FRENCH
Discover Langma’s French Language Course
The Langma French language course provides you with an insight into the language and the fascinating culture of France and other Francophone countries. Our course caters to all proficiency levels, from novice to expert, with an emphasis on developing skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Langma creates new opportunities and assists students with scholarships, internships, and career options. Our course focuses on grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, and everyday language use to prepare students for international French proficiency exams, including DELF, DALF, and TCF.
Embark on your journey with Langma to master French and explore the vast cultural and professional opportunities across France and the Francophone world.
France
Renowned for its rich heritage, immersive culture, arts, and literature, France is a Northwestern European country, home to around 66.6 million inhabitants. It has a significant global effect through philosophy, theater, cinema, architecture, and fashion. It houses some prestigious sites, including the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre Museum, Notre-Dame Cathedral, and more. As a founding member of the European Union and a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, France plays an important role globally. It is also referred to as L’Hexagone because of its roughly hexagonal shape.
French Arts and Paintings (Arts et peintures français)
France is a bottomless well when it comes to the arts. World-class museums such as the Louvre, home to the famous Mona Lisa, the Centre Pompidou, which houses the largest collection of Modern and Contemporary art, the Musée d'Orsay, known for its extensive Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art pieces, and numerous others, are among the richest and most renowned in the world. Some notable French painters and their paintings include Water Lilies by Claude Monet, The Burial at Ornans by Gustave Courbet, and Olympia by Édouard Manet, to name a few.
French Literature and Philosophy (Littérature et philosophie françaises)
The French consider their literature as an extension of their identity. Intellectuals such as Voltaire, Rousseau, Descartes, Camus, and Sartre made significant contributions to the world of literature and philosophy. Their works continue to inspire people and hold a major influence over literature from all over the world. France has won the Nobel Prize in Literature more times than any other country.
French Music (Musique française)
France is famous for its diverse array of music, including classical, cabaret, chansons, yé-yé, and more, which has a global influence through its brilliant musical impressionists, such as Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel. ‘French songs’ have always emphasised lyrics over music and rhythm, justifying the success of French rap. Some renowned French musicians of all time include Edith Piaf, Zaz, Barbara, and Serge Gainsbourg.
French Dance (Danse française)
France has been home to a range of dance styles throughout history, adding to its diverse cultural tapestry. The first ballet comique de la reine (dramatic ballet) was performed at an aristocratic wedding at the Parisian court in 1581. The French Cancan and the Valse Musette are two of the most iconic French dances.
French Cinema (Cinéma français)
French cinema is regarded as the birthplace of modern cinema. The Lumière brothers were the first to project the film ‘La Sortie des ouvriers de l'usine Lumière’ to a paying crowd in December 1895 in Paris, France. The French adore going to the cinema, on average, once a week - the 5 pm séance (performance) on Sunday being a popular time. François Truffaut, Robert Bresson, and Luc Besson are among the most popular French directors.
French Theatre (Théâtre français)
France’s first important dramatist was Alexandre Hardy, who appeared in Paris in 1597 and published almost three dozen plays that were enormously popular in their day. During the golden age of French drama, the most popular playwright was Molière. Founded in 1680, Comédie-Française, the national theatre of France, is the world’s oldest national theatre.
French Architecture (L'architecture française)
French Fashion (La mode française)
French Cuisine (Cuisine française)
Vowel and Nasal Vowel Sounds: French has 16 oral vowel sounds and 4 nasal vowel sounds. Generally, French vowel sounds are short and don’t glide into other vowels. Nasal vowels are pronounced by passing air out of the nose and the mouth simultaneously.
French Nasal Vowel Sounds Table
Consonant Sounds:
The consonant sounds in French can all be found in the English language, with subtle adjustments. The ‘r’ sound is a challenging one; it’s made in the back of the throat, a little like a growl. It is one of the French sounds that will help you sound natural, thus it’s well worth working on.
French Consonant Sounds Table
Word Stress, Rhythm and Intonation:
Syllables in French words are generally stressed equally. The rhythm of a French sentence is based on breaking the phrase into meaningful parts and then putting stress on the final syllable in each part, which is characterised by a slight rise in intonation. The flow of the sentence remains consistent because of these stressed syllables. When asking a question in French, a rising intonation is used. There is also a rise in intonation when listing items: your voice goes up after each item, and falls with the final item in the list.
French Grammar
French grammar includes the rules that shape the French language. It is similar to English grammar with subtle differences. There are topics such as gendered nouns, verb conjugation, adjective agreement, articles, sentence structure, and demonstratives. Verb usage is based on tense, mood, and the subject pronoun. Adjectives and articles must match the gender and number of the nouns they describe. To form a negative sentence in French, we typically place ‘ne’ and ‘pas’ around the conjugated verb. Generally, the word order in a French sentence is the same as in English (subject-verb-object). Understanding French grammar rules is essential for effective communication in both written and spoken French.
Levels in the French language:
The French language is structured into six levels, A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, and C2, according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), ranging from beginner to advanced/near-native fluency, respectively.
A1 Level (Beginner)
At the A1 level, learners can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and basic phrases. They can present themselves and others, ask and answer simple personal questions, and interact simply if the conversation is slow and clear.
A2 Level (Elementary)
Learners at the A2 level can understand commonly used expressions related to areas such as shopping, work, and family. They can converse in everyday tasks and describe their background, basic needs, and their immediate environment in simple words.
B1 Level (Intermediate)
In B1, learners can understand the clear main points of standard French on familiar topics. They can manage travel situations in French-speaking areas, produce simple texts, and express opinions, experiences, events, dreams, and hopes with moderate flows.
B2 Level (Upper-intermediate)
B2 learners can understand complex texts and the main ideas of technical discussions. They communicate fluently with indigenous speakers without much stress, write clear and detailed texts, and explain their perspectives on a wide range of current or abstract subjects.
C1 Level (Advanced)
At the C1 level, users understand a wide range of texts, demanding and identifying the inherent meaning. They express themselves fluently and spontaneously, using language effectively for social, educational, and professional purposes with well-structured, detailed communication and fine expression.
C2 Level (Proficient/Fluent)
C2 speakers can easily comprehend almost everything that they read or listen to. They can summarize information from various sources, reconstruct arguments, and express themselves fluently, even in complex or unfamiliar contexts, showing deep mastery of the French language.
Survival Phrases
If you’re new to the French language, kick off your learning journey with these essential phrases- a fantastic way to manage basic interactions, which will not only boost your confidence but will also serve as a crucial resource in your French language learning journey.
Numbers
The table below lists French numbers along with their pronunciation guide to assist learners in recognising, memorising, and practicing their pronunciation.
