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. Use the tabs below to view the relevant French course outline for your level. If you want to cover the same course outline in a shorter period of time, we also offer One-Week Online Courses and 5-week Courses.
French Beginner 1
Topics & Vocabulary:
- Greetings
- Alphabet + letters combination
- Nationalities and countries
- Jobs
- Numbers
- Giving personal details (address, telephone number, email, age)
- Filling a form
- Food and drinks
- Holidays in France and abroad
- Describing a city (jobs and places)
- Using a dictionary
Grammar:
- Nouns – feminine, masculine, singular, plural
- The verbs ‘être’, ‘avoir’ in the present tense
- Articles – definite and indefinite
- Adjective agreement in gender and number
- Verbs in ‘ER’
- Etre and Avoir
- Prepositions of place
- Il y a + Il n’y a pas
- Word order: sentence/question
- Key prepositions – à, dans, en, au, etc.
- Yes/no questions
Cultural Content:
- Paris
- Cities of France
- French speaking countries
- French names
- Map of France
Skills Work:
- Lots of speaking/active practice
- Role-plays
- Lots of listening
- Pronunciation – key sounds
French Beginner 2
Topics & Vocabulary:
- Review and practice level 1 vocabulary/grammar
- Talking about family, friends and celebrities
- Talking about oneself – key personal information + likes/dislikes
- Talking about hobbies
- Daily life – routines, habits, free time
- Days of the week
- Animals
- Telling the time
- Consumer goods – clothes, accessories, food
- Describing objects – shape, colour, size
- Talking about the weather
- Shopping
Grammar:
- Possessive pronouns
- Revision ‘ER’ verbs
- The immediate past: ‘venir de’
- Negative sentences
- Key verbs: faire, aller, sortir, etc.
- Demonstrative pronouns
- Frequency adverbs
- Reflexive verbs in ‘ER’
- Question words (quel)
Cultural Content:
- French speaking celebrities
- French daily routine
- French brands and products
- Bruxelles
Skills Work:
- Lots of speaking/active practice
- Role-plays
- Lots of listening
- Pronunciation – key sounds
French Beginner 3
Topics & Vocabulary:
- Food and drinks
- Talking about prices
- Eating out – booking a table, ordering
- Eating habits
- Talking about future plans
- Talking about abilities
- Talking about life experience
Grammar:
- Quantities
- Partitive articles: du, de la, des
- Near future : aller + infinitive
- Direct Object Pronouns : le, la, les
- Passé composé with être and avoir + past participles (regular/irregular)
- Verbs pouvoir and savoir
- Time words and phrases: depuis, pendant, il y a, etc.
Cultural Content:
- French food and drinks
- Eating etiquette
- French eating habits
- Famous French people
- French NGOs
- French cheeses
Skills Work:
- Lots of speaking/active practice
- Role-plays
- Lots of listening
- Pronunciation – key sounds
French Elementary 1
Topics & Vocabulary:
- Talking about learning a language
- Talking about feelings and emotions
- Talking about hobbies
- Home – describing rooms, furniture and activities in each rooms
- Accommodation – camping, hotels, etc.
- Describing objects – shape, size, usage
- Talking about health
- Describing ailments and symptoms + body parts
- Asking for and giving advice
- Giving instructions
- Giving your opinion – trouver/c’est + adjective
- Writing a letter/an email
Grammar:
- Review of Passé Composé
- Indirect pronouns – lui/leur
- Aims and causes (pour, parce que)
- Prepositions of place
- Comparison and superlative
- Pronoun ‘y’
- Imperative
- Should/Shouldn’t (devoir in the conditional)
Cultural Content:
- Talking about Europe
- La pétanque
- French countryside
- French people and sport
Skills Work:
- Lots of speaking/active practice
- Role-plays
- Lots of listening
- Pronunciation – key sounds
French Elementary 2
Topics & Vocabulary:
- Describing the past
- Comparing the past and the present
- Describing someone’s life
- Telling stories
- Ask for information about someone
- Imagining life in the future
Grammar:
- Imperfect
- Time phrases
- Indefinite adjectives and pronouns – tous, la plupart, quelque, aucun
- Using ‘on’
- Present continous – être en train de + infinitive
- Passé composé vs Imperfect
- Relative pronouns – qui, que, où
- The future tense – regular/irregular
- Si + future
- Word order: the adjective
Cultural content:
- Historical figures
- Strikes, demonstrations and struggles in France
- French painters
- Famous places in France
- French regions
- French proverbs and quotes
Skills Work:
- Lots of speaking/active practice
- Role-plays
- Lots of listening
- Pronunciation – key sounds
French Elementary 3
Topics & Vocabulary:
- Asking for a favour
- Asking if you can do something
- Refusing/Accepting
- Explaining your reasons
- Describing actions in the past
- Telling anecdotes in the past
- Expressing different levels of certainty
- Talking about countries
Grammar:
- Modal verbs – vouloir, pouvoir, devoir
- Conditional tense
- Use of different registers to express opinions
- Question words – quand, comment, pourquoi, etc.
- Country genders + prepostions (à, en, au, etc.)
Cultural Content:
- Dos and don’t in France
- Molière and performing arts in France
- Famous French people
- Francophonie
- French-speaking Africa
- French regions
- La Réunion
Skills Work:
- Lots of speaking/active practice
- Role-plays
- Lots of listening
- Pronunciation – key sounds
French Advanced
Topics & Vocabulary:
- Making a presentation
- Putting forward arguments
- Cause/consequence
- Expressing opinions and feelings
- Hypothesising
- Reporting a message
- Expressing nuance
- Talking about memories
- Aesthetics
- Current events
- Social issues
Grammar:
- Presentations: words and structures
- Subjunctive: present, imperfect and past perfect
- Nominalisation
- Demonstrative pronouns
- Past participle vs gerund
- Si + tenses
- Conditional : present and past
- Past perfect
- Adjectives
- Structures for reported speech
Cultural Content:
- The French education system
- French fine arts
- French music
- French cinema
- French literature
- French history
- Doing business in French
Skills Work:
- Lots of speaking/debating
- Lots of listening
- Understanding different accents
- Producing various styles of written and spoken French
French Proficiency
Topics & Vocabulary:
- Expressing thoughts and feelings
- Subjectivity vs objectivity
- Structuring your speech
- Language registers
- Political and social issues
- Stereotypes
- Regional differences
- History
- Current events
Grammar:
- Subjunctive
- ‘Ne’ explétif
- Nominalisation
- Linking words
- Complex use of grammar to contribute in a debate
Cultural Content:
- French institutions
- French values and symbols
- Francophonie
- French philosophy
- The media in France
- French politics
- French arts
- French gastronomy
- French body language
Skills Work:
- Lots of speaking/debating
- Lots of listening
- Understanding different accents
- Producing various styles of written and spoken French