WACE French Second Language ATAR flashcards

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

Past participle with avoir

The participle agrees in gender and number only with a direct object placed before the verb. Example: les photos que j'ai prises. No agreement with an indirect object or a following object.

Passé composé with être

A small set of movement and change-of-state verbs (aller, venir, arriver, partir, entrer, sortir, naître, mourir, monter, descendre, rester, tomber, retourner) plus pronominal verbs take être, and the participle agrees with the subject.

Subjunctive after il faut que

Il faut que is always followed by the subjunctive: il faut que tu viennes, il faut que nous partions. Other triggers include bien que, pour que, avant que, and expressions of doubt or emotion.

Si clause sequence

Si plus présent takes futur in the main clause (si j'ai le temps, je viendrai). Si plus imparfait takes conditionnel (si j'avais le temps, je viendrais). Never use futur or conditionnel directly after si.

Depuis with present tense

Depuis meaning since or for is used with the present tense for an action still continuing: j'habite ici depuis trois ans. With a finished action, use the passé composé.

Negation ne que

Ne…que means only and is not a true negative: je n'ai que deux frères means I have only two brothers. It takes ne but keeps the affirmative sense.

Formal letter openings

Begin with Madame, Monsieur, or Monsieur le Directeur, and close with Je vous prie d'agréer, Madame, Monsieur, l'expression de mes salutations distinguées. Avoid tu and informal contractions.

Connectives for contrast

Use cependant, néanmoins, en revanche, or par contre to signal contrast, and par conséquent, donc, or c'est pourquoi for consequence. These raise the range criterion in written tasks.

Reported speech tense shift

After a past reporting verb, présent becomes imparfait, passé composé becomes plus-que-parfait, and futur becomes conditionnel: il a dit qu'il viendrait. Time markers shift too, such as demain to le lendemain.

Relative pronouns qui and que

Qui is the subject of the relative clause (l'homme qui parle); que is the direct object (le livre que je lis). Que becomes qu' before a vowel and never contracts with the subject.

Depuis versus pendant

Depuis marks an action continuing into the present with the present tense. Pendant marks a completed duration in the past with the passé composé: j'ai vécu là pendant deux ans.

Accents change meaning

Accents are marked in the accuracy criterion. Compare a (has) with à (to), ou (or) with où (where), sur (on) with sûr (sure), and des (of the) with dès (from).

Infinitive after prepositions

Prepositions such as avant de, après avoir, sans, pour, and afin de are followed by the infinitive, not a conjugated verb: avant de partir, sans dire un mot, afin de réussir.

Conditionnel de politesse

Use the conditional to soften requests and statements: je voudrais, pourriez-vous, j'aimerais. This is expected in formal written correspondence and in polite oral interaction.

Partitive articles

Du, de la, de l', and des express an unspecified quantity. After a negative, they become de: je ne bois pas de café. After expressions of quantity, use de as well.

Future tense formation

Add future endings (-ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont) to the infinitive; -re verbs drop the final e. Irregular stems include ir- (aller), ser- (être), aur- (avoir), and fer- (faire).

Oral exam format

The practical oral is a short conversation in French with an examiner, typically a general exchange followed by discussion of a prepared topic or stimulus, lasting roughly ten to fifteen minutes.

Buying thinking time

Use fillers such as alors, en fait, voyons, and disons que to avoid silence while forming an answer. Continue immediately with a full sentence rather than stopping.

Asking for repetition

Say Pouvez-vous répéter, s'il vous plaît ? or Pourriez-vous parler un peu plus lentement ? Asking in French shows interaction skill rather than weakness.

Paraphrasing a question

Confirm understanding by restating: Vous me demandez si j'aime voyager ? This demonstrates comprehension and buys time before answering fully.

Opinion plus justification

Structure extended answers as opinion, reason, and example: À mon avis, le sport est essentiel parce que cela améliore la santé, par exemple la natation.

Hedging expressions

Use je trouve que, il me semble que, à mon avis, and personnellement to introduce opinions. Hedge claims with peut-être, sans doute, or il se peut que plus the subjunctive.

French nasal vowels

The four nasal vowels are heard in on (bon), an (ban), in (vin), and un (brun). Keep the vowel nasal and do not pronounce a final n as a separate consonant.

Liaison basics

A silent final consonant links to a following vowel: les amis, vous avez, un homme. Liaison is obligatory with articles and pronouns and forbidden after et.

Tu versus vous

Use vous with the examiner for formality and tu only for peers or family. Mixing the two within one exchange is a register error assessed in interaction.

Syllabus topic areas

Common oral themes include personal identity, family, school and daily routine, leisure, holidays and travel, health, technology, and future study or career plans.

Expressing future plans

Use the futur simple or aller plus infinitive: j'irai à l'université, or je vais étudier la médecine. Add a reason with parce que or afin de to extend the answer.

Comparing and contrasting orally

Use plus…que, moins…que, aussi…que, and autant que. Signal contrast with tandis que, alors que, or en revanche to sustain longer spoken turns.

Numbers and dates aloud

Practise saying prices, times, and dates: quatre-vingt-dix (90), soixante et onze (71), le premier mai, and quinze heures trente. Errors here are common and easily avoided.

Avoiding English in the oral

Answering in English scores zero for communication. If a word is unknown, describe it in French: c'est un objet qui sert à… rather than switching languages.

Closing an oral exchange

End politely with Merci beaucoup de m'avoir écouté or C'était un plaisir de discuter avec vous, maintaining the formal vous used throughout the examination.