Milestone map
Milestone map
4 milestones
Master French phonetics and core greetings
2–4 weeks (30–45 min/day)
Learn the French sound system well enough that a native speaker can understand you without effort. Focus on nasal vowels (an, en, in, on), silent letters, liaison, and the 20 most-used greeting and introduction phrases. Record yourself speaking and compare to a native speaker until the sounds match.
Proof required
Record a 3-minute audio or video of yourself introducing yourself in French — name, nationality, where you live, what you do, basic weather or time phrases — using natural pronunciation. Send it to a native speaker or certified tutor and submit their written feedback (one sentence minimum) alongside the recording. App pronunciation scores are not accepted.
What gets checked
- The recording is submitted to a real native speaker or tutor for feedback — not self-assessed
- Nasal vowels are clearly distinguishable — an, in, and on sound distinct from each other
- Liaison is present in at least 2 phrases (e.g., 'vous avez' sounds like 'vou-zavez') — shows you have internalized sound rules, not just spelling
Resources
Foundation: start here · Depth: go deeper · Mastery: for the dedicated
Foundation
Depth
Mastery
What a verifier looks for
- Native speaker or tutor feedback must be present — a recording with no external feedback is incomplete regardless of quality
- Listen specifically for nasal vowels: 'un bon vin blanc' is the standard test — all four nasals in four words
- Do NOT accept app pronunciation scores as feedback — only written or spoken feedback from a native speaker or certified teacher counts
Build core vocabulary — 500 most common French words
4–8 weeks (30 min Anki/day + 15 min speaking/day)
Learn the 500 most frequent French words with enough recall that you can produce them in a sentence in real time, not just recognize them when reading. Use spaced repetition daily and, crucially, use each word in a spoken sentence with another person at least once.
Proof required
Record a 5-minute video (in French, unscripted) narrating your daily routine — what you did from waking up to the time of recording. Pause, make mistakes, restart sentences — that is expected. Submit alongside a screenshot of your Anki deck showing ≥500 cards with ≥90% retention rate (the deck statistics view, not just a card count).
What gets checked
- The narration is unscripted — no reading from a page; you must produce language from memory in real time
- Anki screenshot shows the deck statistics view with retention rate ≥90% on ≥500 mature cards
- The narration uses a visible range of vocabulary beyond the 50 most common words — listen for variety across food, time, places, people, and actions
Resources
Foundation
Depth
Mastery
What a verifier looks for
- The Anki screenshot must show deck statistics including retention rate — not just a total card count
- Watch 60 seconds of the video at random from the middle — vocabulary variety should be broader than the first 50 most common words
- Do NOT require perfect grammar at A1 — word order errors and missing articles are expected; assess productive vocabulary range, not grammar accuracy
Construct simple sentences and navigate real interactions
4–6 weeks (2–3 tutor sessions + daily practice)
Learn to form complete sentences in present and near-future tense, ask for clarification ('Pouvez-vous répéter?'), handle basic misunderstandings, and navigate simple transactional situations — ordering food, asking for directions, buying something. Practice by completing at least 5 sessions (10 minutes each) with a native speaker or tutor.
Proof required
Submit a 10-minute recorded conversation with a French native speaker or certified tutor. The conversation must include: an introduction (M1 material), a description of your current day or week (M2 material), asking for clarification at least once, and a transactional exchange (ordering, asking a question, buying something). Include the tutor's name and iTalki profile URL or equivalent.
What gets checked
- Conversation is with a real native speaker or certified tutor — not a language exchange partner at the same level
- A clarification request appears naturally in the conversation — not scripted or announced before it happens
- At least 5 of the 10 minutes is the learner speaking — not just answering the tutor's questions
Resources
Foundation
Depth
Mastery
What a verifier looks for
- Listen to the full 10 minutes — confirm the learner is speaking at least 50% of the time, not just responding to the tutor
- Look for a clarification request — 'Pouvez-vous répéter?' or 'Plus lentement, s'il vous plaît' shows the learner is managing real conversation, not reciting scripts
- Do NOT require perfect sentence structure — word order errors are expected at A1; assess whether communication succeeds, not whether grammar is perfect
Hold a 5-minute French conversation on a familiar topic
4–8 weeks (1–2 tutor sessions/week + daily speaking practice)
Hold a sustained 5-minute conversation in French with a native speaker on a topic you chose in advance — your job, your city, your weekend plans, your family. The conversation must have natural turn-taking, at least two topic transitions, and no switching to English. This is your A1 completion proof.
Proof required
Video recording (5–7 minutes) of the complete conversation. The native speaker must be visible on screen or identified by name and iTalki profile URL. You must introduce the topic in French at the start. Submit alongside a 100-word self-reflection in English on what parts of the conversation were hardest and what you would work on next.
What gets checked
- 5 continuous minutes of French conversation — no English switches, even brief ones
- Natural turn-taking — you ask at least 2 questions, not just answer the native speaker's questions
- At least 2 topic transitions — conversation that stays on one topic for 5 minutes is a structured monologue, not A1-complete dialogue
Resources
Foundation
Depth
Mastery
What a verifier looks for
- Watch the full 5 minutes — do not approve based on the first 2 minutes when the learner is warmed up and rehearsed
- Count the learner's questions — if the learner only answers and never initiates, the conversation is not A1-complete
- Verify no English switches — one or two 'uh... comment dit-on...' is authentic and expected; switching to English sentences is not
- The self-reflection shows metacognitive awareness — if the learner says everything was easy, ask a follow-up question about a specific difficult moment