DELF A2 cheat sheet

Format: about 25 minutes, 25 points, three exercises (short messages and announcements, a guided conversation, an excerpt of a radio programme or documentary); every recording is played twice.

Scoring rule: the score in this skill must reach at least 5/25. A mark below 5 is eliminatory even if the total across the four skills reaches the 50/100 pass mark.

Question order follows the order of the recording: the answer to question 1 is heard before the answer to question 2.

Number traps: 70 = soixante-dix, 80 = quatre-vingts, 90 = quatre-vingt-dix; 71 = soixante et onze but 91 = quatre-vingt-onze; phone numbers are read in pairs of digits (06 12 34 = zéro six, douze, trente-quatre).

Time expressions: 'huit heures moins le quart' = 7h45; 'et quart' and 'et demie' add; 'dans une demi-heure' = +30 min; 'quinze jours' = two weeks; 'dans huit jours' = in one week.

Negative markers carry the key information: ne…plus (no longer), ne…jamais (never), ne…rien (nothing), ne…personne (nobody), ne…que (only).

Register cue: 'tu' signals a friend, relative or peer; 'vous' signals a formal, commercial or professional relationship, or several speakers.

Price and commercial cues: 'ça fait … euros', 'moins 20 %', 'en solde', 'en espèces' (cash) versus 'par carte' (card).

Typical target information: place, time, price, relationship between speakers, reason for the call or message, and the action to be taken.

Format: 30 minutes, 25 points, three exercises (short functional texts such as ads, notices and messages; an informative text; a longer text requiring detailed answers).

Scoring rule: at least 5/25 is required; below 5 the skill is eliminatory regardless of the overall total.

Answers follow the order of the text, and correct options usually paraphrase the text with synonyms rather than repeating its exact words.

False friends: librairie = bookshop (bibliothèque = library); actuellement = currently; éventuellement = possibly; assister à = to attend; demander = to ask.

Notice formulas: 'prière de' = please, 'interdit de' = forbidden, 'en panne' = out of order, 'fermé le lundi' = closed on Mondays, 'sauf' = except.

Abbreviations in small ads: tél. (telephone), ch. (chambre), sdb (salle de bains), logt (logement), étud. (étudiant), rdv (rendez-vous), SNCF (national rail), SMIC (minimum wage).

Email and letter layout: 'Objet :' gives the subject, 'Madame, Monsieur,' is the formal opening, 'Cordialement' the formal closing; 'Salut' / 'Bisous' mark an informal relationship.

French conventions: 12/03/2024 = 12 March 2024 (day/month/year); prices use a comma (3,50 €); thousands use a space (1 500).

Restrictive and limiting words change the answer: ne…que = only, sauf = except, dès = from, jusqu'à = until, environ = about.

Format: 45 minutes, 25 points, two tasks of roughly 60–80 words each: (1) describe an event, an experience or a personal opinion; (2) write an invitation, a message or a short letter.

Scoring rule: at least 5/25; the grid weighs task fulfilment, coherence, vocabulary range, grammar and spelling, so accuracy and content matter equally.

Word-count rule: stay within the 60–80 word range given in the prompt; a large deviation is penalised on task fulfilment.

Tense rule: passé composé for completed narrated events, imparfait for background, habits and descriptions; agreement of the participle with être-verbs and with a preceding direct object with avoir.

Invitation formulas: 'Je t'invite à…', 'Ça te dit de + infinitif ?', 'On se retrouve à … heures', 'Réponds-moi avant le …', 'J'espère que tu pourras venir'.

Register rule: 'tu' + 'Bisous / À bientôt' for friends and family; 'vous' + 'Cordialement / Je vous prie d'agréer mes salutations' for formal addressees.

Checklist before writing: the prompt's required elements (who, what, when, where, why, price, contact) must each appear explicitly in the text.

Connectors to sequence and link: d'abord, ensuite, puis, enfin; parce que / car (cause), donc (consequence), mais (contrast), cependant (concession).

Format: about 6–8 minutes after 10 minutes of preparation, 25 points, in three parts: guided interview (1–2 min), monologue (about 2 min), interaction exercise (2–3 min).

Scoring rule: at least 5/25; the grid covers pronunciation, fluency, vocabulary, grammar and ability to interact, each weighted comparably.

Guided interview content: name, age, nationality, where you live, family, studies or job, hobbies, daily routine, holidays - full short sentences, never single words.

Monologue structure: introduce the topic, develop two or three ideas with an example each, conclude; use time connectors and past tenses for a personal experience.

Interaction rule: in the role-play the candidate must obtain missing information by asking questions - price ('Combien coûte…?'), time ('À quelle heure…?'), place ('Où se trouve…?'), quantity ('Combien de…?').

Register: 'vous' with the examiner throughout; 'tu' only if the role-play card states the partner is a friend or relative.

Repair phrases that keep the exchange going: 'Pouvez-vous répéter, s'il vous plaît ?', 'Comment dit-on … en français ?', 'Je ne comprends pas', 'Vous pouvez parler plus lentement ?'.

Pronunciation rules: final consonants are usually silent (petit, grand, vous), except c, r, f, l; liaison before a vowel (les_amis, vous_avez); nasal vowels in on/an/in/un.

Fluency markers instead of silence: 'alors', 'donc', 'eh bien', 'en fait', 'c'est-à-dire'.