Course Guide — French 9 & 10
This guide covers everything you need to know for Post-Intensive French (PIF) at Moncton High School, New Brunswick. Use it alongside the app to target exactly what the exam tests.
What this app covers
Every feature in the app targets a specific part of the PIF exam. Use the table below to find the right tool for what you need to practise.
| Exam section | What it tests | App tool | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gr. 9 Part A — Multiple Choice | Vocabulary in context | 📚 Vocabulaire · ❓ Quiz · 🃏 Cartes flash | ✅ Covered |
| Gr. 10 Sec. B — Reading | Read a French passage, answer comprehension questions in English | 📖 Lecture (9 passages, Grade 9 & 10, 8 topics) | ✅ Covered |
| Gr. 9 Part B — Short Answer Gr. 10 Sec. C — Vocabulary | Fill-in-the-blank, translate phrases, article choice | ❓ Quiz · 📚 Vocabulaire (970+ phrases) | ✅ Covered |
| Gr. 9 Part D / Gr. 10 Sec. A — Listening | Understand spoken French dialogue | 🎧 Écoute → AI Dialogue · Écoute → Dictée | ✅ Covered |
| Gr. 10 Sec. D — Grammar (25 marks) | Articles, verb conjugation, tenses, adjective agreement, negation, pronouns, contractions | 📝 Grammaire (70+ frames, 20 sections) · 🎧 Écoute → Grammar drill | ✅ Covered |
| Gr. 9 Part D — Dictée Gr. 10 — Dictée | Write exactly what you hear, word-for-word | 🎧 Écoute → Dictée | ✅ Covered |
| Gr. 10 Sec. E — Writing | 6–8 sentence letter covering 3–4 required points, all 3 tenses | ✍️ Rédaction (skeletons + AI grammar feedback on your text) | ✅ Covered |
| Oral / pronunciation practice | Clear French pronunciation, sentence-level fluency | 🎤 Prononciation (Azure speech scoring per sound) | ✅ Covered |
| Acadian & NB culture facts | Grand Dérangement, Acadian flag, Fête nationale, Université de Moncton… | 🎧 Écoute → 🏳️ Culture quiz (20 multiple-choice questions) | ✅ Covered |
Grammar topics in the app
All sections in the Grammaire tab — both conversation and exam writing:
9 Grade 9 French
Post-Intensive French 9 (PIF) builds the foundation: greetings, basic grammar, present tense verbs, and a first look at the passé composé. The exam is 120 marks, 2 hours.
Exam Structure
| Part | Section | Marks | What it tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Multiple Choice | 30 | Vocabulary, grammar rules, reading comprehension (French sentences → choose best answer) |
| B | Short Answer | 40 | Fill-in-the-blank with the correct article, verb form, or word; translate short phrases |
| C | Reading | 30 | Read a short French passage, answer questions in English or French |
| D | Listening + Dictée + Culture | 20 | Listen to a dialogue (played twice), dictation sentences, Acadian culture facts |
Unit 1 — Vocabulary & Greetings
What you need to know
- Greetings & farewells: Bonjour, Bonsoir, Salut, Au revoir, À bientôt, Bonne nuit
- Politeness: S'il vous plaît, Merci, De rien, Excusez-moi, Pardon
- Self-introduction: name, age (J'ai ___ ans), where you live, nationality
- Family members: père, mère, frère, sœur, grand-père, grand-mère, oncle, tante, cousin(e)
- School subjects + classroom objects
- Numbers 1–100, days, months, seasons
- Telling time: Il est deux heures et demie
- Food & drink vocabulary
- Weather expressions: Il fait beau / froid / chaud / du vent. Il neige. Il pleut.
- Hobbies: sports, music, reading, TV
Exam-killer mistakes ⚠️
- Je suis 15 ans. → J'ai 15 ans. (age uses avoir, not être)
- Je suis faim. → J'ai faim. (hunger/thirst use avoir)
- Il est froid. → Il fait froid. (weather uses faire)
- Forgetting accents: é, è, ê, ç, à, â, î, ô, û — each costs a mark
Unit 2 — Articles & Nouns
Articles
| Masculine | Feminine | Plural | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Definite (the) | le | la | les |
| Indefinite (a/some) | un | une | des |
| Partitive (some) | du | de la | des |
After ne…pas, partitive and indefinite → de (no article).
Example: Je mange du pain → Je ne mange pas de pain.
Contractions — always tested
| à + … | Result | de + … | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| à + le | au | de + le | du |
| à + les | aux | de + les | des |
| à + la | à la | de + la | de la |
à le cinéma is always wrong → au cinéma
Adjective agreement (BANGS rule)
Adjectives agree in gender & number. Most follow the noun. BANGS adjectives (Beauty, Age, Number, Goodness,Size) come before the noun.
un grand garçon / une grande fille / de grands garçons
Unit 3 — Verbs
Key irregular verbs (must memorise)
| Subject | être | avoir | aller | faire |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| je | suis | ai | vais | fais |
| tu | es | as | vas | fais |
| il/elle | est | a | va | fait |
| nous | sommes | avons | allons | faisons |
| vous | êtes | avez | allez | faites |
| ils/elles | sont | ont | vont | font |
Regular verb endings
| Subject | -ER (parler) | -IR (finir) | -RE (vendre) |
|---|---|---|---|
| je | parle | finis | vends |
| tu | parles | finis | vends |
| il/elle | parle | finit | vend |
| nous | parlons | finissons | vendons |
| vous | parlez | finissez | vendez |
| ils | parlent | finissent | vendent |
Tenses tested
- Present: regular & irregular verb conjugation
- Futur proche: aller + infinitive — Je vais manger.
- Passé composé (introduction): avoir/être + past participle
- Negation: ne … pas wrap around the verb
Unit 4 — Conversation & Acadian Culture
Conversation skills
- Asking & answering basic questions: Comment t'appelles-tu ? Quel âge as-tu ? D'où viens-tu ?
- Question words: Qui, Quoi/Qu'est-ce que, Où, Quand, Comment, Pourquoi, Combien
- Classroom phrases: asking for help, saying you don't understand
- Reading strategy: scan for cognates, use context clues
- Accents & elision: l'école (not la école), j'ai (not je ai)
Acadian Culture — exam facts
- New Brunswick is Canada's only officially bilingual province
- The Acadian flag: blue-white-red tricolour with a gold star (Stella Maris) in the blue band
- Le Grand Dérangement (1755): Deportation of Acadians by the British
- Fête nationale de l'Acadie: August 15 (NOT June 24 — that's Québec)
- Tintamarre: noisy parade / celebration of Acadian pride on Aug 15
- Université de Moncton: largest French-language university outside Québec
10 Grade 10 French
Post-Intensive French 10 (PIF) builds on Grade 9 grammar and adds depth: all three production tenses (present, passé composé, futur proche), the full pronoun system, partitive articles, and more complex writing. The exam is 90 marks, 2 hours.
Exam Structure
| Section | Name | Marks | What it tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Listening | 15 | Short French dialogue played twice; answer comprehension questions in English |
| B | Reading | 20 | French text (email, paragraph, or article); questions test details, inference, and vocabulary in context |
| C | Vocabulary | 15 | Translate words; fill in missing French words from curriculum units |
| D | Grammar | 25 | Biggest section. Articles, verb conjugation (all 3 tenses), adjective agreement, negation, pronouns, contractions |
| E | Writing | 15 | Write a 6–8 sentence letter or email covering 3–4 required points. Tense variety = bonus marks. |
⚠️ Section D is 25/90 marks — the single biggest section. Most marks are lost on wrong articles, forgotten contractions, and participle agreement. These are the first things to drill.
Unit 1 — Vocabulary Themes
Physical description, personality, family relationships, possessive adjectives (mon/ma/mes/ton/ta/tes…)
Subjects + j'aime / je préfère / je déteste, classroom objects, daily routine with reflexive verbs (se lever, se coucher)
Places in town (la bibliothèque, la gare, le centre commercial), asking & giving directions, prepositions of place
Food items, ordering in a restaurant, partitive articles (du pain, de la salade), meal times
jouer à (sports/games) vs jouer de (instruments) vs faire de (activities). Frequency adverbs.
Je vais / Je voudrais / J'espère + infinitive. Careers, travel, studies after high school.
Unit 2 — Verbs & Tenses
Three tenses you must produce
| Tense | How to form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Present | Conjugate verb normally | Je mange une pomme. |
| Futur proche | aller (conjugated) + infinitive | Je vais manger une pomme. |
| Passé composé | avoir/être (present) + past participle | J'ai mangé une pomme. |
DR & MRS VANDERTRAMP — être verbs
These 17 verbs use être (not avoir) in passé composé. The past participle must agree with the subject.
Participle agreement with être verbs ⚠️
| Subject | Participle form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| masculine singular | allé | Il est allé. |
| feminine singular | allée | Elle est allée. |
| masculine plural | allés | Ils sont allés. |
| feminine plural | allées | Elles sont allées. |
Reflexive verbs (daily routine)
- se lever → je me lève
- se coucher → je me couche
- se brosser les dents → je me brosse les dents
- s'habiller → je m'habille
Unit 3 — Articles, Pronouns & Agreement
Partitive articles (some of)
| Gender | Article | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | du | Je mange du pain. |
| Feminine | de la | Je bois de la limonade. |
| Before vowel | de l' | Je mange de l'eau. |
| After negation | de / d' | Je ne mange pas de pain. |
Object pronouns
| Type | Pronouns | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Direct object | me, te, le, la, nous, vous, les | Je le mange. |
| Indirect object | me, te, lui, nous, vous, leur | Je lui parle. |
| y (place/à + thing) | y | J'y vais. |
| en (de + thing/quantity) | en | J'en veux. |
Adjective agreement (BAGS rule)
Most adjectives go after the noun.
BAGS adjectives go before:Beauty (beau/belle), Age (vieux/vieille, jeune), Goodness (bon/mauvais), Size (grand, petit, gros).
| Masc. sing. | Fem. sing. | Masc. pl. | Fem. pl. |
|---|---|---|---|
| grand | grande | grands | grandes |
| beau | belle | beaux | belles |
| vieux | vieille | vieux | vieilles |
Common exam killers ⚠️
- à le cinéma → au cinéma
- de le parc → du parc
- jouer la guitare → jouer de la guitare
- jouer au guitare → jouer de la guitare
- Je veux être un médecin. → Je veux être médecin. (no article with profession after être)
Unit 4 — Conversation & Practical French
Directions
- Asking: Excusez-moi, où est ___ ? / Pour aller à ___, s'il vous plaît ?
- Giving: Allez tout droit. Tournez à gauche / à droite. C'est à côté de / en face de / entre.
Ordering food
- Je voudrais ___, s'il vous plaît.
- L'addition, s'il vous plaît.
- C'est combien ?
Hobbies — critical distinction ⚠️
| Pattern | Used for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| jouer à | sports & games | jouer au hockey, aux échecs |
| jouer de | instruments | jouer de la guitare, du piano |
| faire de | activities | faire du ski, de la natation |
Writing a letter / email (Section E)
You must cover 3–4 required points from the prompt. Use this structure:
- Opening: Chère/Cher ___, / Bonjour ___,
- Self-intro: Je m'appelle ___ et j'ai ___ ans. J'habite à Moncton.
- Cover each required point — one or two sentences each. Use connectors: De plus, Aussi, Cependant, En plus, Par exemple.
- Use all 3 tenses (present + passé composé + futur proche) for bonus marks
- Closing: À bientôt ! / Cordialement, / Amitiés, + your name
Aim for 6–8 sentences. Check: correct article before every noun, verb agreement, accent marks.
Unit 5 — Acadian & New Brunswick Culture
Key facts — always on the exam
- New Brunswick is Canada's only officially bilingual province (English & French)
- Le Grand Dérangement (1755): British authorities deported Acadian settlers from their land
- Acadian flag: the French tricolour (blue, white, red) with a gold/yellow star (Stella Maris) in the upper left blue band
- Fête nationale de l'Acadie = August 15 (Feast of the Assumption — do not confuse with June 24, which is Québec's Fête nationale)
- Tintamarre: a noisy parade where people make as much noise as possible — celebrates Acadian culture on Aug 15
- Université de Moncton: the largest French-language university outside Québec, located right here in Moncton
Cultural figures & places
- Antonine Maillet: Acadian author of La Sagouine; won the Prix Goncourt (France's top literary prize) in 1979 — the first non-European to do so
- Édith Butler: Acadian folk and pop singer, ambassador of Acadian culture
- Chiac: a French-English mixed dialect spoken in the Moncton area — a sign of Acadian creativity, not an error
- Shediac, NB: "Lobster Capital of the World" — home to the giant lobster sculpture
- Caraquet, NB: cultural heart of Acadie, annual Acadian Festival
How to Use This App
Aujourd'hui — Today
Start here every session. The app picks what to study (shadow practice, new vocabulary, grammar drill, review, writing). Takes about 25 minutes.
Vocabulaire — Vocabulary
Browse all Grade 9 & 10 curriculum phrases by unit. Units are collapsed by default — click to expand. Search any word. Mark phrases as Learned to track progress per unit.
Cartes flash — Flashcards
Flip cards for any unit. French phrase on one side, English meaning on the other. Listen to TTS pronunciation. Hit Practice to record yourself saying it.
Quiz — Fill-in-the-blank
A word from a real curriculum phrase is blanked out — type it in. Matches Part B / Section C of the exam. Tracks your streak. Pick a specific unit to focus on weak spots.
Lecture — Reading
9 French passages (Grade 9 & 10) across 8 topics. Read the passage, answer comprehension questions in English, check against the model answer. Covers Section B (20 marks).
Grammaire — Grammar
70+ sentence frames across 20 grammar topics. Covers every pattern in Section D. Tap a frame to see examples, fill it in, or get AI examples for your topic. Use the grammar drill for targeted practice.
Rédaction — Writing
Guided paragraph builder for Section E. Pick a skeleton, fill each step, then use Check my French — AI highlights every grammar error with the correction and reason.
Prononciation — Pronunciation
Record yourself reading French sentences. Azure speech technology gives you a score on every individual sound and shows your intonation curve.
Écoute — Listening
Six tools: AI Dialogue (Section A practice), Dictée, Grammar drill, Speaking prompt, Conversation, and 🏳️ Culture quiz — 20 multiple-choice Acadian/NB facts.
Progrès — Progress
See your pronunciation score over time, your study streak, and which sounds still need the most work.
EN toggle (top right)
Turn on English hints for every label in the app. Turn it off to practise reading French UI — a form of immersion practice.
Grade selector (above tabs)
Set your grade once — the app highlights your content throughout. Grade 9 dims advanced sections (Imparfait, Comparisons, Conditional…) so you focus on what's actually on your exam. Grade 10 shows everything. All shows everything with no badges.