Singapore Management University FNCH201 Introductory French

Singapore Management University
FNCH201 Introductory French
Instructor: Lisa Thom
Course Description
In this course for beginners, students will learn to understand and communicate
in basic spoken French, along with developing their reading and writing skills. I
will use the communicative approach to language teaching, and the course will
be conducted entirely in French.
In addition to learning the language, students will be introduced to French culture
and customs, in particular those that are relevant to social and business
interactions. Each student will receive a workbook and cassette accompanying
the text for practice. In addition to these formal exercises, students will have the
opportunity to practice their skills through roleplay of the common situations
covered in each lesson, so that they will become comfortable speaking
extemporaneously in French. The course will draw from a variety of French
media such as radio and films, so that the class becomes accustomed to hearing
different ways of speaking and is exposed to a variety of topics.
Course Objectives
By the end of a semester, each student should be able to greet a French person
in the culturally appropriate manner, discuss where s/he is from, his/her
profession and interests, take a taxi, ask for directions and understand the reply,
make a telephone call using the customary expressions, leave a message on an
answering machine, understand a menu and order food in a restaurant, and book
a hotel room, a plane ticket or a train ticket.
Text: Entre Amis + accompanying workbook and cds.
Required Work
- Attendance: Regular attendance in class with no more than 2 absences; work
missed must be made up. Students must appear in class on time; chronic
lateness or absence will be reflected in the discretionary part of the grade
(attitude)
- Active Participation in all class activities is required, as regular practice is
necessary to learning to speak and understand a foreign language.
- Homework: Written assignments must be completed on time. Penalty for late

homework is a 5% deduction from the grade on that assignment.
- Regularly Scheduled Quizzes following completion of each Chapter and a
written Final Exam.
Extracurricular Activities
I will organize a number of extracurricular activities, including viewing French
films and attending exhibitions at the Alliance Française de Singapour, an
opportunity (optional) to dine at a local French restaurant where the students can
order their meal in French, in an authentic situation.
In the second semester course, I will discuss the opportunities for networking in
French and with French companies in Singapore (Eurocham, the French
Business Association and French Business Centre of Singapore) and will
arrange for the students to visit a French company in Singapore. I would like to
arrange with the FBA for students to attend a lecture or event after they have
studied 2 semesters of French.
Syllabus
Week One: Meeting someone; manners and customs; When to use first vs last
names. Pronunciation, L'alphabet français; Les accents. L'article défini: le, la, l' et
les; Exchanging personal information. Uses of Monsieur, Madame et
Mademoiselle; Le contact physique, Counting (numbers will be continued,
increasing, week to week).
Culture: La francophonie.
Week Two: Subject Pronouns; The verb être; Agreement of Adjectives; La
négation; Asking and responding to "How are you?"; Giving and responding to
compliments; Oui ou non; Offering, accepting, and refusing; Le verbe aller (to
go).
Culture: Le téléphone; Merci; The toast: A votre santé; Refusing politely, familiar
greetings; Le café.
Week Three: Introduction to regular verbs ending in -er; Colors; Describing
people and things; Describing personal attributes; Describing clothing; Identifying
someone's profession. Groups of adjectives; L'adjectif démonstratif; Place of the
adjective; Le verbe faire (to do); The interrogatives qui, que et quel.
Reading: Offres d'emploi (job offers)
Week Four: Telling time; Explaining your schedule; Telling where to find places.
À + article défini; Le verbe aller (suite); L'heure; Les jours de la semaine; Le
verbe devoir; Quelques prépositions de lieu; L'impératif; Les prépositions de lieu
avec une ville ou un pays; Les mots interrogatifs où et quand.

Culture. Familiar Greetings: Salut; “La bise”; immigration.
Week Five: Vos activités: Describing your study habits; Describing your weekend
activities; Les verbes écrire et lire; Ne...rien; Temps, heure et fois; Les verbes
pronominaux; Les verbes dormir, partir et sortir; asking and giving directions.
Culture: Le Maghreb; the DOM-TOM.
Week Six: Les verbes nettoyer et envoyer; Le pronom y; Le verbe venir; Venir de
+ infinitif; Les prépositions de lieu avec une ville ou un pays (suite); Les mois de
l'année, les saisons et le temps; L'article partitif.
Culture: French technologies; Une technologie de pointe; Le TGV.
Week Seven: Expressions using avoir (to have); Meals in France; Ordering a
French meal; Discussing quantities; Expressing an opinion; Expressing a
preference; The verb prendre (to take); Expressions of quantity; The verb boire
(to drink); paying the bill.
Culture: L'apéritif; French wines; French customs at the table; courses of the
French meal; Paying the bill; Le menu versus la carte; L'étiquette à table: how a
French table is set and the French way of using cutlery; Bringing flowers to
dinner at a home.
Reading: A French Menu
Activity: Ordering in French; Optional meal at a French restaurant ordering from a
French waiter.
Week Eight: Midterm Break
Week Nine: The verb préférer and verbs that function similarly; Shopping;
Finding out where things are sold; Making a purchase. Les verbes en -re;
Depuis; Le verbe acheter; Les pronoms relatifs.
Culture: La pharmacie; Le tabac; Les petits magasins; Shopping in France;
etiquette in boutiques; fashion and luxury goods industry in France.
Week Ten: Giving reasons and making excuses; L'impératif; Giving orders and
advice, expressing one’s will; Les verbes vouloir et pouvoir; Les pronoms objets
directs; Les pronoms à l'impératif.
Culture: Answering the telephone; telephone manners.
Week Eleven: Le verbe conduire; Les adverbes; Making comparisons. The
comparative of adverbs and adjectives. Asking questions using interrogative
pronouns.
Culture: Appropriate manner of dress in different situations.
Week Twelve: Savoir vs connaître (to know); Making a request; Making a
restaurant or hotel reservation; À l'hôtel; Making a transportation reservation.
Regular verbs ending in -ir (-iss-); L'adjectif tout.
Reading: Train schedule (Paris-Nantes)
Culture: Le Sénégal, Haïti

Week Thirteen: Le verbe mettre; Les verbes pronominaux; Ne...personne, ne
plus, ne jamais. Describing an illness or injury; Apologizing or excusing oneself.
Culture: Understanding French attitudes toward money.
Week Fourteen: Review for final exam
Week Fifteen: Final Exam
Final Grade
Attendance and Class Participation 20%
Homework 20%
Quizzes 30%
Final Exam 30%
Academic Dishonesty will not be tolerated, and SMU’s policy will apply.
Reasons to Learn French
A knowledge of French opens many business, cultural and diplomatic
opportunities. French is spoken by about 181.5 million persons1 in the world who
speak French as the native or second language. In Europe, French is spoken in
France, Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg and Monaco. Outside of France, it is
spoken in Canada, in many Middle Eastern, African and Caribbean countries,
and is still spoken by some people in Southeast Asia. 49 countries on several
continents, many of which are former French colonies, form the Organization of
Francophone Countries2, which share French as a common language. French
has traditionally been the language of diplomacy and remains so, alongside
English. Aside from practical diplomatic or commercial reasons for learning
French, the French culture is remarkable for its literature, poetry, film and
contributions to other arts. To appreciate this country as a traveler or resident, it
is extremely helpful to know the language, for practical reasons and to gain a
deeper view of French life that one can only acquire when able to understand the
language in cultural, social and business situations.