Words
Word decks
Anki decks built from the words the real exams use. The calendar tells you which cards to learn each day; this page explains what each deck is and how to import it.
The files
| File | Cards | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| core-0001-0250.tsv, core-0251-0500.tsv, core-0501-0750.tsv, core-0751-1000.tsv, core-1001-1250.tsv, core-1251-1500.tsv | 1,500 | The 1,500 most frequent words in real TCF and TEF Canada exam material, in rank order. They were counted in research/gap-1.md. Each card has an exam-style example and a note on where the word shows up. The calendar spreads them over Days 1–42. |
| exam-essentials.tsv | 347 | What the frequency list can't teach in a usable form: numbers, prices, dates and times, question words, exam instructions, notice words, change-of-plan markers, false friends, purpose and reporting words, argument connectors, and Québec French. |
| themes.tsv | 482 | Theme packs for the topics that keep coming back in writing and speaking (theme01, theme03 to theme21, and theme24; there is no theme02, theme22 or theme23): words and short chunks to adapt in your answers. |
| master-list-ranked.tsv | – | The ranked list the core decks were built from. Don't import it. |
What is on a card
- Front: the French. Nouns come with their article (le travail, l'activité (f)), adjectives with the feminine (nouveau, nouvelle), verbs in the infinitive, marked (irr.) if irregular.
- Back: the English, an example sentence in French and English, and an exam note: why the word matters, its irregular forms, a false-friend or pronunciation warning, or Québec usage.
| Tag | Meaning |
|---|---|
day01 to day42 |
The day you learn the card. The essentials groups carry the same day tags, so they arrive with that day's core words. |
theme01, theme03 to theme21 |
A TCF theme pack. The calendar names it on the day its prompts first come up. |
theme24 |
The TEF writing Section A pack (32 cards, also tagged tef): chunks for continuing a story, such as « Quelques minutes plus tard, … ». The calendar never schedules it. Learn it only if you book TEF: on TEF-D1 of the 10-day plan in tef-hedge.md, build Today with is:new tag:theme24. |
core, rank0001-0250 and so on |
A core word, and which core file it came from. |
essentials plus a group |
An essentials card. The groups are numbers, time, questions, instructions, notices, change, falsefriends, purpose, connectors and quebec. |
grammar |
A grammar word: article, pronoun, preposition, conjunction. |
skills_LRWS and so on |
Where the word was counted: L listening, R reading, W writing, S speaking. |
writing, speaking |
(Theme packs) where to use the chunk. |
dup |
A variant of another card, such as a feminine form. Its note names the main card. |
skip |
In the list only because one sample document happened to use it. Suspend these. |
Import the decks (once, on Day 1, about 40 minutes)
- Install Anki on your computer from apps.ankiweb.net. On your phone, use AnkiDroid (Android) or AnkiMobile (iPhone), and sync them with a free AnkiWeb account.
- Make one note type: Tools → Manage Note Types → Add → "Add: Basic", named TCF. In Fields, rename Front to French and Back to English, then add Rank, Type, Example FR, Example EN and Exam note. In Cards, set the front template to
{{French}}and the back to{{FrontSide}}<hr id=answer>{{English}}<br>{{Example FR}}<br>{{Example EN}}<br>{{Exam note}}. - Create a deck called TCF.
- File → Import, one file at a time: the six core files, then exam-essentials.tsv and themes.tsv. Each file starts with header lines that tell Anki the separator and the column names. In the import window:
- choose note type TCF and deck TCF;
- check that each column goes to the field with the same name, and the Tags column goes to Tags;
- set the option for existing notes to Duplicate. Some words sit in both a core deck and the essentials deck, and you want both cards.
- TCF deck → Options: set New cards/day to 0, so new cards reach you only through the Today deck below, and Maximum reviews/day to 9999.
- Browse, search
tag:skip, select all and choose Suspend.
Every day
The day's Words line in calendar.md gives a search, for example is:new -tag:skip (tag:day08 or tag:theme03).
- Tools → Create Filtered Deck. Name it Today, paste the search, set the limit to 300 and the order to "Order added", and tick "Reschedule cards based on my answers in this deck". Build.
- On later days, open Today's options, paste the new search and Rebuild.
- Study Today until it is empty, then study the TCF deck for your reviews.
Say every card and its example sentence aloud. Calendar.md ("Words: Anki and tags") covers missed days, refreshing theme packs in weeks 7–8, and adding your own corrected sentences with the tag mine.