Certificate of Secondary Education (CSE) French Syllabus

How do you buy a return train ticket in French?

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

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.

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").

In a role play at a hotel, how do you ask if there is a room available?

"Avez-vous une chambre de libre?" or "Je voudrais réserver une chambre."

How do you ask "How much is it?" and "Can I pay by card?" in a French transaction?

"C'est combien?" / "Ça fait combien?" (How much?) and "Je peux payer par carte?" (Can I pay by card?).

What polite formula do you use to attract attention and to thank someone in a French shop?

"Excusez-moi" / "Pardon" (excuse me) to attract attention; "Merci (beaucoup)" to thank, with "De rien" / "Je vous en prie" as the reply.

What is a French liaison in pronunciation, and give an example.

A liaison is pronouncing a normally silent final consonant before a following vowel sound. E.g. "les amis" is pronounced /lez‿ami/, linking the s to amis.

How are the French nasal vowels in "bon", "vin" and "blanc" produced?

They are nasal vowels: air passes through the nose, and the final n/m is not fully pronounced as a separate consonant — bon (on), vin (in), blanc (an).

What is an accent aigu and an accent grave, and on which letters do they typically appear?

Accent aigu (é) appears only on e and gives an "ay" sound; accent grave (è, à, ù) opens the e sound or distinguishes words (a vs à, ou vs où).

When reading authentic French texts, what does the cognate strategy involve? Give two examples and one "false friend".

Cognates are words that look like English with similar meaning: "important", "téléphone". A false friend (faux ami) is "librairie" = bookshop, NOT library (which is bibliothèque).

In written French communication, how do you open and close an informal letter to a friend?

Open: "Cher/Chère..." Close: "Amitiés", "À bientôt", or "Bisous" for close friends.

How do you open and close a formal French letter (e.g. to a hotel)?

Open: "Madame, Monsieur,". Close: "Je vous prie d'agréer, Madame/Monsieur, l'expression de mes salutations distinguées."

What are the three connectives "and", "but" and "because" in French, used to extend written sentences?

"et" (and), "mais" (but), "parce que" / "car" (because).

In translation, how does French express "there is" and "there are"?

Both are "il y a" — French does not distinguish singular and plural here. "There was/were" = "il y avait".

What are the two genders of French nouns and how does gender affect the words around the noun?

Masculine and feminine. Gender determines the article (le/un vs la/une) and the agreement (ending) of adjectives that describe the noun.

State the definite and indefinite articles in French for masculine singular, feminine singular and plural.

Definite: le (m.), la (f.), les (pl.). Indefinite: un (m.), une (f.), des (pl.). Before a vowel le/la become l'.

What is the general rule for making a French adjective feminine and then plural?

Add -e for feminine and -s for plural: petit → petite → petits/petites. If the masculine already ends in -e, the feminine is unchanged (jeune).

Where do most French adjectives go relative to the noun, and which common ones go before it?

Most adjectives follow the noun (une voiture rouge). A small group (BANGS / "grand, petit, bon, mauvais, jeune, vieux, beau, joli") goes before the noun (une grande maison).

How do you form the present tense of regular -er verbs? Give the endings.

Remove -er from the infinitive and add: -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent. E.g. parler → je parle, tu parles, il parle, nous parlons, vous parlez, ils parlent.

How is the perfect tense (passé composé) formed in French?

Auxiliary avoir or être in the present + past participle. E.g. "J'ai mangé" (I ate/have eaten); "Je suis allé(e)" (I went).

Which French verbs take être (not avoir) in the perfect tense, and what agreement rule applies?

Verbs of movement/state (the "MRS VANDERTRAMP" verbs, e.g. aller, venir, arriver) and all reflexive verbs take être. The past participle then agrees with the subject (elle est allée).

How do you form the near future (futur proche) in French?

Use the present tense of aller + an infinitive: "Je vais manger" = I am going to eat. "Nous allons partir" = we are going to leave.

What is the imperfect tense used for, and what are its endings?

The imperfect (imparfait) describes ongoing, repeated or background past actions ("was doing / used to do"). Endings on the nous-stem: -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient.

List the French subject pronouns for all six persons.

je (I), tu (you, informal), il/elle/on (he/she/one), nous (we), vous (you, formal/plural), ils/elles (they).

What is the difference between the direct object pronouns "le/la/les" and indirect object pronouns "lui/leur"?

le/la/les replace a direct object (the thing/person acted on: je le vois). lui/leur replace "to him/her/them" — an indirect object introduced by à (je lui parle = I speak to him/her).

Where are object pronouns placed in a normal French sentence?

Before the conjugated verb: "Je le mange." In the perfect tense they go before the auxiliary: "Je l'ai mangé."

Explain the contracted forms of à and de with the masculine and plural articles.

à + le = au, à + les = aux; de + le = du, de + les = des. With la and l' there is no contraction (à la, de l').

How do you form a yes/no question in French in three different ways?

1) Intonation: "Tu viens?" 2) Est-ce que: "Est-ce que tu viens?" 3) Inversion: "Viens-tu?"

How do you make a French verb negative? Give the structure and an example with the perfect tense.

Place "ne...pas" around the conjugated verb: "Je ne mange pas." In the perfect tense it wraps the auxiliary: "Je n'ai pas mangé."

Give three other French negative expressions besides ne...pas and their meanings.

ne...jamais (never), ne...rien (nothing), ne...plus (no longer/no more). E.g. "Je ne fume jamais", "Il n'y a plus de pain."