French Improvers

This course is suitable for those who have already studied French for about a year and a half, or for those who know basic French. Instruction is given in French, using visual and audio supports. The course aims to develop the skills of speaking, reading, listening and writing in French. It enables students to understand native French speakers and helps them communicate in practical situations. By the end of this course, you will have been given the opportunity to improve both your accuracy and your fluency in French. In particular you will be able to: greet a visitor and explain the programme for the day; present aspects of your place of work (or home); make suitable comments when being shown round someone’s offices; answer questions about a menu (business lunches); write a short note thanking someone for their hospitality; compare the advantages of two products with a French friend; deal with a French customer in a shop; talk to a French visitor about a mail order or online company that you know; give advice about how to use a household appliance that you are lending to a French neighbour; describe the main types of shop in a town you know; complain about your hotel room; complain about rented accommodation and explain what is missing; make a formal apology to a customer who is unhappy about something; describe what minor illness or injury you have to a pharmacist and ask for some medicine; describe theft, what was stolen, where from and when. You will also have covered the following main grammar points: the immediate past: venir de; possessive pronouns: le mien, la mienne; en + past participle; the conditional; tenses with ‘si’; the passive; order of object pronouns; relative pronouns: qui and que; the pluperfect: an introduction; the subjunctive: an introduction.