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Returned Missionaries

Which French class should I start with?

Check the reference guide

This quick reference guide can help you decide which class you should start with depending on your French experience from a mission. These are all recommendations, you can start where you feel comfortable.

Use the add/drop week

BYU has an add/drop deadline after the first week of classes each semester. This gives you the opportunity to try out a French course and change to another one if you feel like your original class is not the right fit.

Double-check with self-evaluation

If you are still unsure or anxious about your class placement, the Center for Language Studies offers a self-evaluation proficiency test called the LASER. This test also provides you with a recommendation for where you should start according to your language ability. Learn more about this assessment on the Center for Language Studies website.

French RM Placement
French RM Placement

  • Recommended course: French 101 or French 102

    French 101 and French 102 aim to help students:

    • Comprehend French as they hear and read authentic language relating to familiar topics;
    • Speak French well enough to satisfy immediate needs and handle a variety of simple communicative tasks in basic social situations;
    • Write short messages and well-articulated sentences in French on familiar topics, as well as sentences and texts related to personal experiences and common events.

  • Recommended course: French 102 or French 201
    French 102 is a continuation of French 101. French 201 is Intermediate French, Part 1.

    French 102 aims to help students:

    • Write well-articulated sentences and loosely connected texts related to personal experiences and common events;
    • Comprehend French as you hear and read authentic language relating to familiar topics;
    • Speak French well enough to handle a variety of simple communicative tasks in basic social situations.

    French 201 aims to help students:

    • Improve your ability to use French in real-life situations and for real-life purposes;
    • Create elaborated utterances and group them into paragraphs and narratives;
    • Broaden vocabulary for both reception and production;
    • Review and increase understanding of basic language structures;
    • Discuss in French selected current events and cultural practices of various francophone regions of the world.

  • Recommended course: French 201
    French 201 is Intermediate French, Part 1. It focuses on reading, writing, conversation, vocabulary building, and reviewing grammar.

    French 201 aims to help students:

    • Improve your ability to use French in real-life situations and for real-life purposes;
    • Create elaborated utterances and group them into paragraphs and narratives;
    • Broaden vocabulary for both reception and production;
    • Review and increase understanding of basic language structures;
    • Discuss in French selected current events and cultural practices of various francophone regions of the world.

  • Recommended course: French 202
    French 202 is Intermediate French, Part 2. This course covers French and Francophone culture and literature from the Middle Ages through the 20th century.

    French 202 aims to help students:

    • Read beyond basic plot and learn to apply tools of literary analysis.
    • Recognize and analyze key genres in French literature.
    • Identify and define key characteristics of the important French literary movements.
    • Improve reading and writing skills in French.
    • And broaden and deepen their perception and appreciation of French culture.

  • Recommended course: French 202 or French 321.
    French 202 is Intermediate French, Part 2. French 321 is Advanced French, Part 1.

    French 202 aims to help students:

    • Read beyond basic plot and learn to apply tools of literary analysis.
    • Recognize and analyze key genres in French literature.
    • Identify and define key characteristics of the important French literary movements.
    • Improve reading and writing skills in French.
    • And broaden and deepen their perception and appreciation of French culture.

    French 321 aims to help students:

    • Narrate and describe in the present and past time frames, use connected discourse, and acquire strategies for managing communicative complications in French.
    • Develop strategies for writing a variety of descriptive and narrative texts.
    • And demonstrate proper use of grammatical, lexical, and stylistic features of the French language.

    French 321 is the first required course for both the French major and the French minor.

  • Recommended course: French 321
    French 321 is Advanced French, Part 1.

    French 321 aims to help students:

    • Narrate and describe in the present and past time frames, use connected discourse, and acquire strategies for managing communicative complications in French.
    • Develop strategies for writing a variety of descriptive and narrative texts.
    • And demonstrate proper use of grammatical, lexical, and stylistic features of the French language.

    French 321 is the first required course for both the French major and the French minor.

Click below for more detailed course information from the University Catalog.

Explore French Courses