Language Structures and Vocabulary
What this domain tests
Language structures and vocabulary are tested indirectly in every other section and directly through gap-fill, matching, sentence transformation, and short translation items. The Junior Cycle French specification works towards CEFR A2, so the expected range includes the present, passé composé, imparfait, futur proche, simple future, conditional politeness, object pronouns, negation, questions, partitive articles, and adjective agreement.
Core rules and concepts
- Present tense: regular -er, -ir, -re endings plus high-frequency irregulars (être, avoir, aller, faire, pouvoir, vouloir, devoir, venir).
- Passé composé: avoir or être + past participle. Être verbs (aller, venir, arriver, partir, entrer, sortir, monter, descendre, rester, tomber, naître, mourir, retourner) agree with the subject: elle est allée.
- Imparfait for habitual or descriptive past; passé composé for a single completed event.
- Futur proche: aller + infinitive for near-future plans.
- Negation: ne...pas, ne...jamais, ne...plus, ne...rien, ne...que. After a negative, du/de la/des become de: Je ne mange pas de viande.
- Questions: intonation, est-ce que, or inversion; question words (où, quand, pourquoi, comment, combien).
- Pronouns: y replaces à + place/thing; en replaces de + noun or a quantity.
- Adjectives agree in gender and number; comparatives: plus/moins/aussi + adjective + que.
Worked example
Complete: « Quand j'étais petit, je ___ (jouer) au foot tous les samedis, mais hier j'___ (jouer) au tennis. » Reasoning: « Quand j'étais petit » and « tous les samedis » describe a habitual past action, so use the imparfait: je jouais. « Hier » marks a single completed event, so use the passé composé: j'ai joué. The contrast is signaled by « mais ». Answer: jouais / ai joué.
Traps that cost marks
- Using the passé composé for habitual past actions.
- Forgetting agreement with être verbs (elle est allée, not elle est allé).
- Keeping du/de la/des after a negative.
- Using depuis with the passé composé instead of the present for ongoing situations.
- English interference: « Je suis 16 ans » should be « J'ai 16 ans ».
Key points
- Present for habits and current facts; passé composé for completed events; imparfait for past description and habitual action.
- Être verbs agree with the subject; avoir verbs normally do not.
- After a negative, du/de la/des become de.
- Use depuis with the present for ongoing situations.
- Check adjective agreement, irregular forms, and accents.