The Beginners' Course - Step by step through the essentials
French, like any language, is largely governed by rules. Here's an example:
Nearly all French nouns ending in -ment are masculine.
Nearly all French nouns ending in -tion are feminine.
Learn this and you'll never hesitate again over:
le gouvernement
la solution
le développement
la présentation
The fastest way to master a language is by learning the rules. In the Beginners' class we'll take you step by step through all the essentials - providing you with a firm foundation for future progress.
"Five stars. A flexible in depth-course."
Laura Lawless, french.about.com
"The best learning package I have encountered in some 40 plus years of language study. The course is outstanding."
Joseph Fusco, 56, Columbus, OH USA
The course is designed to be accessible for the absolute beginner, but even if you know quite a lot of French already, you'll find it an excellent refresher exercise. Each class lays out clearly stated objectives. Explanations are in English to begin with, then French gradually takes over. Listen now to an extract to get a feel for the style :
Listen now to an extract to get a feel for the style :
At the end of each lesson there are exercises to test your understanding and help re-inforce your progress:
Table of Contents
There are 36 lessons in the Beginners' Course, each will take around an hour to work through. At the end of each lessons there are exercises to test your progress.
1. Une dame et un petit garçon regardent tranquillement le paysage
Masculine and feminine nouns - how adjectives agree - the first group of verbs - verbs and prepositions
2. Bonjour, ça va? - Ça va bien, merci, et vous?
Qu'est-ce que c'est? - il y a
3. Elle est jeune mais elle est inconnue de vous. «Tu» ou «vous»?
When to use «tu» and when to use «vous»
4. Qui est-ce?
The verb «être» - qui? - comment? - negative sentences
5. C'est mon jour de chance
The verb «avoir» - liaisons between words - possessive adjectives (1) - «très» and «trop»
6. Lecture
The pronunciation of «r», «e», «-emme», «s», «x» and «-ent»
7. C'est aujourd'hui dimanche
The verbs «rester» and «se reposer» - «avoir faim» and «être fatigué»
8. Qu'est-ce que vous aimez faire?
The verb «faire» - the use of the infinitive - talking about quantities using «de la», «du», «de l'» and «des» - the days of the week
9. Le 3, oui, pourquoi pas?
The verbs «pouvoir», «vouloir» and «savoir» - counting to 20 - how to form adverbs that end in «-ment»
10. Quand le coeur va, tout va!
The verb «aller» - the conjunction «que» - «avoir besoin de» and «avoir envie de»
11. À l'hôpital
Il faut - «Allons!» and «Allez!» - «Si!» in response to a negative question - «me» and «moi»
12. Boire ou conduire, il faut choisir!
The second group of verbs - the passive form - adverbs that describe quantity
13. La prononciation
Different ways of pronouncing the letter «s»
14.Une partie de cartes endiablée
Describing the weather - possessive adjectives (2) - the verb «tomber»
15. Quel jour sommes-nous?
«Quel» and its different uses - assez - peu de, un peu de - comme
16. Mon cher Pierre
The verb «prendre» and its compounds - the direct object pronoun
17. Faites attention!
The imperative - expressions using «un moment»
18. Tout ça c'est du passé
Le passé composé
19. Le ciel sera clair
Le futur simple
20. Regardez le bateau qui passe sur la rivière!
The relative pronoun «qui»
21. Bonjour à toutes et à tous!
«Tous» and «toutes» - the future tense of the verb «aller» - «mieux» is the comparative of «bien» - the verb «recevoir» - some homonyms
22. Le service est compris
«Servir» and «servir à» - «chercher» and «chercher à» - the construction of the verb «demander» - vocabulary
23. Les élections
The adjective «tout»
24. Dans une guinguette au bord de l'eau
«Venir de» and «venir à» - the construction of the verb «dire»
25. Un, deux, trois, j'irai dans les bois...
Learning to count - addition, subtraction, multiplication, division
26. Le temps passe, l'heure tourne
Telling the time - the verb «savoir»
27. Il ne faut pas perdre la boule
Using prepositions to situate objects - questions for finding the way - the verb «perdre»
28. Qu'est-ce que je vais faire?
Le futur immédiat - the verb «se demander»
29. L'animal que je préfère, c'est le chat
The relative pronoun «que»
30. Vous étiez en vacances à Lyon
L'imparfait
31. Dans une agence de location immobilière
Describing the passage of time - vocabulary: «une location» and «une situation»
32. Vous vivez en Europe?
Towns, countries and continents - prepositions that go with geographical names - describing where you've come from
33. Quand la nuit est tombée, le voyageur s'est endormi
«Le passé composé» with the auxiliary «être» - the verbs «revenir» and «retourner»
34. Vous en voulez combien?
The pronoun «en» - the verb «peser»
35. Le plus beau pays du monde
Superlatives
36. Il est malin, René
Some homonyms - the ordinal numbers
Plus : La Guinguette - Audio Features
Audio Features from France for learners of French
When you take the Beginners' French Audio Course you'll also receive access to La Guinguette - Audio Features.
Regular listening to authentic sound recordings is excellent training for the quickfire speech of French native-speakers. And the audio features at La Guinguette offer a unique and entertaining way of getting the practice you need.
At La Guinguette you'll discover more than 230 articles to work with and enjoy, including :
- Feature length reports (8-12 minutes) allowing you to explore a subject in depth.
- Shorter interviews (3-5 minutes) provide manageable chunks to work with
- Lessons in French picking up on key points that emerge from the features.
- Optional slow versions of the reports
The features come with :
- A full transcript in French
- Full translation in English
- Contextual notes to aid with comprehension
"La Guinguette is unique - it is wonderful to hear the language spoken at the same time as reading it. You offer a unique service that is the best approach to learning a language outside of a classroom that I have experienced."
Pat Browder, Durham, NC, USA
Sample now an extract to get a feel for the content.
120 French dictationsExercises to hone your skills on
Dictation is the perfect excercise for acquiring precision in both spoken and written French.
And the first 50 purchasers of our Beginners' French Audio Course in willl also receive as a free bonus "120 dictées de français".
Nine different native-speaking readers present the exercises. There are five different styles of text: idiomatic, phonetic, journalistic, literary and interview.
A first reading at normal speed allows you to get a feel for the overall text. Write or type what you hear during the dictation-speed reading. Revise your work with a final run through, before unveiling the original text for checking. Use the grammatical and cultural notes to learn from any mistakes.
Use the materials for dictation practice, of course. But be inventive too - the Literature section will give you a valuable introduction to contemporary and classic French writing, the Daily Life section will get you acquainted with idioms to use in your conversation.
Listen to a sample now. Roll your mouse over the illustration to reveal the answer.
Buy the Beginners' French Audio Course and take your French to a higher level
The Beginners' French Audio Course from Françoise Le Roux costs 55 euros.
Click here to see how much 55 euros is in your currency.
Payment is online by credit card (Visa, Master or American Express) or Paypal. You can :
- Listen to the lessons online
- Download to your portable computer or MP3 player
- Burn the lessons onto a conventional audio CD
The course is compatible with all Windows and Macintosh computers and all portable MP3 players. The content is yours to keep for life: there are no annual renewal fees. Once you’ve downloaded it to your computer you can listen to it without connecting to the internet - ideal for studying on the move.
About the Author
Since 1994 Françoise Le Roux (PhD) has taught French as a foreign language to students at her school in Lyon, France. She studied Philosophy at Lyon University and the teaching of French as a Foreign Language at the Sorbonne. Her multimedia courses are in their 5th edition and have been followed by more than 6000 learners of French worldwide. She is also the co-editor of La Guinguette - Online News for learners of French.
Online Exclusive Special Offer!
Buy online from this site only and you will also receive :
- The Intermediate French Audio Course (€55 euros when purchased in the shops)
- The Advanced French Audio Course (€55 euros when purchased in the shops)
- Access to the La Guinguette Online news archive
Bonus! Buy online from this site only and you will also receive 120 dictées de français - €45 euros when purchased in the shops. Special offer limited to the first 50 customers in - order now to be sure of your copy.
Full Money Back Guarantee
When you make your payment for the course, you’ll be given a link to a full online version. Take a good look around and if for any reason it doesn’t meet your expectations, just write to us within 14 days and before downloading the contents for a full money back guarantee.
"This course is excellent. I have courses I & II of Pimsleur but I find this more effective. I cannot tell you how much the pronunciation lessons have helped understand what to pronounce, when and what not to pronounce."
Gary Schultz, 61, retired financial advisor, Mexico
"This is a really well thought out course. It covers everything from the formation of simple sentences to the use of advanced grammar and it's very easy to navigate around."
Mike Nicks, France Magazine.
The Beginners' French Course by Françoise Le Roux is brought to you by Françoise Le Roux, 27 quai st Vincent, 69001 Lyon, France, Registered with the French Chamber of Commerce SIREN 401 655 923.Click here to contact us.
