Select your French course

It is of course of utmost importance to ensure that you are placed in the correct group; you want to be challenged, but not feeling out of your depth!

Please read our basic guidelines to help you to select the group that is the best fit for your current level. Listed are some of the highlights for each of the short courses and the suggested knowledge you should have to join each course.

When you are ready, you can book your place on the course here and receive your free 15-minute assessment via Zoom. After this, your tutor should be able to advise you more accurately about which course would best suit you. If you are an absolute beginner, the group you should join is probably obvious, but the 15-minute call still serves the valuable purposes of getting to know your tutor, asking any questions before the course starts & checking your device is set up for Zoom to ensure the first class starts on time and runs smoothly. For the aforementioned reasons, the introductory call is obligatory before joining a course.

10-week & 15-week Short Courses

All of our beginner courses can be adapted, according to your needs. If you’d simply like to try a taster course in French & committing to 10 weeks feels a little less daunting, go for it! Classes 1-10 of each course will deliver the core content, as set out below for each level. It is strongly recommended to also complete classes 11-15 (Mastery classes) to consolidate your learning - especially if you wish to progress to the next level. The Mastery classes in each course are designed to revise what you have learnt, deepen your knowledge & allow you more opportunities for speaking & listening.

If you decide you are torn between two levels, you could consider joining for classes 11-15 of the lower level. For example, you feel rusty on the topics listed in Beginner 1, or you have only studied some of the items, perhaps a long time ago. Why not join for classes 11-15 to brush up before Beginner level 2? Whichever level you choose, regardless of the topics listed below, rest assured that they all contain plenty of opportunity for speaking & listening.

Beginner level 1

Course aim: An overall introduction to the language, including basic grammar and vocabulary, as well as pronunciation rules, to help you to start interacting with French speakers in common travel settings. 

Recommended level to join this course: No prior knowledge of the target language is needed; starting from scratch.

• Greetings & introductions

• Numbers & prices

• Singular & plural

• Likes & dislikes

• Negatives & forming questions

Beginner level 2

Course aim: To help you to further your basic knowledge of French; this course allows for more time speaking, using topics focusing on talking about yourself, your family & your surroundings. It also focuses on irregular verbs & introduces listening to audio from native speakers.

Recommended level to join this course: Knowledge of regular present tense verbs, as well as some vocabulary for scenarios listed on the level 1 course. No prior knowledge of irregular verbs or other tenses is required. You should be able to put together basic present-tense sentences with regular verbs, but may still find it challenging or time-consuming to do so.

• Talking about upcoming plans

• Understanding directions

• Talking about your daily routine

• Irregular verbs in the present tense

• Telling the time

• Shopping for clothes

Beginner level 3

Course aim: This course builds on the concepts covered in the first two courses, while encompassing some brand new topics. The course continues to focus on perfecting the present tense, before introducing the past tense towards the end of the course.

Recommended level to join this course: You will need knowledge of present tense verbs, reflexive verbs, & near future tense. You should be able to put together basic present-tense sentences with regular & irregular verbs, but may still find it challenging or time-consuming to do so.

• Regular past tense (passé composé with avoir) – talking about finished actions in the past

• Irregular past tense (passé composé with être)

• Discussing film, TV & books

INTERMEDIATE CONVERSATION CLASSES

Aim: To grow your confidence in both speaking & listening using a variety of topics as a starting point for discussions.

Recommended level to join these classes: You should have a sound knowledge of the principles of French grammar; by no means does that mean your construction needs to be perfect! If you have studied at least 80% of the content listed above for the Beginner levels, and now you would like to hone your skills in spontaneous speech & conversation, these classes could be a great fit. If there are gaps in your knowledge, consider taking one of the beginner classes first to ensure you get the most from your sessions.