This page collects resources for the University of Portsmouth's SELL French Institution Wide Language Programme French Level 1 for 2023-24 Teaching Block 1.
A shortened link to this page is rebrand.ly/uopiwlp24
It is a page to gather links to all valuable content for me to have everything to hand.
Students will be able to access most of this directly in Moodle.
The course is based mainly on the first few chapters of the book Saison 1
Some copies of this book are available at the University Library, a slightly older version.
Also, on the Internet Archive...
Useful online sources of French Language Media (free access)
To help improve your listening and tune your ear to the sound of the language, you can use the internet. There are a lot of free-to-air radio stations out there; also, quite a lot of TV and films are available in French online.
All 4 (Walter Presents has a fair few French TV Series)
France 24 is like BBC News 24 but in French
TV5 Monde is an online streaming platform for the Francophone World's TV, films, documentaries...
BBC iPlayer (look under BBC Four for some French Series or Films)
Free Sources for Radio
mercredi, 8 mai
Final Session
Vive la Révolution - La prise de la Bastille et la fête nationale en France le 14 juillet.
For this final session, we will examine the cultural theme of the French Revolution and how its first event has become the country's national holiday.
La Marseillaise. - A truly 'bloodthirsty' National Anthem!
mercredi, 1er mai
Final Assessment (Reading and Writing)
It is the usual room for us. The assessment will begin at 2 p.m., so please be prompt.
There will be two classes at one time together so that the correct number of invigilators is present.
Once the assessment is over the class is finished for this week...
mercredi, 24 avril
La fête du travail & La fête du muguet.
Next week, we have the final assessment - how are you prepared?
We will be collapsing two groups running together in our room simultaneously.
We can revise speaking about towns, houses, people, and pets...
We can add some hobbies and pastimes. (we did this ppt already)
mercredi, 17 avril
Mock Assessment (Reading and Writing)
Feedback in class and strategy for the final assessment on Wednesday, May 1st.
Reinforcement of the descriptions work using the course book
You will revise the entire module's contents today to be well-prepared for next week's mock reading, writing assessment, and, ultimately, the final one.
It would be a good idea for you to create a Word Document or Google Document in which you have information on:
Les Salutations
Les lettres de l'Alphabet
Se présenter
Les couleurs
Les chiffres de 1 à 100
Les pays et les nationalités
Ce qu'il ya dans mon sac
Quelques professions
Les habitations
Les autres personnes - la déscription et la personnalité
What can you tell me about the above topics?
Most of the useful verbs in French are strong or irregular verbs.
Here they are conjugated in the present tense.
'avoir' to have 'être' - to be 'faire' - to make/to do
j'ai I have je suis I am je fais I do
tu as you have tu es you are tu fais you do
il a he has il est he is il fait he does
elle a she has elle est she is elle fait she does
on a one has on est one is on fait one does
nous avons we have nous sommes we are nous faisons we do
vous avez you have vous êtes you are vous faites you do
ils ont they have ils sont they are ils font they do
elles ont they have elles sont they are elles font they
'aller' - to go
je vais
tu vas
il va
elle va
on va
nous allons
vous allez
ils vont
elles vont
Can you work out what the different parts of the verb 'aller' are in English?
From my other blog post Present Tense - 'er' verbs
Using the verb to play (jouer) from the 'er' family of verbs. It is a regular verb and many of the family will follow the rule.
To form the 'stem' of the verb, you need to remove its family ending so in the case of 'jouer' you remove the'-er' and you are left with the stem 'jou-'
To form the present tense of the verb 'jouer' you put the following endings on to the stem for each person you are referring to... (The grammatical term for the person you are referring to is in brackets at the end of this tense for future reference.)
Je joue I play/I am playing/ I do play (1st pers sing)
Tu joues You play/you are playing/you do play (2nd pers sing/inf)
Il joue He plays/he is playing/he does play (3rd pers sing masc)
Elle joue She plays/she is playing/she does play (3rd pers sing fem
On joue One plays/one is playing/one does play (3rd pers sing gen)
Nous jouons We play/we are playing/we do play (1st pers pl)
Vous jouez You play/you are playing/you do play (2nd pers pl/form)
Ils jouent They play/they are playing/they do play (3rd pers pl masc*)
Elles jouent They play/they are playing/they do play (3rd pers fem)
* Ils is used for a group of male people or things and also for a mixed group of male and female people or masculine and feminine items.
Elles is used exclusively for a group of female people or feminine items.
New language formulation by popular demand...
There are currently many new word for transgender where we would use 'they/them/their' in English... French grammar cannot work like that.
The most commonly used new pronoun "iel" (or "ielle") is a french genderneutral neopronoun. it's a contraction of "il" (the male pronoun) and "elle" (the female pronoun). plural: "iels"...
Can you know conjugate the verb 'donner' = to give, in all its present tense forms? (it follows the regular pattern)
Present Tense - 'ir' verbs
The next largest family of verbs in French is the '-ir' family. They are a mixture family the majority of their members follow similar rules of grammar and are known as 'regular verbs' - this time there are more 'naughty' ones among them who do not follow all the rules, called 'irregular verbs' some of the 'irregular' ones have formed their own ideas and have stolen from the 'er' family their plural verb endings!
Using the verb to finish (finir) from the 'ir' family of verbs. It is a regular verb and a fair number of the family will follow the rule.
To form the 'stem' of the verb, you need to remove its family ending so in the case of 'finir' you remove the'-ir' and you are left with the stem 'fin-'
Je finis I finish/I am finishing/ I do finish (1st pers sing)
Tu finis You finish/you are finishing/you do finish (2nd pers sing/inf)
Il finit He finishes/he is finishing/he does finish (3rd pers sing masc)
Elle finit She finishes/she is finishing/she does finish (3rd pers sing fem)
On finit One finishes/one is finishing/one does finish (3rd pers sing gen)
Nous finissons We finish/we are finishing/we do finish (1st pers pl)
Vous finissez You finish/you are finishing/you do finish (2nd pers pl/form)
Ils finissent They finish/they are finishing/they do finish (3rd pers pl masc)
Elles finissent They finish/they are finishing/they do finish (3rd pers fem)
Can you know conjugate the verb 'choisir' = to choose, in all its present tense forms? (it follows the regular pattern)
Present Tense - 're' verbs
The smallest family (thankfully) of verbs in French is the '-re' family. They are a delinquent family some of their members follow similar rules of grammar and are known as 'regular verbs' - this time there are many naughty ones among them who have ASBOs, called 'irregular verbs'.
Irregular verbs from all families just have to be learned!
Using the verb to sell (vendre) from the 're' family of verbs. It is a regular verb and some of the family will follow the rule.
To form the 'stem' of the verb, you need to remove its family ending so in the case of 'vendre' you remove the '-re' and you are left with the stem 'vend-'
Je vends I sell/I am selling/ I do sell (1st pers sing)
Tu vends You sell/you are selling/you do sell (2nd pers sing/inf)
Il vend He sells/he is selling/he does sell (3rd pers sing masc)
Elle vend She sells/she is selling/she does sell (3rd pers sing fem)
On vend One sells/one is selling/one does sell (3rd pers sing gen)
Nous vendons We sell/we are selling/we do sell (1st pers pl)
Vous vendez You sell/you are selling/you do sell (2nd pers pl/form)
Ils vendent They sell/they are selling/they do sell (3rd pers pl masc)
Elles vendent They sell/they are selling/they do sell (3rd pers fem)
Can you know conjugate the verb 'rendre' = to return (an item), in all its present tense forms? (it follows the regular pattern)
Reflexive Verbs
Another group of verbs that must be observed are known as 'reflexive' verbs. These verbs are often used where we might use the verb 'to get...' in English...
Regular verbs from these groups also belong to the same families of verbs ('-er', '-ir', and '-re'), except they have an extra pronoun. These pronouns are always the same and if you switch them it does change the meaning.
Remember the conjugation of regular verbs follows the same as those above...
Let's use the verb 'se laver' - 'to wash oneself' (to get washed)
Je me lave I wash myself/I am washing.../ I do wash...
Tu te laves You wash yourself/you are washing.../you do wash...
Il se lave He washes himself/he is washing.../he does wash ...
Elle se lave She washes herself/she is washing.../she does wash...
On se lave One washes oneself/one is washing.../one does wash...
Nous nous lavons We wash ourselves/we are washing.../we do wash...
Vous vous lavez You wash yourself/yourselves/you are washing.../you do wash...
Ils se lavent They wash themselves/they are washing.../they do wash...
Elles se lavent They wash themselves/they are washing.../they do wash...
Can you now conjugate: se relaxer, se réunir and se rendre ? (to relax oneself, to meet up with one another, to take yourself off to)
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mercredi, 20 mars
Pâques
We can revise speaking, (reading, listening and writing) about towns, houses, people and pets...
- Comment vous appelez vous?
- Quel âge avez vous?
- Où habitez vous? / Vous êtes d'où?
- C'est comment?
- Qu'est-ce qu'il y a près de chez vous?
- C'est comment chez vous?
- Vous avez des enfants? / des frères et sœurs? Comment sont-ils?
- Vous avez des animaux?
Qu'est-ce que vous aimez faire/manger/boire?
Qu'est-ce que vous n'aimez pas faire/manger/boire?
Je déteste...
Je n'aime pas du tout...
Je n'aime pas trop...
Je n'aime pas...
J'aime un peu...
J'aime...
J'aime bien...
J'aime beaucoup...
J'adore...
...
Verbs - how do you report back about someone else?
Je > il/elle - What are the conjugation rules - check here for the present tense conjugation of regular verbs...
We will look at pastimes and hobbies.
Why not prepare a few words about your hobbies and pastimes in French?
Revision and Reinforcement
This BBC TV for schools and colleges programme from the 90s is 15 Minutes+. It is good to allow you to revise what we have covered and add new words to your repertoire. (It also shows some cultural aspects).
This episode covers much of the vocabulary required to discuss hobbies and pastimes. (Taking you to some of the more exotic parts of the Francophone world too!)
This (below) is a bit of fun to learn animal names and the noises animals make in French... It is definitely not the height of French Culture, though!!
mercredi, 13 mars
Your assessment is due on Friday (March 15th) at noon. If you wish to progress to Level 2, you must at least pass. If you do this for credit, you must do your absolute best.
You should now be able to...Describe someone you know in a short paragraph. (Add to your document where you collect all your information in French.) Printable Sheets
Alternatively, you may have described your home and some furniture therein (or both) – emailed them or sent me a Google Docs link allowing me to edit…
Today, we will look into housing in French-speaking countries in more detail. PPT
mercredi, 6 mars - Consolidation Week
mercredi, 28 février
You will get your assessment live on Friday, February 23rd, on Moodle and must upload your work before noon on Friday, March 15th. During consolidation week or before, you should find time to prepare and perhaps record your assessment... It is vital if you wish to progress to level 2 or are doing this for credit.
Where people live...
You probably should begin a Google Doc or similar where you can put information about yourself in French. You can then add new information as and when you have it.
You should already be able to introduce yourselves, say how to spell your names, give your age and talk about people in your family. Today, you should also be able to talk about your home.
A blog post about the gender of French words (80/20)
mercredi, 21 février
You should be able to do a little presentation in French on your favourite Francophone. (p.33). I can give you feedback if you've e-mailed this to me (or left me a copy in the seminar).
Remember, the questions (below) are useful for speaking to people initially. Today, we will cover the final two questions. You will get your first assessment task this Friday, which is due Friday, March 8th.
Comment tu t'appelles? Comment vous appelez-vous?
Quel âge as-tu? Quel âge avez-vous?
Tu viens d'où? Vous venez d'où?
Où habites-tu? Où habitez-vous?
Tu es de quelle nationalité? Vous êtes de quelle nationalité?
Tu as des frères ou des sœurs? Vous avez des frères ou des sœurs?
Tu as/Vous avez les yeux et les cheveux de quelle couleur?
Today, we will look at family and physical descriptions of people (hair, eye colour, etc.)
If we have time, we can complete some more job names in French (so we can add this to the family members we wish to speak about). Last Week's PPT
Extra:
Personality: This link lists the most commonly used positive and negative personality trait adjectives, along with the noun associated with the adjective (often in English, this is ~ness).
mercredi, 14 février
Today, we will look at some more people and their professions.
We will discuss your studies and look at some people who are famous in the French-Speaking World.
For next time:
You would be advised to begin a Word/Google Doc that you can update...
Introduce a particular person you know in a paragraph describing as much about them as you can (You can add to this later). Plus...
Can you answer any of these questions? (Put them into your Word/Google Document). You should be able to do all but the last two already.
Comment tu t'appelles? Comment vous appelez-vous?
Quel âge as-tu? Quel âge avez-vous?
Tu viens d'où? Vous venez d'où?
Où habites-tu? Où habitez-vous?
Tu es de quelle nationalité? Vous êtes de quelle nationalité?
Tu as des frères ou des sœurs? Vous avez des frères ou des sœurs?
Tu as/Vous avez les yeux et les cheveux de quelle couleur?
Basic Video to introduce the family in French
This episode revises much of what you covered before in the course...
Espace Culturel
Mika - Elle me dit
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mercredi, 7 février
Today, we will study how to describe your feelings and other people's personalities, nationalities and professions, how to introduce people, and we will work more on the negation of phrases and some specific ways French uses pronunciation, along with a look at how to form the present tense of "-er" verbs.
You should have been reviewing the essential vocabulary in the week, just 90 minutes a week and it will not stick...
Revision and reinforcement of prepositions stressed pronouns and higher French numbers.
For next week:
•Apprendre le vocabulaire
•Exercice 7 p. 29
•Bilan 1- pp.33-35 Prepare to present about your favourite Francophone
•Don’t forget: language needs regular practice if you wish to improve!
Les chiffres de 0 à 100
mercredi, 31 janvier
Last week was a basic introduction to the French language. As university students, you will be on an accelerated learning curve here with many expectations that you can study by yourselves. This page can help you locate a few resources to help you out on your journey <<dans le monde francophone>>
PPT Unité 0 : Mes cinq sens en action pp. 14-17 P15 Q 3b P17 Q3
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 your age? your nationality? What about your occupation?
What else ?
What can you tell someone about French Grammar?
Gender, adjectives... ??
Another earworm for the months of the year... Quelle est la date de ton anniversaire?
🇫🇷 🇫🇷 🇫🇷 🇫🇷 🇫🇷 🇫🇷 🇫🇷 🇫🇷 🇫🇷 🇫🇷 🇫🇷 🇫🇷 🇫🇷 🇫🇷 🇫🇷 🇫🇷 🇫🇷 🇫🇷 🇫🇷 🇫🇷 🇫🇷 🇫🇷 🇫🇷 🇫🇷 🇫🇷 🇫🇷 🇫🇷 🇫🇷 🇫🇷 🇫🇷 🇫🇷 🇫🇷 🇫🇷
mercredi, 24 janvier
Today is the introduction to the French Level 1 language course...
pp. 14-17
Présentation du programme, Saluer - Se présenter - Les nationalités, Le présent de l’indicatif (être, s’appeler)
Do you have access to the Moodle site for this module?
As university students, you will be on an accelerated learning curve here with many expectations that you can study by yourselves.
This page can help you locate a few resources to help you out on your journey <<dans le monde francophone>>
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...?
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.
There is a coursebook for this beginners class that I have based the content we study on. You may find it helpful to get a copy for home use and self-study (it is out of print currently, but sometimes it appears as a second-hand book).
We will also discuss your motivation for learning French.
PPT for in-class use (a version will be on Moodle)
We will most likely begin looking at the course book Saison 1.
The beginning discusses why you are learning French and some simple information about yourselves. There is no compulsion to buy the book, but you might find it helpful for your studies.
We will answer the French questions for:
Who are you? Why are you learning French? What does France mean for you?
Worksheets for use in class/at home.
An earworm which will teach you the alphabet.
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...
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