Our language curriculum utilizes method ALTER EGO, a new series that is fast becoming the primary French teaching tool at Alliances Françaises around the world. Teachers and students work with a student textbook, a workbook and an audio CD available to purchase here at the Alliance Française de Los Angeles.
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BEGINNER 1: Alter Ego 1, dossiers 0-1 (24h)
At the end of this course, you will be able to…
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Communication skills (speak and understand)
Greet somebody and say goodbye.
Count to 100.
Introduce yourself and state your identity (name; age; nationality; job; birth date…).
Ask for someone’s basic information.
Ask for a price.
Express your likes and dislikes.
Understand basic information on France and Europe
| Grammar skills
Use articles (le, la, les, un, une, des, de la, du, de l’).
Form negative sentences.
Use some possessive adjectives.
Understand the feminine/masculine and singular/plural declinations of nouns and adjectives.
Conjugate basic verbs (être; avoir; regular verbs and a few irregular verbs such as aller and prendre) in the present tense.
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BEGINNER 2: Alter Ego 1, dossiers 2-3 (24h)
At the end of this course, you will be able to…
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Communication skills (speak and understand)
Talk briefly about where you live.
Reserve a room in a hotel.
Give directions / understand directions.
Write a simple postcard.
Express your likes and dislikes.
Talk about your hobbies.
Describe yourself or somebody else (physically and personality) in detail.
Extend an invitation / accept or refuse an invitation.
| Grammar skills
Ask simple questions with quel and est-ce que.
Use the proper prepositions with countries (en/au/aux).
Use adjectives.
Conjugate irregular verbs in the present tense, such as aller, faire, pouvoir, vouloir, devoir...
Use articles like au/a la/aux/du/de la/des.
Use pronouns, such as moi, toi, lui…
Use the subject pronoun on.
Use the imperative form.
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BEGINNER 3: Alter Ego 1, dossiers 4-5 (24h)
At the end of this course, you will be able to…
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Communication skills (speak and understand)
Ask for the opening/closing times of a business.
Talk about your daily routine and habits.
Announce and respond to an important family event (birth, wedding, death).
Talk about your family in detail.
Call/respond to somebody on the phone.
Describe the life of somebody in the past tense.
Describe somebody physically in detail.
Relate to past events.
Identify some major French personalities
| Grammar skills
Use reflexive verbs, such as se coucher, in the present tense.
Use passé composé (past tense) to talk about events in the past.
Ask questions with interrogative pronouns (pourquoi, quand, etc.).
Use possessive adjectives such as mon, ma, mes…
Use recent past with tense venir de.
Use near future tense with aller.
Use passé composé (past tense) to talk about events in the past.
Use date and time with the appropriate proposition.
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BEGINNER 4: Alter Ego 1, dossiers 6-7 (24h)
At the end of this course, you will be able to…
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Communication skills (speak and understand)
Express your feelings.
Talk about the weather.
Describe a place in detail.
Talk about your hobbies and leisure activities.
Write about your vacation.
Talk about your food habits and food in general.
Order at a restaurant and express your opinion about the meal.
Talk about clothes and express a judgment about somebody’s look.
Give some advice to somebody about their outfit.
| Grammar skills
Situate an event in time with prepositions.
Locate a place with the appropriate preposition (dans, au sud de, en…).
Use the object pronoun y.
Use articles and expressions to talk about quantity in detail (such as un, une, de la, des, un kilo de, un morceau de, etc.).
Use direct and indirect object pronouns, such as le, la, les, lui, leur.
Use proper expressions to give some advice (il faut, devoir…).
Use relative pronouns qui and que.
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BEGINNER 5: Alter Ego 1, dossiers 8-9-10 (24h)
At the end of this course, you will be able to…
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Communication skills (speak and understand)
Shop in stores and for groceries (ask for information, advice, pay).
Describe an object in detail.
Invite somebody to see a show, reserve the tickets, and discuss the show.
Talk about your childhood and memories.
Compare life in the past and present.
Describe a house or an apartment in detail.
Buy or rent an apartment/house.
Look for a roommate.
Talk about etiquette (how to behave in society, politeness).
| Grammar skills
Use the pronoun en.
Express remaining and restraining quantities.
Understand the placement of adjectives.
Use imparfait (past tense) to talk about memories.
Use comparison (plus… que, moins… que, etc.).
Use properly il y a and depuis to talk in the past or present tense.
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INTERMEDIATE 1: Alter Ego 2, dossiers 1-2 (24h)
At the end of this course, you will be able to…
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Communication skills (speak and understand)
Talk about relationships (acquaintance, friendship and love).
Describe someone’s personality in detail (qualities and flaws).
Report an event and its consequences.
Talk about your professional background.
Look for and apply for a job.
Write a formal cover letter.
| Grammar skills
Use relative pronouns qui, que and à qui.
Use direct and indirect speech.
Use comparisons (plus, moins, meilleur, mieux).
Use properly imparfait and passé composé to tell a story.
Use properly il y a, depuis, dans, pendant, en... to express time and duration.
Use subjonctive to give advice or express obligation.
Use plus-que-parfait.
Use adverbs.
Use indefinite pronouns such as quelque chose, quelqu’un, ne… rien, ne… personne, nulle part/quelque part.
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INTERMEDIATE 2: Alter Ego 1, dossiers 3-4 (24h)
At the end of this course, you will be able to…
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Communication skills (speak and understand)
Describe stereotypes.
Present a country (its inhabitants, its way of life, the social, political and economic system).
Travel around a country (make a reservation and ask for information).
Understand and discuss different newspaper articles.
Express your likes and dislikes about a movie or a TV show.
| Grammar skills
Use articles (le, la, les, un, une, des, de la, du, de l’).
Form negative sentences.
Use some possessive adjectives.
Understand the feminine/masculine and singular/plural declinations of nouns and adjectives.
Conjugate basic verbs (être; avoir; regular verbs and a few irregular verbs such as aller and prendre) in the present tense.
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INTERMEDIATE 3: Alter Ego 1, dossiers 5-6 (24h)
At the end of this course, you will be able to…
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Communication skills (speak and understand)
Talk about the future in detail (your projects, your hopes and dreams…).
Present a project in detail: assess a situation, describe a line of action,
express a purpose, and formulate hypotheses.
Present a book in detail: summarize a story, comment and discuss upon it,
casually express agreement and disagreement.
Describe a change in detail: its process and its consequences.
Discuss a past event (imagine a different past, express regret).
Understand different common French idioms.
| Grammar skills
Express a wish with the indicatif and subjonctif modes (espérer que, souhaiter/vouloir que).
Use the conditionnel to make a suggestion, talk about a project or a hypothetical situation.
Use discourse markers to express cause and consequence.
Use plus-que-parfait and conditionnel passé to express regrets and conditions in the past.
Use indirect speech in the past tense.
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INTERMEDIATE 4: Alter Ego 1, dossiers 7-8 (24h)
At the end of this course, you will be able to…
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Communication skills (speak and understand)
Talk about a cause, support a cause.
Express your feelings and concerns about a situation.
Talk in detail about the progression of an event.
Talk about a societal issue, understand and articulate pros and cons.
Formulate critics, complaints and protests.
| Grammar skills
Use the subjonctif mode to express necessity.
Nuance your points with the use of indicatif and subjonctif.
Use markers to express causes, consequences, contrasts, oppositions and concessions.
Use pour + infinitif passé.
Use the conditionnel passé
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INTERMEDIATE 5: Alter Ego 1, dossiers 9-10 (24h)
At the end of this course, you will be able to…
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Communication skills (speak and understand)
Do all of the above and…
Formulate a judgment and give justification.
Give recommendations and warnings.
Write in detail about a topic of interest.
Write a letter reacting on a subject or to request more information.
| Grammar skills
Do all of the above and…
Use the subjonctif to formulate a judgment.
Use impersonal structures with the infinitive or subjunctive mode.
Use interrogative and possessive pronouns.
Use composed relative pronouns.
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