns. Depuis v pendant. |
| 07.02.22 | Le monde du travail 2 – Poser sa candidature | Understanding job adverts. Applying for jobs. Describing a profession. | Further revision of expressing wishes/wants. Relative clauses. Demonstrative adjectives. |
| 14.02.22 | Rêves et idéaux | Discussing dreams and ideals. Revision of physical attributes & personality traits. Use of the conditional to persuade. | Intro to the conditional tense. |
| 21.02.22 | Projets d’avenir 1 | Describing future plans - focus on un stage linguistique et faire du bénévolat. | The futur simple. |
| 28.02.22 | Projets d’avenir 2 | Describing future plans - focus on transportation and hotel reservations. | The futur simple continued. Re-cap of times and dates. |
| 07.03.22 | Partagez vos opinions! | Expressing opinions on a range of contemporary topical issues. Use of the present subjunctive to express reservation, fear, doubt, desire, preference, obligation etc. | Introduction to the present subjunctive. |
The above is an indication of content that may be covered over the duration of the course, but it could vary depending on the level and progress of students in the class.