The Cactus Course Outlines provide a learning framework for the Cactus Foreign Language Evening Courses. They are designed to provide you with a good idea of what you might cover over a 10-week period, and include typical themes, grammar and vocabulary fields. They are flexible rather than prescriptive, in that our teachers may decide to adapt their learning plans to the specific level, aims and interests of their classes.

• Croatian Beginner 1
• Croatian Beginner 2
• Croatian Beginner 3

Topics & Vocabulary:

• Introductions –where from, family
• Checking in
• Greeting people
• Eating & drinking
• Jobs
• Likes & dislikes
• Travel and getting around: simple directions
• Places – shops, important buildings
• Describing things and paces: size, shape, age, speed, colour, etc.
• Numbers 1 - 10

Grammar:

• To be
• Present – simple simple/continuous
• Past – simple
• Future – going to + infinitive
• Pronouns – subject, object, possessive
• Singular vs. Plural
• Articles
• Word order – sentence, question
• Questions – yes/no, wh-
• Giving instructions – using the imperative
• Key cases and prepositions

Cultural content:

• Invitations, offers, suggestions, requests
• Everyday Croat Culture
• Everyday speaking and polite forms of speech
• Seasonal festivals, Saints’ days
• The Croat diaspora
• Idiomatic expressions
• Facts about Croatia : property, holidays, climate, etc

Skills Work:

• Lots of speaking/active practice
• Alphabet / Writing / Reading
• Lots of listening
• Pronunciation – key sounds

Topics & Vocabulary:

• Talking about self & others, inc. family – key personal info
• Who/which/what/how/when/where/how much/many
• Jobs
• Travel and getting around - Directions
• Holidays
• Hotels & restaurants
• Leisure Time
• Money & shopping, Some/any
• Describing people
• Town & Country
• Home
• Common feelings & emotions

Grammar:

• Review & practise level 1 grammar (eg. through mixed tense work – present/past/future)
• Present Perfect
• Past Continuous
• The future
• Ability and permission
• Possessives
• Cases and prepositions – place and movement
• Adjectives & adverbs

Cultural content:

• Meeting and greeting people
• Agreeing and refusing
• Croat / Serbo-Croat – language and history
• Seasonal festivals, Saints’ days

Skills Work:

• Lots of speaking/active practice
• Lots of listening
• Pronunciation – key sounds

Topics & Vocabulary:

• Talking about self & others, inc. family – key personal info
• Who/which/what/how/when/where/how much/many
• Jobs
• Travel
• Holidays
• Eating & drinking
• Health/illness
• Meetings
• Leisure Time
• Money & shopping
• Describing people

Grammar:

• Verb tense, aspect and mood: aspect prefixes, etc.
• Modality
• Adjectives and adverbs
• Case, number and agreement

Cultural content:

• Geography, cities and accommodation
• The cultural of dining out and visiting
• Sports and leisure
• Serbia and Ex-Jugoslavia: religion and politics
• Seasonal festivals, Saints’ days
• Common signs

Skills Work:

• Lots of speaking/active practice
• Lots of listening
• Pronunciation – key sounds