Levels
Our French program is based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages and is made up of:
French Language Programs
Initial assessment
Entry to each level is determined in advance through consultation with the student and initial testing in writing, reading, speaking and listening skills.
From very early on in the program the student will be able to speak French using popular key phrases and words in the manner in which it is spoken in France. However, for those clients involved in the Québec market we will make them familiar with some Québecois words and expressions.
This is particularly relevant for business people who are planning a trip to Québec to meet with French speaking work colleagues or clients and who need some choice words and phrases under their belt beforehand.
Support material
Course books focus on real life day to day situations occurring in the home and outside which help to develop the learning of new words and idiomatic expressions, increase understanding of the language and improve communication skills.
In addition to course books, regular use is made of flash cards to build and reinforce vocabulary and grammar as well as CDs, podcasts and publications of general and specific interest.
Students are allowed to develop their language skills in a relaxed and friendly environment.
Learning and mastering grammar is an essential element in the learning process but emphasis is also given to role play situations and interaction with the Instructor in two-way dialogues.
Program fees
Course fees depend on the number of students in the class and the duration of the program but remain very competitive when compared to other language schools.
Furthermore, they are all inclusive of course materials and travel costs. So, what you see is what you pay!
French Beginner Program
Level A1Current proficiency level:
- Absolute beginner with little or no knowledge of French
- The student knows some words or phrases but is not able to put a sentence together
- Unable to conduct even a basic conversation or do simple writing tasks like send emails
Objectives:
- Familiarization with the alphabet and the different sounds that exist in French compared to English
- Greetings and introductions
- First steps in sentence construction
- Understanding basic dialogues in French
- Start to build a vocabulary of useful words and phrases
Grammar structures:
- How to meet and greet people
- Subject pronouns
- Present tense of the verb "to be"
- Present tense of the verb "to have"
- Definite and indefinite articles
- Descriptive adjectives and agreement in gender and number
- Direct/indirect object pronouns
- Gender and number of nouns and articles
- How to say "no". Use of negatives
- Idiomatic expressions using "avoir" to have
- Present tense -er verbs
- Present tense of irregular verbs "vouloir"' and "pouvoir"
Current proficiency level:
- Has studied some French in high school but is mostly forgotten
- When prompted familiar words and expressions come back
- Can understand the spoken word but still has difficulty responding
Objectives:
- Able to formulate more complicated sentences and conduct a simple conversation
- Capable of asking questions to seek information in daily life and business situations
- Can better understand emails and other written material and also respond with correct French
- Work to improve on pronunciation to achieve a more authentic approach to speaking French
- Build on developing vocabulary to include words and expressions that are a part of business and everyday life
Grammar structures:
- Cardinal and ordinal numbers
- Days of the week, months, seasons, parts of the day
- Different ways of asking questions
- Disjunctive pronouns
- Present tense of -ir verbs
- Present tense of -re verbs
- Pronoun order
- Relative pronouns
- Telling time
- The date and the year
- There is, there are
French Intermediate Program
Level B1Current proficiency level:
- Studied French for several years in school and was proficient in the language
- Able to engage in a conversation provided it is not too fast. Still hesitates and makes mistakes
- Has a good basic vocabulary. Knows most of the more common everyday words but lacks business terminology
- Able to read and understand standard texts provided they are not of a technical nature
Objectives:
- Improve fluency of the spoken language by introducing more role play situations
- Work more intensely on vocabulary development using flash cards and vocabulary games
- Engage the student in writing short compositions about everyday things, drafting emails etc.
- Describe actions that occur in the past and future
Grammar structures:
- Difference between connaître and savoir
- Present tense of the irregular verb "aller" (to go)
- Expressing the immediate future with the verb "aller"
- Imperfect tense
- Past tense using the "passé composé"
- Imperfect versus passé composé
- Partitive articles
- Simple future and past future
- Present tense of -oir verbs
- Reflexive verbs
Current proficiency level:
- May have studied French at College or University
- Able to engage in a conversation at normal speed on everyday topics
- Reads and understands texts with ease and is able to comment on content and express ideas
- Has a solid vocabulary and is able to communicate using words in both the social and business world
Objectives:
Develop business communication skills in the workplace with a focus on the following areas:
- Participation in conference calls, performing PR related functions, giving informative and persuasive presentations, participating actively in meetings
- Speaking with confidence on the phone and understanding what is being said
Grammar structures:
- Adverbs of quantity
- Adverbs of time and manner
- Causative form faire + infinitive
- Comparatives and superlatives
- Comparing adjectives and adverbs
- Demonstrative adjectives
- Demonstrative pronouns
- Exclamations
- The -eindre and -aindre verbs
- Expressions of frequency and time
French Advanced Program
Level C1Current proficiency level:
- Post University level in French with some work experience already using the language
- Capable of maintaining a fluent discussion on everyday topics and business situations with few errors
- Has perfected their French pronunciation to sound more like a French person
- Able to read and understand a variety of press and related business articles with a good understanding of technical documents
- Possesses a rich vocabulary that makes them much less reliant on the dictionary
Objectives:
- Form more elaborate sentences with particular regard to nuance and vocabulary
- Able to prepare and edit detailed reports on business and technical subjects
- Develop additional business communication skills to be able to perform such functions as lead training sessions and general business meetings, give talks during conferences and conduct job interviews
Grammar structures:
- Interrogative pronoun "lequel"
- Personal pronouns
- Pluperfect tense
- Position of the adverb
- Positive and negative commands
- Possessive adjectives
- Possessive pronouns
- Prepositions
- Present conditional
- Present participles and gerunds
Current proficiency level:
- Using French in the workplace on a fairly regular basis or wanting to take on new responsibilities requiring a more fluent knowledge of French
- Able to engage in a conversation at normal speed on everyday topics
- Has highly developed oral and written skills and wants to take their French to the next level
- Easily grasps the technicities of sophisticated grammar and modes of expression
Objectives:
- Develop understanding of the nuances of the French language and highly complex grammatical structures such as the present and past subjunctive
- Able to read, understand and comment on complex technical and commercial works
- Develop the vocabulary and terminology related to the student’s specific area of work
- Able to conduct high level negotiations and discussions with key players in the business and political world
- Learn and use popular idiomatic expressions to enrich the use of the French language
Grammar structures:
- Idiomatic expressions
- Past conditional
- Past subjunctive
- Present subjunctive
- Simple past tense
- The pronouns "y" and "en"
- Using never, nothing in French
- Whatever, whenever, whoever, wherever