SACE Stage 2 French (beginners) key terms

A standard greeting used when meeting someone during the day. It can be formal or friendly and is the safest opening in shops, classrooms, and first meetings.

An informal greeting meaning hello, used with friends, classmates, or people your own age. It can also be used when saying goodbye in casual situations.

A polite farewell used when leaving someone or ending a conversation. It works in both formal and informal settings and is the most common way to say goodbye.

A polite phrase added to a request when speaking to strangers, adults, or several people. It softens commands and is expected in shops, restaurants, and formal exchanges.

The standard expression of thanks. It can stand alone or be strengthened, and a reply such as je vous en prie is common in polite conversation.

A polite phrase used to get attention, apologise for a small disturbance, or ask someone to move aside. It is common in shops, streets, and classrooms.

The usual structure for giving your name when introducing yourself. It is followed by the name and is taught alongside je suis for stating identity.

A short phrase said when meeting someone for the first time, meaning pleased to meet you. It agrees with the speaker's gender, so a female speaker says enchantée.

A very common informal question or answer about how someone is. It can mean how are you or I'm fine depending on intonation and context.

The formal way to ask how someone is, used with strangers, older people, or in professional situations. The informal version is comment vas-tu or ça va.

The polite conditional form meaning I would like. It is used to order food, ask for an item, or make requests without sounding too direct.

The bill in a restaurant or cafe. Asking for it with s'il vous plaît is standard at the end of a meal before paying.

A question word meaning how much or how many. It is used for prices, quantities, and time, often followed by de or an inversion.

A question structure meaning where is. It is used to ask for directions or locate places, and can be followed by a noun or place name.

A direction phrase meaning on or to the right. It is used when giving or following directions, often with tournez or continuez.

A direction phrase meaning on or to the left. It appears in directions such as tournez à gauche and contrasts with à droite.

A direction phrase meaning straight ahead. It is used when telling someone to continue without turning, often after continuez.

A past tense formed with an auxiliary verb (avoir or être) plus a past participle. It describes completed actions and is central to recounting events in speech and writing.

A past tense used for ongoing states, habits, and background description. It contrasts with the passé composé, which presents single completed events.

The verb form used after avoir or être in compound tenses, and as an adjective. Regular forms end in -é, -i, or -u, but many common verbs are irregular.

A near-future structure made with the verb aller plus an infinitive, as in je vais partir. It is common in speech for plans and predictions.

The base form of a verb, such as parler or finir, without a subject or tense ending. It appears after modal verbs and in constructions like the futur proche.

The way a verb changes its form to show person, number, tense, and mood. Beginners focus on present tense endings for regular -er, -ir, and -re verbs.

The present tense, used for current actions, general truths, and near-future events. Regular verbs follow set endings, while common verbs like être and avoir are irregular.

The verb meaning to be, one of the most irregular and frequent French verbs. It is used for identity, description, location, and as an auxiliary in the passé composé.

The verb meaning to have, used for possession, age expressions, and as the main auxiliary in the passé composé. Its present forms are highly irregular.

The words le, la, les, and l' used before nouns to refer to specific things. They agree in gender and number and contract with de and à.

The words un, une, and des used before nouns to refer to non-specific things. They change according to the noun's gender and number.

The grammatical category of nouns as masculine or feminine. Gender affects articles, adjectives, and pronouns, so learners must record it with each new noun.

Agreement between words in gender and number, such as adjectives matching nouns or past participles matching subjects. It is a frequent source of written errors.

The way of making a sentence negative, usually with ne before the verb and pas after it. In speech the ne is often dropped, and other words like jamais or rien replace pas.

A question structure. Beginners use rising intonation, est-ce que, or inversion, and question words such as où, quand, and combien.

The number system used for prices, times, dates, and quantities. Learners need to recognise forms up to at least one hundred, including irregular patterns such as soixante-dix.

The way time is expressed, using phrases such as il est trois heures and et demie. Listening tasks often require identifying times in announcements and appointments.

The day, month, and year expressed in French, usually with le before the number. Months are not capitalised, and the first of the month uses le premier.

The central message or point of a spoken or written text. Identifying it means ignoring minor details and deciding what the text is mostly about.

An important word that carries the main meaning of a sentence or passage. Spotting keywords helps readers and listeners locate answers quickly without understanding every word.

The surrounding words and situation that help clarify meaning. Using context lets learners guess unfamiliar vocabulary and follow the purpose of a text.