Elementary French for beginners using "French in Action"
by Professor Nicole Vaget

Oct. 26 = Day 2: lesson in class with moderators (workbook + audiocassette)

I - (Textbook closed) Direct questions in class: "Mise en oeuvre" in your textbook p.17. Please answer the questions that your moderator is asking without looking at your text book.

II - (Workbook open) Working on material in the workbook with audio-tapes:

3.1 Text work-up: This exercise will help you identify and practice the important words and structures of the lesson. You will hear key words repeated several times. You will hear a single or double musical signal followed by a pause.

3.2 Aural comprehension: Interactive exercises with your tape and your workbook. Listen to section 3.2 on the audio recording and look at the pictures reproduced in your workbook. Match the phrases you hear with the corresponding pictures.

3.3 Oral production: Listen to each of the dialogues and answer the question that follows as you heard it answered in the dialogue. You will then hear the correct answer for confirmation. ( You can peek at your workbook only if you are lost, then repeat the exercise until you can produce the full sentence confortably. At this point read the text of lesson 3 in your textbook. Do not forget to read the captions of the illustrations, they give you other exemples of the word you have to learn.

Toward Communication

3.4 Interrogation:

inversion
  La jeune fille est-elle française?

"Est-ce-que"
Est-ce que la jeune fille est française?

pronom interrogatif sujet
 Qui est-ce qui va inventer une histoire

 pronom interrogatif complement direct
 Qu'est-ce que nous allons inventer?

 pronom interrogatif de manière
 Pourquoi allons-nous inventer une histoire?

3.5 The purpose of this exercise is to recognize the 4 types of questions

3.6 - 3.7 Pronunciation: French is easy to pronounce. the accent falls on the last syllable of the rhytmic group. Words which gramatically belong together constitute rhytmic group.

3.8 - 3.12 "il" and "elle" and "l" = /il/ + /ail/ + /l/

3.13 - 3.16 + 3.19 - 3.20 The indefinite article "un", "une", "des"

pluriel

 masculin  un professeur

 un* ami

un* étudiant

 des professeurs

des hommes

 feminin  une fille

 une* amie

une* étudiante

 des filles

Pronunciation: * this is to indicate that whenever the words which follows the article starts with a vowel, you drag the sound "n" to the beginning of the following word: /un-na-mi/ /un-né-tu-djan/ /u-na-mi/ /u-né-tu-djant/

3.17 - 3.20 The definite article "le", "la", "les"

pluriel

 masculin

 

le professeur

l' homme

l'ami

 les professeurs

les amis

les hommes

 féminin la fille l'amie

 les filles

les amies

The singular and the plural of a noun constitutes its "number" while the feminin or masculin of a word constitute its "gender"

3.21 Dictation. Write the missing word correctly.

3.22 Written exercise: Decide which definite article fits.

3.23 - 3.26 Masculine and feminine ending of adjectives:

 masculin

 féminin
 un professeur anglais  une jeune fille anglaise
 un professeur américain  une jeune fille américaine
 un professeur italien  une jeune fille italienne

3.27 Infinitives: In french you recognize an infinitive by its ending:

-er (parler), -ir (choisir), -oir (savoir), -re (apprendre)

There are 3 groupes of verbes in French:

3.29 - 3.34 The immediate futur: in order to facilitate your conversation about things which are about to happen, we suggest that you use an easy form called "the immediate futur". It is built on the present of the verbe "aller" + the infinitive of the verbe you chose to express your thought.

Présent

Futur immédiat
je mange  je vais manger
tu apprends  tu vas apprendre le français
il choisit  il/elle va choisir une jeune fille
nous travaillons  nous allons travailler
vous inventez  vous allez inventer une histoire
 ils/elles parlent  ils/elles vont parler français

3.35 - 3.36 Dictation : Listen and write the missing words in your textbook.

3.37 listen to the dialogue and repeat Jean-Michel's line as often as necessary, until you can answer Mireille confidently. Avoid looking at the written text.

Self-testing exercises: