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Course path · A1

French A1: Foundations

Your first real French: greeting people properly, numbers and time, gender and the present tense, ordering in a café and finding your way — plus the phrases that rescue a conversation, from je ne comprends pas to why bonjour has to come first.

Target language
French
Explained in
English
CEFR level
A1
Structure
21 modules · 85 lessons

Course journey

Every module has a place in the story.

Follow the authored sequence from the opening lesson through the final chapter. Preview lessons remain open before enrollment.

  1. Module 01

    First Sounds

    4 lessons

    Lesson sequenceOpen chapter
    1. The Vowels You Cannot GuessLocked
      About 15 minMake the three French vowel sounds English does not have, starting with the one in tu.
      Locked
    2. The Letters You Do Not SayLocked
      About 15 minKnow which written letters are silent, which is most of reading French aloud.
      Locked
    3. The Nasal VowelsLocked
      About 15 minMake the three nasal vowels, and stop putting an n on the end of them.
      Locked
    4. Why French Sounds FastLocked
      About 14 minHear where one word ends and the next begins, and know why the gaps are not where the spaces are.
      Locked

  2. Module 02

    Building Blocks

    2 lessons

    Lesson sequenceOpen chapter
    1. Making Things PluralLocked
      About 15 minForm a French plural, and hear it - because the noun usually sounds identical.
      Locked
    2. The Subject PronounsLocked
      About 15 minKnow the full set, and why French - unlike Spanish - can never leave them out.
      Locked

  3. Module 03

    Getting Started

    3 lessons

    Lesson sequenceOpen chapter
    1. Greetings & IntroductionsFree preview
      About 12 minGreet someone, introduce yourself, and judge when to use tu rather than vous.
      Launch →
    2. Numbers 0-20Free preview
      About 12 minSay your age, ask a price, and understand numbers said quickly back to you.
      Launch →
    3. Days & Telling TimeLocked
      About 12 minArrange something for a particular day and time, and confirm it.
      Locked

  4. Module 04

    The Core Machinery

    4 lessons

    Lesson sequenceOpen chapter
    1. Gender & ArticlesLocked
      About 16 minChoose the right article for any noun, and predict a noun's gender from its ending.
      Locked
    2. Être & AvoirLocked
      About 18 minUse être and avoir correctly, including the everyday expressions where English reaches for "to be".
      Locked
    3. The Present TenseLocked
      About 18 minConjugate regular -er, -ir and -re verbs in the present without stopping to think.
      Locked
    4. Negation & QuestionsLocked
      About 16 minMake any sentence negative, and ask a question in whichever of the three registers fits.
      Locked

  5. Module 05

    Everyday Basics

    3 lessons

    Lesson sequenceOpen chapter
    1. The CaféLocked
      About 12 minOrder in a café and ask for the bill without switching to English.
      Locked
    2. Family & PeopleLocked
      About 12 minDescribe your family and explain how people are related to you.
      Locked
    3. Food & ShoppingLocked
      About 12 minShop for food, ask for quantities, and understand what you are charged.
      Locked

  6. Module 06

    Describing & Everyday Life

    5 lessons

    Lesson sequenceOpen chapter
    1. Describing People & ThingsLocked
      About 16 minMake adjectives agree, and know which few go before the noun instead of after it.
      Locked
    2. The Weather & SeasonsLocked
      About 14 minTalk about the weather with il fait, and name the seasons and months.
      Locked
    3. House & HomeLocked
      About 15 minDescribe where you live, name the rooms, and say what is in them with il y a.
      Locked
    4. Clothes & ShoppingLocked
      About 15 minBuy clothes: say what you are looking for, give your size, and say what someone is wearing.
      Locked
    5. Camille, 1: A New CityLocked
      About 12 minRead a short first-person account and answer questions about what it says.
      Locked

  7. Module 07

    Getting Things Done

    4 lessons

    Lesson sequenceOpen chapter
    1. The Body & HealthLocked
      About 15 minSay what hurts with avoir mal à, and get what you need in a pharmacy.
      Locked
    2. Transport & TicketsLocked
      About 15 minBuy a ticket, ask when something leaves, and choose between en and à for transport.
      Locked
    3. Hobbies & Free TimeLocked
      About 15 minTalk about your free time, choosing between jouer à and jouer de.
      Locked
    4. Work & StudiesLocked
      About 16 minSay what you do, and use pouvoir and devoir to talk about what you can and must do.
      Locked

  8. Module 08

    Plans & Past

    4 lessons

    Lesson sequenceOpen chapter
    1. Making PlansLocked
      About 14 minTalk about what you are going to do with aller plus an infinitive — and no preposition.
      Locked
    2. Talking About the PastLocked
      About 19 minUse the passé composé, and choose correctly between avoir and être.
      Locked
    3. Invitations & ArrangementsLocked
      About 14 minInvite someone, accept or decline politely, and settle the details.
      Locked
    4. Possessives & DemonstrativesLocked
      About 15 minSay whose something is — where the possessive agrees with the thing, not the owner.
      Locked

  9. Module 09

    Precision & Detail

    5 lessons

    Lesson sequenceOpen chapter
    1. Object PronounsLocked
      About 18 minReplace a noun with le, la, lui and put the pronoun before the verb.
      Locked
    2. Comparatives & SuperlativesLocked
      About 15 minCompare with plus que, and pick out the best with le plus.
      Locked
    3. Quantity & DegreeLocked
      About 15 minChoose between très and beaucoup, and say how much of something there is.
      Locked
    4. Savoir & ConnaîtreLocked
      About 15 minChoose between savoir and connaître — two verbs where English has only know.
      Locked
    5. Camille, 2: The NeighboursLocked
      About 12 minFollow a narrative across several people and answer from what the text says.
      Locked

  10. Module 10

    Numbers, Dates & Instructions

    4 lessons

    Lesson sequenceOpen chapter
    1. Numbers, Money & PricesLocked
      About 17 minCount past twenty through French's arithmetic, and handle a price.
      Locked
    2. Ordinals, Dates & BirthdaysLocked
      About 14 minGive a date, say which floor you want, and wish someone a happy birthday.
      Locked
    3. Giving InstructionsLocked
      About 15 minTell someone what to do — the imperative, in both tu and vous.
      Locked
    4. Reflexive VerbsLocked
      About 16 minDescribe your daily routine with pronominal verbs, and get their past tense right.
      Locked

  11. Module 11

    Out and About

    3 lessons

    Lesson sequenceOpen chapter
    1. Places in TownLocked
      About 12 minSay where a place is and describe your neighbourhood.
      Locked
    2. Asking for DirectionsLocked
      About 12 minAsk the way and follow the directions you are given.
      Locked
    3. Daily RoutineLocked
      About 12 minDescribe your day with reflexive verbs and the times things happen.
      Locked

  12. Module 12

    Verbs That Change

    5 lessons

    Lesson sequenceOpen chapter
    1. Verbs That Shift Their AccentsLocked
      About 16 minUse -er verbs whose stem changes in the boot forms.
      Locked
    2. The Verbs That RefuseLocked
      About 15 minUse the short list of French verbs that follow no pattern at all.
      Locked
    3. Happening Right NowLocked
      About 14 minSay what is happening at this moment in a language with no continuous tense.
      Locked
    4. Have To, Going ToLocked
      About 15 minChain a conjugated verb onto an infinitive to talk about obligation and plans.
      Locked
    5. Camille, 3: The First Week at WorkLocked
      About 13 minRead a routine in the present tense and answer about sequence and time.
      Locked

  13. Module 13

    Who You Are and Where You're From

    4 lessons

    Lesson sequenceOpen chapter
    1. Spelling It OutLocked
      About 14 minSay the alphabet, spell your name, and ask someone to spell theirs.
      Locked
    2. Where You're FromLocked
      About 15 minSay where you are from, what nationality you are, and what languages you speak.
      Locked
    3. Filling In the FormLocked
      About 14 minGive the details a form or a receptionist asks for.
      Locked
    4. Asking, Not Only AnsweringLocked
      About 16 minBuild a question three different ways and know which one to use where.
      Locked

  14. Module 14

    Saying No Properly

    4 lessons

    Lesson sequenceOpen chapter
    1. Saying NoLocked
      About 14 minWrap a verb in ne...pas, and know when speech drops half of it.
      Locked
    2. Nothing, Nobody, NeverLocked
      About 15 minSwap pas for the negative word you actually mean.
      Locked
    3. Stacking NegativesLocked
      About 15 minCombine two negative words the way French allows, and avoid the combinations it does not.
      Locked
    4. Disagreeing and DecliningLocked
      About 14 minTurn something down politely, and use the word that contradicts a negative.
      Locked

  15. Module 15

    Somewhere to Stay

    5 lessons

    Lesson sequenceOpen chapter
    1. Checking InLocked
      About 15 minBook a room, check in, and understand what you are being asked.
      Locked
    2. Asking for ThingsLocked
      About 14 minAsk for what the room is missing, and report what is not working.
      Locked
    3. Where Things AreLocked
      About 15 minPlace an object in space with the small set of prepositions that does it.
      Locked
    4. Colours and MaterialsLocked
      About 14 minDescribe an object precisely enough to identify it.
      Locked
    5. Camille, 4: The WaterLocked
      About 13 minFollow a problem and its fixes, and answer about cause and order.
      Locked

  16. Module 16

    Getting By

    4 lessons

    Lesson sequenceOpen chapter
    1. Please and Thank YouLocked
      About 12 minAsk for something politely and answer when somebody thanks you.
      Locked
    2. Excuse Me and SorryLocked
      About 12 minGet someone's attention, apologise, and get past somebody in a doorway.
      Locked
    3. I Don't UnderstandLocked
      About 12 minSay you have not understood, and ask for the sentence again in a form you can use.
      Locked
    4. Asking for HelpLocked
      About 12 minAsk for help, ask whether something exists nearby, and say you are lost.
      Locked

  17. Module 17

    How You Feel

    4 lessons

    Lesson sequenceOpen chapter
    1. Hungry, Cold and in a HurryLocked
      About 12 minSay you are hungry, cold, thirsty or in a rush, using the verb French actually uses.
      Locked
    2. How Are YouLocked
      About 12 minAnswer the greeting question with something other than the word fine.
      Locked
    3. Happy, Tired and WorriedLocked
      About 12 minDescribe a mood with the right verb, and make the adjective agree.
      Locked
    4. Saying WhyLocked
      About 12 minGive a reason, and soften a refusal so it does not sound blunt.
      Locked

  18. Module 18

    Signs, Menus and Messages

    5 lessons

    Lesson sequenceOpen chapter
    1. Signs and NoticesLocked
      About 12 minRead the words on doors, streets and shop windows without stopping to translate.
      Locked
    2. Reading a MenuLocked
      About 12 minWork out how a menu is organised, so you order a meal rather than three starters.
      Locked
    3. Numbers You Read, Not HearLocked
      About 12 minRead a price, a date and a timetable without getting the figure wrong by a factor of a thousand.
      Locked
    4. Writing a Short MessageLocked
      About 12 minWrite a text or a note that reads like a person wrote it.
      Locked
    5. Camille, 5: The MarketLocked
      About 13 minRead a scene with dialogue in it and answer about what was meant.
      Locked

  19. Module 19

    Reading Real Things

    4 lessons

    Lesson sequenceOpen chapter
    1. Reading a NoticeLocked
      About 14 minGet the facts out of a sign on a door without translating every word.
      Locked
    2. Reading a MessageLocked
      About 14 minRead a short note or card from a friend and work out what you are being asked.
      Locked
    3. Reading a Small AdLocked
      About 14 minRead an advert or a price list and get the price, the size and the catch.
      Locked
    4. Reading a Ticket and a FormLocked
      About 14 minFind the platform, the time and the seat, and know which box wants your surname.
      Locked

  20. Module 20

    When Someone Speaks to You

    4 lessons

    Lesson sequenceOpen chapter
    1. Catching a NameLocked
      About 15 minGet a name right when somebody spells it out for you.
      Locked
    2. Catching a PriceLocked
      About 15 minHear what you owe, and what you are getting back.
      Locked
    3. Catching a Day and a TimeLocked
      About 15 minCome away from an arrangement knowing which day and what time.
      Locked
    4. Understanding What You're Asked to DoLocked
      About 15 minDo the right thing when somebody tells you to, without needing the whole sentence.
      Locked

  21. Module 21

    Le Dire Sans Regarder

    5 lessons

    Lesson sequenceOpen chapter
    1. Producing It Without the EnglishLocked
      About 14 minProduce a word from a French definition, with no English on the screen to translate.
      Locked
    2. When the Words LinkLocked
      About 15 minHear a phrase you already know when the silent consonants come back and the words arrive as one piece.
      Locked
    3. Who You Are Talking ToLocked
      About 15 minMove a sentence between tu and vous without leaving half of it behind, and thank someone in writing without sounding like a form.
      Locked
    4. Saying It ColdLocked
      About 16 minProduce whole sentences with the support removed one step at a time, ending with nothing on screen at all.
      Locked
    5. Camille, 6: A YearLocked
      About 13 minRead the close of the story and answer about how things changed from the first installment.
      Locked