Programa d’Ensenyament d’Idiomes
Catalan Level 1
Total number of teaching and learning hours: 75 hours (15 reception classroom hours + 30
consolidation classroom hours + 30 guided online hours)
Number of ECTS credits: 3
I. COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Beginners course corresponding to Level A1 of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR)
divided into an initial 15-hour reception module and a second 30-hour consolidation module.
The reception module provides the student with the essential linguistic structures to communicate in
Catalan in the typical situations of day-today life. This module is primarily developed outside the
classroom: on the university campus, in the street, at the market etc..., places where the student has the
opportunity to put into practice the grammar structures and vocabulary acquired previously.
The consolidation module allows the fundamental linguistic skills (speaking, listening, reading and
writing) to be studied in-depth, but always from a communicative perspective and in an integrated way.
Furthermore, the teaching of lexical and grammatical content will be emphasised in order to
respond the the communicative and academic needs of the student.
II. EVALUATION SYSTEM:
The final mark for the course is made up of the following elements.
Continuous Assessment: participation (20%)
1 writing task (10%)
1 progress test (20%)
1 presentation (10%)
Final Exam
60%
40%
III. MARKING AND CLASSIFICATION SCHEME:
Final mark for the course (60% continuous assessment + 40% final exam)
Mark
A student will fail in any of the following
cases:
Classification
Fail (Suspès)
a) If he/she obtains a final mark for the
course of less than 5.0
b) If he/she obtains a mark of less than 5.0
in the final exam.
c) If he/she does not comply with the PEI
attendance policy.
5.0 – 6.9
Pass (Aprovat)
7.0 – 8.9
Merit (Notable)
9.0 - 10
Distinction (Excel·lent)
© Programa d’Ensenyament d’Idiomes
IV. ATTENDANCE POLICY:
As language learning is an evolving process that requires continuous practice in order to acquire new
knowledge and skills, class attendance is obligatory. Students must attend a minimum of 80% of classes
to qualify for a final mark.
In exceptional cases, students may attend less than the required 80% of classes; however, absences
must be justified and permission granted by a commission responsible for such policies. In these cases,
a) absences must not exceed 40% of the course and
b) students must establish a plan of study with their professor to follow the course and prepare
for exams.
The justification of absences is the responsibility of the student, who should present an acceptable
justification at the PEI main office and fill out the corresponding form.
V. COURSE MATERIAL:
As well as handouts, which will be given to you in class by the teacher, and need to be filed on a daily
basis, you will use a coursepack containing both communicative activities and grammar theory with
exercises.
VI. COURSE OBJECTIVES:
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To be able to interact in basic and frequent daily life situations.
Express opinions or simple requests in everyday contexts.
Understand clear information on familiar subjects, such as labels on products and signs, and simple
literary texts or narratives on familiar topics.
Fill out forms and write brief letters o messages and notes about personal information.
VII. COURSE CONTENT:
FUNCTIONS
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Social:
o Greet and take leave
o Introduce oneself and others
o Expressing thanks and responding to gratitude
o Ask permission and give o deny permission
o Congratulating and responding to felicitations
o Maintain short conversations by telephone
Informative:
o Describe persons, places and things
o Request information and provide information about people, places and things
o Express knowledge or ignorance about an event or fact
o Express wishes and desires
o Refuse to do something
Expressive and evaluative:
o Request and show agreement and consent
o Express fact
Suasive:
o Request assistance
o Propose, suggest, offer advice or recommend an action
o Ask for instructions or give instructions
o Arrange a meeting
Metalinguistic:
o Turn taking
o Ask how to pronounce a word or phrase
o Ask for repetition or clarification
o Paraphrase
o Self-correct
© Programa d’Ensenyament d’Idiomes
GRAMMAR
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Determiners:
o definite and indefinite article
o demonstrative, possessive and interrogative
o numerals: cardinals, ordinals and partitives
Pronouns:
o demonstrative, possessive and interrogative
o personal: tonic forms and atonic forms of DO and IO
o relative
Verb tenses:
o indicative present
o periphrastic past
o imperfect past
o imperative
Periphrastic form for obligation: haver de
Adverbs of time, place, direction, quantity and manner
Prepositions of location, direction and possession
Conjunctions:
o correlative: i and ni
o causal: perquè
o disjunctive: o and si no
o contrastive: però
Syntax:
o sentence constituents: subject, verb and complements
o simple sentences: declaratives, interrogatives, imperatives and exclamations
o compound sentences
Phonetics and orthography:
o alphabet
o the vowel and consonant system
o reduced vowels
LEXIS
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Personal information
Home and address
Professions and professional life
Hobbies and free time
The university
Travel and transport
Interpersonal relations
Shopping and dining
Language and communication
VIII. ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE AND CULTURAL ACTIVITIES:
As indicated in the course syllabus, the course will include a variety of language activities: sessions
dedicated to oral fluency, role-plays, Catalan cultural activities, a reading workshop or a tour of
Barcelona.
IX. BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Dictionaries:
o Bilingual dictionaries of the Enciclopèdia Catalana
o Multilingual dictionary (online): http://www.multilingue.cat/
o Monolingual dictionary (online): http://www.diccionari.cat/
o Illustrated dictionary (online): http://www.dicdidac.cat/
© Programa d’Ensenyament d’Idiomes
Manuals:
o Dolors Badia, Llengua catalana. Nivell llindar 1. Barcelona: Editorial L’Àlber, 1997.
o Roig, N. et al. Passos 1. Barcelona: Editorial Octaedro, 2006.
Grammars:
o Xuriguera, J. Els verbs catalans conjugats. Barcelona: Claret, 1998.
o Alegre, M. Gramaticard. Totes les regles de la gramàtica catalana. Barcelona: Castellnou, 1995.
Additional exercises:
o www.parla.cat
X. CERTIFICATES:
At the end of the course, those students that pass will receive a certificate stating both their final mark
and classification. Certificates can be collected at the PEI administrative office (Roger de Llúria building,
office 40.177).
© Programa d’Ensenyament d’Idiomes