Proficiency Course in French

COURSE LAYOUT Week 1 Assignments   1. Recognize the French letters; Pronounce these letters; Identify the differences and similarities between the English and French alphabet; Spell one’s name and other names in French; Discover simple words that begin with these letters;   2.Identify the letter-combinations that are characteristic of the French language; Pronounce these letter-combinations; Recognize the different pronunciations of certain letter-combinations; Learn the various letter-combinations that produce the same sounds; Discover simple words that are constructed from these letter-combinations;   3.Identify the remaining letter-combinations that are characteristic of the French language; Pronounce these letter-combinations; Combine various letter-combinations to produce a variety of different sounds; Recognize the various accents and diacritical marks used in French; Discover simple words that have these letter-combinations, accents and diacritical marks;   4.Understand when to pronounce the final consonant; Recognize when to connect the first and last letters of two adjacently placed words; Differentiate between a silent ‘E’ and a pronounced ‘E; Distinguish the difference between a mute ‘H’ and an aspirated ‘H’; Discover simple words that begin with ‘H’ and those that have silent letters;   5.Count the numbers from 0 - 100; Write the numbers from 0 – 100 in French; Ask someone his age; Tell one’s age and phone number in French; Distinguish between the formal ‘you’ and informal ‘you’;   Week 2 Objective   1. Understand what articles are; Learn the three indefinite articles and their uses; Learn the three definite articles and their uses; Understand the concept of gender in French; Distinguish between definite and indefinite articles;   2. Understand what an adjective is; Understand the function of an adjective; Understand the relation between an adjective and the gender and number of the noun it modifies; Identify the different adjective endings; Identify four categories of qualifying adjectives and their inflection pattern;   3.Understand the basic concepts of tense and conjugation of French grammar; Understand the function of auxiliary verbs; Learn the eight subject pronouns in French Learn the present tense conjugation of the verb ‘avoir’ and ‘être’; Learn a few basic idiomatic expressions that are formed using the auxiliary verbs;   4.Understand what adjectives are; Learn the four inflected forms of the demonstrative adjectives; Learn how to indicate proximity with demonstrative adjectives; Learn the four inflected forms of the interrogative adjectives; Understand the relation between demonstrative / interrogative adjectives and the gender and number of the noun they modify;   5.Understand what possessive adjectives are; Understand the function of possessive adjectives; Understand the characteristics features of possessive adjectives in French. Learn the various inflected forms of the possessive adjectives; Understand the relation between possessive adjectives and the gender and number of the noun they modify;   Week 3 Objective   1.Understand what contracted articles are; Learn about the various forms of contracted articles; Identify the different contexts where contracted articles are used; Distinguish the different types of prepositions; Learn a few frequently used prepositions of location;   2.Understand the basic concept of verb conjugation in French; Learn about the various types of verbs that exist in the French language; Learn a few basic and commonly used 1stgroup verbs; Learn the present tense conjugation of all 1st group verbs; Learn the irregular conjugation pattern of certain 1st group verbs;   3.Understand what prepositions are; Understand the functions of prepositions; Understand the distinct features of French prepositions; Distinguish the different types of prepositions; Learn a few frequently used prepositions of location;   4.Understand what tonic pronouns are; Distinguish the difference between subject pronouns and tonic pronouns; Identify the various contexts where tonic pronouns are used; Emphasize the subject of a sentence; Realise the singularity of tonic pronouns in the French language;   5.Identify the gender of geographical locations; Learn the prepositions associated with different geographical locations; Learn the different prepositions associated with the gender of countries; Recognise the different inflected forms associated with the gender of countries; Learn a few geographical names in French;   Week 4 Objective   1.Learn the concept of negation; Learn the different structures used to express the negation; Distinguish the different nuances of negation; Learn how two verbs can be placed adjacently; Learn the concept of infinitive form of a verb;   2.Learn a new subject pronoun; Distinguish between on and nous; Learn the different meanings of on; Learn the distinct features of on; Learn about indefinite pronouns;   3.Understand what closed questions are; Learn the three distinct interrogative structures associated with closed questions; Learn how to answer a closed question in French; Learn the structure of est-ce-que; Understand what inversion is;   4.Understand what open-ended questions are; Learn the various structures associated with open-ended questions; Distinguish between a formal and an informal interrogative structure; Learn what interrogative adverbs are; Learn how to answer open-ended questions;   Week 5 Objective   1.Learn a few basic and commonly used 2nd group verbs; Understand the peculiarities of certain regular ‘-ir’ ending verbs; Distinguish between regular and irregular ‘-ir’ ending verbs; Learn the present tense conjugation of all regular 2nd group verbs; Learn the irregular conjugation pattern of certain 2nd group verbs;   2.Understand the concept of French ‘modal verb’; Understand the rule regarding two adjacently placed verbs; Learn the irregular conjugation pattern of pouvoir; Learn the irregular conjugation pattern of vouloir; Learn the irregular conjugation pattern of devoir;   3.Learn a few basic and commonly used 3rd group verbs; Learn a few commonly used ‘-oir’ ending verbs that belong to the 3rd group; Identify the irregular ‘-er’ and ‘-ir’ ending verbs that belong to the 3rd group; Distinguish the different subgroups of verbs in the 3rd group; Learn the conjugation pattern of a few of these subgroups;   4.Learn what reflexive verbs are; Distinguish the different types of pronominal verbs; Distinguish between pronominal verbs and their corresponding verb; Learn how to conjugate reflexive verbs in the present tense; Learn how to conjugate reflexive verbs in the negative form;   5.Distinguish between moods and tenses; Distinguish the different types of pronominal verbs; Distinguish between pronominal verbs and their corresponding verb; Learn how to conjugate reflexive verbs in the present tense; Learn how to conjugate reflexive verbs in the negative form;   Week 6 Objective   1.Understand the function of avoir as an auxiliary verb; Learn the uses of the compound past tense; Distinguish between past participle and present participle; Learn the past participle form of verbs; Identify the different past participle endings associated with the three groups of verbs;   2.Learn how to make negative sentences in the compound past tense; Learn how to use the various negative word-pairs in the compound past tense; Learn the irregular past participle of certain commonly used verbs; Understand the position of adverbs in the compound past tense; Learn a new phrase associated with French negation;   3.Understand the two functions of ‘y’; Distinguish between a preposition phrase and an idiomatic expression associated with a preposition; Identify the prepositional phrases that are associated with ‘y’; Identify idiomatic expressions associated with the preposition à; Learn the various positions of the pronoun ‘y’ within a sentence;   4.Understand the three situations associated with ‘en’; Distinguish between divisible and indivisible nouns; Identify different expressions of quantity; Identify phrasal verbs associated with the preposition de; Learn the various positions of the pronoun ‘en’ within a sentence;   5.Understand the function of être as an auxiliary verb; Identify the difference between the auxiliary avoir and être; Learn which verbs required être as their auxiliary; Identify the verbs that use both auxiliary verbs; Understand how the meanings change depending on the auxiliary verb;   Week 7 Objective   1.Use the imperative in the affirmative form; Use the imperative in the negative form; Identify the verbs that have an irregular conjugation pattern in the imperative; Use reflexive verbs in the imperative; Learn the different order of words when a reflexive verb is used;   2.Say the time in French; Learn how to say the time in numerals; Learn how to say the time in fractions; Learn how to write the time in French; Learn a few prepositions associated with time;   3.Talk about the weather in French; Use different phrases to express different types of weather conditions; Describe a weather condition in different ways; Learn the various words and phrases related to weather; Learn the different prepositions used with weather and seasons;   4.Talk about actions that just happened; Identify and compare the differences between the other past tenses and recent past; Talk about actions that are about to happen; Review the conjugation of the verb aller; Review the conjugation of the verb venir;   5.Speak about actions that are yet to happen; Identify and compare the differences between the near future and simple future; Learn how to convert an order into a polite request; Learn how to express the future using the present tense; Identify which conjunctions require the simple future;   Week 8 Objective   1.Place an order in a restaurant; Take an order from a client at a restaurant; Identify the different courses of a meal; Identify basic expressions and structures associated with French gastronomy; Review partitive articles and expressions of quantity;   2.Learn a third past tense; Learn the various uses of the imperfect tense; Learn the conjugation of all verbs in the imperfect tense; Learn the conjugation of être; Learn how stem-changing verbs are conjugated;   3.Identify a direct object; Distinguish between transitive and intransitive verbs; Distinguish between definite articles and COD; Learn the different positions of the COD; Learn how the past participle of verbs with avoir agree with the COD;   4.Identify an indirect object; Learn about the different types of object; Identify which prepositions are associated with indirect objects; Learn the different positions of the indirect object pronouns; Learn which pronoun to use when the indirect object is an inanimate object;   5.Use direct and indirect objects pronouns in a single sentence; Learn the various positions of the object pronouns; Use object pronouns in the negative imperative; Use object pronouns in the affirmative imperative; Learn the word order specific to the indirect object pronouns associated with the 3rd person singular and plural;   Week 9 Objective   1.Distinguish between an adverb and a preposition; Learn the various adverbs of time; Learn the various prepositions of time; Use different adverbs and preposition for conveying the same meaning; Learn new meanings of the prepositions à and en;   2.Learn various ways of giving an advice; Learn various ways of advising against something; Learn a different use of the imperative; Learn a different use of the future tense; Identify impersonal verbs;   3.Learn about clauses – main clause and subordinate clause; Identify an antecedent; Understand the different types of antecedents; Learn how to avoid repetition by using qui and que; Understand when the past participle agrees with the antecedent;   4.Understand what the comparative is in French; Learn the structures of comparison; Understand the superlative in French; Learn the structures of the superlative; Identify the irregular comparative and superlative forms of certain adjectives;   5.Understand the uses of the verb ‘servir’; Distinguish the different meanings of servir à and servir de; Review interrogative adjectives in French; Review demonstrative adjectives in French   Week 10 Objective   1.Review the French alphabet; Review the numbers in French; Review how to read a phone number in French; Review qualifying adjectives; Review possessive adjectives;   2.Review ‘avoir’ and ‘être’; Review the function ofthe auxiliary verbs; Review the ‘-er’ ending verbs; Review a few basic and commonly used 1st verbs; Review the irregular conjugation pattern of certain 1st group verbs;   3.Review the definite articles; Review the indefinite articles; Review the contracted articles; Review the partitive articles; Review the distinction between these various articles;   4.Review the tonic pronouns; Identify the various contexts where tonic pronouns are used; Review the different types of prepositions in French; Review the prepositions of position; Understand the distinct features of French prepositions;   5.Review the prepositions used with geographical locations; Identify the gender of geographical locations; Review the different prepositions associated with the gender of countries; Review the different inflected forms associated with the gender of countries; Review a few geographical names;