Karnataka II PUC French (KSEAB) key terms

Reading section of the paper where candidates answer questions on a short French passage, identifying main ideas, details, and implied meaning without a dictionary.

Scanning a text for specific information such as names, dates, places, or figures before reading closely for overall sense.

The central point a paragraph or whole passage conveys, usually stated in a title question or in a one-sentence summary task.

Short written summary of a text in your own words, keeping the key information and respecting a given word limit.

Structured account of a text or event that reports what happened or what was said, often required after reading a short article.

Letter to an institution or unknown person, opened with Monsieur or Madame and closed with a fixed politeness formula such as je vous prie d'agréer mes salutations distinguées.

Informal letter to a friend or relative, using tu, a warm opening like Cher ami, and a simple closing such as à bientôt or grosses bises.

Fixed closing expression whose register must match the letter: cordialement for neutral, bien à vous for semi-formal, je vous prie d'agréer for formal.

Short email or digital note with an objet line, a brief greeting, the body, and a closing; assessed for register, clarity, and relevance to the task.

Short narrative composition recounting events in past tenses, typically mixing passé composé for actions with imparfait for background and description.

Linking word that shows how ideas relate, for example d'abord, ensuite, pourtant, donc, en effet, or enfin; examiners reward their correct use in writing.

Outline prepared before writing a composition, listing an introduction, two or three developed points, and a conclusion so the answer stays organised.

Arrangement of words and clauses in a sentence; marks are lost for missing subject pronouns, wrong word order after negation, and run-on sentences.

Base tense for current facts, habits, and general truths; regular endings are -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent for -er verbs, with irregular forms to memorise.

Compound past formed with avoir or être plus past participle; it presents completed actions and is the default narrative tense in student writing.

Past tense describing ongoing states, habits, and background scenery; formed from the nous-stem of the present with endings -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient.

Tense for future plans and predictions, built on the infinitive plus endings -ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont, with irregular stems like ir-, ser-, aur-, fer-.

Form used for polite requests, hypotheses, and reported future; built on the future stem plus imparfait endings, as in je voudrais and il pourrait.

Mood required after expressions of necessity, wish, or doubt such as il faut que, je veux que, bien que; endings are -e, -es, -e, -ions, -iez, -ent.

Rule that the past participle agrees with a preceding direct object or with the subject of être verbs, but stays invariable after avoir when the object follows.

Adjectives take feminine and plural forms to match the noun, for example grand, grande, grands, grandes, with irregular patterns like beau, bel, belle.

The forms le, la, les, and the elided l', marking a specific or already known noun; contract with à and de to give au, aux, du, des.

du, de la, de l', des used for an unspecified quantity of something, as in boire du thé; becomes de after a negative or a quantity expression.

Small linking word such as à, de, en, dans, sur, chez, or depuis; choice is fixed by usage, so learn phrases like aller en France and habiter au Canada.

qui, que, où, and dont join clauses to a noun; qui is subject, que is direct object, où marks place or time, and dont replaces de plus a noun.

Object pronouns le, la, les, lui, leur, me, te, nous, vous, y, and en that replace nouns and sit before the verb, as in je lui parle.

Word groups organised by topic such as family, school, travel, food, and environment, which the paper tests through matching, gap-fill, and synonym tasks.

Word with a similar meaning to another, for example content and heureux, or voiture and automobile; used in vocabulary substitution exercises.

Word of opposite meaning, such as grand and petit, or achète and vend; tested through matching pairs and sentence completion.

French words that resemble English but differ in meaning, for example librairie (bookshop) not library, and éventuellement (possibly) not eventually.

Words sounding alike but spelled differently by function, such as a and à, ou and où, son and sont, ce and se; frequent source of dictation errors.

Masculine or feminine classification of nouns, which controls article and adjective agreement; learn it with each new word, as in le problème but la maison.

Prose or poem listed in the II PUC French textbook that candidates must know by title, author, theme, and main characters.

Central figure of a prescribed story whose actions and traits drive the plot; questions often ask for a short portrait or description.

Underlying message of a prescribed text, such as friendship, honesty, courage, or respect for nature, stated in one or two sentences.

Prescribed verse text studied for form (stanzas, rhythm, rhyme) and feeling; candidates may be asked to name the poet or explain the central image.

Knowledge of French daily life and institutions: the school system, transport, meals, festivals, and administrative habits such as the mairie and laïcité.

The community of French-speaking countries and regions across Europe, Africa, the Caribbean, and Canada, with their varied accents and cultural practices.

National and religious celebrations such as le 14 juillet, la Fête de la Musique, Noël, and la Toussaint, with their dates and typical customs.