Early Registration (5/1-6/3): $420

Reg. Registration (6/4-8/14): $440

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

Fridays 10:30am-11:55am

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. 

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

Early Registration (5/1-6/3): $420

Reg. Registration (6/4-8/14): $440

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

Fridays 11:30am-12:55pm

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, -ir verbs such as dormir

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

Early Registration (5/1-6/3): $420

Reg. Registration (6/4-8/14): $440

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

Fridays 11:30-12:55

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 -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 (5/1-6/3): $420

Reg. Registration (6/4-8/14): $440

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

Fridays 11:30am-12:55pm

Class Description: This class builds upon the foundations in Beginning French 1, 2 and 3. It introduces more intricate aspects of French grammar, practical vocabulary, cultural, historical and social aspects of the French speaking world. The ultimate goal is to enable students to achieve a higher level of understanding and ability to communicate in French. Oral communication will be increased from the previous level. At-home preparation is expected. This course is conducted entirely in French.

Prerequisite: French 4 students should have completed French 1A ,1B, 2 and 3 at La Causerie or possess equivalent levels of proficiency from other pathways.

Student Description: Students in this course should have completed French 3 or its equivalent, having attained an overall foundation in French grammar as well as a comfort level to participate in everyday conversations. Students should be comfortable in a class conducted entirely in French and have vocabulary that is broad enough to engage in class discussions.

Book/Materials: TBD

Recommended Reference Books:

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

On paper: Collins Robert French College Dictionary.

Online: https://www.wordreference.com and https://www.deepl.com

A book on French conjugation:

On paper: Bescherelle: L’Art de conjuguer or La conjugaison pour tous.

Online: https://bescherelle.com/le-conjugueur-bescherelle