Poverty and homelessness: GCSE French vocabulary
59 words and phrases for poverty and homelessness, in 3 groups. Every entry has the English meaning and a French example sentence with its translation. Nouns show their gender.
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Poverty and its causes
| French | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| la pauvreté feminine | poverty | La pauvreté touche beaucoup de familles. Poverty affects many families. |
| pauvre | poor | Cette famille est très pauvre. This family is very poor. |
| le pauvre masculine | poor person | Il faut aider les pauvres. We must help poor people. |
| riche | rich | Un pays riche peut aider les autres. A rich country can help others. |
| la richesse feminine | wealth | La richesse est mal répartie. Wealth is badly shared out. |
| l'inégalité feminine | inequality | L'inégalité entre riches et pauvres augmente. Inequality between rich and poor is growing. |
| le chômage masculine | unemployment | Le chômage augmente dans la région. Unemployment is rising in the region. |
| le chômeur masculine | unemployed person (male) | Mon voisin est chômeur depuis un an. My neighbour has been unemployed for a year. |
| au chômage | unemployed | Mon père est au chômage. My father is unemployed. |
| le salaire masculine | salary | Son salaire est trop bas. His wage is too low. |
| l'argent masculine | money | Ils n'ont pas assez d'argent. They do not have enough money. |
| le loyer masculine | rent | Le loyer est trop cher. The rent is too expensive. |
| les dettes | debts | Beaucoup de familles ont des dettes. Many families have debts. |
| manquer de | to lack | Ils manquent de nourriture. They lack food. |
| avoir faim | to be hungry | Des enfants ont faim chaque jour. Children are hungry every day. |
| vivre dans la misère | to live in poverty | Des millions de gens vivent dans la misère. Millions of people live in poverty. |
| la faim feminine | hunger | La faim est un problème mondial. Hunger is a global problem. |
| la crise économique feminine | economic crisis | La crise économique a fait perdre des emplois. The economic crisis made people lose their jobs. |
| le seuil de pauvreté masculine | poverty line | Beaucoup de gens vivent sous le seuil de pauvreté. Many people live below the poverty line. |
| l'exclusion sociale feminine | social exclusion | La pauvreté mène à l'exclusion sociale. Poverty leads to social exclusion. |
| précaire | insecure | Il a un emploi précaire. He has an insecure job. |
| le fossé masculine | gap | Le fossé entre riches et pauvres se creuse. The gap between rich and poor is widening. |
Homelessness
| French | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| le sans-abri | homeless person | Un sans-abri dort devant la gare. A homeless person sleeps in front of the station. |
| sans domicile fixe | homeless (of no fixed address) | Il est sans domicile fixe depuis deux ans. He has been homeless for two years. |
| le SDF | homeless person | Un SDF m'a demandé de l'argent. A homeless person asked me for money. |
| dormir dans la rue | to sleep on the street | Certaines personnes dorment dans la rue en hiver. Some people sleep on the street in winter. |
| la rue feminine | street | Il vit dans la rue. He lives on the street. |
| le logement masculine | housing | Le logement est cher dans les grandes villes. Housing is expensive in big cities. |
| l'abri masculine | shelter | Ils cherchent un abri pour la nuit. They are looking for shelter for the night. |
| le foyer masculine | hostel | Il dort dans un foyer pour sans-abri. He sleeps in a hostel for the homeless. |
| le centre d'accueil masculine | reception centre | Le centre d'accueil offre un repas chaud. The reception centre offers a hot meal. |
| la soupe populaire feminine | soup kitchen | Il mange à la soupe populaire. He eats at the soup kitchen. |
| le repas chaud masculine | hot meal | Les bénévoles servent un repas chaud. The volunteers serve a hot meal. |
| la couverture feminine | blanket | Nous avons donné des couvertures. We gave out blankets. |
| le froid masculine | cold | Le froid est dangereux pour ceux qui dorment dehors. The cold is dangerous for those who sleep outside. |
| perdre son emploi | to lose one's job | Il a perdu son emploi l'an dernier. He lost his job last year. |
| perdre son logement | to lose one's home | Elle a perdu son logement après le divorce. She lost her home after the divorce. |
| la solitude feminine | loneliness | La solitude est dure pour les sans-abri. Loneliness is hard for the homeless. |
| expulser | to evict | Ils ont été expulsés de leur appartement. They were evicted from their flat. |
| l'hébergement d'urgence masculine | emergency accommodation | L'hébergement d'urgence est souvent complet. Emergency accommodation is often full. |
| la réinsertion feminine | reintegration (into society) | La réinsertion aide à retrouver un emploi. Reintegration helps people find a job again. |
Helping and opinions
| French | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| aider | to help | Je veux aider les gens dans le besoin. I want to help people in need. |
| les gens dans le besoin | people in need | Il faut aider les gens dans le besoin. We must help people in need. |
| donner de l'argent | to give money | Je donne de l'argent aux associations. I give money to charities. |
| donner à manger | to give food | Nous donnons à manger aux sans-abri. We give food to the homeless. |
| offrir un repas | to offer a meal | Cette association offre un repas aux pauvres. This charity offers a meal to the poor. |
| le bénévole masculine | volunteer | Les bénévoles sont généreux. The volunteers are generous. |
| le gouvernement masculine | government | Le gouvernement doit construire plus de logements. The government must build more housing. |
| construire | to build | Il faut construire des logements sociaux. We must build social housing. |
| le logement social masculine | social housing | Le logement social est très demandé. Social housing is in great demand. |
| choquant | shocking | C'est choquant de voir des enfants dans la rue. It is shocking to see children on the street. |
| triste | sad | Je trouve cette situation très triste. I find this situation very sad. |
| injuste | unfair | C'est injuste que certains n'aient rien. It is unfair that some have nothing. |
| il faut | we must | Il faut aider les sans-abri. We must help the homeless. |
| tout le monde | everybody | Tout le monde a droit à un logement. Everybody has the right to housing. |
| avoir droit à | to have the right to | Chacun a droit à un toit. Everyone has the right to a roof. |
| lutter contre | to fight against | Il faut lutter contre la pauvreté. We must fight against poverty. |
| la solidarité feminine | solidarity | La solidarité est essentielle en hiver. Solidarity is essential in winter. |
| ce qui me choque | what shocks me | Ce qui me choque, c'est le nombre d'enfants pauvres. What shocks me is the number of poor children. |
Learn how to use these words in sentences: Poverty and homelessness lesson with practice questions.
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