PAU French II (Cantabria) key terms

Reading skill tested by questions on a French text: locating explicit information, inferring meaning from context, and identifying the author's purpose or tone.

The central point a paragraph or whole text conveys, usually stated in a topic sentence or implied through repeated ideas; distinguishing it from supporting detail is a common exam task.

The broad subject a text deals with, such as immigration, ecology or education, as opposed to the specific thesis the author defends about that subject.

A conclusion the reader draws from clues in the text rather than from an explicit statement, for example deducing a speaker's mood from the words they choose.

Meaning suggested indirectly, not written out, often through irony, euphemism or understatement; recognising it lets a reader answer questions about attitude and intention.

A set of words in a text that share a common semantic area, such as terms of transport, poverty or weather; spotting them helps identify the topic quickly.

A word or phrase signalling the relation between ideas, for example cause (parce que), contrast (cependant), consequence (donc) or addition (de plus); key to following an argument.

A logical relation in which the speaker admits an opposing point before asserting their own, typically marked by bien que, quoique, même si or certes; misreading it reverses the author's position.

The attitude an author conveys through word choice and structure, such as ironic, nostalgic, critical or neutral; exam items often ask which adjective best describes it.

A shortened restatement of a text's essential content in the reader's own words, without personal opinion and without copying whole sentences from the original.

Expressing the same idea with different words, a skill needed both for paraphrase questions and for the written production task, where repeating the prompt verbatim loses marks.

A word with a meaning close to another, such as content and heureux; vocabulary items often ask you to choose the synonym that fits the register and context of the sentence.

A word expressing the opposite of another, such as généreux and égoïste; recognising pairs helps in both multiple-choice vocabulary items and paraphrase tasks.

Rule governing whether a past participle changes form: with avoir it agrees with a preceding direct object, with être it agrees with the subject, and pronominal verbs follow their own pattern.

Compound past tense formed with an auxiliary (avoir or être) in the present plus a past participle, used for completed actions and events viewed as finished.

Simple past tense describing ongoing, habitual or background situations, formed from the nous-stem of the present plus endings -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient.

The helping verb avoir or être placed before a past participle to build compound tenses; the choice also affects agreement and, with être, word order of pronouns.

Verb mood expressing subjectivity, will, doubt, emotion or necessity, required after expressions such as il faut que, bien que and je doute que; the present subjunctive is the form most often tested.

Verb form used for hypothetical situations, polite requests and reported future; in si-clauses the conditionnel appears in the main clause after an imperfect subclause.

Three-part system of hypothetical sentences: si plus present with future, si plus imperfect with conditional, and si plus pluperfect with past conditional; the combinations are frequently examined.

A supposition about what might, would or could happen, expressed in French with si-clauses, au cas où plus conditional, or expressions such as il se peut que plus subjunctive.

Words linking a clause to a noun: qui, que, dont, où and the compound forms lequel, laquelle, lesquels, lesquelles; choosing correctly depends on the grammatical function in the clause.

Object pronouns replacing nouns: direct le, la, les; indirect lui, leurs; plus y for places and à-phrases, and en for quantities and de-phrases; their order before the verb is tested.

The noun or pronoun receiving the verb's action without a preposition, as le livre in je lis le livre; identifying it is essential for pronoun choice and participle agreement.

The noun or pronoun linked to the verb through a preposition, usually à or de, as à Marie in je parle à Marie; these are replaced by lui, leur, y or en.

A clause dependent on a main clause, introduced by a conjunction, relative pronoun or interrogative word; its verb may need subjunctive or indicative depending on the introducer.

Construction making a sentence negative with ne plus a second element such as pas, jamais, rien, personne or aucun; in informal speech ne is often dropped, which affects comprehension.

Invariable word modifying a verb, adjective or another adverb, such as souvent, très or lentement; its position in the sentence and its formation in -ment are common test points.

Level of formality in language, ranging from familier through courant to soutenu; recognising it helps interpret dialogue and choose appropriate wording in written production.

Structures conveying wishes or demands, such as vouloir que, souhaiter que and exiger que, which take the subjunctive because they express another person's hypothetical action.

A structured formal letter with sender and recipient details, an object line, a polite opening, organised body paragraphs and a closing formula; the format is often required in the writing task.

Conventional closing phrase in correspondence, such as cordialement for semi-formal mail or je vous prie d'agréer mes salutations distinguées for very formal letters; matching register matters.

The outline of a written answer, typically introduction, two or three developed parts and conclusion; planning before writing prevents digression and earns marks for coherence.

The quality of a text whose ideas follow a logical order and stay on topic, achieved through planning, topic sentences and consistent referencing of key nouns.

The linking of sentences through connectors, pronouns, substitution and repetition of key terms, so a text reads as a connected whole rather than isolated statements.

The community of French-speaking countries and regions across Europe, Africa, the Caribbean, North America and the Indian Ocean, with varied statuses for French and rich regional cultures.

The predominantly French-speaking Canadian province, whose Charter of the French Language and distinct vocabulary and accents are frequent topics in cultural awareness questions.

The French constitutional principle of state neutrality towards religions, separating public institutions from religious influence; it underpins debates about schools and public symbols.

A country's official national day; in France the 14 July commemorates the 1789 storming of the Bastille, while Belgium celebrates 21 July and Québec observes 24 June.