French: Beginners – Part 2

Course starts 19 January 2027

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: Shopping for clothes. 

Week 2: Talking about the weather. 

Week 3: Discussing daily routines. Telling the time. 

Week 4: Suggesting an outing. Accepting or refusing an invitation.

Week 5: Physical descriptions. 

Week 6: Situating and describing one’s home.

Week 7: Identifying furniture, equipment and objects.

Week 8: Making a reservation. Discussing and comparing different types of accommodation.

Week 9: Describing holiday experiences. Writing a postcard.

Week 10: Travel and holidays: workshop action-orientated activity. 

Key grammar points

*  Gender and number of adjectives. Place of adjectives.

*  The futur proche

*  Pronominal verbs

*  Frequency adverbs

*  The present tense of -ir verbs

*  The past tense of verbs with the auxiliary verb avoir

*  Prepositions of place

*  Modal verbs vouloir and pouvoir

*  Comparatives

*  The past tense of verbs with the auxiliary verb être

Key functions

*  Describing what one is wearing

*  Talking about the weather

*  Describing one’s daily routine

*  Suggesting an outing and arranging to meet

*  Situating one’s home and identifying rooms and furniture

*  Understanding a booking site and making a reservation

*  Talking about holidays and past events

Course aims

To develop the four languages skills to enable learners to communicate at a basic level with speakers of the target language in a limited range of practical, real-life settings.

Course objectives

• Develop the skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing for basic everyday communication in the target language.
• Consolidate Learners’ listening comprehension skills to understand the gist of very short, basic written texts and audio excerpts.
• Familiarise learners with high-frequency vocabulary and grammar structures for basic routine communication.

• Develop learners’ appreciation of the culture and civilisation of the country (or countries) in which the target language is spoken.

Learning outcomes

By the end of your course, learners will be better prepared to:

• interact in a simple way using a basic range of language in routine everyday contexts;
• understand and respond to basic spoken or recorded language relating to very familiar everyday situations;
• demonstrate comprehension of very short, simple texts containing high frequency vocabulary and basic grammar structures; 
• write very short texts to provide basic personal information or simple descriptions.    

Level and demands

This course is for beginners as well as those who have learnt some expressions and phrases through travel or socialising.

New students, who have not completed ‘French: Beginners – Part 1’ whose proficiency in the language is appropriate for the course level are very welcome.

Pitched at level A1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

Find your language level

Teaching methods

You will learn through practical 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. The activities 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

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

All weekly class students may become borrowing members of the Rewley House Lifelong Learning Library for the duration of their course. Prospective students whose courses have not yet started are welcome to use the Library for reference. More information can be found on the Library website.

There is a Guide for Weekly Class students which will give you further information.

Availability of titles on the reading list (below) can be checked on SOLO, the library catalogue.

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

Recommended Reading List

Module code: O26P557XFW

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