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Elementary French 1: allons-y!

In this short course you’ll start to understand and produce more complex language. You’ll improve your reading, writing, speaking and listening in French through a variety of online activities and focus on extending your knowledge of vocabulary and language structures to talk about leisure, travel and holidays. By the end, you’ll have built your own French phrase book and developed the skills needed to speak about and understand concepts relating to travel, holidays and the weather. You'll learn, for example, to express your past love of football, or to discuss your thoughts about a night in watching ‘la télé’!

Standalone study only

This module is available for standalone study only. Any credits from this module cannot be counted towards an OU qualification.

Module

Module code
LXF004
Credits
0
Study level
Across the UK, there are two parallel frameworks for higher education qualifications, the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications in England, Northern Ireland and Wales (FHEQ) and the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF). These define a hierarchy of levels and describe the achievement expected at each level. The information provided shows how OU module levels correspond to these frameworks.
OU SCQF FHEQ
0
Study method
Distance Learning
Module cost
See Module registration
Entry requirements
See Entry requirements

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What you will study

This short course is designed to give you a solid foundation in the French language. You’ll learn the essentials of reading, writing, speaking and listening in French. You’ll also develop key skills that will enhance your future study of the language. Delivered through user-friendly, ‘bite-sized’ blocks, each week you’ll discover basic vocabulary and set phrases. Audio material, featuring recordings by native speakers of French, and a wide variety of speaking activities will aid your pronunciation.

Throughout the course, you’ll build up your own French phrase book covering varied topics such as:

  • leisure activities (sporting, creative and cultural activities)
  • ways of expressing likes and dislikes and how often you do something
  • the weather (forecast, temperatures, conditions and what you do in them)
  • television and shows in France
  • ways of describing activities you used to do (the past tense)
  • holiday destinations, activities and holidays outside mainland France
  • ways of making travel arrangements (including enquiries and bookings)
  • ways of describing the holidays you took
  • writing postcards.

At the end of the course, you’ll have studied French verbs (passé composé and the imperfect), adverbs, pronouns, the superlative and expanded your vocabulary and knowledge of French-speaking countries. Along with completing the weekly activities and quizzes to strengthen your learning, you’ll have gained a solid foundation of French.

You will learn

The course is designed to help you achieve a level of language proficiency equivalent to level A1 of the Council of Europe Common European Framework of Reference for languages (CEFR).

Learner support

The course is taught entirely online, with the aid of a learning adviser to offer support where needed. You will have access to online forums that you are strongly encouraged to participate in, as they are an excellent source of support and information. These forums combine peer support with input from the language specialist learning adviser(s). Other support is available via the StudentHome website and Computing Helpdesk.

Course length

You'll study 3–4 hours per week, for 16 weeks. In total this course will require around 64 hours to complete.

Future availability

Future availability of this course after October 2021 will be confirmed later this year.

Regulations

As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the academic regulations, which are available on our Student Policies and Regulations website.

    Course work includes:

    No examination
    No residential school


    Entry requirements

    There are no entry requirements for this course.

    However, it's beneficial if you have some basic knowledge of French, similar or equivalent to the language, skills and vocabulary practised in Beginners French 1: eh oui! (LXF001), Beginners French 2: bien sûr! (LXF002) and/or Beginners French 3: absolument! (LXF003)

    If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please contact us.

    Course length

    You'll study 3–4 hours per week, for 16 weeks. In total this course will require around 64 hours to complete.

    Register

    Start End England fee Register
    27 Feb 2021 Jun 2021 £199.00

    Registration closes 18/02/21 (places subject to availability)

    Register
    26 Jun 2021 Oct 2021 £199.00

    Registration closes 17/06/21 (places subject to availability)

    Register
    30 Oct 2021 Feb 2022 Not yet available

    Registration opens on 18/03/21
    This module is expected to start for the last time in October 2021.

    Ways to pay

    Credit/Debit Card – We accept American Express, Mastercard, Visa and Visa Electron.

    Sponsorship – If this course is geared towards your job or developing your career, you could ask your employer to sponsor you by paying some or all of the fees. Your sponsor just needs to complete a simple form to confirm how much they will be paying and we will invoice them.

    The fee information provided here is valid for short courses starting in the 2020/21 academic year. Fees for short courses starting in the 2021/22 academic year or later may increase in line with the University’s strategic approach to fees.

    What's included

    All learning materials are delivered entirely online. You’ll have access to a course website, which includes:

    • a week-by-week study planner
    • course-specific materials and activities
    • audio and video content
    • discussion forums
    • support from language-specialist learning advisers.

    Computing requirements

    A computing device with a browser and broadband internet access is required for this module. Any modern browser will be suitable for most computer activities. Functionality may be limited on mobile devices.

    Any additional software will be provided, or is generally freely available. However, some activities may have more specific requirements. For this reason, you will need to be able to install and run additional software on a device that meets the requirements below.

    A desktop or laptop computer with either an up-to-date version of Windows or macOS.

    The screen of the device must have a resolution of at least 1024 pixels horizontally and 768 pixels vertically.

    To join in the spoken conversation in our online rooms we recommend a headset (headphones or earphones with an integrated microphone).

    Our Skills for OU study website has further information including computing skills for study, computer security, acquiring a computer and Microsoft software offers for students.

    If you have a disability

    The course is delivered online and makes use of a variety of online resources. If you use specialist hardware or software to assist you in using a computer or the internet you are advised to contact us about support which can be given to meet your needs.

    To find out more about what kind of support and adjustments might be available, contact us or visit our Disability support website.