This paper describes the functional-notional approach to language teaching and learning in terms of the ways it can be used to meet the communicative needs of the potential language learners, particularly adults, who vary in what they want to do in the target language. It contrasts the functional system with conventional approaches, illustrates differences in the organization of language information by function and by structure, and discusses implications for instructional design. It concludes with a brief sketch of an instructional development scenario that might employ this approach. (Author)