SACE Stage 2 French (beginners) flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

vous vs tu

Use 'vous' for formal address (strangers, elders, professionals) and 'tu' for informal (friends, peers, family). When unsure, start with 'vous' until invited to use 'tu'.

Bonjour / Bonsoir

'Bonjour' means hello/good day and is used until early evening. 'Bonsoir' means good evening and is used from late afternoon onward. Both are standard greetings.

s'il vous plaît

Formal way to say 'please'. Use 's'il te plaît' with someone you address as 'tu'. The choice depends on the formality of the relationship.

Asking to repeat

'Pouvez-vous répéter, s'il vous plaît ?' is a polite formal request to repeat. Informal: 'Tu peux répéter ?' or simply 'Comment ?' with rising intonation.

À mon avis

Means 'in my opinion'. Used to introduce a personal viewpoint. Alternatives: 'Je pense que…', 'Je trouve que…', 'Selon moi…'. Follow with a statement or clause.

Dropping 'ne' in speech

In informal spoken French, 'ne' is often omitted in negation: 'Je sais pas' instead of 'Je ne sais pas'. The 'pas' remains and carries the negative meaning.

Turn-taking phrases

'Excusez-moi de vous interrompre' (excuse me for interrupting), 'Je voudrais ajouter que…' (I'd like to add that…), 'D'accord, mais…' (Agree, but…) help manage conversation flow politely.

Discourse markers

Words like 'alors' (so), 'donc' (therefore), 'en fait' (in fact), 'bref' (in short), and 'écoute' (listen) structure speech and signal transitions, emphasis, or summary.

French numbers 70-99

70 = soixante-dix (60+10), 71 = soixante-et-onze, 80 = quatre-vingts (4×20), 81 = quatre-vingt-un, 90 = quatre-vingt-dix (4×20+10), 91 = quatre-vingt-onze.

Telling time

'Il est huit heures' (8:00), 'et quart' (8:15), 'et demie' (8:30), 'moins le quart' (8:45). Use 'heures' for hours; 'midi' (noon) and 'minuit' (midnight) do not take 'heures'.

Liaison

Pronunciation link between a normally silent final consonant and a following vowel: 'les amis' → [lezami], 'vous avez' → [vuzave], 'il est' → [ile]. Affects listening comprehension.

Nasal vowels

French has four nasal vowels: [ɔ̃] (on), [ɑ̃] (an/en), [ɛ̃] (in/ain), [œ̃] (un). They contrast with oral vowels, e.g., 'beau' [bo] vs 'bon' [bɔ̃].

Silent final consonants

Most French final consonants are silent: 'petit' [pəti], 'grand' [ɡʁɑ̃], 'vous' [vu]. However, they may sound before a vowel through liaison.

Formal vs informal speech

Formal: 'nous', full 'ne…pas', 'vous'. Informal: 'on', dropped 'ne', 'tu'. Recognizing register helps interpret relationships and context in spoken texts.

Responding with 'si'

'Si' means 'yes' in response to a negative question or statement: 'Tu ne viens pas ? - Si, je viens.' It contradicts the negative assumption.

Listening for gist

Identify main idea, speakers, and setting first using keywords, tone, and context. Then listen for specific details like numbers, names, and times on a second pass.

Numbers in dates

Use 'le premier' for the 1st of the month, and cardinal numbers for other days: 'le deux février', 'le quinze mars'. Months are lowercase in French.

False friends

Words that look similar but differ in meaning: 'actuellement' = currently, 'éventuellement' = possibly, 'librairie' = bookshop, 'préservatif' = condom, 'assister à' = to attend.

Text types

Recognize format: email (greeting, body, closing), article (headline, lead), letter (date, address, formulaic opening/closing), instructions (imperative verbs). Format guides expectations.

Verb tenses in texts

Présent = current; passé composé = completed past; imparfait = ongoing/habitual past; futur proche = near future; futur simple = future. Tense placement reveals timeline.

Pronoun reference

'Il/elle' refers to a previously mentioned noun; 'le/la/les' as object pronouns refer back; 'y' = there/to it; 'en' = some/of it. Tracking referents aids comprehension.

Logical connectors

'Mais' (but), 'donc' (so), 'parce que' (because), 'pourtant' (however), 'en effet' (indeed), 'par conséquent' (therefore) signal relationships between ideas in written texts.

Negation forms

'Ne…pas' (not), 'ne…jamais' (never), 'ne…rien' (nothing), 'ne…personne' (nobody), 'ne…plus' (no longer). In writing, 'ne' is usually present; in speech it may drop.

Register in writing

Formal writing uses 'vous', full negation, and closings like 'Veuillez agréer…'. Informal writing uses 'tu', dropped 'ne', and closings like 'Bisous' or 'À plus'.

Inferring vocabulary

Guess unfamiliar words from context, word families ('travail', 'travailler', 'travailleur'), and cognates. Check whether the guessed meaning fits the sentence.

Adjective agreement

Adjectives agree in gender and number with the noun: 'un petit garçon', 'une petite fille', 'des petits garçons'. Most add -e for feminine and -s for plural.

Regular -er verb endings

Parler: je parle, tu parles, il/elle parle, nous parlons, vous parlez, ils/elles parlent. The stem 'parl-' stays constant; endings mark person and number.

Passé composé

Auxiliary 'avoir' or 'être' + past participle. Most verbs use 'avoir'; movement and reflexive verbs use 'être', and the participle agrees with the subject ('elle est allée').

Imparfait formation

Take the 'nous' form of the present, drop -ons, add -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient. Used for descriptions, habits, and ongoing past actions.

Future proche

Conjugated 'aller' + infinitive: 'je vais partir' (I am going to leave). Expresses near future or intention. Compare future simple: 'je partirai'.

Negation placement

'Ne' goes before the verb, 'pas' after: 'Je ne parle pas'. In passé composé, 'ne' precedes the auxiliary and 'pas' follows it: 'Je n'ai pas parlé'.

Object pronouns

Direct: me, te, le/la, nous, vous, les. Indirect: me, te, lui, nous, vous, leur. They precede the verb: 'Je le vois', 'Je lui parle'.