NCEA Level 2 French cheat sheet

NCEA Level 2 listening passages are delivered at near-natural speed; the assessment asks for the gist plus specific details, not word-for-word transcription.

Register signals: 'tu' forms indicate an informal exchange between friends or peers; 'vous' forms indicate a formal or transactional situation (shop, interview, teacher).

Numbers and prices are frequent distractors: listen for 'quatre-vingt-dix' (90) versus 'soixante-dix' (70), and for 'demi' and 'et demi' after the hour.

Negation is often swallowed: 'ne ... pas', 'ne ... jamais', 'ne ... rien', 'ne ... que' (only) change the meaning of an otherwise familiar sentence.

Time markers order events: 'd'abord', 'ensuite', 'puis', 'enfin', 'avant de', 'après avoir' plus the passé composé versus imparfait contrast.

Numbers in dates and times use 'le premier' for the 1st only; all other days use cardinal numbers ('le deux mars').

False friends to flag while listening: 'actuellement' (currently, not actually), 'éventuellement' (possibly, not eventually), 'assister à' (to attend, not to assist).

The task requires answers in your own words in English or French; copying a whole French sentence verbatim rarely earns full credit for detail questions.

Level 2 interaction requires sustained exchange: asking a question back, reacting ('ah bon ?', 'c'est vrai ?'), and adding a reason with 'parce que' or 'car'.

The passé composé uses 'avoir' or 'être' as auxiliary; 'être' verbs (aller, venir, partir, sortir, arriver, rester, monter, descendre, naître, mourir) agree the past participle with the subject.

Imparfait endings: -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient; used for description, habitual action and background, while passé composé marks the completed event.

Future plans use 'aller + infinitive' (futur proche) or the future stem; irregular stems include 'ser-', 'aur-', 'ir-', 'fer-', 'pourr-', 'viendr-'.

Pronunciation rules that affect intelligibility: final consonants are silent ('petit', 'grand'), but liaison occurs after a final consonant before a vowel ('les_amis', 'nous_avons').

'Depuis' plus present tense expresses an action still continuing ('J'habite ici depuis deux ans'); 'pendant' plus a past tense marks a finished duration.

Subjunctive triggers at this level: 'il faut que', 'je veux que', 'bien que' plus the present subjunctive ('que je fasse', 'qu'il soit', 'qu'ils aillent').

Presentation structure earns marks: an opening statement, two or three developed points each with a reason or example, and a closing opinion with 'à mon avis' or 'je trouve que'.

Level 2 texts include notices, emails, short articles and blogs; the task asks for both overall meaning and specific information located in the text.

Scan for cognates and word families first ('développement', 'système', 'transport'), then confirm with context, because false friends like 'librairie' (bookshop) and 'location' (rental) mislead.

Pronoun objects replace nouns and must be tracked: 'le, la, les' (direct), 'lui, leur' (indirect), 'y' (à + place/thing), 'en' (de + noun or quantity).

Relative pronouns: 'qui' is the subject of the relative clause, 'que' is the direct object, 'où' marks place or time, 'dont' replaces 'de + noun'.

'On' is a common subject meaning 'one/people/we'; it takes third-person singular verb agreement ('on va', 'on peut').

The passive voice is 'être' plus past participle plus 'par' ('a été construit par'); recognise it to identify who did what.

Comparative and superlative forms: 'plus ... que', 'moins ... que', 'aussi ... que', 'le meilleur', 'le mieux', 'meilleur' versus 'mieux' (adjective versus adverb).

Answers must be supported by the text; a plausible real-world fact that the passage does not state does not earn the achievement standard's evidence mark.

Level 2 writing tasks are typically 150-250 words in a familiar format: informal email, blog post, short article, or letter, with a stated purpose and audience.

Tense control carries marks: use passé composé for completed events, imparfait for description and background, and future or futur proche for plans.

'Être' and 'avoir' as auxiliaries: movement and state-change verbs take 'être' and agree the participle ('elle est allée', 'ils sont partis').

Agreement rules: adjectives agree in gender and number with the noun ('une idée intéressante', 'des livres intéressants'); 'beau, nouveau, vieux' take -bel, -nouvel, -vieil before a vowel.

Direct object pronouns precede the auxiliary in the passé composé and the participle agrees with them ('Je les ai vus', 'Je l'ai vue').

Connectors raise the grade: 'cependant', 'par conséquent', 'de plus', 'en revanche', 'puisque', 'afin de' plus infinitive.

Accents change meaning and are marked: 'a' (has) versus 'à' (to/at), 'ou' (or) versus 'où' (where), 'sur' (on) versus 'sûr' (sure).

Format conventions: informal email opens 'Salut ... / Coucou ...' and closes 'À bientôt / Bises'; formal letter opens 'Madame, Monsieur,' and closes 'Cordialement' or 'Veuillez agréer mes salutations distinguées'.