Short course
French: Beginners – Part 1
Course status:
Applications being accepted
Dates and time:
29/09/2026 - 01/12/202619:00 - 21:00
Study format:
In-person weekly
Fees:
£315.00
Join this interactive course to learn French language and explore its culture. For complete beginners as well as those who have learnt some French expressions and phrases through travel or socialising.
To support the development of communicative skills, the course offers a balanced progression in speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Each session features practical, meaningful activities – from practice exercises, interactive tasks, and guided listening to problem‑solving scenarios. Learners engage with authentic language, collaborate with classmates, and build confidence through varied, hands‑on activities that mirror real‑world communication.
The course is pitched at level A1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), and completion of the course will help you meet some of the level requirements.
Is this the right level course for you?
This course is for complete beginners as well as those who have learnt some expressions and phrases through travel or socialising.
Book this course
Book your place online using the button below.
Course starts 29 September 2026
This is an in-person course which requires your attendance at the weekly meetings in Oxford on Tuesdays, 7.00-9.00pm.
The weekly schedule below is intended to give an indication of the main topic(s) likely to be covered in each session. Please note that these may sometimes change according to the tutor’s discretion to reflect the interests of course participants.
Week 1: Greetings and leave taking. Introducing oneself. Numbers 1–31. The alphabet. French sounds.
Week 2: Giving basic personal information: saying where you live, your nationality and age. Numbers 32-69.
Week 3: Expressing likes and dislikes. Numbers 70-100.
Week 4: Asking and answering simple questions. Presenting a French/Francophone personality.
Week 5: Saying where you live. Talking about leisure activities.
Week 6: Presenting and talking about one’s family.
Week 7: Shopping for food: identifying food shops, discussing opening and closing times, expressing quantities.
Week 8: Ordering at a restaurant/cafe. Describing recipes and listing ingredients in a dish.
Week 9: Naming places in a town. Talking about means of transport.
Week 10: Understanding an itinerary and asking for directions. Revision quiz or fun activity.
Key grammar points
* Subject pronouns and stressed pronouns
* Present tense of auxiliary verbs être and avoir
* Present tense of -er verbs in the affirmative and negative form
* Agreement of adjectives feminine and plural (nationalities)
* Definite, indefinite and partitive articles
* Prepositions with towns and countries
* Possessive adjectives
* Prepositions of place
* Present tense of irregular verbs aller, prendre and faire
* Interrogative adjective quel
Key functions
* Asking for and giving simple personal information
* Presenting and talking about one’s family
* Talking about likes and dislikes (leisure activities, interests, means of transport)
* Shopping for food and ordering in a café, at a restaurant
* Presenting places in a town
* Understanding and asking for directions
Course aims
To develop the four language skills and enable learners to communicate at a very basic level with speakers of the target language in a limited range of practical, real-life settings.
Course objectives
- Develop the language skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing for very basic routine communication in the target language.
- Familiarise learners with a range of high-frequency vocabulary and grammar structures for very basic routine interaction in the target language.
- Equip learners with an initial appreciation of the culture and civilisation of the country (or countries) in which the target language is spoken.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course, participants will be better prepared to:
- use very simple phrases and utterances to provide basic personal information, such as name, address, family members and nationality;
- interact in a very simple way provided the other person talks slowly and clearly;
- understand the gist of very short, simple written texts and audio/video excerpts containing the highest frequency vocabulary items and basic grammar structures;
- produce simple phrases and very short texts using basic structures and vocabulary items.
Level and demands
This course is for complete beginners as well as those who have learnt some expressions and phrases through travel or socialising.
Pitched at level A1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
Find out more about our language levels.
Teaching methods
You will learn through practical, task‑based classroom activities that encourage the active use of the target language. Sessions typically integrate meaningful scenarios, pair and small‑group work, and collaborative problem‑solving in a supportive and friendly environment. These tasks bring together speaking, listening, reading, and writing, enabling you to apply the language purposefully in real‑world situations.
The course is designed to build your spoken and listening abilities while deepening your understanding of cultural nuances, etiquette, and everyday usage. We will work with new grammatical structures through meaningful, communicative tasks, and you will continue developing your reading and writing skills both in class and independently through self‑study.
Assessment methods
You will be set short, optional assignments to consolidate your learning and to allow you to progress at your own pace.
Dr Coralie Schneider
Coralie is an experienced teacher and holds both a PGCE (French with Spanish) and a PhD in Linguistics. She has taught French to undergraduate students at the University of Oxford and the University of Reading, as well as to children and adults at the Alliance Française of Oxford. A native of Paris and a keen traveller, she enjoys sharing her knowledge of French language varieties and cultures to students of all ages and levels.
Digital badge
Upon successful completion of this course, you will be issued with an official digital badge from the Department for Continuing Education, University of Oxford. In order to be issued with your badge, you will need to have attended at least 80% of the course.
After the course, you will receive an email with a link and instructions on how to download your digital badge. You will be able to add this badge to your email signature and share it on social media if you choose to do so.
Fees
| Description | Costs |
|---|---|
| Course fee | £315.00 |
Funding
If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, or are a care-leaver in the UK, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:
Concessionary fees for short courses
Textbooks
To participate in the course fully, you will need access to the following textbook:
- ÉDITO niveau A1, méthode de français, 2ème Édition / Mensdorff-Pouilly Lucie, Opatski Sergueï, Petitmengin Violette, Pons Sylvie, Sperandio Caroline – Éditions Didier 2022, ISBN 978-2-278-10364-5 / 978-2-278-10446-8
Recommended reading
Recommended reading is optional and you are not required to purchase these books to study this course.
Library facilities
All weekly class students may become borrowing members of the Rewley House Library, part of the Bodleian Libraries, for the duration of their course. Prospective students whose courses have not yet started are also welcome to use the Library for reference.
- More information about the Library can be found on the Bodleian Libraries website.
- This guide for Weekly Class students also provides further information
Preparatory reading
- ÉDITO niveau A1, méthode de français, 2ème Édition / Mensdorff-Pouilly Lucie, Opatski Sergueï, Petitmengin Violette, Pons Sylvie, Sperandio Caroline – Éditions Didier 2022, ISBN 978-2-278-10364-5 / 978-2-278-10446-8
Module code: O26P556XFW
Please use the ‘Book now’ button on this page.