FRENCH LANGUAGE
SELF-PACED COURSE
1. About this Course
It reviews the fundamentals taught in two to three semesters of French language at college. The CLEP exam incorporates into a single exam both Level 1 and Level 2 content.
"Our course will review the fundamentals of French grammar, starting with the present tense to finish with more complex structures, like the conditional. We will also study the passé composé and the
"This course will also provide you with the necessary vocabulary to perform a variety of actions, such as asking and answering a wide range of questions, talking about yourself and your family, or discussing your daily life and immediate surroundings. At the end of each module, a section called “Mise en pratique” will allow you to practice with the grammar covered in each module."
The CLEP examination is designed to measure knowledge and ability equivalent to that of students who have completed two to three semesters of college French language study. Note that colleges may award different amounts of credit depending on the test taker's test scores.
Our “French Language” course is completely self-paced. There are no prerequisites to take this course, and it is entirely free.
The goal of the creator of this course – Modern States Education Alliance, a non-profit organization – is to prepare you to pass the College Board's CLEP examination and obtain college credit for free.
2. Required Knowledge and Skills
Section I (15%)
Listening: Rejoinders
Listening comprehension: choosing the best responses to
Section II (25%)
Listening: Dialogues and Narratives
Listening comprehension: choosing the answers to questions based on longer spoken selections
Section III (60%)
Listening: Reading
10% Part A. Discrete sentences (vocabulary and structure)
20% Part B. Short cloze passages (vocabulary and structure)
30% Part C. Reading passages and authentic stimulus materials (reading comprehension)
3. Course Modules
Following are the main topics and percentages of the exam’s questions, mostly based on the College Board's description of the course:
Module 1: Se Présenter
1.0 Introduction
1.1 Greetings
1.2 Subject Pronouns
1.3 The Alphabet
1.4 Pronunciation
1.5 Auxiliaries Être and Avoir
1.6 Mise En Pratique
Module 2: Ma Famille
2.0 Introduction
2.1 The Family
2.2 French Nouns: Deciding on the Gender
2.3 French Nouns: Deciding on the Number
2.4 Indefinite Articles
2.5 Definite Articles
2.6 Professions
2.7 Mise En Pratique
Module 3: Chez Moi
3.0 Introduction
3.1 Rooms and Furniture
3.2 French Adjectives
3.3 The Position of Adjectives in a Sentence
3.4 The Comparative
3.5 The Superlative
3.6 Possessive Adjectives
3.7 Mise En Pratique
Module 4: Mon Quartier
4.0 Introduction
4.1 Places
4.2 Prepositions of Places
4.3 Au Restaurant - Food and Dinnerware
4.4 The Partitive Article
4.5 The Interrogative Pronouns Qui, Que, Quand, Quoi, Où, Comment, and Pourquoi
4.6 Mise En Pratique
Module 5: Mon Quotidien
5.0 Introduction
5.1 French Infinitive
5.2 The Present Tense of -ER Verbs (Regular and Irregular)
5.3 The Present Tense of -IR Verbs (Regular and Irregular)
5.4 The Present Tense of -RE verbs
5.5 Reflexive Verbs
5.6 Mise En Pratique
Module 6: À L’école
6.0 Introduction
6.1 The School
6.2 Savoir vs Connaître
6.3 Asking Questions
6.4 The Interrogative Quel(le)(s)?
6.5 The Negation
6.6 Mise En Pratique
Module 7: Activités et Hobbies
7.0 Introduction
7.1 Telling Time
7.2 Days of the Week
7.3 French Verbs Followed by a Preposition
7.4 French Personal Pronouns
7.5 The Pronouns Y and En
7.6 Mise En Pratique
Module 8: Le
8.0 Introduction
8.1 Talking about Past Events: Le Passé Composé
8.2 Using the Auxiliary, Être or Avoir at the Passé Composé
8.3 The Past Participle
8.4 Talking About Past Events: L’imparfait
8.5 Passé Composé vs Imparfait
8.6 Mise En Pratique
Module 9: Quand Je Serai Grand(e): Using Their Future
9.0 Introduction
9.1 Reminder: Le Futur Proche
9.2 The Future Tense (Regular and Irregular Verbs)
9.3 Interrogative Pronouns
Module 10: Giving Orders: The Imperative
10.1 Giving Orders: The Imperative
Module 11: Offering Advice: The Subjunctive
11.0 Introduction
11.1 The Formation of the Subjunctive
11.2 How to Use the Subjunctive (Common Expressions and Structures)
11.3 Subjunctive vs Infinitive
11.4 Subjunctive vs Indicative
Module 12: Chez Le Docteur
12.0 Introduction
12.1 The Human Body
12.2 French Adverbs
Module 13: Relative Pronouns
13.0 Introduction
13.1 Relative Pronouns: Categories and Uses
13.2 The Pronoun
13.3 The Pronoun Que Used with the Passé Composé
Module 14: Expressing Time
14.0 Introduction
14.1 Months
14.2 Common Words and Expressions to Locate an Event in Time
14.3 The Present Participle (Regular and Irregular Verbs)
Module 15: The Conditional
15.0 Introduction
15.1 The Conditional: Formation and Uses
15.2 Mise En Pratique
4. About Romain Chareyron, Washington State University
Dr. Romain Chareyron defended his thesis in French culture and cinema in 2010 at the University of Alberta (Edmonton, Canada). Since then, he has been teaching a wide range of French language and cultural courses at different institutions within Canada and the US, including the University of Alberta, the University of Kansas and Washington State University. He currently teaches
Dr. Romain Chareyron’s academic interests include the development of educational materials to facilitate the learning of French, as well as contemporary French and Francophone cinema and culture. Romain’s works have been published in various international, peer- reviewed journals, and he has presented on French and Francophone cinema at national and international conferences.
5. How CLEP Works
Developed by the College Board, CLEP (College-Level Examination Program®) is the most widely accepted credit-by-examination program.
CLEP’s credits are accepted by 2,900 colleges and universities, according to the College Board. These tests assess college-level knowledge in 33 subject areas.
Modern States Education Alliance is the non-profit organization behind these edX-style courses. Its project is called “Freshman Year for Free” and its mission is to make college more accessible and affordable through free, high-quality online education.
• 'Passing the CLEP and Learning with Modern States' orientation course