BSL Level 1

In this introductory video, we’ll walk you through what to expect from the course, how the modules are structured, and how to get the most out of your learning. You’ll also meet your tutor and get a brief overview of the importance of British Sign Language in everyday life.

In this video, you’ll learn how to fingerspell the British Sign Language alphabet from A to Z. Fingerspelling is an essential part of BSL, used for names, places, and words without a specific sign. You’ll be guided through each letter with clear demonstrations, tips on hand positioning, and opportunities to practise at your own pace. Mastering the alphabet is a key first step in building your signing confidence.

This video teaches you how to confidently use common greetings in British Sign Language. You’ll learn how to sign “Hello,” “How are you?”, “Good morning,” “Goodbye,” and other everyday phrases used when meeting and leaving people. These are the building blocks of polite conversation in BSL and help you start interactions naturally and respectfully.

In this video, you’ll learn how to sign key vocabulary related to cities and towns, including how to say where you live and ask others the same. You’ll practise signs for “city,” “town,” “live,” and a selection of common UK city names. This section helps you build conversations about location and identity—an essential part of everyday communication in BSL.

In this video, you’ll learn how to sign different countries and talk about where you or others are from. You’ll be introduced to commonly used country signs, as well as how to combine them with phrases like “I am from…” or “Where are you from?”. This section supports meaningful conversations about background, travel, and cultural identity in British Sign Language.

This video introduces you to the basic structure of British Sign Language sentences. Unlike English, BSL often follows a different word order—typically topic–comment or object–subject–verb. You’ll learn how to arrange signs naturally, use facial expressions for tone, and avoid common mistakes. Understanding BSL grammar is key to communicating clearly and confidently.

In this video, you’ll learn how to sign numbers from 0 to 100 in British Sign Language. You’ll practise number formation, rhythm, and clarity—essential skills for expressing quantities, dates, prices, and more. This foundational vocabulary will support you across a wide range of BSL conversations.

This video teaches you how to sign times of day (e.g. hours, minutes, “morning,” “evening”), days of the week, and common celebrations such as birthdays, holidays, and cultural events. You’ll learn how to combine signs to talk about when something happened or will happen—perfect for describing routines, plans, and special occasions.

In this video, you’ll learn how to ask and answer questions about age, give your own age, and talk about prices using BSL number signs. You’ll also explore how to sign common money-related terms such as “pound,” “pence,” “cost,” and “how much?”—useful for everyday interactions like shopping or budgeting conversations.

In this video, you’ll learn how to sign a range of basic colours in British Sign Language, such as red, blue, green, yellow, black, and white. You’ll practise using these signs to describe objects, clothing, and preferences—laying the groundwork for more detailed visual communication.

This video teaches you how to sign common emotions, such as happy, sad, angry, tired, excited, and more. You’ll also learn how to use facial expressions alongside these signs to reflect the emotion naturally. Understanding how to express and recognise feelings is key to meaningful conversations in BSL.

In this video, you’ll learn how to sign key weather terms like sunny, rainy, cold, hot, windy, and cloudy. You’ll also explore how to talk about what the weather is like today or what it was like yesterday—useful for casual conversations and daily routines.

Building on previous grammar work, this video shows you how to combine signs for colours, emotions, and weather into full BSL sentences. You’ll practise structuring phrases clearly and naturally, while reinforcing the use of facial expressions and topic-comment order to enhance understanding.

In this video, you’ll learn how to sign key family-related vocabulary, including mother, father, brother, sister, child, and more. You’ll also practise how to describe your family members and relationships, helping you hold conversations about home life and personal connections in BSL.

This video introduces signs for common pets and animals such as dog, cat, bird, rabbit, and fish. You’ll also explore signs for animals you may see in daily life or in stories, helping you talk about the animals around you and those you care for.

In this video, you’ll learn how to describe appearance and characteristics using BSL. You’ll cover signs for height, hair, clothing, personality traits, and more. This will help you build full, descriptive sentences and talk about others in more detail.

In this video, you’ll learn how to sign different modes of transport such as bus, car, train, bicycle, and walking. You’ll also practise combining signs to describe how you travel and ask others about their journey—essential for everyday conversations and giving context.

In this video, you’ll learn how to sign vocabulary related to indoor environments, such as room, kitchen, toilet, school, and home. You’ll also practise describing where activities take place and how to navigate conversations about daily routines or indoor settings.

This video introduces signs for outdoor locations such as street, park, shop, garden, and bus stop. You’ll learn how to talk about activities that happen outside, give context to travel and movement, and build confidence describing your surroundings in BSL.

Here, you’ll be introduced to compound signs—signs that combine two or more ideas to form a single concept (e.g. “homework,” “bathroom”). You’ll learn how and when to use them to streamline your signing and improve fluency in everyday conversation.

This video explores directional verbs—verbs that show who is doing what to whom, based on movement and direction (e.g. “give,” “show,” “ask”). You’ll learn how these verbs change depending on who you’re referring to, which is a powerful tool in BSL grammar and storytelling.

In this video, you’ll learn signs for common daily activities such as waking up, eating, working, studying, and relaxing. You’ll practise describing your typical day and asking others about their routines, helping you engage in natural conversations about everyday life.

This video introduces signs for various jobs and professions like teacher, doctor, shop assistant, and more. You’ll also learn how to talk about what you or others do for work, enabling conversations about employment and career interests.

This video introduces signs for various jobs and professions like teacher, doctor, shop assistant, and more. You’ll also learn how to talk about what you or others do for work, enabling conversations about employment and career interests.

This video builds on previous grammar lessons to help you create clear, natural sentences about daily life, work, and meals. You’ll focus on sentence order, facial expressions, and fluid signing to communicate confidently and effectively.

In this video, you’ll learn how to sign a variety of hobbies and leisure activities such as reading, watching TV, dancing, swimming, and playing football. You’ll also practise asking others about their interests, helping you engage in social and friendly conversations in BSL.

This video focuses on building full sentences around hobbies and interests. You’ll practise using correct BSL grammar to express what you like doing, how often you do it, and with whom. This will help you communicate more fluently and naturally about your free time.

In this final video, we’ll review everything you’ve learned throughout the course, from fingerspelling and greetings to sentence structure and conversation topics. You’ll be encouraged to reflect on your progress, revisit any areas you’d like to strengthen, and explore next steps in your BSL journey. Whether you’re using BSL in daily life, work, or future studies, this is just the beginning. Well done for reaching the end of Level 1!