Classes & certificates

These translation exams test reading knowledge of French, German, Italian or Spanish and meet the requirements of UW–Madison graduate programs. Register at least one week prior to your chosen exam date. No refunds after registration.

Struggling with French pronunciation? Want to become more comfortable speaking French? This six-lesson online course contains clear explanations, practice exercises, and sets of drills to help you understand and refine the fundamentals of French pronunciation with one-on-one feedback from your instructor. Enrollment is ongoing; you’ll have two months to complete the course. A great preparation or review! No prerequisite needed. Audiobook: "Secrets of French Pronunciation" by Camille Chevalier-Karfis. Please contact your instructor for purchase information.

Join other Francophiles as you learn the basics of French with listening, speaking, reading and writing activities. Learn to introduce yourself, use numbers, and talk about cities, hotels and travel. Textbook and workbook required.

Build your vocabulary as you improve your ability to converse in the present tense and become familiar with past tenses. Practice conversing while learning relevant cultural information. Materials provided in class.

Refine and deepen your ability to converse in the past and future tenses as you discuss families, work, travel and customs in France and the Francophone world. Materials provided in class. Prerequisite: French 2.

Polish your skills as you discuss the culture and history of France and the Francophone world. Refine your knowledge of tense, lexicon and register while improving your reading and listening abilities. 

Open to anyone who wants to study French for reading and translation. We cover essential grammar and vocabulary to provide knowledge that is especially useful for students preparing for the French graduate-level reading knowledge exam.