French reading and listening

What tense is signalled by a verb ending in -ra / -era / -ira?

FUTURE tense — "will [do]"

What tense is "avoir / être + past participle" (e.g. a commencé, est devenue)?

PERFECT — past — "has done" / "did"

What does "après avoir + past participle" mean?

After doing — describes a PAST action

maintenant

now — PRESENT marker

en train de + infinitive

in the middle of doing — PRESENT, ongoing

depuis + duration

for [time] — French uses PRESENT, English uses "has been ___ing"

bientôt

soon — FUTURE marker

dans + future time (e.g. dans deux ans)

in [time] — FUTURE marker

hier

yesterday — PAST marker

la semaine dernière

last week — PAST marker

demain

tomorrow — FUTURE marker

il y a + time (e.g. il y a deux ans)

[time] ago — PAST marker

"quand mon frère quittera l'école"

When my brother leaves school — French FUTURE → English PRESENT

"elle a décidé de"

she decided to — PERFECT / PAST (not future!)

en ce moment

at the moment — PRESENT marker

par contre

on the other hand — signals opinion shift

cependant

however — signals opinion shift

en revanche

on the other hand — signals opinion shift

mais

but — signals opinion shift

malheureusement

unfortunately

heureusement

fortunately

ne… que

only (often signals a complaint)

pourtant

yet / however

crépuscule

dusk / twilight = IN THE EVENING (not morning!)

presque aussi X que

almost as X as — so slightly LESS / FEWER

jusqu'au lendemain

until the next day — carries on OVERNIGHT

trop loin (de chez nous)

too far away (NOT "too few")

à l'étranger

abroad (NOT "foreign")

depuis trois jours

for three days — translate as "has been ___ing for three days"

après avoir fini son travail

after finishing her work — PAST action

actuellement

currently (FALSE FRIEND — NOT "actually")

sensible

sensitive (FALSE FRIEND — NOT "sensible")

assister à

to attend (FALSE FRIEND — NOT "to assist")

rester

to stay (FALSE FRIEND — NOT "to rest")

journée

day, the whole day (FALSE FRIEND — NOT "journey")

lecture

reading (FALSE FRIEND — NOT "lecture")

attendre

to wait (FALSE FRIEND — NOT "to attend")

location

rental (FALSE FRIEND — NOT "location")

On A+B style questions, what should you always check?

Whether BOTH statements could be true — never default to one

If swimming / sport / music makes someone feel better, listen for…

oublier (forget), échapper (escape), se détendre (relax)

If asked what caused a disability and you hear "maladie"

The answer is ILLNESS — write something in the illness / disease family

If you hear "hôtels complets" about tourism

Hotels are FULL (not just "lots of tourists")

If you hear "veulent se mettre à"

Want to TAKE UP the activity (not "many people do it")

If you hear damage to forêts / arbres

Use DESTROY or BURN — vague answers won't score

je trouve que

I find / think that

à mon avis

in my opinion

ce qui m'inquiète

what worries me

j'apprécie

I appreciate / I like

avantages / inconvénients

advantages / disadvantages

chômage

unemployment

métier

job / profession

boulot

job (informal)

propriétaire

owner

maladie

illness

tomber malade

to fall ill

santé

health

garder la forme

to keep fit

se reposer

to rest

se disputer (avec)

to argue (with)

mari

husband

partenaire

partner

sortir avec

to date / to go out with

réchauffement

(global) warming

détruire

to destroy

brûler

to burn

écran

screen

en ligne

online

article de journal

newspaper article

célèbre

famous

faire la fête

to party / to celebrate

concours

competition

profiter de

to make the most of / to enjoy

à pied

on foot

au bord de la mer

at the seaside / by the sea

voisin

neighbour