Karnataka II PUC French (KSEAB) flashcards

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

Vrai ou faux : justification

In a reading test, a vrai/faux answer is only half the mark: the justification must quote or closely paraphrase the exact sentence of the text that proves the choice.

ne…que

Restrictive negation meaning 'only'. It does not make the sentence negative in the usual sense, so a statement containing it is false if the text says 'only' but the option says 'all'.

Idée principale d'un paragraphe

The main idea is the general point covering the whole paragraph. Options that repeat a single true detail are too narrow and are usually the trap answer.

Connectors in a narrative

Words like d'abord, ensuite, puis, soudain, enfin, finalement order events in time. They are the fastest guide to comprehension questions about sequence and cause.

Formule de clôture formelle

A formal French letter ends with a formula such as « Je vous prie d'agréer, Madame, Monsieur, l'expression de mes salutations distinguées », followed by the signature. This formula is fixed and expected.

Registre tu versus vous

Informal writing uses tu, ton, te, tes with friends and family. Formal writing uses vous, votre, vos with strangers, teachers and officials. Mixing the two registers is a major error.

Structure d'un paragraphe argumentatif

State the opinion, give two arguments introduced by d'une part and d'autre part, support each with an example, then close with donc or en conclusion. This structure fits short composition tasks.

Temps du récit

In a past narrative, the passé composé carries the events that move the story forward, while the imparfait describes background, weather, feelings and habitual actions.

Message amical : quatre étapes

A short friendly message contains a greeting (Salut/Cher…), a purpose sentence, one or two details, and a closing formula such as À bientôt or Grosses bises, then the first name.

Accord du participe passé avec être

Verbs conjugated with être in the passé composé make the past participle agree with the subject in gender and number: elle est partie, ils sont partis, elles sont arrivées.

Accord du participe avec avoir

With avoir, the past participle agrees only with a direct object pronoun placed before the verb: les lettres que j'ai écrites. It never agrees with the subject or with lui/leur.

Formation de l'imparfait

Take the nous-form of the present, remove -ons, and add -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient. Être is the only irregular stem: ét- (j'étais, nous étions).

Stems of the futur simple

The future adds -ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont to the infinitive, but être gives ser-, avoir aur-, aller ir-, faire fer-, venir viendr-, pouvoir pourr-, savoir saur-.

Article partitif

Du, de la, de l' and des express an unspecified quantity of a mass noun: Je bois du café, elle mange de la salade. After a negation they become de: Je ne bois pas de café.

Ordre des pronoms

Pronouns line up as me/te/se/nous/vous, then le/la/les, then lui/leur, then y, then en: Il me le donne, Il y en a. No other order is grammatical.

Si + imparfait → conditionnel

An unreal present condition uses si with the imparfait and the conditionnel présent in the main clause: Si j'avais le temps, je voyagerais. Never use the conditionnel after si.

Prepositions with countries

Use en with feminine countries (en France, en Belgique), au with masculine ones (au Canada, au Japon), aux with plurals (aux États-Unis), and à with cities (à Paris).

Pronom relatif dont

Dont replaces de + noun and covers possession or verbs built with de: le livre dont je parle, l'ami dont le père est médecin. It never replaces a plain direct object.

Faux ami : actuellement

Actuellement means 'currently' or 'at present', not 'actually'. The English 'actually' is en fait or en réalité. Similar traps: éventuellement (possibly), assister à (to attend).

Passer un examen

Passer un examen means to take or sit an exam, not to pass it. To succeed is réussir un examen. The same verb passer means to spend time: passer les vacances.

Expressions avec avoir

Common fixed phrases: avoir besoin de, avoir envie de, avoir raison, avoir tort, avoir peur de, avoir … ans. They use avoir where English often uses 'to be'.

Homophones a / à

A without accent is the verb avoir (il a faim). À with accent is a preposition (à Paris, à midi). Test by replacing with avait: if it works, write a.

Quatre-vingts et cent

Quatre-vingts and cents take -s when multiplied and final: quatre-vingts, deux cents. The -s drops before another number: quatre-vingt-un, deux cent trois. Mille is invariable.

Famille de mots : choix

Building word families helps with unseen vocabulary: choix (noun), choisir (verb), choisi (participle), and for danger: dangereux, dangereusement. Recognise the root, infer the meaning.

Synonymes à connaître

Frequent pairs in reformulation tasks: content/heureux, fatigué/épuisé, acheter/vendre (antonyms), augmenter/diminuer, tôt/tard, près de/loin de, beau/joli.

Répondre sur un texte prescrit

Name the text and author, state the theme in one sentence, then give one detail as proof. Do not retell the story; the examiner looks for theme, characters, setting and message.

Questions sur la poésie

Poetry questions ask about stanzas, rhyme, refrain, the speaking voice, and the emotion or image created (joie, nostalgie, émerveillement). Quote one short image as evidence.

Thèmes du recueil

Prescribed prose often treats childhood memories, family affection, honesty and hard work, and respect for nature; poems treat seasons, love of one's region, time passing and simple happiness.

Que veut dire l'auteur ?

This question asks for the author's intention or message, not a summary of events. Answer with an abstract statement such as 'il veut montrer que le travail rend libre'.

Devise et symboles

The French motto is « Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité ». The tricolour flag is bleu, blanc, rouge, the anthem is La Marseillaise, and Marianne is the female symbol of the Republic.

Le 14 juillet

France's national day commemorates the storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789. It is marked by a military parade on the Champs-Élysées, fireworks and popular balls.

La Francophonie

The French-speaking world beyond France includes Belgium, Switzerland, Canada (Québec), Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire and Madagascar. Around 300 million speakers live on five continents.

Rythme des repas français

Meals are le petit-déjeuner, le déjeuner at midday, le goûter for children, and le dîner in the evening. Shops may close between 12h and 14h, and bread comes from the boulangerie.