Lesson 10 - CIIT Virtual Campus: Digital Library

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COMSATS Institute of Information Technology
(Virtual Campus)
Course Code: HUM 430
Course Title: French
Faculty Name: Dr. Bushra Sadiq
Handbook
Bonjour et Bienvenue
French for Beginners

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La carte de France

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Dear Learners,
Bonjour & Bienvenue
Welcome to the French language course for Beginners. Quality time, practice, good listening skills,
patience, positive attitude and pleasure are the key factors in learning a new language and culture.
Video lectures: The complete course outline is covered in 32 video lectures/lessons. Lectures 26-
30 provide evaluation exercises based on lectures 1-25.
Handbook: The hard copy of handbook comprises the explanation of Power Point Slides in MS
Word Document.
Assessment: Assessment will be carried out in the form of 4 quizzes, 4 assignments, 4 graded
board discussions (GDB), 2 sessionals and 1 final examination.
 Quizzes – 10%
 Assignments – 10%
 GDB – 5%
 Sessionals (I & II) – 25%
 Final – 50%
Exam No
Exam Type
Due after Lecture
No.
Total Marks
1
Quiz 1
6
10
2
Quiz 2
12
10
3
Quiz 3
18
10
4
Quiz 4
24
10
5
Assignment 1
7
10
6
Assignment 2
14
10
7
Assignment 3
21
10
8
Assignment 4
28
10
9
GDB 1
6
10
10
GDB 2
12
10
11
GDB 3
18
10
12
GDB 4
24
10
13
Sessional 1
10
20
14
Sessional 2
20
20
15
Final
32
50
Bonne chance & Bon courage !

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Lesson 1
I. Language skills
2. Learning strategies
3. French alphabets
4. Greetings
5. Politeness
6. Culture
Learning a new language is a challenge and a journey full of motivation, determination, practice,
effective learning strategies, patience and lots of laughter and of course plenty of time on one's disposal.
One learns about the language (vocabulary, grammar, phonetics) as well about the culture and people
(habits, monuments, literature, food, music, etc).
Language learning is best when one has manageable goals that are achievable over a few months. It is
also vital to take out time for learning the target language on regular basis. Moreover, language learning
should be a source of joy and fun which makes the learning interesting and easy.
I. Language Skills
We need the following four skills when learning a new language:
- Listening
- Speaking
- Reading
- Writing
2. Learning strategies
Learning strategies/techniques play an important role and can help to learn the new language. As a
beginner, it is important to "listen" and "repeat" the new sounds & words. It will take time to develop
your listening skills in a new language but with practice and patience, you will definitely feel comfortable
with the passage of time. Remember that Listening and repetition are two key learning strategies:
- Écoutez
- Répétez
3. French alphabets
French language has the same number of alphabets as English language. The letters L M N 0 and S are
pronounced the same way as in English but the rest of the alphabets arc pronounced in a different
manner. We can say that French is more close to Urdu language as far as pronunciation and grammar
rules are concerned. The best strategy is to listen and repeat the alphabets:
A B C D E F O H I J K L M N O PQ R S T UV W X Y Z
4. Greetings
Language and culture arc closely linked. The French culture is very polite, reserved, and dignified
and it is reflected in the French language in many ways. Bonjour (Hello, Good morning) is a standard
way of greeting used in both formal and informal situations. We can use "Madam", "Miss", "Sir" or
the name of the person while greeting:

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- Bonjour Madame ! (Good morning Madam)
- Bonjour Mademoiselle ! (Good morning Miss)
- Bonjour Monsieur ! (Good morning Sir)
- Salut Ali ! (Hi/HelloAli)
Remember: “Salut” means “Hi” and “Bye” as well and is used for friends in informal situation.
Bonsoir (Hello, Good evening) is also used in both formal and informal situations. We can use
''Madam". "Miss", "Sir" or the name of the person while greeting:
- Bonsoir Madame ! (Good evening Madam)
- Bonsoir Mademoiselle ! (Good evening Miss)
- Bonsoir Monsieur ! (Good evening Sir)
- Bonsoir Sara ! (Good evening Sara)
Au revoir (Good bye) is also used in both formal and informal situations. We can use "Madam".
"Miss", "Sir' or the name of the person:
- Au revoir Madame ! (Good bye Madam)
- Au revoir Mademoiselle ! (Good bye Miss)
- Au revoir Monsieur ! (Good bye Sir)
- Au revoir Sara ! (Good bye Sara)
5. Politeness
It is important to learn two words which will be very useful while talking in French:
- Excusez-moi (Excuse me)
- Merci (Thank you)
6. Culture:
Name of the monument Tour Eiffel
Where is it? Paris
Who designed Gustave Fiffel
On March 31,1889, workers riveted the last of more than 18,000 iron pieces into place to complete
construction of the Eiffel Tower. To inaugurate the magnificent metallic structure, Alexandre-
Gustave Eiffel, the tower's designer, climbed its 1,710 steps and unfurled a French tricolor flag
from its pinnacle.