uwloo

FR 101Beginner French

Units
0.50
Faculty
Arts
Subject
French Studies

When it runs

  1. F24
  2. W25
  3. S25
  4. F25
  5. W26
  6. S26
  7. F26
  8. W27
  9. S27

Ran in 6 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: scheduled, 2 lecture sections. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.

This course introduces students to the fundamentals of the French language. They will develop elementary-level skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing through a variety of communicative, interactive, and practical activities. By the end of the course students will have learned some essential vocabulary, basic grammar, and pronunciation rules, allowing them to understand and construct simple sentences in various contexts. This course is for students with no prior knowledge of French.

Prerequisites

None listed.

Antirequisites

  • Complete all of the following
    • Not completed nor concurrently enrolled in any of the following:
      • FR151 - Basic French 1 (0.50)
      • FR152 - Basic French 2 (0.50)
      • FR192A - French Language 1: Module 1 (0.50)
      • FR192B - French Language 1: Module 2 (0.50)
    • Not open to students with native, near-native, or similar advanced ability

Leads to

Fall 2026 sections

Enrolment from UW Open Data, which can trail Quest by up to two days. Instructors and rooms: Schedule of Classes.
SectionClassEnrolledMeets
LEC 0813617103 / 110Online or by arrangement
LEC 0827878102 / 110Online or by arrangement

Winter 2027 sections

Enrolment from UW Open Data, which can trail Quest by up to two days. Instructors and rooms: Schedule of Classes.
SectionClassEnrolledMeets
LEC 08135460 / 220Online or by arrangement
LEC 7011337107 / 9999Online or by arrangement

Reviewed on UW Flow

67% liked it77% easy62% useful

From 55 ratings and 17 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.

  • It's an easy course, BUT DO NOT EXPECT TO LEARN FRENCH from this course. The professor is just giving you slides and let yourself reading it and complete the quiz. Useless course

    May 2026 · didn’t like it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • (Online) At first, I was worried about the group project but it was actually really fun! Had a blast trying to learn everything. There was a lot of content but its designed to give you time to practise and learn before you need to test it. The assignments and tests were designed well and were similar to the practise tests. I ended with a 89.

    Sep 2026 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this

  • An easy CSE even for people with 0 French experience. But don't expect to improve your French skills by taking this course, because you will soon forget everything you have learned from it.

    Aug 2026 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this

  • The pace was sometimes too fast, sometimes too slow. It's worse than Duolingo's french course

    Oct 2025 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this

  • A great introductory class to French, it teaches you basic grammar and speaking and makes it easy if you took other FR classes or learn french outside the school

    Jul 2025 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this

Discussed on r/uwaterloo

65 posts and comments in 51 threads mention FR 101, September 2015 to December 2024. Quoted word for word, newest first; each reply sits under the post and the comment that started its branch. Search r/uwaterloo for newer posts.

Fall 2024

FR101 or FR151? 4 points, 2 comments

u/GZ6113PHEV5: “… I heard that FR101 basically taught nothing but FR151 does require a prerequisite of high school French courses. …”

u/Dimtar_: “iirc you can only take the lowest one available to you before advancing further the prerequisite for FR 151 is grade 9 or 10 ontario high school french/FR 101. …”

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Winter 2024

Fall 2023

Winter 2023

Fall 2022

Fall 2021

Spring 2021

Anyone taking or have taken any of CO 456, STAT 337, FR 101 online? 0 points, 15 comments

u/bolton-js: “If so, could you share the grading scheme they had? Did FR 101 have a mandatory textbook?”

u/NearquadFarquad: “Taking fr101 online right now. There is a textbook stated to be mandatory, but you can find it online. …”

u/bolton-js: “Thanks for sharing. How easy would you say is FR 101 & STAT 337?”

u/NearquadFarquad: “… So far, FR101 seems very easy, but I had to take french from Grade 4-9 so I have a basic background in it, it might be more challenging if you haven't learned any french”

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Birdiest course among these? 5 points, 13 comments

u/bolton-js: “Hello, I'm looking to take a bird course for Fall and deciding among these: BET 100, FINE 130, AHS 105, FR 101 (never done french before in any capacity) Which course would be the easiest and require the least amount of time commitment? …”

u/Frenz-HackonEmpirus: “I would suggest pick the birdest one that you can potentially use on your resume - may as well make it pay for itself.”

u/bolton-js: “Yeah that's a good suggestion. Which is why I was leaning towards FR 101, learning a bit of French would help haha.”

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Winter 2021

Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026

Calendar versions

Undergraduate Calendar