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CEFR C1 · 50 lessons · 7 units

C1 Advanced

Write and speak with precision, style, and control of register.

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Unit 1

Literary French

  1. 1The passé simpleGrammarRead and write the passé simple: all persons of the regular patterns, the full forms of être, avoir, faire, venir, tenir and voir, the third person of the verbs readers meet most, and the passé simple with the imparfait in a written narrative.
  2. 2The passé antérieurGrammarForm the passé antérieur (il eut fini, elle fut partie), use it after quand, lorsque, dès que, aussitôt que, après que and à peine… que in a passé simple narrative, and choose its partners in speech: the passé surcomposé, the passé composé and, for habits, the plus-que-parfait.
  3. 3The future in the past and tense nuanceGrammarLook ahead from a moment in the past: the conditionnel and the conditionnel passé outside reported speech, allait and devait + infinitive, ne pas tarder à, and the historical present with the futur in reports.
  4. 4Imperfect and pluperfect subjunctiveGrammarRecognize the imparfait and plus-que-parfait du subjonctif in classic texts (qu'il fût, qu'il eût, qu'il vînt, qu'il eût fini), tell them from the passé simple, read il eût préféré and fût-il, and give their modern equivalents.
  5. 5Reading literary narrativeCommunicationRead a story told in the passé simple: what each tense does, who is telling the story and through whose eyes, how to spot free indirect speech, and how a short story is built, with an original pastiche of a 19th-century short story.
  6. 6The French literary canonCultureA short, neutral overview of the French classics: the classical seventeenth century, the Enlightenment, the nineteenth-century novel and the twentieth century, with the words to talk about periods and genres and an original article on how French schools read these works.
  7. 7French poetryCultureHow French verse works: counting syllables in the alexandrine, the caesura, the mute e, diaeresis, rhyme patterns and the sonnet, with lines from Racine, Hugo, Baudelaire and Verlaine and an original poem in classical form with its commentary.
  8. 8Review: Literary FrenchReviewBring Unit 1 together in an original tale: the passé simple and the imparfait, one passé antérieur, a future in the past, a recognized imperfect subjunctive and a line of free indirect speech, then rewrite it in modern spoken French.

Unit 2

Style and emphasis

  1. 9Stylistic inversionGrammarPut the verb before its subject in careful written French: after à peine, ainsi, du moins, encore and toujours est-il que, after direct speech (dit-il, répondit le témoin) and in relative clauses, and know when inversion is required, optional or wrong.
  2. 10The ne explétifGrammarRecognize and use the ne explétif after avant que, à moins que, de peur que, craindre que, empêcher que, il s'en faut de peu que and comparisons (plus… que je ne pensais), and tell it apart from a real negation.
  3. 11Literary negationGrammarRead and use the negatives of formal and literary French: ne… point, nullement and aucunement, nul ne, ne alone with oser and cesser, ne… ni ne and sans… ni, with their everyday equivalents.
  4. 12Dislocation and frontingGrammarPut the topic first or last in speech (ce film, je l'ai adoré; je l'ai adoré, ce film) with the right pronoun, and front words in formal writing (rares sont ceux qui, reste à savoir si, telle est la raison), choosing the emphasis that fits the register.
  5. 13Adverb placement and nuanceGrammarMove seulement, même and aussi to change what a sentence means, use sentence adverbs (visiblement, décidément, forcément), and place long adverbs in compound tenses, with placements given as tendencies.
  6. 14Tricky prepositionsGrammarVerbs whose meaning changes with the preposition (manquer à / manquer de, penser à / penser de, croire à / croire en, rêver de / rêver à, tenir à / tenir de), de or par after a passive, and prepositions with islands, overseas regions and cities with an article.
  7. 15Precise verbsVocabularyReplace faire, mettre, dire, avoir and il y a with the exact verb a careful writer would choose: effectuer, procéder à, aborder, disposer de, comporter, il existe, se dérouler, susciter and more.
  8. 16CollocationsVocabularyUse the words French naturally puts together: émettre une hypothèse, commettre une erreur, jouer un rôle clé, tenir compte de, relever un défi, une vive inquiétude, une large majorité, grièvement blessé.
  9. 17Review: Style and emphasisReviewBring Unit 2 together by turning a plain text into polished written French: stylistic inversion, the ne explétif, literary negation, fronting, adverb placement, prepositions, precise verbs and collocations, used with restraint.

Unit 3

Academic writing

  1. 18Participle clausesGrammarWrite absolute participle clauses with their own subject (la réunion terminée, chacun partit; le train ayant du retard…), use une fois + participle, vu, compte tenu de and étant donné, and avoid the dangling participle.
  2. 19Formal relatives and appositionGrammarBuild long, clear sentences: dont + noun with no possessive, a preposition + noun + duquel (à l'issue duquel, en raison duquel), relatives with and without commas, apposition and detached adjectives.
  3. 20Advanced connectors and academic hedgingGrammarLink ideas like an academic writer with dès lors, en l'occurrence, a fortiori and à cet égard, choose en revanche or par contre by register, and state a claim with care: à en croire, selon toute vraisemblance, sous réserve de.
  4. 21Concession and hypothesis at C1GrammarGrant a point and imagine a case in formal French: quand bien même + conditionnel; pour peu que, à supposer que, si tant est que + subjunctive; encore que; and the literary inverted hypothesis (serait-il, fût-il).
  5. 22Abstract nounsVocabularyThe abstract nouns of academic argument: judging an argument (la pertinence, la légitimité, la cohérence, le bien-fondé), measuring scale (la portée, l'ampleur, l'essor) and describing a method (la démarche, le cadre, la prise en compte, prendre du recul).
  6. 23The synthèse de documentsCommunicationCombine two or three documents into one neutral text: compare them by idea, build a plan, reformulate without quoting and without giving your opinion, with a model synthesis of two original documents.
  7. 24The French dissertationCommunicationWrite the C1 essay: an open problématique (dans quelle mesure, en quoi), the dialectical, analytical and thematic plans, transitions with il n'en reste pas moins que, concession and hypothesis in argument, and an ouverture, with an original model essay.
  8. 25Review: Academic writingReviewBring Unit 3 together in a synthesis paragraph on a small corpus and an essay introduction: participle clauses, formal relatives, academic connectors and hedging, concession and hypothesis, abstract nouns, the synthèse and the dissertation.

Unit 4

Debate and rhetoric

  1. 26Rhetorical devicesVocabularyName, recognize and use the figures of style of persuasive French: l'anaphore, la gradation, l'antithèse, la question rhétorique, la litote, l'hyperbole, la métaphore and l'oxymore, with original examples.
  2. 27Subjunctive nuancesGrammarWhere the mood changes the meaning or the tone: penser and croire in questions, a que clause at the start of the sentence, que… ou non, qu'il + subjunctive, and verbs that change meaning with the mood (comprendre que, admettre que, dire que), plus s'attendre à ce que and tenir à ce que.
  3. 28Formal debateCommunicationTake part in a formal debate: the motion, opening statements, rebuttals and closing statements, conceding with je vous l'accorde and il n'en demeure pas moins que, turning an argument round, and keeping to the allotted time, with an original debate transcript.
  4. 29Speeches and presentationsCommunicationBuild and deliver a speech in French: addressing the audience (mesdames et messieurs), an opening hook, signposting (je commencerai par, j'en viens à), using devices sparingly, and closing well (permettez-moi de conclure), with an original inauguration speech.
  5. 30Irony and understatementCommunicationRecognize irony (l'antiphrase, au second degré, pince-sans-rire) and everyday understatement (ce n'est pas mal, pas fameux, ce n'est pas terrible, je ne dis pas non), read the signals of irony, and see why it often fails in writing.
  6. 31Satire and humourCultureA neutral overview of French satire and humour: La Fontaine's fables, Molière's comedies, Voltaire's tales, the satirical press and press cartoons, sketches and stand-up, and wordplay (le calembour, la contrepèterie), with why humour is hard to translate.
  7. 32Review: Debate and rhetoricReviewBring Unit 4 together in a short persuasive speech: rhetorical devices, a strategic concession with a fronted que clause, signposting, an argument from authority and a strong ending, with an original speech at a town meeting.

Unit 5

Professional mastery

  1. 33Law and institutionsVocabularyThe vocabulary of law and the French State: the Constitution, laws and decrees (promulguer, entrer en vigueur, abroger, en vertu de), the two orders of courts, the Conseil d'État and the Conseil constitutionnel, and the words of a case (un procès, faire appel, former un recours), without legal advice.
  2. 34Finance and economicsVocabularyThe vocabulary of public finance, economic policy and markets: le budget de l'État, les dépenses et les recettes, la fiscalité, le déficit, la dette publique, la relance and la rigueur, un taux d'intérêt, l'épargne, un placement, la Bourse and une obligation, with no real figures.
  3. 35Diplomatic languageCommunicationRefuse, criticize and disagree without giving offence: il ne nous sera malheureusement pas possible de, sauf erreur de ma part, nous ne manquerons pas de, prendre bonne note de, understatement, and the five steps of a diplomatic refusal, with an original email exchange.
  4. 36High-register correspondenceCommunicationWrite formal letters to institutions: the layout and references, salutations with a title (Madame la Directrice), j'ai l'honneur de, par la présente, je vous saurais gré de bien vouloir, accuser réception de, and the full closing formulas, with an original letter and its reply.
  5. 37Leading a meetingCommunicationChair a meeting in French: open the session, give the floor, manage time and disagreement, put a proposal to the vote, record the decisions and close, with an original relevé de décisions.
  6. 38Review: Professional masteryReviewBring Unit 5 together in a formal letter announcing a decision: references and formulas, legal and budgetary vocabulary, a diplomatic refusal and a request, with an original letter from a town hall.

Unit 6

Ideas and society

  1. 39Philosophy and ideasVocabularyThe words of ideas: la raison, la conscience, une notion, un concept, le libre arbitre, remettre en question and l'esprit critique, three short classic quotations, and how French schools teach philosophy in the final year of the lycée.
  2. 40The EnlightenmentCultureLes Lumières: Montesquieu, Voltaire, Rousseau, Diderot and the Encyclopédie, Émilie du Châtelet and the salons, the key ideas (reason, tolerance, the separation of powers, the sovereignty of the people), how ideas circulated, and the debates about their link with the Revolution.
  3. 41May 68 and modern FranceCultureWhat happened in May and June 1968, told neutrally: the student movement, the general strike, the Grenelle negotiations, de Gaulle's dissolution of the Assemblée nationale and the June elections, then the debates about its legacy.
  4. 42Technology and ethicsVocabularyThe vocabulary of current debates about technology: personal data, privacy, consent, algorithms, artificial intelligence and its biases, surveillance and facial recognition, bioethics, and how to present each side of these debates in balanced French.
  5. 43Auteur cinemaCultureThe French idea of the director as author: the Cahiers du cinéma, la politique des auteurs, the New Wave directors in more depth, the words to describe a film's style (le plan, le montage, le hors-champ, la caméra à l'épaule), and an original film review to read.
  6. 44Review: Ideas and societyReviewBring Unit 6 together in the introduction of an essay that links an Enlightenment idea to a current debate: an amorce in history, defined terms, positions given fairly and attributed, a problématique and an announced plan.

Unit 7

Living the language

  1. 45Proverbs and sayingsVocabularyUnderstand and use common French proverbs (qui ne risque rien n'a rien, petit à petit l'oiseau fait son nid, il ne faut pas vendre la peau de l'ours…), how speakers half-quote or twist them, and how to translate them by an equivalent rather than word for word.
  2. 46Advanced idiomsVocabularyIdioms for argument, negotiation and work, with register labels: tenir la route, ne pas y aller par quatre chemins, noyer le poisson, mettre de l'eau dans son vin, couper la poire en deux, jeter l'éponge, avoir carte blanche, payer les pots cassés and more.
  3. 47Regional languagesCultureA neutral overview of France's regional languages (Breton, Occitan, Alsatian, Basque, Corsican and the Creoles), where they come from, their legal status and how they're taught and passed on today, with no speaker figures.
  4. 48La FrancophonieCultureFrench beyond France: the OIF and the summits, French as an official and working language, how its status differs in Belgium, Switzerland, Canada, Africa and the overseas territories, with labelled regional words and no speaker figures.
  5. 49Shifting register on demandCommunicationRewrite one message in four registers, from slang to administrative French and back: what changes in words, grammar, sentence length and formulas, how to shift up and down, and how to avoid mixing registers, with one original message in four versions.
  6. 50Review: Living the languageReviewBring Unit 7 together in one message written in three registers: a proverb, an idiom, regional words used by a Swiss writer, and the shifts from familiar to administrative French, with an original message about a neighbourhood supper.