We offer various course levels in French, from beginner to upper intermediate.
Post Beginner
This level is suitable for those who have completed the Complete Beginner course with Foreign Languages and/or:
- can understand classroom language
- can introduce myself and others
- can ask and answer simple questions
- are confident when using the present tense
- can produce sentences in the negative form
- can express likes and dislikes
Elementary Part 2
Enrol in this course if you:
- have some notion of French and/or completed a full beginner’s course in the past, or the elementary part 1 course
- can understand touristic information and describe a place/town
- can use the near future tense with ‘aller’
- can use the present tense, including irregular verbs like 'pouvoir', 'vouloir', 'savoir' and 'connaître'
- can understand simple job advertisements
Lower Intermediate Part 2
Enrol on this course if you have some knowledge of French (completed the lower intermediate part 1 course with Foreign Languages and/or have a GCSE or similar qualification), or if you can:
- express an opinion
- compare things such as various types of accommodation
- understand short recordings on everyday life, delivered at a relatively slow pace in standard dialect French
- recognise past tenses (passé composé and imparfait)
- write short texts
Intermediate Part 2
Enrol on this course if you:
- have completed the intermediate part 1 with Foreign Languages and/or have an AS level or equivalent in French and are able to interact in French in common social situations with a degree of flexibility
- can express opinions and engage in conversation on a number of non-abstract topics, and participate in a debate
- can write a CV and understand and answer questions for a job interview
- have the necessary vocabulary to talk about travelling and the environment
- can use a range of tenses to express present, past and future, as well as the conditional and the subjunctive at a basic level
- can understand the gist and some detail of recorded or broadcast audio material on topics of personal and general interest when the delivery is relatively slow and clear and delivered in standard dialect
Upper Intermediate Part 2
Enrol on this course if you:
- have completed the upper intermediate part 1 with Foreign Languages and/or have an A level or equivalent in French
- you are already able to communicate in a number of less predictable situations, including some more abstract topic areas
- can navigate comfortably between a wide range of tenses and moods, including the conditional for hypothesis and you know when to use the subjunctive at a basic level
- can talk or write about topics of personal and general interest such as work, study, leisure and health
- can write with a good level of accuracy
- can speak with reasonably good fluency and without notes
- can understand the gist and some detail of recorded or broadcast audio material on topics of personal and general interest such as work, study, leisure and on current affairs when the delivery is clear and delivered in standard dialect.
Enrolment for these courses is now closed.
French in Your Suitcase
The aim of this short summer course is to give you the opportunity to build on your previous knowledge and prepare you for a stay in a French-speaking country.
Whether you are going on a work placement or simply want to improve your language skills, the course will give you the essential tools to communicate in a range of situations for work or pleasure.
Course structure
The course consists of five 1 hour 50 minute sessions with independent study tasks to complete between each session. Plan approximately two hours independent study between sessions.
Language requirement
The course is for students who have completed our Elementary or Lower Intermediate units. It is not suitable for complete beginners or for more advanced learners.
You should have A1/A2 level in the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) or have a GCSE or equivalent qualification.
You should be able to confidently talk about yourself, family and friends, express an opinion, understand short written texts and audio recordings, and write a paragraph on an everyday topic.
Date and time
The course will run every day from Monday 5 June to Friday 9 June 2023 from 11.15am to 1.05pm.
Classes will be delivered in-person on campus.
Student experience
The French course at Bath has been a truly enjoyable and rewarding experience. Here, I got to learn not only about the French language, but also about the French culture. The teacher and classmates are wonderfully friendly as well, and everyone is encouraged to speak. It's an unmissable opportunity that I highly recommend. (Yun Ling, MSc Computer Science)
In addition to our courses, there are opportunities to develop your language and intercultural skills informally with other students through Peer Assisted Learning and Virtual Exchange.
Outside the classroom, we also share cultural events organised by French associations in the UK such as the Institut Français and Alliance Française with our students. These events offer additional opportunities for you to develop your knowledge of French language and culture.