French

Bonjour! Welcome to the French homepage


Why should I learn French?

French is a rich and beautiful language that feeds a vibrant francophone culture. French is not only enjoyable and rewarding to learn but, as the second official language of Canada, it is also highly practical. Here are some reasons why you might consider choosing French

  • French is spoken by one-fourth of the Canadian population.
  • French is often a necessity in the Canadian Federal public services, and a definite asset in the travel and tourism industry.
  • Teachers with competency in French are in high demand in BC schools.
  • French can help students discern the meaning of English words (20,000 English words are cognates in French).
  • French culture is renowned and celebrated throughout the world.
  • French is spoken as an official language in thirty-three countries around the world and is the only language other than English spoken on five continents. French is spoken by about 200 million people throughout the world.
  • French is one of the six official languages at the United Nations

Why take French at KPU?

  • All French courses are taught by dedicated and highly qualified native speaker faculty members in small, lively and interactive classes.
  • The contemporary teaching methodologies are based on real life communication using culturally relevant information.
  • All classes can be credited towards various KPU degrees and diplomas, and are transferable to UBC, SFU, UVIC and other major post-secondary institutions in BC.
  • French courses offer opportunities to win national scholarships and can facilitate access to study abroad programs as well as the French Bursary Program with EXPLORE (see http://www.myexplore.ca/en).

What is the course format and content?

All of our French classes use a learner-centered methodology focusing on achieving clearly established learning outcomes relevant to using language in a variety of real life settings and cultural contexts.  Classes can consist of short lectures or online content presentations with extended opportunities to use and apply newly learned content in a wide variety of activities and assignments.


Instructions in case you need to contact the instructor for an assessment:

Note that FREN 1100 is a beginner course (with no prerequisites) designed for those who have no or little knowledge of French.  Students with competence in French beyond French 10 are not permitted to register for this course and may be required to withdraw.

For all other French courses, refer to the prerequisites listed in the University Calendar to select a course appropriate for your competency level in French.

If you are not sure which class to choose or if you need further information regarding French courses, please contact:

Laurence Gauvreau: laurence.gauvreau@kpu.ca