Certificate of Secondary Education (CSE) French Syllabus

French syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for French in Certificate of Secondary Education (CSE), not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Everyday Topics and Vocabulary

   5 topics

   • Personal identification and family
     • Introducing yourself
     • Describing family and friends
   • Home, town and local area
     • House and rooms
     • Asking for and giving directions
   • School, work and daily routine
     • Subjects and the school day
     • Telling the time and daily activities
   • Food, shopping and leisure
     • Cafe and restaurant
     • Shops and money
     • Hobbies and free time
   • Travel and holidays
     • Transport and the station
     • Hotels and accommodation
2. 2

   Listening and Speaking

   3 topics

   • Understanding spoken French
     • Following announcements and instructions
     • Understanding everyday conversation
   • Role play and transactions
     • Coping in shops, cafes and stations
   • Conversation and pronunciation
     • Answering questions about yourself
     • Accent, intonation and sounds
3. 3

   Reading and Writing

   3 topics

   • Reading authentic materials
     • Signs, notices and menus
     • Letters and short articles
   • Written communication
     • Postcards and informal letters
     • Messages and notes
   • Comprehension and translation
     • Answering questions in English
     • Gist and detail
4. 4

   Grammar and Structures

   4 topics

   • Nouns, articles and adjectives
     • Gender and agreement
     • Adjective position
   • Verbs and tenses
     • Present tense of regular verbs
     • Common irregular verbs
     • Perfect and near future
   • Pronouns and prepositions
     • Subject and object pronouns
     • Common prepositions
   • Questions and negatives
     • Forming questions
     • ne...pas and other negatives

French flashcards for Certificate of Secondary Education (CSE)

23 of 50 cards from the French deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. How do you say "My name is..." in French, and what is the literal meaning of this reflexive expression?

   "Je m'appelle..." — literally "I call myself...", from the reflexive verb s'appeler.

2. In French, how do you ask someone's age and give your own (e.g. 15 years old)?

   Ask: "Quel âge as-tu?" Answer: "J'ai quinze ans." Note that French uses avoir (to have) for age, not être.

3. List the French possessive adjectives for "my" and explain how they agree.

   mon (masc.), ma (fem.), mes (plural). They agree with the noun possessed, not the owner — e.g. mon père, ma mère, mes parents.

4. How do you describe immediate family members in French: father, mother, brother, sister?

   le père (father), la mère (mother), le frère (brother), la sœur (sister). "Parents" = les parents.

5. What is the French for the main rooms of a house: kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, living room?

   la cuisine (kitchen), la chambre (bedroom), la salle de bains (bathroom), le salon / la salle de séjour (living room).

6. Which preposition + article do you use to say "in town" and "in the countryside" in French?

   "en ville" (in town) and "à la campagne" (in the countryside).

7. How do you ask for and give directions "on the right" and "on the left" in French?

   "à droite" (on/to the right) and "à gauche" (on/to the left). "Tout droit" means straight ahead.

8. Name four common shops in a French town and what they sell.

   la boulangerie (bread), la pâtisserie (cakes), la boucherie (meat), la pharmacie (medicines).

9. How do you say "I go to school" in French and which verb and preposition are used?

   "Je vais à l'école" — using the verb aller (to go) with the preposition à (here à + l' before a vowel).

10. List the days of the week in French, starting with Monday.

    lundi, mardi, mercredi, jeudi, vendredi, samedi, dimanche. They are not capitalised in French.

11. How do you describe your daily routine "I get up" and "I go to bed" using reflexive verbs?

    "Je me lève" (I get up, from se lever) and "Je me couche" (I go to bed, from se coucher).

12. What are the French names for four common school subjects: maths, history, English, PE?

    les maths (maths), l'histoire (history), l'anglais (English), l'EPS / le sport (PE).

13. How do you say what you want to be in the future, e.g. "I would like to be a doctor"?

    "Je voudrais être médecin." Note: no indefinite article before a job in French (être médecin, not être un médecin).

14. Name four common French foods/meals: breakfast, lunch, bread, cheese.

    le petit déjeuner (breakfast), le déjeuner (lunch), le pain (bread), le fromage (cheese).

15. How do you say "I would like" politely when ordering in a café, and why is it preferred over "I want"?

    "Je voudrais..." (the conditional of vouloir) is more polite than "Je veux..." (I want), which can sound abrupt.

16. What is the partitive article in French and when is it used? Give the four forms.

    The partitive expresses "some/any" of an uncountable quantity: du (masc.), de la (fem.), de l' (before a vowel), des (plural). E.g. du pain, de la confiture.

17. How do you say "I like" and "I prefer" a leisure activity in French?

    "J'aime..." (I like) and "Je préfère..." (I prefer). After these verbs another verb stays in the infinitive, e.g. "J'aime nager."

18. Name four common leisure/hobby verbs in French: to swim, to read, to dance, to sing.

    nager (to swim), lire (to read), danser (to dance), chanter (to sing).

19. How do you say "I am going to the seaside on holiday" in French?

    "Je vais au bord de la mer en vacances." (au bord de la mer = to/at the seaside; en vacances = on holiday).

20. List four means of transport in French and the preposition used with them.

    en voiture (by car), en train (by train), en avion (by plane), à pied (on foot). Most take "en"; walking and cycling take "à" (à pied, à vélo).

21. How do you buy a return train ticket in French?

    "Un aller-retour, s'il vous plaît." A single is "un aller simple."

22. What are the four French seasons and the preposition used with each?

    le printemps (en/au printemps), l'été (en été), l'automne (en automne), l'hiver (en hiver). Note "au printemps" but "en" for the others.

23. When listening to spoken French, which question words signal you should listen for time, place and reason?

    "Quand" (when → time), "Où" (where → place), "Pourquoi" (why → reason; answered with "parce que").

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