Unit 4 - Future plans, work and global citizenship
Unit 4: future, work and global citizenship
Unit 4 asks you to discuss plans, work, study and global issues with increasing precision. You need the future and future perfect (j'aurai fini), the conditional, the subjunctive and the passive (les déchets sont recyclés). Formal register matters: letters, emails and articles require vous, formulas such as Je vous prie d'agréer, Madame, l'expression de mes salutations distinguées, and structured paragraphs.
Concepts and traps
Subjunctive triggers are a common exam trap: il faut que, bien que, avant que, pour que and je veux que. Learn irregulars: faire → fasse, aller → aille, être → sois, avoir → aie. Distinguish future (definite plan) from conditional (hypothetical or polite). In the passive voice, avoid translating English “by” mechanically; use par for agents and de with certain verbs. Nominalisation raises register: améliorer → l'amélioration. In discussion questions, examiners reward balanced argument: thèse, antithèse, synthèse. Avoid memorised filler; connect evidence to the question. Listening tasks often test inference: what does the speaker imply about a job or an environmental policy?
Worked example
Prompt: express a necessity and a future plan.
Model: Il faut que je fasse un stage avant de choisir ma carrière ; ensuite, je travaillerai dans une ONG.
Rule: il faut que + subjunctive; main-clause future for the plan. Check the subjunctive form of faire.