Lecon 3
Vocabulaire:
les medias
l’actualité (f.): current events
la censure: censorship
un événement: event
un message/spot publicitaire; une publicité (une pub): advertisement
les moyens (m.) de communication; les medias (m.): media
la publicite (la pub): advertising
un reportage: news report
un site web/Internet: web/Internet site
une station de radio: radio station
s’informer (par les médias): to keep
naviguer/surfer sur Internet/le web: to search the web
actualisé(e): updated
en direct: live
frappant(e)/marquant(e): striking
influent(e): influential
(im)partial(e): (im)partial; (un)biased
les gens des medias
un(e) animateur/animatrice de radio: radio presenter
un auditeur/une auditrice: (radio) listener
un(e) critique de cinéma: film critic
un éditeur/une éditrice: publisher
un(e) envoyé(e) spécial(e): correspondent
un(e) journaliste: journalist
un(e) photographe: photographer
un réalisateur/une réalisatrice: director
un rédacteur/une rédactrice: editor
un reporter: reporter (male or female)
un téléspectateur/une téléspectatreice: television viewer
une vedette (de cinéma): (movie) star (male or female)
le cinema et la television
une bande originale: sound track
une chaîne: network
un clip vidéo; un vidéoclip: music video
un divertissement: entertainment
un documentaire: documentary
l'écran (m.): screen
les effets (m.) spéciaux: special effects
un entretien/une interview: interview
un feuilleton: soap opera; series
une première: premiere
les sous-titres (m.): subtitles
divertir: to entertain
enregistrer: to record
retransmettre: to broadcast
sortir un film: to release a movie
la presse
une chronique: column
la couverture: cover
un extrait: excerpt
les faits (m.) divers: news items
un hebdomadaire: weekly magazine
un journal: newspaper
la liberté de la presse: freedom of the press
un mensuel: monthly magazine
les nouvelles (f.) locales/internationales: local/international news
la page sportive: sports page
la presse à sensation: tabloid(s)
la rubrique société: lifestyle section
un gros titre: headline
enquêter (sur): to research; to investigate
être à la une: to be one the front page
publier: to publish
3.1: The passé composé with avoir
To talk about completed events in the past, you use the passé composé. The passé composé of most verbs is formed by combining the present tense of avoir with the past participle of the main verb
In the passé composé, the form of avoir changes according to the subject, but the past participle usually remains the same. The past participles of regular -er, -ir, and -re verbs follow predictable patterns
j’ai
tu as
il/elle/on a
nous avons
vous avez
ils/elles ont
-er → -é
-ir → -i
-re → -u
Several irregular verbs also have irregular past participles
avoir → eu
boire → bu
conduire → conduit
connaître → connu
croire → cru
devoir → dû
dire → dit
ecrire → écrit
etre → été
faire → fait
lire → lu
mettre → mis
ouvrir → ouvert
pleuvoir → plu
pouvoir → pu
prendre → pris
recevoir → reçu
rire → ri
savoir → su
suivre → suivi
vivre → vécu
voir → vu
vouloir → voulu
Use the passé composé to talk about completed actions or events in the past or to descrive a reaction or change in state of mind or condition
Sentences in the passé composé often include a reference to a specific moment in time or duration. Here are some expressions frequently used with the passé composé :
à ce moment-là: at that moment
enfin: at last
finalement: finally
hier (matin, soir, etc.): yesterday (morning, evening, etc.)
immédiatement: immediately
longtemps: for a long time
lundi (mardi, etc.) dernier: last Monday (Tuesday, etc.)
pendant une heire (un mois, etc.): for an hour (a month, etc.)
récemment: recently
soudain: suddenly
tout à coup: all of a sudden
tout de suite: right away
une fois (deux fois, etc.): once (twice, etc.)
In the passé composé, the placement of adverbs varies. These short adverbs go between the auxiliary verb and the past participle:
assez
beaucoup
bien
bientôt
déjà
encore
enfin
longtemps
mal
peut-être
presque
seulement
souvent
surement
toujours
trop
vite
vraiment
Some common longer adverbs, such as probablement and certainement, are also placed between the auxiliary verb and the past participle
Longer adverbs can also follow the past participle, especially if they express the manner in which something is done
3.2: The passé composé with etre
Some verbs use the present tense of être instead of avoir as the auxiliary verb in the passé composé:
aller → allé
arriver → arrivé
descendre → descendu
devenir → devenu
entrer → entré
monter → monté
mourir → mort
naitre → né
partir → parti
passer → passé
rentrer → rentré
rester → resté
retourner → retourné
revenir → revenu
sortir → sorti
tomber → tombé
venir → venu
When the auxiliary verb is être, the past participle agrees in gender and number with the subject
Reflexive and reciprocal verbs also use the auxiliary verb être in the passé composé. The reflexive or reciprocal pronoun is placed before the form of être
To negate a reflexive or reciprocal verb in the passé composé, place the ne… pas (ne… jamais, etc.) around the pronoun and auxiliary verb
Like other verbs that take être in the passé composé, the past participle usually agrees in gender and number with the subject
In the reflexive verb is followed by a direct object, the past participle does not agree with the subject
Some reciprocal and reflexive verbs take indirect rather than direct objects. In this case, the pronoun is an indirect object, so the past participle does not agree. Here is a partial list of reciprocal verbs that take indirect objects: s’écrire, se dire, se téléphoner, se parler, se demander, and se sourire
3.3: The passé composé vs. the imparfait
Although the passé composé and the imparfait both express different uses and, therefore, are not interchangeable
In general, the passé composé is used to descrive events that were completed in the past, whereas the imparfait refers to continuous states of being or repetitive actions
Uses of the passé composé:
Use the passé composé to express actions viewed by the speaker as completed
Use it to express the beginning or end of a past action
Use it to tell the duration of an event or the number of times it occurred in the past
Use it to describe a series of past actions
Use it to indicate a reaction or change in condition or state of mind
Uses of the imparfait:
Use the imparfait to describe ongoing past actions without reference to beginning or end
Use it to express habitual actions in the past
Use it to describe mental, physical, and emotional states
Use it to describe conditions or to tell what things were like in the past
The passé composé and the imparfait used together:
The passé composé and the imparfait often appear together in the same sentence or paragraph
When narrating in the past, the imparfait describes what was happening, while the passé composé describes the actions that occured or interrupted the ongoing activity. Use the imparfait to provide background information and the passé composé to tell what happened
Different meanings in the imparfait ad the passé composé:
connaître:
passé composé: as-tu connu → did you meet
imparfait: connaissais → knew
devoir:
passé composé: avons du → had to
passé composé: a du → must have
imparfait: devais → was supposed to
imparfait: devait → used to have to
pouvoir:
passé composé: a pu → managed to
imparfait: pouvait → could
savoir:
passé composé: a su → found out
imparfait: savait → knew
vouloir:
passé composé: a voulu → tried to
passé composé: n’ai pas voulu → refused
imparfait: voulions → wanted