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C1
Comme à la maison
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You're at ease anywhere: humour, nuance, registers — French becomes natural. You juggle innuendo and idioms, in writing as well as speaking.
What the European framework says
- You understand long, demanding texts and pick up on what is implied.
- You express yourself spontaneously and fluently, without much searching for words.
- You use French flexibly in your social, professional or academic life, on complex subjects, in a clear and well-structured way.
Source: Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), Council of Europe
Possible lessons
30 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.
Reading the world, debating society
Decoding a geopolitical editorialYou can understand and analyse an editorial on international relations.
- Grammar
- present subjunctive (necessity, purpose, doubt); present conditional (hypothesis, softening); si + imparfait, conditional + que + subjunctive
- Vocabulary
- geopolitics, diplomacy (unilatéralisme, hégémonie, dilemme cornélien)
- Activity
- close reading and analysis of metaphors; an analytical paragraph about a fictional world
Defending a heritageYou can defend a cause in writing, in a formal and persuasive register.
- Grammar
- concession and contrast (bien que, quoique, avoir beau, en dépit de, malgré); the subjunctive in relative clauses (search, uniqueness)
- Vocabulary
- gastronomy, soft power; formal synonyms (primordial, étayer, parachever)
- Activity
- debate questions; a formal letter to the mayor to defend a historic market hall
Debating the freedom to travelYou can discuss a measure that sets individual freedom against the common interest.
- Grammar
- the participial clause (le quota étant épuisé…); the mixed conditional (si + plus-que-parfait, present conditional)
- Vocabulary
- mobility, ecology, ethics (pérégriner, les nantis, dérive liberticide)
- Activity
- debate on a travel quota; sentence transformation
Franglais up for debateYou can analyse an author's language choices and take a position on how French evolves.
- Grammar
- language registers; a break in register as a stylistic effect
- Vocabulary
- language, borrowings, identity (puriste, néologisme, hybridation)
- Pronunciation
- how anglicisms are pronounced in French
- Activity
- text analysis; debate « Une langue qui ne change plus est-elle une langue morte ? »
Work reinventedYou can understand and discuss a social debate about work.
- Grammar
- the futur antérieur for projection (les études auront démontré); formal negation (ne… point, ne… guère)
- Vocabulary
- the world of work, productivity, well-being
- Activity
- detailed comprehension; debate on the four-day week
AI at the patient's bedsideYou can debate the ethical stakes of an innovation and enrich your vocabulary.
- Grammar
- the futur antérieur; the gérondif and the present participle (cause, means, simultaneity)
- Vocabulary
- medicine, ethics; formal synonyms (épauler, pallier, appréhender)
- Activity
- debate questions; dictation
Understanding laïcitéYou can explain a principle of the French Republic and present each side's arguments.
- Grammar
- the subjunctive after a superlative (la loi la plus singulière qui soit); analysing a headline
- Vocabulary
- institutions, law, state neutrality
- Activity
- close reading; presenting the positions involved
Accents and discriminationYou can analyse a social phenomenon and spot a journalist's caution.
- Grammar
- the journalistic conditional (serait responsable, aurait fini par s'imposer); antithesis
- Vocabulary
- language, the norm, prejudice (glottophobie, centralisme)
- Pronunciation
- listening to and recognising some regional accents
- Activity
- text analysis; debate on the place of accents in public life
The measured bodyYou can analyse a social critique and comment on its imagery.
- Grammar
- the subjunctive after a superlative (la dérive la plus insidieuse qui soit); the expletive ne (avant qu'elle ne sourde)
- Vocabulary
- health, technology, surveillance; formal vocabulary (parfaire, sourdre, zélé)
- Activity
- explaining metaphors; debate on self-tracking
School up for debateYou can discuss the purposes of school and the inequalities it creates.
- Grammar
- the expletive ne after craindre, redouter; the subjunctive after a superlative
- Vocabulary
- education, meritocracy, international rankings
- Activity
- close reading; debate « former du capital humain ou éveiller des consciences ? »
Analysing, adding nuance, summarising
A generation facing AIYou can discuss the effects of a technology on learning, without caricature.
- Grammar
- à moins que (ne) + subjunctive; the futur antérieur (une fois que ces jeunes auront intégré…)
- Vocabulary
- education, creativity, cognition (s'étioler, adjuvant, abrutissant)
- Activity
- close reading; debate on AI at school
Changing careersYou can analyse a social phenomenon by telling the discourse apart from the reality.
- Grammar
- the subjunctive after a superlative (l'écueil le plus prégnant qui soit); qualifying a judgement
- Vocabulary
- work, career change (bifurquer, précarité, sous-jacent)
- Activity
- critical analysis of the text; a fictional career-change testimony
Culture in the age of algorithmsYou can analyse a text's imagery and comment on a cultural phenomenon.
- Grammar
- the mixed conditional; the subjunctive after a superlative; metaphor and antithesis
- Vocabulary
- culture, the media, algorithms (magistère, écueil, prescription)
- Activity
- explaining metaphors; debate « la culture, pont ou miroir ? »
Travelling differentlyYou can present a new trend and set out its limits.
- Grammar
- the mixed conditional and the subjunctive after a superlative (review in context)
- Vocabulary
- regenerative tourism, ecology (pérégrination, greenwashing, résilience)
- Activity
- comparing this text with lesson 3; an argued position
Facing megafiresYou can compare two responses to a crisis and state a demand for the future.
- Grammar
- the past subjunctive (il faudra que les décideurs aient établi…); the expletive ne; the mixed conditional
- Vocabulary
- climate, land planning (s'embraser, juguler, sobriété foncière)
- Activity
- debate « technologie ou sobriété ? »
Giving a structured presentationYou can present a complex topic orally, with a clear outline.
- Grammar
- the dialectical outline; formal connectors (en outre, de surcroît, force est de constater, il n'en demeure pas moins)
- Vocabulary
- the language of argument
- Pronunciation
- rhythm, pauses and emphatic stress when speaking
- Activity
- a five-minute presentation on a topic from your materials, with detailed feedback
Writing a synthesis of documentsYou can bring together the ideas of several texts in an objective synthesis.
- Grammar
- nominalisation; rephrasing; keeping your own opinion out
- Vocabulary
- rephrasing verbs (souligner, mettre en évidence, nuancer)
- Activity
- a synthesis of two of your articles on the same theme (for example lessons 3 and 14)
Taking notes and summarising an audio documentYou can note the key points of a programme or a lecture and summarise it.
- Grammar
- note-taking abbreviations and symbols; the summary
- Vocabulary
- the media, radio, lectures
- Pronunciation
- understanding fast spoken French (elisions, dropped ne)
- Activity
- listening to a programme, taking notes, then an oral report
HighlightingYou can stress an idea and organise the information in your sentence.
- Grammar
- c'est… qui, c'est… que, ce qui… c'est, ce dont… c'est; dislocation (Ce livre, je l'ai adoré)
- Vocabulary
- review of the level's topics
- Pronunciation
- the intonation of emphasis
- Activity
- rewriting a flat text to make it expressive
Reporting what was said with nuanceYou can report what was said while showing the speaker's intention.
- Grammar
- nuanced reporting verbs (insinuer, concéder, s'indigner, rétorquer); free indirect speech (recognition)
- Vocabulary
- the press, politics, public debate
- Activity
- reporting an interview with varied verbs; analysing press articles
Playing with the language, feeling at home
Figures of speechYou can recognise the figures of speech in a text and use them yourself.
- Grammar
- metaphor, antithesis, oxymoron, litotes, euphemism
- Vocabulary
- the recurring images of your texts (pierre d'achoppement, sur l'autel de, miroir narcissique)
- Activity
- finding and explaining figures of speech in several articles; writing a vivid paragraph
Humour and ironyYou can understand tongue-in-cheek remarks and respond to them.
- Grammar
- antiphrasis, litotes, exaggeration
- Vocabulary
- humour, puns
- Pronunciation
- the intonation of irony
- Activity
- analysing press cartoons and humorous columns
Informal French, slang and verlanYou can understand French as spoken among friends and choose when to use it.
- Grammar
- features of speech (dropped ne, ça, on); how verlan is formed
- Vocabulary
- common slang (la flemme, ça craint, un truc, kiffer)
- Pronunciation
- spoken contractions (chais pas, y a, t'as)
- Activity
- turning an informal dialogue into standard French, and the other way round
The French of the French-speaking worldYou can recognise the varieties of French and their particular words.
- Grammar
- differences in vocabulary and usage (septante, déjeuner / dîner, char, présentement)
- Vocabulary
- Belgium, Switzerland, Quebec, French-speaking Africa
- Pronunciation
- listening to accents from across the French-speaking world
- Activity
- listening to extracts and spotting the differences; link with lesson 8
Writing a tricky professional emailYou can decline, follow up or set boundaries in writing while staying courteous.
- Grammar
- the polite conditional; softening phrases (je me permets de, il me semble que)
- Vocabulary
- professional correspondence
- Activity
- writing three tricky emails, then commented correction
Words people confuseYou can choose the right word between very similar terms.
- Grammar
- paronyms (éminent / imminent, conjecture / conjoncture, prolongation / prolongement)
- Vocabulary
- lexical nuances of the formal register
- Activity
- texts to correct; definitions game
Literary tensesYou can read a classic literary text and recognise its tenses.
- Grammar
- the passé simple (producing common forms); the imperfect and pluperfect subjunctive (recognition)
- Vocabulary
- literature, narrative
- Pronunciation
- reading a literary text aloud
- Activity
- guided reading of a classic extract; rewriting a passage in the passé composé
Speaking like in everyday lifeYou can understand and use idiomatic expressions like a French speaker.
- Grammar
- figurative meaning; registers
- Vocabulary
- colourful expressions (couper les cheveux en quatre, avoir le bras long, ménager la chèvre et le chou…)
- Activity
- guessing what the expressions mean; using them in a debate
Oral review: the social debateYou can lead a long, nuanced debate on a topic of your choice.
- Grammar
- review of concession, the mixed conditional, the subjunctive and the expletive ne
- Vocabulary
- review of the level's topics
- Pronunciation
- review
- Activity
- a debate of about thirty minutes, with detailed feedback
Written review: synthesis and essayYou can produce a synthesis and then an argued essay based on documents.
- Grammar
- review of the formal register, connectors and nominalisation
- Vocabulary
- review of the level's topics
- Activity
- a written test modelled on the DALF C1, then commented correction
By the end of the level, you can
- Understand complex opinion pieces in detail, including what they imply and their imagery
- Debate social issues at length with nuance, concession and hypotheses
- Move easily from an informal to a formal register
- Write a synthesis, an essay or a persuasive formal letter
- Feel at home in French: humour, expressions and accents included
Alongside the lessons
- Listening: radio programmes, podcasts and lectures
- A regular press review of French current affairs
- Words not to mix up in the formal register
- Mistakes that persist at C1
- DALF C1 preparation for learners who want it