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A1
Le petit café
Beginner
You hold short everyday conversations: ordering, asking for directions, talking about yourself. You understand simple sentences and make yourself understood in everyday situations.
What the European framework says
- You understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very simple sentences.
- You can introduce yourself and others, and ask simple questions: where someone lives, who they know, what they have.
- You can interact in a simple way if the other person speaks slowly and clearly and is willing to help.
Source: Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), Council of Europe
Possible lessons
26 lessonsWe don't work through a textbook page by page: together we choose the lessons that are useful to you, in the order that suits you. Open a lesson to see what we work on.
Introducing and talking about yourself
Introducing your familyYou can introduce the members of your family.
- Grammar
- possessive determiners; the feminine of family nouns; guessing the gender of a noun
- Vocabulary
- the family
- Pronunciation
- the [p] and [b] sounds
- Activity
- talking about a family tree; gap-fill text; dictation
Describing someoneYou can describe a person's looks, personality and outfit.
- Grammar
- être (reminder); adjective agreement; adjective position
- Vocabulary
- physical appearance, personality, colours, a few clothes
- Pronunciation
- bel, nouvel, vieil before a vowel
- Activity
- describing a character, then yourself
Saying what you like (or not)You can talk about your tastes in food, places and activities.
- Grammar
- aimer, adorer, détester, préférer + noun or infinitive; le, la, les after these verbs; the negation ne… pas
- Vocabulary
- everyday food and drinks
- Pronunciation
- the [s] and [z] sounds (poisson / poison, dessert / désert)
- Activity
- a short survey in pairs (« Tu aimes… ? »); ranking your tastes
Talking about your hobbies and talentsYou can say what you do in your free time and what you are able to do.
- Grammar
- savoir + infinitive; stressed pronouns; moi aussi, moi non plus; jouer de, jouer à
- Vocabulary
- sports, the arts, culture
- Activity
- a conversation at a leisure club; mini-dialogues to react; dictation
Visiting a museumYou can talk about a visit and say what you choose to see.
- Grammar
- -ir verbs (2nd group); plural nouns (-s, -x, -aux)
- Vocabulary
- the museum, artworks, the visit
- Pronunciation
- the letters C and G
- Activity
- a conversation at the museum; comprehension questions; summary exercise
Telling the time and talking about your scheduleYou can tell the time and describe your schedule.
- Grammar
- the time (12-hour and 24-hour clock); de… à…; reminder of -er verbs, aller and faire
- Vocabulary
- times of day, daily activities
- Pronunciation
- the silent e
- Activity
- reading three schedules; writing times out in full
Daily life and common situations
Days, months and seasonsYou can give the date, arrange to meet and talk about the seasons.
- Grammar
- prepositions of time (le lundi, en mars, au printemps); saying the date; quand ?
- Vocabulary
- days, months, seasons, holidays
- Pronunciation
- the [y] and [u] vowels (rue / roue)
- Activity
- filling in a diary; arranging to meet in pairs
Spending a Saturday in townYou can say where you are going and what you do during your day.
- Grammar
- aller and faire in the present; à + le, la, l', les (au, à la, à l', aux)
- Vocabulary
- places in town
- Pronunciation
- the [j] sound (famille, voyage)
- Activity
- account of a day in town; sorting places by au or à la; dictation
Describing your routineYou can describe your day from waking up to going to bed.
- Grammar
- reflexive verbs in the present; their negative form
- Vocabulary
- routine and getting ready
- Pronunciation
- the different ways to pronounce the letter X
- Activity
- reading an artist's routine, then describing yours
Talking about the weatherYou can say what the weather is like and what you should or shouldn't do.
- Grammar
- il fait, il pleut, il y a; il faut and il ne faut pas + noun or infinitive
- Vocabulary
- the weather, the sea, the mountains, the forest
- Pronunciation
- the nasal vowels [ɛ̃], [ɑ̃], [ɔ̃]
- Activity
- reading a hiking guide's advice; giving instructions depending on the weather
Describing your homeYou can describe your home and say where things are.
- Grammar
- mettre, prendre and voir in the present; prepositions of place (sur, sous, devant, entre…)
- Vocabulary
- rooms, furniture, decoration
- Pronunciation
- oral and nasal vowels
- Activity
- guided tour of a flat; describing a photo, then your home
A day in the countrysideYou can ask questions about a place, a time or a choice.
- Grammar
- venir, entendre and other 3rd-group verbs; où, quand, quel / quelle
- Vocabulary
- farm and forest animals, nature
- Pronunciation
- consonant clusters with R (br, cr, dr, fr, pr, vr)
- Activity
- reading a story; question-and-answer game; dictation
A day at the officeYou can ask questions at work and describe your tasks.
- Grammar
- écrire, lire, répondre, recevoir, dire; est-ce que; où, quand, pourquoi, qu'est-ce que; parce que
- Vocabulary
- jobs and office supplies; electronic devices
- Activity
- a conversation at the office; turning sentences into questions
Ordering at a restaurantYou can read a menu, order politely and understand the bill.
- Grammar
- je voudrais, je prendrais (polite phrases); partitive articles; prices
- Vocabulary
- the menu (starters, main courses, desserts, drinks)
- Activity
- customer and waiter role play; working out the bill; dictation
Shopping at the marketYou can ask shopkeepers for a product and a quantity.
- Grammar
- vouloir, pouvoir, devoir, vendre; en + quantity; un kilo de, une bouteille de
- Vocabulary
- shops, products, quantities
- Pronunciation
- nasal vowels (review)
- Activity
- role play at the baker's, the greengrocer's and the butcher's
Buying clothesYou can choose an item of clothing, ask the price and pay.
- Grammar
- devoir and pouvoir + infinitive; ce, cet, cette, ces
- Vocabulary
- clothes, accessories, payment
- Pronunciation
- compulsory liaisons
- Activity
- role play in a shop; choosing an outfit for an occasion
Getting by, making plans, reviewing
Understanding instructions and saying where it hurtsYou can understand and give instructions, and say where it hurts.
- Grammar
- the affirmative and negative imperative; avoir mal au, à la, aux; avoir besoin de, avoir chaud, avoir froid, avoir sommeil
- Vocabulary
- the body, instructions
- Activity
- reading a workshop's rules; putting sentences into the imperative
Asking the wayYou can ask for directions and understand a simple answer.
- Grammar
- the imperative (tournez, continuez, prenez); à gauche, tout droit, en face de; Pour aller à… ?
- Vocabulary
- the town, finding your way
- Activity
- following a route on a map; role play between a passer-by and a tourist
At the doctor'sYou can explain your symptoms and understand the doctor's advice.
- Grammar
- reflexive verbs (review); avoir mal (review); vous devez + infinitive
- Vocabulary
- health, symptoms, the pharmacy
- Activity
- consultation role play; conversation at the pharmacy
Following a recipeYou can understand a recipe and explain yours step by step.
- Grammar
- the imperative (tu, nous, vous); direct object pronouns le, la, les; their position with the imperative
- Vocabulary
- ingredients, kitchen utensils
- Activity
- reading a recipe, then presenting yours
Talking about your plansYou can say what you are going to do soon.
- Grammar
- the near future (including the negative form and reflexive verbs); y and en for places
- Vocabulary
- the city of tomorrow, technology, transport
- Pronunciation
- liaisons in [z], [t] and [n]
- Activity
- presenting a plan to visit a city of the future
Planning a trip to FranceYou can present a travel itinerary.
- Grammar
- the near future (review); à, en, au, aux before towns and countries; en train, à vélo, par
- Vocabulary
- landscapes, transport
- Activity
- presenting your holiday plans
Linking your ideasYou can link several sentences to tell a story or explain something simply.
- Grammar
- et, mais, ou, parce que, alors; d'abord, ensuite, après, enfin
- Vocabulary
- review of the level's topics
- Activity
- putting a story in order; describing your day with linked sentences
Writing a short messageYou can write a postcard, an invitation or a simple message.
- Grammar
- phrases to open and close a message; tu or vous in writing; review of the present and the near future
- Vocabulary
- invitations, holidays, appointments
- Activity
- writing a postcard or replying to an invitation
Review: an evening at an art openingYou can use everything you have learnt together in a complete situation.
- Grammar
- review of 3rd-group verbs in the present, the imperative, the near future, direct object pronouns, y and en
- Vocabulary
- review of the level's topics
- Pronunciation
- review
- Activity
- summary text; describing a picture
Speaking like in everyday lifeYou can understand and use about ten common French expressions.
- Grammar
- avoir, être and faire in expressions (avoir faim, avoir l'air, faire la queue…)
- Vocabulary
- colourful everyday expressions
- Activity
- guessing what the expressions mean; using them in mini-dialogues
By the end of the level, you can
- Introduce yourself and your family, and describe someone
- Talk about your daily life: time, routine, hobbies, home, weather
- Get by at the café, the restaurant, the market, in a shop, at the doctor's and in the street
- Ask simple questions and understand instructions
- Talk about your near-future plans and write a short message
Alongside the lessons
- Everyday dialogues (bakery, station, pharmacy, post office…)
- Listening practice on the level's topics
- Words not to mix up (je vais / je fais, je suis / je sais, moi aussi / moi non plus)
- The most common mistakes at A1
- Regular dictation