Please consult the list of courses or the table below to find the textbooks that will be used in your class. Textbooks may be found online (try Amazon or Abebooks) using the ISBN’s provided, may be available in the AF offices or library, or your instructor may be able to provide scans of the pages needed. If you are having trouble finding a book online, please email info@afabq.com for assistance. Courses with no textbook listed will be using material prepared by the instructor.
We recommend Contacts, 7th edition by Jean-Paul & Rebecca Valette (ISBN 0-618-00748-2), as a basic text for all students up to the Advanced III+ level. However, as of spring 2025, we are adopting a new basic textbook, Inspire 1 (A1). This textbook and workbook come with a full complement of online audio exercises to allow students to improve their speaking and listening skills outside of class. Inspire 1 will be phased into Beginners II and our Intermediates classes over the coming sessions.
As an optional supplement, we recommend Français Interactif, a basic French textbook complete with audio and video online materials developed at UT Austin. The entire textbook can be downloaded for free, chapter by chapter, or you can purchase a printed black and white copy of the textbook on the UT Austin site. We also have some copies available for purchase in our office. Simply contact Carolyn Simmons to reserve and purchase your copy. The website is https://www.laits.utexas.edu/fi/home
You may notice in our advanced courses that the textbook titles include A1, A2, B1 or C1. These categorizations come from the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment, abbreviated in English as CEFR or CEF or CEFRL, a guideline used to describe achievements of learners of foreign languages across Europe and, increasingly, in other countries. It was put together by the Council of Europe as the main part of the project “Language Learning for European Citizenship” between 1989 and 1996. Its main aim is to provide a method of learning, teaching and assessing which applies to all languages in Europe. The six reference levels (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2) are becoming widely accepted as the European standard for grading an individual’s language proficiency. For more on CEFRL including a detailed description of each level, please visit https://www.coe.int.
| Course & Book | Author | ISBN | AF Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beginners I ~ On Zoom | |||
| Inspire 1 (A1) Livre de l\\'élève Version numérique 2020* | Jean-Thierry Le Bougnec & Marie-José Lopes | 978-2-01-513575-5 | $35 |
| *Also Available on Amazon from Foreign Books Illinois | |||
| Beginners I ~ On Zoom | |||
| Inspire 1 (A1) Cahier d\\'activités Version numérique 2020* | Luc Malcor & Claire Marchandeau | 978-2-01-714182-2 | $25 |
| *Also available on Amazon from Foreign Books Illinois | |||
| False Beginners (Contacts, 1-6) ~ On Zoom Beginners II (Contacts, 7-10) ~ On Zoom | |||
| Contacts 7th Edition (2001) | Valette & Valette | 978-0-618-007486 | $15 |
| Beginning French for Travelers ~ On Zoom | |||
| DK Eyewitness French Phrasebook & CD, 2003 2nd Edition | DK Eyewitness Travel Guides | 978-0-7513-2143-2 | $10 |
| Intermediates I (Contacts, 10-14) ~ In person Intermediates I (Contacts, 10-14) ~ On Zoom Intermediates II (Contacts, 15-18) ~ On Zoom Intermediates III (Contacts, 19-21) ~ On Zoom | |||
| Contacts 7th Edition (2001) | Valette & Valette | 978-0-618-007486 | $15 |
| Advanced I (Contacts, 22-25): Parlez du passé! ~ On Zoom Advanced II (Contacts, 26-29) Advanced III (Contacts, 30-32) ~ On Zoom Advanced III (Contacts, 30-33) ~ In person Advanced III (Contacts, 32-33) ~ In person | |||
| Contacts 7th Edition (2001) | Valette & Valette | 978-0-618-007486 | $15 |
| Advanced III+ : Lecture, conversation & grammaire ~ On Zoom | |||
| Discovering French Rouge 2001 | Valette & Valette | 9780618035069 | - |
| Advanced III+/IV: Cosmopolite B2 ~ On Zoom | |||
| Cosmopolite 4 B2 2019 | Nathalie Hirschsprung et Tony Tricot | 9782015135601 | $$33 |
| Advanced III+/IV: Cercle de lecture 14h ~ On Zoom- Au Bonheur des dames Advanced III+/IV: Cercle de lecture 15h30 ~ On Zoom - Au Bonheur des dames | |||
| Au Bonheur des dames: Un roman d'ambition et de désir (Disponible sur Amazon & Kindle - version de 510p | Emile Zola | - | |
| Advanced IV: Cosmopolite 5 (C1) ~ On Zoom | |||
| Cosmopolite 5 - Livre de l'élève C1/C2 March 2020* | Sylvain Capelli | 978-2015135786 | - |
| *Available on Amazon from Foreign Books Illinois | |||