Course Description
FRE1120C – Elementary French I is a 4-credit-hour beginning French course designed for students with little or no prior exposure to the French language. The course provides foundational instruction across the four communicative skills — listening, speaking, reading, and writing — within the context of French-speaking cultures from France, Quebec, Belgium, Switzerland, North and West Africa, the Caribbean, and other Francophone regions. The "C" lab indicator denotes integrated lecture and laboratory components, providing structured oral practice and listening exercises alongside classroom instruction.
Instruction follows the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) proficiency framework, targeting Novice-Mid to Novice-High proficiency by course completion. Students develop the ability to handle simple, predictable communicative tasks — greetings, introductions, basic personal information, common everyday situations, simple descriptions, and basic narration. The course establishes the grammatical foundation (regular and common irregular present-tense verbs, articles, basic question formation, gender and agreement) needed to support continued language study.
FRE1120C is a Florida common course offered at approximately 32 Florida institutions. Together with FRE1121C (Elementary French II), it satisfies the two-semester world-language general-education sequence required for many degree programs and contributes to State University System (SUS) admission language requirements. It transfers as the equivalent course at all Florida public postsecondary institutions per SCNS articulation policy.
Learning Outcomes
Required Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Engage in basic interpersonal communication on familiar topics, including greetings, introductions, simple personal information, and routine everyday interactions.
- Demonstrate interpretive listening by understanding spoken French on familiar topics at an elementary level, including teacher speech, simple dialogues, and basic adapted recordings.
- Demonstrate interpretive reading of short, adapted French texts on familiar topics (advertisements, simple announcements, basic biographical information).
- Produce simple written and spoken French using present-tense verbs and basic sentence structures.
- Apply French phonology at the introductory level, including pronunciation of French vowels and consonants, nasalization, and basic intonation patterns.
- Apply French grammar at the elementary level, including subject pronouns, regular -er, -ir, -re verbs, common irregular verbs (être, avoir, aller, faire), articles (definite, indefinite, partitive), gender and agreement of nouns and adjectives, basic question formation, negation, and prepositions.
- Apply elementary vocabulary for daily life topics: greetings, family, professions, classroom, food and drink, time and weather, clothing, places in the city.
- Demonstrate cultural literacy regarding France and the broader Francophone world at the introductory level, including geography, daily customs, and major cultural traditions.
- Compare and contrast cultural products, practices, and perspectives across the Francophone world and the United States at the elementary level.
Optional Outcomes
- Begin introductory exposure to past tenses (the passé composé) toward the end of the term in some sections.
- Engage with authentic Francophone media at the elementary level (children's programming, simple songs, basic news).
- Apply French to simple practical contexts relevant to the student's interests or future travel.
- Engage with the linguistic diversity of the Francophone world at an awareness level.
Major Topics
Required Topics
- Greetings and Introductions: Bonjour, salut, au revoir; tu vs. vous distinction; je m'appelle / il s'appelle; basic personal information; the verb être (to be).
- The French Alphabet and Pronunciation: Letter names; basic French vowels (a, e, é, è, ê, i, o, u, y); nasal vowels (an/en, on, in, un); consonants and silent letters; liaison; basic intonation patterns.
- Subject Pronouns: je, tu, il, elle, on, nous, vous, ils, elles; the formal/informal distinction; the inclusive use of on.
- Articles: Definite articles (le, la, les, l'); indefinite articles (un, une, des); partitive articles (du, de la, de l', des); contractions with à and de (au, aux, du, des).
- Nouns and Gender: The grammatical gender of nouns; common gender-determining patterns; plural formation (regular -s, exceptions); recognizing gender from determiners.
- Adjectives: Agreement with the noun (gender and number); typical adjective placement (after the noun, with exceptions for BAGS adjectives — Beauty, Age, Goodness, Size); irregular adjectives.
- Regular -er Verbs: Conjugation pattern; common -er verbs (parler, étudier, habiter, travailler, regarder, écouter, manger, voyager, aimer, adorer, détester); use in present tense.
- Irregular Verbs — être and avoir: Conjugation; idiomatic uses of avoir (avoir faim, avoir soif, avoir chaud, avoir froid, avoir... ans for age); use in basic descriptions.
- Irregular Verbs — aller and faire: Conjugation; aller for movement and immediate future (futur proche: je vais + infinitive); faire for activities and idiomatic expressions; faire vs. jouer for sports.
- Regular -ir and -re Verbs: Conjugation patterns; common -ir verbs (finir, choisir, réussir); common -re verbs (attendre, vendre, répondre).
- Negation: Ne... pas; ne... jamais; ne... plus; ne... rien; ne... personne (introductory); placement of ne and pas around conjugated verb.
- Question Formation: Intonation questions; est-ce que questions; inversion questions; question words (qui, que, quoi, où, quand, comment, pourquoi, combien, quel/quelle).
- Numbers, Time, and Date: Numbers 0-100 (and beyond at introductory level); telling time (formal and informal); days of the week; months; dates.
- Possessive Adjectives: mon/ma/mes, ton/ta/tes, son/sa/ses, notre/nos, votre/vos, leur/leurs; agreement with the possessed noun.
- Demonstrative Adjectives: ce/cet/cette/ces; their use in identifying and comparing.
- Prepositions: à, de, dans, sur, sous, devant, derrière, à côté de, près de, loin de; prepositions of place; à vs. de with city names and country names; geographical prepositions.
- Vocabulary — Daily Life: Family (la famille, les parents, le frère, la sœur, etc.); professions (le médecin, le professeur, l'avocat, etc.); the classroom (la salle de classe, le livre, le stylo); food and drink (la nourriture, les boissons, les repas); time and weather (l'heure, le temps, les saisons); clothing (les vêtements); the city (la ville, les commerces, les transports).
- Cultural Topics: Geography of France and the Francophone world; the diversity of French speakers worldwide (300+ million); daily customs (cafés, meals, school system, family life); major holidays (le 14 juillet, Noël, Mardi Gras); famous Francophone places, people, and traditions; the cultural integration of French-speaking communities (Quebec, Haiti, North and West Africa, the Caribbean).
Optional Topics
- Introduction to Passé Composé: Brief introduction to the most common past tense (typically more thoroughly developed in FRE1121C).
- Authentic Media at Beginner Level: Simple Francophone children's programs; basic Francophone music; basic news reports adapted for learners.
- Francophone Cultural Deep-Dives: Specific cultural focus (Parisian café culture, Quebec's Carnaval, Senegal's musical traditions, etc.) where instructor expertise allows.
- Practical Travel French: Basic vocabulary and expressions for travel scenarios (hotel, restaurant, transportation).
Resources & Tools
- Common Textbooks: Liaisons (Wong/Weber-Fève), Imaginez (Vista Higher Learning), Espaces (Vista Higher Learning), Promenades (Vista Higher Learning), Horizons (Manley/Smith/McMinn/Prévost)
- Open Educational Resources: Le français interactif (University of Texas at Austin, free), LibreTexts French materials
- Online Platforms: Vista Higher Learning Supersite (Imaginez, Espaces, Promenades), MyLab French (Pearson), Cengage iLrn — required online homework typically
- Reference Standards: ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines; ACTFL World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages (5 Cs: Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, Communities)
- Supplementary Resources: WordReference.com (English-French dictionary); Larousse online dictionary; Conjuguemos (free verb conjugation practice); Quizlet; Duolingo (free, supplemental); Memrise (free, supplemental)
- Authentic Materials: France 24 (news); RFI (Radio France Internationale); TV5MONDE (curricular content for French learners); French-language children's programming on streaming services; French music (introductory level)
Career Pathways
French study, particularly when continued beyond the elementary level, is valued across several career fields. FRE1120C — particularly when followed by FRE1121C and intermediate study — supports preparation for:
- International Business and Trade — France is a major U.S. trading partner; French is widely used in West Africa, Quebec, Belgium, and Switzerland in commercial contexts.
- Diplomacy and International Affairs — French is one of the official languages of the UN, the EU, the African Union, and many international organizations.
- Tourism and Hospitality — Florida's hospitality industry serves substantial French-speaking visitors, particularly from Quebec and France.
- Education — K-12 French teachers and college French instructors.
- Healthcare and Social Services — Serving Haitian Creole and French-speaking immigrant communities (substantial in South Florida) often involves French.
- Arts, Culture, and Humanities — Curatorial work, art history, fashion, culinary arts, literary translation.
- Aerospace and Defense — Florida's aerospace sector includes French companies (Airbus, Safran, Thales) with U.S. operations.
Continued French study toward intermediate (FRE2200/2201) and advanced levels significantly enhances earning potential and opens career-track bilingual professional roles.
Special Information
General Education and Transfer
FRE1120C is a Florida common course number. Together with FRE1121C, it satisfies the two-semester world-language general-education sequence at most Florida public colleges and universities and meets State University System (SUS) admission language requirements (typically two semesters of college-level world language or two years of high school world language). It transfers as the equivalent course at all Florida public postsecondary institutions per SCNS articulation policy.
Articulation and Sequence
FRE1120C is the prerequisite for FRE1121C (Elementary French II), continuing into FRE2200 (Intermediate French I), and FRE2201 (Intermediate French II). Students intending to major or minor in French should plan to continue through the intermediate sequence and into upper-division coursework.
Placement and Heritage Learners
Students with significant prior French exposure (those who completed two or more years of high school French, heritage speakers, or those who tested into FRE1121C or higher) should consult an advisor about appropriate placement. FRE1120C is designed for true beginners; students with stronger preparation typically place into FRE1121C or FRE2200. Heritage speakers from Haitian Creole-speaking backgrounds (substantial in South Florida) may benefit from specialized advising regarding French and Haitian Creole study options at institutions offering them.
Course Format
FRE1120C is offered in multiple formats: traditional face-to-face, hybrid, fully online (asynchronous and synchronous), and intensive accelerated formats. The fully online format has expanded substantially with publisher-supported online platforms providing rich multimedia content. Students new to language learning often benefit from face-to-face or synchronous online formats that provide live oral practice opportunities; asynchronous online formats can be effective for self-directed learners but require disciplined practice.
Course Workload
Language learning requires sustained daily practice. Students typically spend 3-5 hours per week beyond class time on FRE1120C work, including online platform exercises, vocabulary memorization, oral practice, and writing assignments. Students who succeed in elementary language courses typically establish daily practice habits (15-30 minutes daily) rather than concentrating work near deadlines.
The Francophone World
French is spoken by an estimated 300+ million people worldwide as a first or second language, and is an official or co-official language in approximately 30 countries across Europe, Africa, the Americas (Canada, Haiti, French Guiana), Oceania, and the Indian Ocean. Florida's connection to the Francophone world includes substantial Haitian and Haitian-American communities (particularly in Miami-Dade and Broward counties) and significant Quebec tourism. Modern French language teaching emphasizes the diversity of the Francophone world rather than a France-only focus.