Registration for the 2026-2027 school year opens May 1
Class Description: This is an introductory course designed for students who have never studied French before or who studied it many years ago. The goal of this class is to provide members with a basic knowledge of French, to facilitate comprehension and to encourage communication through in-class work, dialogue, and at-home preparation. Cultural aspects of French society are an integrated part of this course.
Course Outline: Lessons will include these aspects of French grammar:
Alphabet
Accents and pronunciation
Numbers
Time
Date
Formality and levels of language (vous and tu)
Noun gender
Use of present tense and immediate future
Negative sentence structures
-er verbs, -ir verbs such as dormir
Etre, aller and avoir verbs
Pronoun “on”
Stress pronouns (moi, toi, lui, etc)
Indefinite and definite articles (un, une, des, le, la, l’, les)
The expression « Il y a »
Placement and agreement of adjectives
Asking and responding to questions (est-ce que)
Irregular descriptive adjectives
By the end of this class members will be able to:
Greet people appropriately and conduct basic introductory conversations
Tell time and ask about dates
Describe everyday objects, basic activities and likes/dislikes
Describe oneself and others
Converse about work, home and leisure activities
Engage in register-appropriate basic conversations
Prerequisite: The typical French 1 student has never before studied French or has not used or studied the language for so long that it’s necessary to start over.
Book/Materials: Voila! An Introduction to French, 6th Edition, by L. Kathy Heilenman, ISBN: 1133950124
Class Description: This is a continuation of French 1A. The goal of this class is to review basic grammatical concepts in French, to improve comprehension and to encourage communication through in-class work, dialogues, dictations and at-home preparation.
Course Outline: Lessons will include these aspects of French grammar:
Expressions of possession (possessive adjectives, possession with de, être à)
Irregular descriptive adjectives
Interrogative adjectives (quel, quelle, quels, quelles)
Demonstrative adjectives (ce, cet, cette, ces)
Prepositions of place
Asking and responding to questions (inversion)
Comparatives and superlatives
Introduction to -re verbs
Introduction to imperative verb form
Past tense (passé compose)
By the end of this class members will be able to:
Ask for and give directions
Engage in conversations about the weather, themselves, their families and their hobbies
Easily use numbers for dates and years
Read easy texts
Ask questions in several different ways
Describe events that happened in the past
Speak with good pronunciation
Prerequisite: French 1B students should have completed French 1A at La Causerie or possess equivalent levels of proficiency from other pathways.
Book/Materials: Voila! An Introduction to French, 6th Edition, by L. Kathy Heilenman, ISBN: 1133950124
Course Description: This class builds upon the foundations established in Level 1. The goal of the class is to enable students to achieve a higher level of understanding and ability to communicate in French while covering some of the more intricate aspects of French grammar. Comprehension and communication are achieved through in-class work and dialogue as well as at-home preparation. Cultural and social aspects of French society are an integrated part of this course.
Course Outline: We will study Leçons 9-14 in the required textbook. Lessons will include these concepts of French grammar and culture :
Irregular verbs including venir, prendre, mettre, sortir, partir, dormir,vouloir, pouvoir, devoir, suivre, voir, connaître, savoir, ouvrir, lire, dire, écrire
« Depuis » and the present tense
Distinction among the definite (le, la, les, l’), indefinite (un, une, des) and partitive articles (du, de la, de l’, des)
Expressions of quantity
Idiomatic expressions with être, avoir, aller, faire
Use of “il faut”
Direct / Indirect object pronouns (le, la, les, lui, leur, me, te, nous, vous)
Pronouns « y » and « en »
Affirmative and negative expressions ( souvent, encore, deja, ne… jamais, ne… plus, ne… rien, ne… pas encore)
Passé composé with être and avoir
The imperfect tense
Use of the passé composé and imperfect in past narrative
Reflexive verbs
Irregular adjectives
Tourism and entertainment in France
Eating habits and shopping for food
University studies
Attitudes and values of the French people
By the end of this class members will be able . . .
to converse more easily using the concepts reinforced from French 1
to narrate events in the past—a vacation, one’s childhood, last weekend, an accident
to communicate in a variety of situations such as buying food in the supermarket, ordering in a restaurant, talking about themselves and family, making introductions, making appropriate responses in social situations, describing where one lives, discussing various forms of entertainment.
Prerequisites: French 1A and 1B at La Causerie or equivalent.
Required Books and Materials Used: Voila! An Introduction to French, 6th Edition, by L. Kathy Heilenman, ISBN: 1133950124
Optional Reference Books (not required):
A French-English dictionary such as Harper Collins Robert French College Dictionary (Paperback), Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers, ISBN: 0004707117 (or any HarperCollins French-English dictionaries)
Bescherelle: L’Art de conjuguer 12,000 verbes (Verb Conjugation), Publisher: Hatier, ISBN: 2218717166
Class Description: This is a multilevel class designed to enhance and reinforce learning from the leveled classes. It is not a prerequisite to advance to the next level.
This is a conversation focused class. The instructor may use reading, writing, and other means to provide opportunities to build conversation skills.
**This class is only an enhancement to the leveled language classes. Registering for a leveled language class is highly recommended.
Course Description: French 3 is an introduction to more advanced grammar and conversation. Students will build on grammar concepts learned in French 2 and use a variety of cultural reading texts in the textbook as a basis for discussion in French. The course is taught entirely in French with the exception of several new grammar concepts such as use of the subjunctive and conditional sentences. Written and oral preparation outside of class is required.
Course Outline: We will study Leçons 15-20 in the required textbook. Lessons will include these concepts of French grammar and culture:
Review of all object pronouns (me, te, nous, vous, le, la, les, y, en)
Parts of the body and expressions of health and illness
Review of reflexive and reciprocal verbs (present and passé composé)
Irregular adjective formation
Adverb formation and position
Verb + infinitive construction
Formation and idiomatic use of the future tense
Formation and use of the conditional tense
Introduction to conjugation and use of the subjunctive mood
Professions and the professional life
French influence throughout the world
Developing a world economy
By the end of this class members will be able . . .
to talk about lodging and living conditions
to discuss personal and family relationships using reflexive verbs
to react to judgements about world politics
to express opinions and feelings about certain situations using the subjunctive
to talk about hypothetical situations using the conditional (If ... then...)
to discuss future plans using a variety of conjunctions (when, as soon as, after)
to converse about jobs and job responsibilities
to describe physical ailments (for a doctor’s visit, calling in sick to work, conversation)
Prerequisites: French 2 at La Causerie or equivalent
Required Books and Materials Used: Voila! An Introduction to French, 6th Edition, by L. Kathy Heilenman, ISBN: 1133950124.
Recommended Reference Books (not required):
A French-English dictionary such as Harper Collins Robert French College Dictionary (Paperback), Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers, ISBN: 0-00-470711-7 (or any HarperCollins French-English dictionaries)
Bescherelle: L’Art de conjuguer 12,000 verbes (Verb Conjugation), Publisher: Hatier, ISBN: 2218717166
Class Description: This is a multilevel class designed to enhance and reinforce learning from the leveled classes. It is not a prerequisite to advance to the next level.
This is a conversation focused class. The instructor may use reading, writing, and other means to provide opportunities to build conversation skills.
**This class is only an enhancement to the leveled language classes. Registering for a leveled language class is highly recommended.
Class Description: This class builds upon the foundations in Beginning French 1, 2 and 3. It introduces more intricate aspects of French grammar, practical vocabulary, cultural, historical and social aspects of the French speaking world. The ultimate goal is to enable students to achieve a higher level of understanding and ability to communicate in French. Oral communication will be increased from the previous level. At-home preparation is expected. This course is conducted entirely in French.
Prerequisite: French 4 students should have completed French 1A ,1B, 2 and 3 at La Causerie or possess equivalent levels of proficiency from other pathways.
Student Description: Students in this course should have completed French 3 or its equivalent, having attained an overall foundation in French grammar as well as a comfort level to participate in everyday conversations. Students should be comfortable in a class conducted entirely in French and have vocabulary that is broad enough to engage in class discussions.
Book/Materials: TBD
Recommended Reference Books:
A good recent bilingual dictionary (French/English - English/French):
On paper: Collins Robert French College Dictionary.
Online: https://www.wordreference.com and https://www.deepl.com
A book on French conjugation:
On paper: Bescherelle: L’Art de conjuguer or La conjugaison pour tous.
Class Description: This intermediate-level course builds upon the foundations established in previous levels and is conducted entirely in French. Selected reading and study materials serve as the primary catalyst for guided in-class dialogue. Prior to class, participants prepare by engaging with assigned materials and completing written exercises. During our sessions, we review these assignments and engage in active, relevant dialogue. The curriculum is also enriched with a variety of authentic cultural and oral resources presented in class.
Prerequisite: French 5 is designed for participants who have successfully completed French 1A–4 at La Causerie or possess an equivalent level of proficiency from other pathways. Individuals should have the linguistic confidence to engage fully in a French-speaking environment and the skills necessary to complete the coursework.
Book/Materials: The instructor provides copies of reading materials and exercises. Throughout the year, the class may also choose to purchase one or two paperbacks, selected collaboratively to reflect the interests of the group.
Recommended Reference Books:
A good recent monolingual French dictionary, for example:
On paper: Le Nouveau Petit Robert: dictionnaire alphabétique et analogique de la langue française and Le Petit Larousse illustré.
Online: https://dictionnaire.lerobert.com and https://www.larousse.fr
A good recent bilingual dictionary (French/English - English/French):
On paper: Collins Robert French College Dictionary.
Online: https://www.wordreference.com and https://www.deepl.com
A book on French conjugation:
On paper: Bescherelle: L’Art de conjuguer or La conjugaison pour tous.
Class Description: This is an advanced intermediate level course, and all communication in class will be in French. Authentic texts from a rich variety of sources, literary and journalistic, are used as the starting point for the illustration and explanation of key areas of French grammar in context. This course will focus on building conversation and grammar skills in French by studying and responding interactively to a wide variety of current French media sources. Students will be provided with short stories, writings, newspaper and magazine articles, video, audio, and potential Internet source, all selected to provide source material in educated, current French. Class members will have the opportunity to research assigned materials at home and prepare responses in order to come to class prepared for presentations and discussions.
Student Description: Students should be relatively fluent in French and be prepared to participate in class discussions.
Prerequisite: French 6 students should have completed French 1A - 5 at La Causerie or possess equivalent intermediate French levels of proficiency from other pathways. Students should be relatively fluent in French and be prepared to participate in class discussions.
Required Books and Materials: No specific textbook is required. The instructor will provide copies of readings, videos, conversational texts, and homework sheets. Students will be expected to access assigned French sites and sources on the Internet as part of their homework.
Recommended Reference Books:
A good mono-lingual French dictionary, either on-line or hardcopy, is much preferred at this level over a bilingual French-English dictionary; Le Nouveaupetit Robert dictionnaire de la langue française (French-French), Publisher: Le Robert, ISBN: 2850368261.
A mono-lingual French dictionary of synonyms would also be useful; consider a Larousse Dictionnaire des Synonymes (Paperback), Publisher: Éditions Larousse, ISBN 978-2-03-592894-8.
Bescherelle: L’Art deConjuguer 12,000 Verbes, Publisher: Hatier, ISBN: 2218717166.
Class Description: This course is an advanced level class. All communication will be in French. The goal of this course is dynamic dialogue on a variety of topics chosen either by the professor or the class members. Topics of conversation will be given by the professor in advance thereby providing members with adequate time to do any necessary research or other homework in order to come to class fully prepared to be engaged in conversation. Members are welcome to suggest topics to be discussed at a future date. Any handouts are to be given out in advance of the day of discussion to avoid the reading of materials in class thus ensuring lively conversation.
Prerequisite: French 7 students should have completed French 1A - 6 at La Causerie or possess equivalent levels of proficiency from other pathways. Students should be quite fluent in French and be prepared to participate in dynamic class discussions.
Student Description: Students at this level should have a good level of fluency in French.
Required Books and Materials: Two to three full French & Francophone novels are read and studied each year. Books as well as movies are chosen in consultation with class members.
Recommended Reference Books:
A good mono-lingual French dictionary, either on-line or hardcopy, is much preferred at this level over a bilingual French-English dictionary; Le Nouveau petit Robert dictionnaire de la langue française (French-French), Publisher: Le Robert, ISBN: 2850368261.
A mono-lingual French dictionary of synonyms would also be useful; consider a Larousse Dictionnaire des Synonymes (Paperback), Publisher: Éditions Larousse, ISBN 978-2-03-592894-8.
Bescherelle: L’Art deConjuguer 12,000 Verbes, Publisher: Hatier, ISBN: 2218717166.
Class Description: This Spanish grammar course is intended for students who have never before studied Spanish or for those who have not used the language for so long that they need to start over.
Course Objective: Completion of the following chapters and topics.
Preface:
Pronunciation
Alphabet
Greetings and Salutations
Topics:
Nouns, Articles, and Adjectives
Estar, Ser, and Subject Pronouns
Hay, Interrogative Words, Days, Months, Seasons
Numbers, Dates, and Time
Regular Verbs
Irregular Verbs
Ir and the Future
Adjectives and Adverbs
Negative and Prepositions
Instruction: The instructor will use English for grammatical explanations, will incorporate Spanish into drills and other exercises, and will assign homework from the textbook and accompanying workbook.
Prerequisite: None
Book/Materials: Complete Spanish Step-By-Step, 2nd edition, by Barbara Bregstein, ISBN 9781260463132
Class Description: This grammar course is for students who have been introduced to the Spanish language but are still at a beginning level. Typically, students should have completed Spanish 1 at La Causerie or have taken several years of high-school Spanish, a couple of semesters of college Spanish, or have had an equivalent life experience (lived abroad, etc.) that gives them some pronunciation skills and a basic foundation of vocabulary.
Course Objective: Completion of the following chapters and topics.
Preface:
Pronunciation
Alphabet
Greetings and Salutations
Topics:
The Indirect Object
The Direct Object
Reflexive Verbs
The Preterit Tense
The Imperfect Tense
Ser and Estar and the Present Tense
Ser and Estar in the Preterit and Imperfect Tenses
The Present Progressive Tense
The Past Progressive Tenses
Instruction: The instructor will use English for grammatical explanations, will incorporate Spanish into drills and other exercises, and will assign homework.
Prerequisite: Knowledge of the material covered in Spanish 1.
Book/Materials:
For Friday class:
Complete Spanish Step-By-Step, 2nd edition, by Barbara Bregstein, ISBN 9781260463132
For Thursday evening class:
Así Es (Spanish Edition), by Nancy Levy-Konesky; Karen Daggett, ISBN 0030259282
501 Spanish Verbs, 10th Edition (Paperback or Soft-back)
Class Description: This is a multilevel class designed to enhance and reinforce learning from the leveled classes. It is not a prerequisite to advance to the next level.
This is a conversation focused class. The instructor may use reading, writing, and other means to provide opportunities to build conversation skills.
**This class is only an enhancement to the leveled language classes. Registering for a leveled language class is highly recommended.
Class Description: This grammar course is for students who have learned the basic elements of the Spanish language. It builds on what has been learned in Spanish 1 and 2.
Course Objective: Completion of the following chapters and topics.
Preface:
Pronunciation
Alphabet
Greetings and Salutations
Orthography
Topics:
The Present Subjunctive
The Present Subjunctive
Commands
Nouns, Articles, Adjectives, and Pronouns
The Present Perfect Tense
The Past Perfect Tense
Prerequisite: The material covered in Spanish 1 and 2.
Instruction: The instructor will speak in Spanish during most classroom activities, but when necessary, she will move briefly into English in order to make grammatical explanations clearer. Homework assignments will be from the book and the accompanying workbook.
Book/Materials: Complete Spanish Step-By-Step, 2nd edition, by Barbara Bregstein, ISBN 9781260463132
Class Description: This is a multilevel class designed to enhance and reinforce learning from the leveled classes. It is not a prerequisite to advance to the next level.
This is a conversation focused class. The instructor may use reading, writing, and other means to provide opportunities to build conversation skills.
Book/Materials: Punto y Aparte (2nd edition, ISBN 978-0072496420, or 3rd edition, ISBN 978-0073124483)
**This class is only an enhancement to the leveled language classes. Registering for a leveled language class is highly recommended.
Class Description: This upper-level grammar course builds on the foundations of what students have learned in Spanish 1, 2, and 3. Students at this level are likely to experience new doors opening to them in terms of their abilities to read short story length material and to speak a number of coherent sentences in a row. The instructor will assign homework from the book.
Course Objective: Completion of the following chapters and topics.
Preface:
Pronunciation
Alphabet
Greetings and Salutations
Orthography
Topics:
The Future Tense
The Conditional Tense
The Present Perfect Subjunctive
The Imperfect Subjunctive
The Past Perfect Subjunctive
Idioms
Instruction: The instructor will conduct the class in Spanish and will resort to English only when necessary to make grammatical or usage points clear.
Prerequisite: Knowledge of the material in levels 1, 2, and 3
Book/Materials: Complete Spanish Step-By-Step, 2nd edition, by Barbara Bregstein, ISBN 9781260463132
Class Description: This is an advanced intermediate conversation course. Class is conducted in Spanish, though the instructor and students may occasionally use English for brief explanations or clarification. The course focuses on building oral and listening skills through discussion of topics drawn from everyday life. A carefully curated Netflix series in Spanish and an assigned novel serve as the foundation for class conversations.
Is this course right for you? If you can comfortably talk about your past weekend and your plans for the coming week but find abstract or unpredictable topics more challenging, Spanish 5 is a good fit.
Book/Materials:
La Distancia Entre Nosotros, by Reyna Grande, ISBN 978-1476710402
Students will also need a subscription to Netflix
Class Description: This is an advanced level conversation course that is conducted entirely in Spanish, including any grammatical explanations. Students should be prepared to speak only in Spanish. The focus in this course shifts from being understood to communicating with precision: choosing the right words, expressing nuance, and engaging with complex ideas as they arise spontaneously in discussion.
Topics are open-ended and may include current events, ethical questions, and cultural and historical themes. This course will develop the student's ability to speak and write at length. Students may be assigned to prepare presentations for class or to peer-edit other students' writing.
Is this course right for you? Are you comfortable telling a story about something that happened to you? Can you maintain a spontaneous conversation that moves between past, present, and future? Can you follow a podcast in Spanish without subtitles? If so, then Spanish 6 will give you the challenge you're looking for.
Books/Materials: Punto y Aparte (2nd edition, ISBN 978-0072496420, or 3rd edition, ISBN 978-0073124483)
Class Description: This intermediate Spanish conversation course is aimed at furthering the development of students’ oral and listening skills through the discussion of topics presented by a carefully selected series of simple YouTube videos in Spanish that inspire discussion and analysis of the topics. Topics will come from a variety of authors and countries. The instructor will also use the book Stories: Buenas Noches para Niñas Rebeldes for reading and discussion.
Prerequisite: Completion of Spanish 1-3 or equivalent knowledge. This intermediate Spanish conversation course is designed and intended for students with good grammatical backgrounds but with limited listening and speaking abilities. We request that advanced students NOT take this course so that the instructor can adjust the vocabulary and speed of the language used in the class to levels appropriate for students who are striving to develop basic listening and speaking skills.
Instruction: The instructor will conduct the class in Spanish. Often, grammatical and usage points come up during discussions, and the instructor may from time to time incorporate brief grammatical explanations in English into the conversation, but this is not a grammar class, and the focus will be on refining verbal-communication skills in Spanish.
Book/Materials: Cuentos de buenas noches para niñas rebeldes 2, by Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo, ISBN 978-8408183259
Class Description: Italian I is an introductory course designed for students who have never before studied Italian or for those who may have previously studied some Italian but not used it for many years. We will start from the very beginning assuming no previous knowledge of the language. Through active participation in class and at-home review and assignments this class provides students with the foundations of the Italian language.
Grammatical Concepts:
Alphabet and pronunciation
Use of genders and singular/plural
Definite and indefinite articles (the/a)
Basic sentence and question formation
Adjectives: agreement and placement
Present tense verbs:regular and irregular
The expressions c’è and ci sono (there is/there are)
Possessive adjectives (my, your, his, her etc)
Demonstrative adjectives (this, that, these, those)
Direct object pronouns
Vocabulary themes will include:
Greetings and salutations
Numbers
Basic conversational phrases
Food and beverages
Day, date, seasons
Places
Asking for and giving directions
Descriptive adjectives/colors
Family
Weather
Time
Pastimes/hobbies
Prerequisites: None
Books/Materials: Prego! An Invitation to Italian (Student Edition) 6th Edition ISBN: 978-0072561319
Class Description: Italian 2 is the second Italian class and will pick up where Italian 1 left off. We will spend the first weeks of class reviewing the material covered in level 1 and then start our new material.
Main Grammatical Concepts:
Past tenses: passato prossimo, imperfetto and trapassato
Articulated prepositions (preposition + article contractions)
Indirect Object Pronouns
Agreement with direct object pronouns and the passato prossimo
The verb piacere
Reflexive and reciprocal verbs
Adverbs
Vocabulary themes will include:
Pastimes/hobbies
Food/Restaurant
Clothing
Larger numbers
Mass media
Prerequisites: Italian 1 or equivalent. Students should be familiar with: basic pronunciation, gender and plural formation, agreement including articles and adjectives, present tense verbs both regular and irregular, basic sentence and question formation. You should be able to hold a basic conversation in the present tense.
Books/Materials:
Prego! An Invitation to Italian (Student Edition) 6th Edition ISBN: 978-0072561319
Learn Italian with Short Stories for Adult Beginners. ISBN: 9798370453410
The Ultimate Italian Review and Practice, by David Stillman ISBN: 1260453510
Class Description: This is a multilevel class designed to enhance and reinforce learning from the leveled classes. It is not a prerequisite to advance to the next level.
This is a conversation focused class. The instructor may use reading, writing, and other means to provide opportunities to build conversation skills.
**This class is only an enhancement to the leveled language classes. Registering for a leveled language class is highly recommended.
Class Description: Italian 3 will help the student to develop more sophisticated expression in the language while building a more confident use of the basics learned in the previous two courses.
Main Grammatical Points:
Future and conditional verb tenses.
Commands (the imperative mood).
Comparative and superlative adjectives
Indefinite adjectives
"Ne" and "ci"
Indefinite pronouns
The impersonal "si"
Vocabulary themes:
Body parts
Vacation
Shopping
The House and Accommodation
Prerequisite: Italian 1 and 2 at La Causerie or equivalent. The typical Italian 3 student has completed Italian 1 and 2, has a working vocabulary of hundreds of words, can form simple sentences in the present, past and imperfect tenses, and can answer questions in a controlled setting, using memorized expressions.
Books/Materials:
Prego! An Invitation to Italian (Student Edition) 6th Edition ISBN: 978-0072561319
Learn Italian with Short Stories for Adult Beginners. ISBN: 9798370453410
The Ultimate Italian Review and Practice, by David Stillman ISBN: 1260453510
Class Description: This is a multilevel class designed to enhance and reinforce learning from the leveled classes. It is not a prerequisite to advance to the next level.
This is a conversation focused class. The instructor may use reading, writing, and other means to provide opportunities to build conversation skills.
**This class is only an enhancement to the leveled language classes. Registering for a leveled language class is highly recommended.
Class Description: Italian 4 will emphasize speaking practice as well as the most advanced elements of Italian grammar.
Past Conditional Tense
The Subjunctive Mood
"Volerci" and "Metterci"
Main Vocabulary Themes
The Environment and Travel in Italy
Contemporary Italy in the World
Italian Culture - then and now
These subjects are tentative and may change to be useful for students who may be repeating the class.
Prerequisite: Completion of Italian 3 at La Causerie or equivalent. The typical Italian 4 student has completed Italian 3, is able to participate in simple dialogue, and can generate questions in Italian language recognizable by a native speaker.
Books/Materials:
Prego, An Invitation to Italian, Edition 6. ISBN: 0072561319 (available on Amazon)
The Ultimate Italian Review and Practice, by David Stillman ISBN: 1260453510