CoPC - Spring 2026 - Beginners' French
- Andrew Starr
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
This is the blog post for the 2026 French Beginners' Class at the City of Portsmouth College from January to March 2026.
A shortened link to this blog page is ajstarr.short.gy/cfb26 QR Code
If the above link returns an error, ajstarr.short.gy/blog will direct you to the blog index, where you can locate your page by scrolling down.
Classes are timetabled from 6 to 7:30 pm on:
Tuesday, January 13th, 20th & 27th, February 3rd, 10th and 24th, March 3rd, 10th, 17th and 24th. February 17th is during half-term.
Outside of class
To improve your listening and speaking skills in a social setting, why not come to the evening or afternoon events I organise in the city?
We have a twin city in Caen. I am the Chair of the Twinning Association for France and Germany. To find out more about our twin cities, visit this website.
Tips for tuning your ear to French
Listen to French Music.
Watch French TV series and films (or at least videos/news in French)
There is a lot of stuff online for learning the French language (not all of it, correct!)
You can find some resources online to help you study French by yourself on a Padlet here
Find some Francophone music you like - there's an extraordinary amount out there, and all can be seen on YouTube whenever you like. I have written much more about French music here.
I will use some materials from the course book Entre Nous 1, aimed at the European Language Standards A1 (beginners). You may find it helpful to get a copy for home use and self-study.
This blog page will help you learn how to get all those accents on your various devices.
Friends in France - Some people mainly from Caen looking for 'correspondants'
If you're looking for a 'penpal' in Caen, here are some interested parties - mainly in their early 20s, studying at the University of Caen... One is a business and Economics teacher at the Lycée Malherbe in Caen. One lives in Belgium and is 77.
Please let me know if any are of interest, and I will provide you with their email addresses.
We have an exchange visit from Caen in June.
Could you host someone from France this year with a view to going there next year?
Also some from France and Germany will no doubt be arriving in May for the city's Mayor Making Ceremony.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
On this link are beginners' videos from the 1990s BBC—Quinze Minutes Plus First 4—covering much of what we have and will cover in this 10-week course.
mardi, 13 janvier
Today, we will begin learning to speak, read and write in French and listen to French being spoken.
In the first class, we will introduce ourselves and find our reasons for learning French, as we do not all know each other yet.
- Comment vous appelez vous?
- Quel âge avez vous?
- Où habitez vous? / Vous êtes d'où?
Je m'appelle... (Je suis...)
J'ai ... ans
J'habite à .... en Angleterre/ en Grande Bretagne/ au Royaume Uni
Je suis de...
Tonight, we will answer the French questions for:
Who are you? Why are you learning French? What does France mean for you?
Qui êtes vous? Pourquoi apprenez-vous le français? Que signifie la France pour vous?
By the end of this session, you should be able to:
Introduce yourselves and spell your name (possibly the name of your street, city, or place of birth).
Can you give me your age? Your nationality? What about your occupation (i.e. student)?
What else?
What can you tell someone a little about French Grammar?
Gender, adjectives...?
Feuilles à télécharger
An earworm which will teach you the alphabet.
Another earworm for the months of the year... Quelle est la date de ton anniversaire?
This guy does a lot of beginner's videos... Now there's enthusiasm, and then there's ~Thomas!
He can, at least, serve as a reminder of the correct pronunciation, should you need one...
Comments