Introducing the 18th century French Swiss philosopher, Jean-Jacques Rousseau:

Le polar, crime fiction, is the most popular literary form in France. In this free course, you will discover the origins and development of French crime fiction, along with its current status, before reflecting on whether it is simply mass entertainment or, rather, genuine literature of quality. You will discover some important authors and work on extracts from some well-known crime novels. You will analyse the language of le polar and explore the translation of French crime fiction into other languages. Most of the material in this course is in French. The language level is Advanced, equivalent to C1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for languages.

The use of complex language sets humans apart from all other species. But what is language, where has it come from, and how does it work?

The musician and poet Zachary Richard has kept the Cajun tradition alive. But how has the migration of his stories affected them? Mathilde Köstler considers three of his tales.

In this course you will learn how to ask for directions in French. Along the way, you will build up your vocabulary so little by little you will be able to have more complex conversations and understand more French language in a variety of different scenarios.This OpenLearn course is an extract from the beginning of the Open Centre for Languages and Cultures short course, LGXF003 Beginners French 3: absolument! After completing this free course, you may wish to register for the full course to continue your learning!

Whether you want to visit, work or live in a French-speaking environment, you will get more out of the experience if you can communicate effectively with people. In this short course you will begin to develop your reading and listening skills in French
and learn to speak and write the language to communicate in everyday situations. You will acquire a knowledge of the basic structures of French along with key vocabulary to meet and greet people and to talk about yourself and others. This OpenLearn course is an extract from the beginning of the Open Centre for Languages and Cultures short course, LGXF001 Beginners French 1: eh oui! After
completing this free course, you may wish to register for the full course to continue your learning!

This course is aimed at intermediate learners of French with an interest in language and culture. It is designed to develop your understanding of spoken French through six video portraits of people living in the Touraine region in France and in Brussels in Belgium. It introduces you to naturally spoken language, and gives clear advice on how to use authentic video resources as a useful and enjoyable learning tool. Through completing various activities you will improve your active use of the language, and develop the confidence to access further audio-visual resources and take your French studies to a higher level.

Want to learn the basics in French? The 18 audios in the album are devised for beginner learners of French and include a series of short conversations in which you will hear people greeting each other, asking how to get somewhere, asking who someone is, buying things, ordering breakfast in a café and talking about what they eat for breakfast, booking a hotel room, and using numbers and letters. There is also a track to help with pronunciation. This material forms part of The Open University course L192 Bon départ: beginners' French.

What does 'rire jaune' or 'avoir un bleu' mean? Learn French idioms that use colour to convey a particular mood or impression of a person or situation.