French, Part 1: Understanding Basic Elements and Phrases

Bonjour! Begin your voyage into language learning with a global look at the French language and French-speaking countries around the world. Learning a new language is an active process, and language is deeply connected to the cultures where it is spoken. In this first course in the series, Ann Williams—a Professor of French at the Metropolitan State University of Denver and winner of multiple academic awards—shows you several patterns and rules to jump-start your understanding of French. Discover essential phrases that will help you avoid any faux pas. Then survey the basics of numbers, definite and indefinite articles, the alphabet, and geography. Continue your exploration of French manners and culture and build your mastery of basic phrases. Then reflect on several “word families” that will help you build your vocabulary and make connections across the language. Along the way, you’ll also pick up a few common verb forms, adjectives, and adverbs.

This course was created by The Great Courses. We are pleased to host this training in our library.