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French Steps syllabus


French Steps is an introduction to French Language and culture, designed for use in social and work contexts. The syllabus incorporates key elements of Level One of the UK's National Language Standards and conforms to the first level of the European Language Framework. Although French Steps is a stand-alone course the content can be integrated into, or used to supplement existing adult language provision.

Stage 1:

Short break in Paris
Unit
Objectives
Grammar Tip
Taking a taxi
Hakim takes a taxi in Paris. 		Basic greetings and farewells. Stating your destination. Recognising cognates. Awareness of stress patterns. How to use polite words and phrases
Asking for directions
Hakim finds his way to the Musée de la Musique in Paris. 		Requesting simple directions to basic locations. Understanding simple directions. The definite article. How to say 'the'
Getting tickets
Buying tickets to some of Paris' major sites. 		Numbers 1-10. The indefinite article. How to say 'a', 'an' or 'one'
Buying presents
Choosing and buying souvenirs in Paris. 		Numbers 11-20. Asking and understanding how much something costs. The demonstrative articles. The demonstrative pronoun ça. How to say 'it is', 'this is' and 'that'
Getting a snack
Find out what people eat for a mid-morning snack. 		Ordering a snack and a drink. Understanding the waiter. Introduction to adjectives. Noun phrases: à + article. How to describe things
Fact file Visiting Paris
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Stage 2:

Chatting
Unit
Objectives
Grammar Tip
Saying what you do
Find out what people do for a living.		 Asking and saying what you do for a living. 1st and 2nd person endings of regular verbs. Common irregular verbs: être, aller, faire, avoir. How to say what you do and where you work
Talking about the family
Hakim is introduced to a friend's family.		 Introducing friends and family. Possessives mon and ma. How to say 'my'
Getting into conversation
Chatting over a beer in a Paris bar.		 Using the informal tu. Exchanging small talk. Paying basic compliments. How to say 'you'
Your name and where you're from
Ask and talk about where people are from.		 Introducing yourself. Saying where you're from. Agreement of adjectives of nationality. Articles and prepositions with countries. How to say where you're from
Fact file Language and communications
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Stage 3:

Food and drink
Unit
Objectives
Grammar Tip
Ordering at a restaurant
Ordering a light meal in a Lyon restaurant.		 Ordering a meal with drinks. Enquiring about a table. Introduction to questions with intonation. Making questions using inversion and est-ce que. How to ask questions
Shopping for food
Go shopping for food and drink at a French market.		 Buying food and drink. Saying how much you need. Partitives and quantities: une bouteille de, un kilo de. Negative partitives: pas de. How to talk about quantities
Asking about the food
Find out about the menu and explain what you like and dislike.		 Reading and understanding a menu. Enquiring about a dish. Saying what you like and don't like. Negatives with ne...pas. Partitive articles du, de la, de l'. How to say 'not'
Fact file Food and drink
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Stage 4:

Country holiday
Unit
Objectives
Grammar Tip
Buying clothes
Choosing clothes in a boutique - make sure they're the right size!		 Buying clothes. Stating your size and talking about how something fits. Adjectives of size and colour. Making simple comparisons. How to describe things
Understanding instructions
Ask and find out how things work at a holiday home.		 Understanding simple instructions. Asking for clarification. Giving instructions with il faut. Giving commands and advice with the imperative. How to understand 'you have to...' or 'you must...'
Getting your bearings
Ask and find out about the local area while on holiday.		 Asking where something is. Enquiring about a specific place. Questions and statements with il y a. Talking about location with près de and loin. How to say 'there is...' and 'there are...'
Talking about the weather
Ask and talk about the weather with the locals while on holiday.		 Understanding simple weather forecasts. Talking about the weather with il fait. Simple and continuous forms of the present tense. How to talk about the weather
Renting items
Have a go at hiring a bike while on holiday in France.		 Renting an item. Describing items and making a choice. Handling larger numbers and prices. Using subject pronouns. How to say 'it'
Fact file Holidays and accommodation
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Stage 5:

Planning your time
Unit
Objectives
Grammar Tip
Asking friends round
Practise making and accepting invitations for an aperitif.		 Making arrangements. Accepting and declining invitations. Making an offer with voulez-vous + infinitive. Using genitive de and chez. How to make offers and invitations
Arranging to go out
Make plans to spend a day out while on holiday in France. 		Making plans and finding out what's on. Asking for advice based on your interests. Days of the week and parts of the day. Saying 'we' using on. How to make suggestions
Taking the train
Ask about train travel and practise buying a ticket to your destination. 		Travelling by public transport. Buying a ticket and checking travel details. Telling the time. 3rd person endings of regular verbs. How to tell the time
Booking a room
Arrange your holiday accommodation over the phone. 		Booking something over the phone. Making enquiries about accommodation. Days and dates. How to say names and dates
Fact file Transport and travel
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Stage 6:

Emergencies
Unit
Objectives
Grammar Tip
At the chemist's
Stock up on essential items and explain what's wrong with you. 		Buying medicine. Describing symptoms with avoir mal and faire mal. Stating what you need with il faut + noun. How to say what hurts
On the road
Practise asking for help if you break down on the road. 		Dealing with problems on the road. Asking for specific help and advice. Stating what you need with avoir besoin de. How to say what you need
Lost property
Practise reporting lost property and explaining what has happened in the past. 		Reporting a problem. Simple use of the passé composé. Understanding past participles How to say 'I've lost' and 'I've seen'
Fact file Emergencies
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