Early Registration (5/1-5/26): $285.00

Reg. Registration (5/28-8/23): $300.00

Late Registration (8/24-9/30):$315.00

Fridays 10:30am-11:30am

Class Description: This is a multilevel class designed to enhance and reinforce learning from the leveled classes. It is not a prerequisite to advance to the next level.

This is a conversation focused class. The instructor may use reading, writing, and other means to provide opportunities to build conversation skills.  

**This class is only an enhancement to the leveled language classes. Registering for a leveled language class is highly recommended.

Early Registration (5/1-5/26): $418

Reg. Registration (5/27-8/14): $440

Late Registration (8/15-9/30):$460

Fridays 9:00-10:25

Class Description:  

This is a continuation of French 1A. The goal of this class is to review basic grammatical concepts in French, to improve comprehension and to encourage communication through in-class work, dialogues, dictations and at-home preparation.

Course Outline: Lessons will include these aspects of French grammar:

   § Expressions of possession (possessive adjectives, possession with de, être à)

   § Irregular descriptive adjectives

   § Interrogative adjectives (quel, quelle, quels, quelles) 

   § Demonstrative adjectives (ce, cet, cette, ces) 

   § Prepositions of place

   § Asking and responding to questions (inversion)

   § Comparatives and superlatives

   § Introduction to -ir and -re verbs 

   § Introduction to imperative verb form

   § Past tense (passé compose)

By the end of this class members will be able to:

   § Ask for and give directions 

   § Engage in conversations about the weather, themselves, their families and their hobbies

   § Easily use numbers for dates and years

   § Read easy texts

   § Ask questions in several different ways

   § Describe events that happened in the past

   § Speak with good pronunciation

Prerequisite: French 1B students should have completed French 1A at La Causerie or possess equivalent levels of proficiency from other pathways.

Book/Materials:  Voila! An Introduction to French, 6th Edition, by L. Kathy Heilenman, ISBN: 1133950124.

Early Registration (5/1-5/26): $418

Reg. Registration (5/27-8/14): $440

Late Registration (8/15-9/30):$460

Fridays 9:00-10:25

Class Description: 

French 3 is an introduction to more advanced grammar and conversation.  Students will build on grammar concepts learned in French 2 and use a variety of cultural reading texts in the textbook as a basis for discussion in French.  The course is taught entirely in French with the exception of several new grammar concepts such as use of the subjunctive and conditional sentences.  Written and oral preparation outside of class is required

Course Outline:  We will study Unités 9 through 11 in the required textbook.

Lessons will include these concepts of French grammar and culture:

   · Review of object pronouns plus the pronouns “y” and “en”

   · Parts of the body and expressions of health and illness

   · Reflexive and reciprocal verbs (present and passé composé)

   · Irregular adjective formation

   · Adverb formation and position

   · Verb + infinitive construction

   · Formation and idiomatic use of the future tense

   · Formation and use of the conditional tense

   · Introduction to conjugation and use of the subjunctive mood

   · Professions and the professional life

   · Student attitudes toward the future

   · French influence throughout the world

   · Developing a world economy

By the end of this class members will be able . . .

   · to talk about lodging and living conditions

   · to discuss personal and family relationships using reflexive verbs

   · to debate the pros and cons of developing a world economy

   · to express opinions and feelings about certain situations using the subjunctive

   · to talk about hypothetical situations using the conditional (If ...  then...)

   · to discuss future plans using a variety of conjunctions (when, as soon as, after)

   · to converse about jobs and job responsibilities

   · to describe physical ailments (for a doctor’s visit, calling in sick to work, conversation)

Prerequisite: Completion of French 2 at La Causerie or equivalent

Book/Materials:  Voila! An Introduction to French, 6th Edition, by L. Kathy Heilenman, ISBN: 1133950124.

Recommended Reference Books (not required): A French-English dictionary such as Harper Collins Robert French College Dictionary (Paperback), Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers, ISBN: 0-00-470711-7 (or any HarperCollins French-English dictionaries) 

Bescherelle: L’Art de conjuguer 12,000 verbes (Verb Conjugation), Publisher: Hatier, ISBN: 2218717166 

Early Registration (5/1-5/26): $418

Reg. Registration (5/27-8/14): $440

Late Registration (8/15-9/30):$460

Fridays 9:00-10:25

Class Description: 

This intermediate level class builds upon previous classes. It is conducted entirely in French. Selected reading and study materials are the basis for guided conversations in class. Prior to class, students should prepare by reading assigned materials and complete written exercises. During class, assignments will be reviewed and students will encouraged to participate in relevant conversations. Additional audio-visual and oral materials will be presented in class.

Prerequisite: French 5 students should have completed French 1A - 4 at La Causerie or possess equivalent levels of proficiency from other pathways. Students must be proficient enough to participate in French and to complete the assignments.

Book/Materials: The instructor will provide copies of reading materials and exercises, and the students may also be asked to purchase one or two paperbacks during the year chosen in consultation with class members.

Recommended Reference Books:

A good recent monolingual French dictionary:

-i.e: on paper: Le nouveau petit Robert: dictionnaire alphabétique et analogique de la langue française; Le petit Larousse illustré.

-i.e: online: https://dictionnaire.lerobert.com

A good recent bilingual dictionary (French/English- English/French):

-i.e: on paper: Collins, Robert French College Dictionary.

-i.e: online: https://www.wordreference.com

A book on French conjugation:

-i.e: on paper: Bescherelle: L’Art de conjuguer; La conjugaison pour tous.

-i.e: online: https://bescherelle.com/le-conjugueur-bescherelle

Early Registration (5/1-5/26): $418

Reg. Registration (5/27-8/14): $440

Late Registration (8/15-9/30):$460

Fridays 9:00am-10:25am

Class Description: 

This course is an advanced level class. All communication will be in French. The goal of this course is dynamic dialogue on a variety of topics chosen either by the professor or the class members. Topics of conversation will be given by the professor in advance thereby providing members with adequate time to do any necessary research or other homework in order to come to class fully prepared to be engaged in conversation. Members are welcome to suggest topics to be discussed at a future date. Any handouts are to be given out in advance of the day of discussion to avoid the reading of materials in class thus ensuring lively conversation. 

Prerequisite: French 7 students should have completed French 1A - 6 at La Causerie or possess equivalent levels of proficiency from other pathways. Students should be quite fluent in French and be prepared to participate in dynamic class discussions. 

Student Description: Students at this level should have a good level of fluency in French. 

Required Books and Materials: Two to three full French & Francophone novels are read and studied each year. Books as well as movies are chosen in consultation with class members. 

Recommended Reference Books: A good mono-lingual French dictionary, either on-line or hardcopy, is much preferred at this level over a bilingual French – English dictionary; Le Nouveau petit Robert dictionnaire de la langue française (French-

French), Publisher: Le Robert, ISBN: 2850368261. 

A mono-lingual French dictionary of synonyms would also be useful; consider a Larousse Dictionnaire des Synonymes (Paperback), Publisher: Éditions Larousse, ISBN 978-2-03-592894-8. 

Also, Bescherelle: L’Art deConjuguer 12,000 Verbes, Publisher: Hatier, ISBN: 2218717166. 

Early Registration (5/1-5/26): $285.00

Reg. Registration (5/28-8/23): $300.00

Late Registration (8/24-9/30):$315.00

Fridays 10:30am-11:30am

Class Description: This is a multilevel class designed to enhance and reinforce learning from the leveled classes. It is not a prerequisite to advance to the next level.

This is a conversation focused class. The instructor may use reading, writing, and other means to provide opportunities to build conversation skills.  

**This class is only an enhancement to the leveled language classes. Registering for a leveled language class is highly recommended.

Early Registration (5/1-5/26): $418

Reg. Registration (5/27-8/14): $440

Late Registration (8/15-9/30):$460

Fridays 10:30am-12:00pm

Class Description: 

This is an advanced intermediate level course, and all communication in class will be in French. Authentic texts from a rich variety of sources, literary and journalistic, are used as the starting point for the illustration and explanation of key areas of French grammar in context. This course will focus on building conversation and grammar skills in French by studying and responding interactively to a wide variety of current French media sources. Students will be provided with short stories, writings, newspaper and magazine articles, video, audio, and potential Internet source, all selected to provide source material in educated, current French. Class members will have the opportunity to research assigned materials at home and prepare responses in order to come to class prepared for presentations and discussions. 

Student Description: Students should be relatively fluent in French and be prepared to participate in class discussions. 

Prerequisite: French 6 students should have completed French 1A - 5 at La Causerie or possess equivalent intermediate French levels of proficiency from other pathways. Students should be relatively fluent in French and be prepared to participate in class discussions.

Required Books and Materials : No specific textbook is required. The instructor will provide copies of readings, videos, conversational texts, and homework sheets. Students will be expected to access assigned French sites and sources on the Internet as part of their homework. 

Recommended Reference Books: A good mono-lingual French dictionary, either on-line or hardcopy, is much preferred at this level over a bilingual French – English dictionary; Le Nouveaupetit Robert dictionnaire de la langue française (French-

French), Publisher: Le Robert, ISBN: 2850368261. 

A mono-lingual French dictionary of synonyms would also be useful; consider a Larousse Dictionnaire des Synonymes (Paperback), Publisher: Éditions Larousse, ISBN 978-2-03-592894-8. 

Early Registration (5/1-5/26): $418

Reg. Registration (5/27-8/14): $440

Late Registration (8/15-9/30):$460

Fridays 11:30am-1:00pm

Class Description: 

This is an introductory course designed for students who have never studied French before or who studied it many years ago. The goal of this class is to provide members with a basic knowledge of French, to facilitate comprehension and to encourage communication through in-class work, dialogue, and at-home preparation. Cultural aspects of French society are an integrated part of this course.

Course Outline: Lessons will include these aspects of French grammar:

   § Alphabet

   § Accents and pronunciation

   § Numbers

   § Time

   § Date

   § Formality and levels of language (vous and tu) 

   § Noun gender

   § Use of present tense and immediate future 

   § Negative sentence structures 

   § -er verbs 

   § Etre, aller and avoir verbs 

   § Pronoun “on” 

   § Stress pronouns (moi, toi, lui, etc) 

   § Indefinite and definite articles (un, une, des, le, la, l’, les)

   § The expression « Il y a »

   § Placement and agreement of adjectives 

   § Asking and responding to questions (est-ce que)

   § Irregular descriptive adjectives

By the end of this class members will be able to:

   § Greet people appropriately and conduct basic introductory conversations

   § Tell time and ask about dates 

   § Describe everyday objects, basic activities and likes/dislikes

   § Describe oneself and others

   § Converse about work, home and leisure activities 

   § Engage in register-appropriate basic conversations 

Prerequisite: The typical French 1 student has never before studied French or has not used or studied the language for so long that it’s necessary to start over.

Book/Materials:  Voila! An Introduction to French, 6th Edition, by L. Kathy Heilenman, ISBN: 1133950124.