HSC French Continuers cheat sheet

Register: use tu with peers, family, and close friends; vous with strangers, elders, and authority figures. In writing, choose the register that matches the relationship and purpose (e.g., informal email to a friend vs. formal letter to an employer).

Family vocabulary: la famille nucléaire (parents et enfants), la famille élargie (grands-parents, oncles, tantes, cousins), la famille recomposée (beau-père, belle-mère, demi-frère, demi-sœur), la famille monoparentale.

Daily routine: use pronominal verbs (se lever, se coucher, s'habiller, se dépêcher) with reflexive pronouns me/te/se/nous/vous/se. Negation: ne + pronoun + verb + pas (Je ne me lève pas tôt).

Education system: l'école maternelle (3–6 ans), l'école élémentaire (6–11), le collège (11–15), le lycée (15–18), puis l'université ou les grandes écoles. Le baccalauréat is the national exam at the end of lycée.

Work vocabulary: un stage (internship), un emploi à temps plein/partiel, le chômage, un entretien d'embauche, un CV (curriculum vitae), une lettre de motivation. The 35-hour work week (les 35 heures) is standard in France.

Personal identity: describe origin with être + de (Je suis de Lyon), nationality with adjectives (français/française), and profession with être + article (Je suis professeur; but Je suis un professeur passionné when adding an adjective).

Friendship and relationships: verbs like s'entendre bien avec (to get along with), se disputer (to argue), se réconcilier (to make up), faire confiance à (to trust). Use depuis + present for ongoing states (Je le connais depuis dix ans).

Writing decision rule: for a personal narrative (e.g., une journée dans ma vie), use passé composé for completed actions and imparfait for background/description. For future plans, use futur proche (aller + infinitive) or futur simple.

La Francophonie: the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) has 88 member states and governments (as of 2023). French is an official language in 29 countries, including France, Canada, Belgium, Switzerland, and many African nations.

French regions: la Bretagne (Celtic heritage, crêpes), la Provence (lavender, pastis, mistral), l'Alsace (Germanic influence, choucroute, Christmas markets), la Corse (mountainous island, Corsican language).

Traditions: la Fête de la Musique (21 June, free public concerts), le 14 juillet (Bastille Day, military parade, bals populaires), la Chandeleur (2 February, crêpes), la Toussaint (1 November, cemetery visits), Noël (réveillon, bûche de Noël).

Cultural diversity in France: la laïcité is the constitutional principle of state secularism (1905 law). It guarantees freedom of religion but keeps religion out of public institutions; it affects school dress codes and public services.

Francophone Africa: countries such as le Sénégal, la Côte d'Ivoire, le Mali, le Cameroun, la RDC (République démocratique du Congo) have vibrant French-language literature (e.g., Léopold Sédar Senghor, Maryse Condé from Guadeloupe).

Canada: le Québec is the largest French-speaking province; le français québécois has distinct vocabulary (e.g., une blonde = girlfriend, magasiner = to shop). L'Acadie (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia) has its own history and dialect.

Overseas departments (DOM): la Guadeloupe, la Martinique, la Guyane, la Réunion, Mayotte are part of France and the EU; they use the euro and send representatives to the French Parliament.

Cultural comparison: when discussing traditions, use comparatives (plus... que, moins... que, aussi... que) and expressions like tandis que / alors que to contrast French and Australian customs (e.g., le repas à midi vs. le sandwich rapide).

Technology vocabulary: les réseaux sociaux (social media), un algorithme, les données personnelles (personal data), le télétravail (remote work), une application, un mot de passe, le cyberharcèlement (cyberbullying).

Environment: le changement climatique, l'effet de serre (greenhouse effect), les énergies renouvelables (solaire, éolien, hydraulique), la pollution, le recyclage, l'empreinte carbone (carbon footprint), la biodiversité.

Global issues: l'immigration, les inégalités, la pauvreté, l'aide humanitaire, les droits de la personne, la paix, la guerre, le terrorisme. Use expressions like il faut + infinitive, on devrait + infinitive to propose solutions.

Social change: la grève (strike), la manifestation, les syndicats (unions), l'égalité des sexes, le mariage pour tous (legalised in France in 2013), la fracture numérique (digital divide).

Cause and consequence: use parce que / car (because), donc (therefore), c'est pourquoi (that's why), à cause de + noun (because of, negative), grâce à + noun (thanks to, positive).

Future and hypothesis: si + present → future (Si on recycle, on réduira les déchets). For unreal situations: si + imperfect → conditional (Si j'étais président, je créerais plus de parcs).

Expressing opinion: à mon avis, je pense que, je trouve que, il me semble que, je suis pour/contre, d'une part... d'autre part. Soften disagreement: je comprends ton point de vue, mais...

Writing a persuasive text: structure with an introduction (problème), two or three arguments with examples, and a conclusion (solution/appel à l'action). Use connectors: premièrement, ensuite, enfin, en conclusion.

Before listening, read the questions and predict vocabulary. During the first listening, focus on the gist (topic, speakers, setting). During the second, note specific details (numbers, names, times).

Identify the register: tu/vous, slang (e.g., un truc, bosser, une bagnole), and formal markers (e.g., je vous en prie, veuillez). This helps determine the relationship and context.

Listen for connectors that signal structure: d'abord, ensuite, puis, enfin, cependant, par contre, donc. These indicate sequence and contrast in spoken French.

Numbers and dates: distinguish deux/douze, six/seize, cent/sans, and hear the difference between le 2 juin and le 2 juillet. Note prices in euros and times using the 24-hour clock (e.g., quinze heures trente).

Common spoken reductions: je suis → chuis (informal), il y a → ya, tu as → t'as, je ne sais pas → chais pas. Recognise these but do not use them in formal writing.

Responding in French: for short-answer questions, use the same tense as the question. For multiple-choice, eliminate options that contradict the audio (e.g., wrong gender, wrong number).

Note-taking: use abbreviations and symbols (→, +, =, ≠, &). Write keywords in French to avoid translation errors later. If you miss a detail, keep listening; do not panic.

Skim the text first for overall meaning (title, headings, first and last sentences). Then scan for specific information requested by the questions (names, dates, places, opinions).

Identify text type: un article de journal (formal, third person), une lettre formelle (vous, formule de politesse), un courriel amical (tu, informal), une publicité (imperative, persuasive), un blog (first person, informal).

Vocabulary strategies: use context to guess unknown words. Look for cognates (e.g., important, nécessaire) but beware of faux amis: actuellement = currently (not actually), éventuellement = possibly (not eventually), librairie = bookshop (not library).

Pronoun reference: track what y, en, le/la/les, lui/leur, and relative pronouns (qui, que, dont, où) refer to. This is essential for comprehension questions.

Tense recognition: imparfait (background), passé composé (completed actions), plus-que-parfait (earlier past), conditionnel (hypothesis/politeness), subjonctif (after expressions like il faut que, bien que).

Answering in French: reuse the structure of the question. For 'Pourquoi...?' answer with 'Parce que...' or 'Car...'. For 'Selon le texte...' quote or paraphrase directly from the text.

Inference questions: the answer is not stated word-for-word. Look for clues in adjectives, adverbs, and tone (e.g., ironique, enthousiaste, critique) to determine the author's attitude.

Text types and conventions: une lettre formelle (Madame, Monsieur, formule de politesse: Je vous prie d'agréer, Madame, Monsieur, l'expression de mes salutations distinguées). Un courriel amical: Salut, ... Bises / À bientôt.

Plan before writing: identify the audience (ami, professeur, directeur), purpose (informer, persuader, remercier, inviter), and required content points. Allocate words proportionally (e.g., 120–150 words for a short message).

Sentence variety: alternate short and long sentences; use subordinate clauses with qui, que, dont, où; use connectors (de plus, cependant, par conséquent, en revanche) to link ideas.

Tense control: use présent for current facts, passé composé for completed events, imparfait for description, futur simple for predictions, conditionnel for polite requests (Je voudrais...) and hypotheses.

Formal vs. informal: formal writing avoids contractions (do not write 't'as' or 'chais pas'), uses vous, and employs full negation (ne...pas). Informal writing can use tu, on, and expressions like 'ça marche'.

Word count management: aim for the middle of the required range. If too short, add a relevant example or explanation. If too long, cut redundant adjectives and repetitive phrases.

Checklist for accuracy: verify verb endings, gender/number agreement (un petit ami / une petite amie), accents (é vs. è, ç), and punctuation (French uses a space before : ; ! ? and uses « » for quotes).