An Alcuin Languages home study or correspondence course is divided into Levels. Each level contains nine story-based lessons and a revision lesson to consolidate what you’ve learned.
Each level is packed with information. Here’s a taster of what you learn in each level.
Level One deals with basic sentences, for instance
this is…, I am…, you are…, he has…, we have…, they need…, I don’t like…, are you asking…?, she’s not taking…, aren’t we buying…?
It also introduces the basic nuts and bolts of the language: how to say the, a or an, this.. or that.., which..?, who?, what? where? how? how many? how much? what’s it like?
It deals with basic social interactions such as how to greet people and tell them your name and how to say goodbye
and saying please and thank, saying sorry and excusing yourself but also how to deny that it was you in the first place!
It also introduces words for your basic needs; such as how to get accommodation, names for basic pieces of furniture and necessities such as kitchens, bathrooms and toilets. You learn words for essential items of food and drink, cutlery and crockery, essential household items, clothing, transport, people, music, noise, colours, animals, jobs and shopping, measures and money.
By the time you’ve finished Level One, you have a rock solid foundation in your new language and you could easily get by with your new vocabulary of your first 500 words!
Level Two starts to build on the foundations laid in Level One
you start to learn about irregular verbs, for instance in German, I go, you eat, he leaves, we see, they catch are all irregular verbs.
You learn about how to express location and how to say in, on, under, next to, into, from, out of
and also how to use other prepositions such as of, with, through, without
You learn how to tell people what to do “Come in!” and what not to do “Don’t wait!” and how to say 'let's!'.
You'll learn more words for transport, travel, towns, eating out, the weather, telling the time, playing games, planning and taking holidays, gifts and birthdays, food and clothing.
By the time you’ve finished Level Two, you’ll have learned how to handle some of the most common irregularities in the language and you’ll be able to interact better and more confidently with native speakers in everyday situations.
Level Three gets you started on how to understand and use more complex sentences. You learn how to say that you want to do something, can do something, like to or would like to do something.
You also learn about how to use more complex verbs, such as to go away, to come back, to bring along, to set off
You learn a lot more words for towns and sightseeing and you start to learn about dealing with trickier situations, such as being ill and names for illnesses and parts of the body
you learn about words to use when making the telephone calls and appointments
Your improving grasp of the language means that you now start to learn how to talk about more, everyday activities, such as dealing with electrical equipment, watching television, discussing entertainment, cookery and recipes, telling stories and giving and receiving directions.
You also learn a lot of words related to offices, doing business and travelling for business.
By the time you’ve finished Level Three, you’ll be able to deal with a great many everyday situations with ease and confidence. You’ll also have mastered the important basic structures of the language.
Level Four builds on your knowledge to teach you how to talk about the past and the future. You’ll learn both the regular forms and also the important irregular forms.
You’ll also learn how to say must and ought to.
Now you’ll start to learn how to express more subtle ideas. You'll learn how to talk about understanding and deciding and expressing emotions
You’ll also learn words to help you deal with more difficult situations, such as thefts and dealing with the police, credit card companies and insurance companies.
You’ll also learn words for everyday things like paying money into a bank account and pleasant things such as foreign travel and using mobile technology, having and going to parties and getting invitations and also for good and bad luck.
By the time you’ve finished Level Four, you’ll be able to deal with everyday situations with confidence, understanding what’s being said to you and responding in your own words and your vocabulary will have swelled to 2,000 essential words, which have all been learned in context and all been practised thoroughly in the worksheet exercises.
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