Exams? Oh no!

A while ago, I had the goal of attending a French university. This goal is still very much alive in my mind but it has been put on the back burner for just a bit. However, one of the entrance requirements for foreign students is a certain level in French. Most universities, schools, and textbooks are moving towards categorizing levels based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). I am not 100% sure but I believe to enter into French university you should have at least a B2 level. This may depend on the university and what program you are entering into. My intention is to enroll into a program as a regular student not as a student of French as a foreign language.

Currently, you can take two routes. First, there is the TCF-DAP (and/or TCF). The TCF is the Test de Connaissance de Français. The TCF is open to anyone who would like to determine their level in French. The TCF-DAP is intended for those who wish to enter into the first cycle of French university. It seems that this test covers all of the CEFR levels in one exam, you progress through each level and in the end you have an idea of where you stand.

The other option is take a DELF/DALF exam. The DELF (Diplôme d’Études en Langue Française) covers levels A1 through B2 of the CEFR and the DALF (Diplôme Approfondi de Langue Française) covers levels C1 and C2 with each level having its own individual exam. This is an official diploma from the French Ministry of National Education and is only for foreign students. This exam can be taken all over the world. Here are some subject examples.

Realizing that I was having trouble structuring my language learning, I thought it might be a good idea to revisit the CEFR levels in order to give myself a short-term goal. (The long-term is goal is to become fluent.) Also, if I have a diploma under my belt, I am all set to enter into French university when the time comes.

But I have no idea what my level is.

I picked up a book called Le Nouvel Entrainez-vous: DELF B1 to see how I did with the exercises. So far the oral comprehension exercises have been easy but I think that the written and oral production sections are not going to go so smoothly. I'll keep you posted.

Lastly, I am considering taking a correspondance/online class through CNED (Centre national d'enseignement à distance). Anyone can take classes through CNED and they offer courses to prepare for each level of the DELF/DALF as well as the TCF. The prices are reasonable and you have a tutor who works with you. For an extra fee, you can participate in forums and discussion boards with other students doing the same course.

Anyone have experience with this?

book

Does this happen to you? I am moving along, working on a language, feeling pretty good and suddenly a word appears that I have never seen before. Then, it is everywhere I look. (Granted, I live in a french speaking country so this happens a little more often for me.) I wonder how this word escaped my radar if it is so common and then I wonder, what the heck does it mean?

Right now, this word for me is oser. First, I saw it on a poster for one of the presidential candidates, José Bové. (If you don't know who this guy is, read about him here in french or english.) The poster said, Osez Bové. I thought that it was pretty cute because it rhymes and it is catchy but I still didn't know what it meant. Then I saw it on the cover of a magazine, which I can't recall the name of but the tagline was something similar to the one on this page. Yesterday, I noticed in one of my son's books. It was talking about the sharp teeth of a shark...sens comme mes dents sont pointues...si tu l'oses! Feel how sharp my teeth are...if you dare!

oser [oze] to dare

Even though I kept asking my husband what it meant, the meaning just didn't seem to stick in my head and each time I saw it I was left wondering what it meant. So, today I looked it in up in our gigantic Robert & Collins. Here are some expressions they listed:

• il faut oser! one must take risks
• oser fair quelquechose to dare (to) do something
• il voudrais bien mais je n'ose pas I'd like to but I don't dare
• approache si tu l'oses come over here if you dare
• comment osez-vous! how dare you!

oser conjugates like a regular -er verb such as aimer, so that it makes it much easier to use in my everyday language. The next step is to figure out how to do just that.

If you look at the sentance about the shark's teeth, it doesn't say si tu oses. It says, si tu l'oses which would probably be directly translated as if you dare to. My guess is that if previously in the dialogue I have referred to the action which I am daring to do, I need to use this reference when forming my response with oser. Let' see...

Now that I know the definition of oser I can start using it in my everyday language...if I dare!

Maintenant que je sais la définition d'oser je peux commencer a utiliser dans ma langage quotidien...si je l'ose!

Edited to add: So, there are a few mistakes in my translation above.

Maintenant que je connais la définition d'oser je peux commencer à l'utilser dans mon langage quotidien...si je l'ose!

In any case, I don't think I will forget the meaning of oser again!