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The French-speaking world – GCSE French

Foundation and Higher · Grade 4

Countries, nationalities and regions where French is spoken, famous places and the culture you meet in the exams.

Objectives

Explained

Countries and nationalities

French is an official language in around thirty countries, including France, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Canada (mainly Quebec), Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Senegal and the Ivory Coast. Names of countries have a gender: «la France», «la Belgique», «la Suisse», «le Canada», «le Maroc». That gender decides the word for "in" and "to".

Nationalities are adjectives with no capital letter: «français / française», «belge», «suisse», «canadien / canadienne», «marocain / marocaine», «anglais / anglaise», «écossais», «gallois». They agree with the person: «Ma mère est française», «Mon père est canadien». Tap the words to hear them.

In, to and from: à, en, au, aux

For a city, use «à»: «J'habite à Lyon», «Je vais à Montréal». For a feminine country, or one starting with a vowel, use «en»: «en France», «en Belgique», «en Suisse», «en Angleterre», «en Algérie». For a masculine country, use «au»: «au Canada», «au Maroc», «au Sénégal». For plural countries, use «aux»: «aux États-Unis».

To say "from", use «de» or «du»: «Je viens de Paris», «Elle vient du Canada», «Ils viennent des États-Unis». Learn the pattern with the gender of the country. A few islands take «à»: «à Madagascar», «à la Réunion».

Check

Which is correct for "She is going to Morocco"?

  1. Elle va au Maroc.
  2. Elle va en Maroc.
  3. Elle va à Maroc.
Show answer

Elle va au Maroc. Maroc is masculine, so use au.

Regions, cities and landmarks

France has regions with strong identities: «la Bretagne» (beaches and crêpes), «la Normandie» (cliffs, D-Day beaches), «l'Alsace» (Christmas markets), «la Provence» (lavender and sunshine), «la Corse» (an island in the Mediterranean). Mountains: «les Alpes», «les Pyrénées». Rivers: «la Seine», «la Loire». Seas: «la Manche», «la Méditerranée».

Famous places: «la tour Eiffel», «le Louvre», «le Mont-Saint-Michel», «le château de Versailles». To say what is there: «À Paris, il y a la tour Eiffel et le Louvre.» To say what you would like to see: «Je voudrais visiter le Mont-Saint-Michel parce que c'est très beau.»

French around the world

«La francophonie» is the community of French-speaking countries. In Belgium and Switzerland people sometimes say «septante» (70) and «nonante» (90) instead of «soixante-dix» and «quatre-vingt-dix». Quebec has its own accent and expressions, and in many African countries French is used in schools and government alongside local languages.

You may meet short extracts about life in a French-speaking country. Use the cultural clues: «la bande dessinée» (comics) is very popular in Belgium; «le festival de Cannes» is a film festival; «le Tour de France» is a cycling race. Do not worry if a place is new: look for words you know.

Check

What do people in Belgium and Switzerland often say instead of "soixante-dix"?

  1. septante
  2. quarante
  3. cinquante-dix
Show answer

septante Septante is the Belgian and Swiss word for 70.

Reading: a student from Quebec

«Je m'appelle Maxime, j'ai quinze ans et j'habite à Québec, au Canada. Ma famille est d'origine française mais nous sommes canadiens. Ici, on parle français à la maison et à l'école, et on apprend l'anglais comme deuxième langue. En hiver, il fait très froid et il y a beaucoup de neige, alors je fais du hockey et du ski. L'année dernière, je suis allé en France chez mon oncle à Lyon. C'était intéressant parce que l'accent est différent et on mange plus tard qu'au Québec. Plus tard, j'aimerais étudier en Europe.»

The text compares two places («plus tard qu'au Québec»), uses «à» for a city and «au» for a country, and mixes present, perfect, imperfect and conditional. Keep an eye out for the writer's own nationality and the places he mentions.

Reading: nationality, places and comparisons

Cultural reading questions usually ask where, who and what is different. In this text, the writer lives in «Québec, au Canada», his uncle lives in «Lyon», and the difference noted is that people eat later in France. Do not mix the places: Maxime lives in Canada, he visited France.

Check the tense to see when: «j'habite» (now), «je suis allé» (last year), «j'aimerais» (future wish). In answers, use your own words but keep the details: "He went to France last year to visit his uncle."

Check

According to the text, what is different in France compared with Quebec?

  1. People eat later.
  2. It is much colder.
  3. People speak only English.
Show answer

People eat later. The text says on mange plus tard qu'au Québec.

Writing about the French-speaking world

«J'apprends le français depuis cinq ans et je m'intéresse beaucoup à la culture francophone. L'été dernier, je suis allée en France avec ma famille et nous avons visité la Normandie, où il y a de belles plages et des falaises. C'était magnifique, mais il a plu pendant trois jours. À l'avenir, je voudrais aller au Québec parce que j'aimerais pratiquer mon français avec des habitants. Je pense que parler français peut ouvrir beaucoup de portes pour mon travail.»

This answer includes «depuis» plus the present, a past trip with the perfect («nous avons visité») and the imperfect («c'était»), a relative («où il y a»), a conditional wish and an opinion about languages. It is typical of a top-band paragraph.

Exam tips: the French-speaking world

Exam texts and recordings are often set in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Canada or Africa. You do not need detailed geography, but you should recognise country and city names, nationality adjectives and place prepositions. Use context for unfamiliar names: they usually follow «à», «en», «au» or «de».

In speaking, show cultural awareness: mention a place you want to visit or a French-speaking person you know. Give a reason with «parce que». In writing, keep country and city prepositions accurate: it is an easy way to show accuracy.

Check

Which sentence is accurate and developed?

  1. J'habite à Bristol, en Angleterre, et j'aimerais visiter le Québec parce que j'adore la neige.
  2. J'habite en Bristol et je visite à Québec.
  3. Bristol, Angleterre.
Show answer

J'habite à Bristol, en Angleterre, et j'aimerais visiter le Québec parce que j'adore la neige. It uses à with the city, en with the feminine country and a reason with parce que.

Key points

Worked examples

Example 1

Translate into French: I live in France.

  1. "I live" is j'habite.
  2. France is feminine, so "in" is en.
  3. Put together.

Answer: J'habite en France.

Common slips
  • Slip: je habite Je becomes j' before a vowel.
  • Slip: au France France is feminine, so use en.
  • Slip: j'habite en la France Do not add la after en.

Example 2

Translate into French: My aunt is Canadian and she lives in Montreal.

  1. "Is Canadian" agrees with a woman: canadienne.
  2. "She lives" is elle habite.
  3. "In Montreal" is à Montréal (city).

Answer: Ma tante est canadienne et elle habite à Montréal.

Common slips
  • Slip: canadien The adjective must agree with tante, so add -ne.
  • Slip: il habite Tante is feminine, so elle.
  • Slip: en Montréal Cities take à.

Example 3

Translate into French: Last summer we went to Morocco and it was hotter than in France.

  1. "We went" uses être: nous sommes allés.
  2. "To Morocco" is au Maroc.
  3. "Hotter than in France" is plus chaud qu'en France.

Answer: L'été dernier, nous sommes allés au Maroc et il faisait plus chaud qu'en France.

Common slips
  • Slip: nous avons allé Aller takes être.
  • Slip: en Maroc Maroc is masculine, so au.
  • Slip: plus chaud que en France Que becomes qu' before en.

Questions and answers

Try each one, then open the answer.

Question 1 Easy

What is the French for "country"?

Show answer

Answer: le pays

  1. A country is un pays.
  2. It is masculine.

Question 2 Easy

Complete: J'habite ___ France. (in)

Show answer

Answer: en

  1. France is feminine.
  2. In with a feminine country is en.

Question 3 Easy

Complete: Il habite ___ Canada. (in)

Show answer

Answer: au

  1. Canada is masculine.
  2. In with a masculine country is au.

Question 4 Easy

What is the French for "Switzerland"?

Show answer

Answer: la Suisse

  1. Switzerland is la Suisse.
  2. It is feminine.

Question 5 Medium

Translate into French: My friend is Belgian and she lives in Brussels.

Show answer

Answer: Mon amie est belge et elle habite à Bruxelles

  1. Belge is the same in the feminine.
  2. Brussels is a city, so à.

Question 6 Medium

Translate into French: I am going to Morocco in the summer.

Show answer

Answer: Je vais au Maroc en été

  1. Maroc is masculine: au.
  2. In the summer is en été.

Question 7 Medium

Translate into French: The Eiffel Tower is in Paris.

Show answer

Answer: La tour Eiffel est à Paris

  1. Tour is feminine: la tour Eiffel.
  2. A city takes à.

Question 8 Medium

Translate into French: We speak French in Senegal.

Show answer

Answer: On parle français au Sénégal

  1. On parle for we or people speak.
  2. Sénégal is masculine: au.

Question 9 Hard

Translate into French: Last summer we went to Brittany and it rained a lot.

Show answer

Answer: L'été dernier, nous sommes allés en Bretagne et il a beaucoup plu

  1. Aller takes être.
  2. Bretagne is feminine: en. Weather event: il a plu.

Question 10 Hard

Translate into French: In Quebec people eat earlier than in France.

Show answer

Answer: Au Québec, on mange plus tôt qu'en France

  1. Québec the province takes au.
  2. Plus tôt qu'en France.

Question 11 Hard

Translate into French: One day I would like to visit Mont-Saint-Michel because it is beautiful.

Show answer

Answer: Un jour, je voudrais visiter le Mont-Saint-Michel parce que c'est beau

  1. Je voudrais plus infinitive.
  2. Parce que c'est beau.

Question 12 Hard

What does "On parle français à la maison et on apprend l'anglais comme deuxième langue" mean?

Show answer

Answer: French is spoken at home and English is learned as a second language

  1. On parle means people speak.
  2. Deuxième langue is second language.

Exam-style questions

Longer tasks with the marking points. These are Yumio practice questions.

Exam-style question 15 marks

Translate into French. (a) I live in Bristol, in England. (b) My friend is Canadian. (c) I would like to visit Paris. [5 marks]

Show answer

Answer: J'habite à Bristol, en Angleterre. Mon ami est canadien. Je voudrais visiter Paris.

  1. À with a city, en with a feminine country.
  2. Nationality adjective.
  3. Je voudrais plus infinitive.
  • Mark (2): J'habite à Bristol (1) en Angleterre (1)
  • Mark (1): Mon ami est canadien
  • Mark (2): Je voudrais (1) visiter Paris (1)

Exam-style question 26 marks

Write about 50 words in French about the French-speaking world. Say what you know about a French-speaking place, a visit you made or would like to make, and why. [6 marks]

Show answer

Answer: Je m'intéresse au Québec, où on parle français. L'été dernier, je suis allé en France avec ma famille et nous avons visité la Normandie. C'était magnifique. À l'avenir, je voudrais aller au Canada parce que j'aimerais pratiquer mon français.

  1. Correct à, en, au.
  2. Perfect and imperfect for the visit.
  3. A future wish with a reason.
  • Mark (2): Accurate use of country and city prepositions
  • Mark (2): A past visit with correct tenses
  • Mark (2): A future wish with a reason

Common mistakes

  1. J'habite en Paris

    Cities take à: j'habite à Paris.

  2. Je vais en Canada

    Canada is masculine: je vais au Canada.

  3. Ma mère est Française

    Nationality adjectives do not take a capital letter: française.

  4. Il vient de le Maroc

    De + le becomes du: il vient du Maroc.

  5. la librairie = library

    Always check false friends; la bibliothèque is a library.

The full the French-speaking world vocabulary list with example sentences

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