This is the checklist I give my own students when they book their DELF A1. It is deliberately not a course: it is the map of what the examiner can ask you, so you can tick off what you already know and see immediately what is left.
Work through it in the order below. Grammar and tenses are the backbone, vocabulary is what you fill it with, and the communication section is what the oral examiner actually scores you on.
The DELF A1 exam format
The DELF is awarded by the French Ministry of Education and never expires. Each of the four papers is marked out of 25 for a total of 100, you need 50/100 overall to pass, and at least 5/25 in every single paper.
| Paper | Duration | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Compréhension de l'oral (listening) | About 20 minutes | 25 |
| Compréhension des écrits (reading) | 30 minutes | 25 |
| Production Ă©crite (writing) | 30 minutes | 25 |
| Production orale (speaking) | 5 to 7 minutes, plus 10 minutes preparation | 25 |
Grammar to master for A1
Twelve points, and none of them a verb tense: the tenses have their own table below. Nothing outside this list can be required of you at A1 level.
- Les articles définis, indéfinis et partitifs (le, la, un, une, du…)Definite, indefinite and partitive articles (the, a, some)
- Les pronoms personnels sujets (je, tu, il, elle, nous…)Subject pronouns (I, you, he, she, we…)
- Le genre et le pluriel des noms et des adjectifsGender and plural of nouns and adjectives
- L'accord de l'adjectif (féminin / masculin / pluriel)Adjective agreement (feminine, masculine, plural)
- Les adjectifs possessifs (mon, ma, mes…)Possessive adjectives (my, your…)
- Les adjectifs démonstratifs (ce, cette, ces)Demonstrative adjectives (this, that, these)
- Les pronoms toniques (moi, toi, lui…)Stressed pronouns (me, you, him…)
- Les prépositions de lieu (à , chez, dans, sur…)Prepositions of place (at, to, in, on…)
- Les prépositions de temps (en, depuis, à … de… à …)Prepositions of time (in, since, from… to…)
- La forme affirmative et la forme négativeThe affirmative and the negative
- Les questions avec est-ce que, avec l'intonation et avec l'inversionAsking questions with est-ce que, intonation and inversion
- Les expressions de quantité (beaucoup de, un peu de…)Expressions of quantity (a lot of, a little…)
Essential A1 vocabulary
Thirteen themes, all drawn from daily life. The exam never asks for abstract or specialised vocabulary at this level.
- Se présenter : nom, nationalité, âge, professionIntroducing yourself: name, nationality, age, job
- La famille, les relations, l'Ă©tat civilFamily, relationships, marital status
- Les chiffres jusqu'Ă 1000, les jours, les mois, les saisonsNumbers up to 1000, days, months, seasons
- Les vĂŞtements et les couleursClothes and colours
- Le corps et la santéThe body and health
- L'alimentation, les repas, les boissonsFood, meals and drinks
- Les lieux en ville, la maison, les transportsPlaces in town, the home, transport
- Le temps, la météo, les activités quotidiennesTime, the weather, daily activities
- L'heure et les horairesTelling the time and timetables
- Les loisirs, les goûts, les préférencesHobbies, tastes and preferences
- Le vocabulaire de base au travail ou Ă l'Ă©coleBasic vocabulary at work or at school
- Les magasins, la monnaie, les prix, les achats simplesShops, money, prices, simple shopping
- Les formules de politesse : bonjour, merci, au revoir, excusez-moi…Polite phrases: hello, thank you, goodbye, excuse me…
Communication skills tested at A1
This is what the speaking and writing examiners mark. Practise each one out loud, not just on paper.
- Saluer et prendre congéGreeting people and saying goodbye
- Se présenter et poser des questions à quelqu'unIntroducing yourself and asking someone questions
- Donner et demander une information personnelleGiving and asking for personal information
- Demander et dire l'heure, la date, le prixAsking and giving the time, date and price
- Parler de ses goûts et de ses préférencesTalking about your tastes and preferences
- Accepter ou refuser une invitationAccepting or turning down an invitation
- Commander au restaurant ou au caféOrdering in a restaurant or café
- Demander son cheminAsking for directions
- RĂ©server une chambre ou un billetBooking a room or a ticket
- Exprimer la possession, la quantité, la localisationExpressing possession, quantity and location
- Remplir un formulaire simpleFilling in a simple form
- Écrire une carte postale ou un message courtWriting a postcard or a short message
- Comprendre une annonce simple (train, météo, supermarché…)Understanding a simple announcement (train, weather, supermarket…)
The four tenses you need at A1
A1 is a small tense system, and that is good news: four forms cover everything the exam can ask.
| Tense | What it covers | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Le présent de l'indicatif | Regular -er and -ir verbs, reflexive verbs, and the frequent irregulars: être, avoir, faire, aller, venir, mettre, pouvoir, vouloir, devoir, prendre, vendre | The irregulars are the whole difficulty. Learn them as fixed blocks, not as rules. |
| Le passé composé | Common verbs with avoir, and a handful with être: aller, venir, arriver, partir, rester | Agreement of the past participle with être (elle est allée, ils sont partis). |
| Le futur proche | aller + infinitif, for anything you are about to do | It replaces the futur simple entirely at A1. You do not need the futur simple yet. |
| L'impératif présent | Giving an order, an instruction or a piece of advice | The -s disappears on -er verbs in the tu form: tu manges becomes mange ! |
How to use this checklist
Print it and go through it once with a pen, ticking only what you could explain to someone else. Anything you hesitate on stays unticked, that is your revision plan.
Then work backwards from the communication list. Every point on it is a scenario the oral examiner can hand you, so rehearse them aloud one by one. Students who do this pass the production orale far more comfortably than students who only revise grammar.