Teaching and assessment for French (Intensive)

The revision and intensive courses are taught by online distance learning, via My Dundee. You will be in weekly email contact with your tutor.

In addition to this tutor support, you will receive:

• a programme of study (integrated with the course textbook and listening materials*)
• weekly tasks which will be marked and commented on by the tutor
• regular suggestions for extension work

*course participants are expected to purchase these items

You will be assessed via continuous assessment. There is no exam.

Weeks 1 - 15

Introducing yourself

• asking/answering personal questions
• greetings
• nationalities
• occupations/studies
• workplaces
• numbers 1–70
• masculine/feminine
• verbs: être, faire; verbs ending in -er (singular forms); negatives
• asking questions

Giving/understanding information about friends and family

• ordering snacks and drinks
• family
• snacks and drinks
• verbs: avoir; verbs ending in -er (plural forms)
• articles
• possessive adjectives

Talking about everyday activities

• asking for/giving the time
• explaining what you like/dislike/have to do
• days of the week
• expressions of time
• meals
• leisure activities
• prepositions à and de followed by le or les
• verbs: aller; verbs ending in -ir and -re; verbs followed by the infinitive

Understanding street signs

• asking for/giving directions
• shopping for clothes and food
• expressing preferences
• directions and locations
• buildings and shops
• clothes
• colours
• numbers 70+
• verbs: imperative
• prepositions of location
• pronouns le, la, les
• demonstrative adjectives
• descriptive adjectives
• article du

Locating places on a map

• explaining what you are going to do
• requesting/giving travel information
• understanding timetables
• countries and regions
• trains: travel, tickets etc.
• other means of transport
• prepositions before towns and countries
• verbs: aller + infinitive; pouvoir, devoir and il faut
• pronoun y

Making a hotel booking

• making complaints
• understanding holiday brochures
• describing accommodation
• months and seasons
• hotel facilities
• home: rooms and furniture
• verbs: reflexives
• comparisons (with adjectives)
• pas de

Making a telephone call

• arranging to meet someone
• describing physical appearances
• ordering a meal
• expressions used on the telephone
• expressions used to make suggestions
• physical appearance
• restaurant dishes
• verbs: introduction to conditional
• pronoun on
• pronouns lui and leur
• pronoun en

Talking about what you did last weekend

• types of holidays
• holiday activities
• explaining why you are late
• talking about your last holiday
• describing places and the weather
• vocabulary used to describe places
• weather
• verbs: the perfect tense
• pendant and il y a

Talking about your background

• describing your education
• describing your work experience
• studies
• exams and qualifications
• vocabulary used to write a CV
• pendant and depuis
• verbs: reflexives in the perfect tense; agreement of the past participle

Describing your intentions

• asking for and giving an opinion
• agreeing/disagreeing
• expressions of opinion
• work experience
• expressions used when saying goodbye
• leisure activities
• verbs: the future tense
• moi, toi, lui, …

(Based on Palgrave Foundations French 1, 3rd edition eBook: Overview)

Learning outcomes

• communicate satisfactorily in the spoken language in a range of everyday social and transactional situations
• communicate satisfactorily in the written language in basic informal situations (notes, informal letters)
• understand the main points and specific details of simple aural and written messages
• recognise and use the basic features of the grammatical system of the language, and to use a bilingual dictionary competently
• use a range of 'repair strategies' to overcome communication breakdown
• describe some of the main differences between own language and culture and target language and culture
• understand and translate short passages
• describe a place, presentation skills, answering questions
• use language skills at Level A1 (all skill*areas) and selected skills areas of A2, as described in the Council of Europe Common European Framework (CEF).

Weeks 16-25

Information about self and others

• asking questions and interviewing
• giving and understanding information about holidays, travel, vacation jobs
• the present tense - recap
• the perfect tense - recap
• questions and question words

Recounting a series of events

• following a spoken or written account of an incident
• further work on the perfect tense – questions and negation
• reflexive verbs

Interacting in a social context

• informal and formal usage
• direct and indirect object pronouns
• position of pronouns
• y and en

Talking about situations in the past

• expressing opinions
• expressing agreement and disagreement
• the imperfect tense

Talking about age, weight, height, appearance

• understanding descriptions of people and places
• making comparisons
• stating preferences and interests
• adjectives - recap
• adverbs
• comparison of adjectives and adverbs
• modal verbs – devoir, pouvoir, savoir and vouloir

Applying for a temporary job abroad

• understanding written information, small ads
• giving information about oneself
• expressing wishes and wants - recap
• relative clauses - recap
• demonstratives

Making and understanding arrangements

• describing plans
• using timetables and travel information
• booking a hotel room
• the future tense
• the imperative - recap
• times and dates - recap

Talking about hypothetical situations

• taking part in an interview
• negotiation
• ‘if’ sentences
• the conditional

Finding accommodation

• making enquiries
• negotiation
• understanding written and spoken information
• the passive and its avoidance

Revision material

• focus on oral presentation skills
• extended reading
• the subjunctive
• revision of all constructions covered in the course

(Based on Palgrave Foundations French 2, 2nd edition: Overview)

Learning outcomes

• communicate adequately in a range of social, transactional and work-related situations
• understand the main points and specific details of everyday aural and written messages and texts
• write short everyday messages and simple letters/e-mails (informal and formal)
• recognise and use the basic features of grammar confidently and accurately, and be aware of more complex features of the language system; use a bilingual dictionary competently
• use a range of 'repair strategies' to overcome communication breakdown
• describe differences between own language and culture and target language and culture
• provide formal written and spoken information in the context of a job/ course application
• understand and translate passages
• use language skills at Level A2 (all skill* areas) and selected skill* areas of B1 (as described in the Council of Europe Common European Framework (CEF).