French GCSE guide

2. 1
Grammar structures to make your coursework great !
Use as many of these structures as you can. Use this as a checklist and go back to
your work and “dress it up” to earn a higher score for quality of language.
• Opinions (c’était fantastique - it was fantastic, c’est nul - it’s rubbish, à mon avis -
in my opinion, je pense que - I think that .., je crois que – I think that….)
• Adjectives describing words ( + correct agreements for masc/fem/plural!!)
grand, petit, vieux/vieille, beau/belle,incroyable – big/small/old/beautiful)
• Qualifiers très, assez, beaucoup, peu, trop (very, quite, a lot, a bit, too)
ça coutait très cher it was very expensive
il faisait trop chaud – it was too hot
j’avais beaucoup d’argent – I had lots of money
c’était un peu bizarre – it was a bit strange
il y avait beaucoup de monde – there were lots of people
• Relative clauses qui, que - who, which
ma mère, qui s’appelle Ann - my Mum, who’s called Ann
la ville que j’ai visitée – note extra ‘e’ – the town which I visited
L’entreprise où j’ai travaillée, qui s’appelle Siemens, était assez grande - the company
where I worked, which was called Siemens, was quite big
• Pronouns
-Subject including ‘on’ (casual “we”)
je tu il elle nous vous ils elles- - I you, he she, we, they « one »use all if possible
-Object - le/la/les/ (j’ai acheté une pomme et je l’ai mangée)
I bought an apple and I ate it NB apple is feminine and so mangée has an extra ‘e’
“y/en” (j’y suis allé,I went there, j’en ai mangé I ate some of it)
-Possessives : mon/ma/mes/son/sa/ses/votre/vos/notre/nos/leur/leurs
my/ your/his/her/our/their
• Comparatives & superlatives
Ce que j’ai aimé le plus c’était aider les clients – what I enjoyed most was helping the
customers.
C’était plus petit que notre collège – it was smaller than our school

3. 2
• Time & place phrases
aujourd’hui, demain, hier, l’année dernière, ici, en France, à Paris, depuis, ce jour-là
today, tomorrow, yesterday, last year, here, in France (en + country), in Paris (à +
town), since, on that day
• Verbs – all tenses (check)
- present - ma mère, qui s’appelle Ann - my Mum, who’s called Ann
- perfect (with avoir & être), j’ai travaillé je suis allé(e)
- imperfect (c’était, il faisait, j’avais, je commençais, je finnissais)
- future - j’irai, je rentrerai, j’étudierai I will go/come back/study
- inc. immediate future eg.je vais continuer au collège I’m going to stay on at
school)
- conditional (je voudrais, j’aimerais) I would like, I would like
- pluperfect (j’avais mangé, j’étais allé(e) I had eaten, I had been
- reflexives, (je me lève, je me suis levé(e)) I get up, I got up
• impersonals
(il faut + infinitive, il faut aller à l’université – you have to go to uni)
• Subjunctive
- quoi que ce soit - whatever it may be
- il faut que tu ailles - you really should go
- il est possible que je fasse ce travail plus tard – it is possible that I’ll do this job
later
• Après avoir/après être expressions
- après avoir travaillé à l’ordinateur, j’ai rangé le bureau- after working on the
computer I tidied the office
- après être arrivé (+’e’ for girls !) j’ai préparé le café after arriving, I made the
coffee
• En + present participle
- Je me suis bien amusé(e) en faisant ce stage – I had a good time doing this
placement

4. Linking words
et
parce que
mais
aussi
en plus
donc
plus tard
car
où
tous les matins
tous les jours
tous les après-midis
quand
par contre
Qualifiers -Making your descriptions more detailed
assez quite
trop too
très very
vraiment really
C’était assez utile
C’était très fatigant
C’était trop facile
C’était vraiment fantastique
and
because
but
also
as well as that/also
so
later
since/because
where
every morning
every day
every afternoon
when
on the other hand
Making your descriptions more detailed
it was quite useful
it was very tiring
it was too easy
C’était vraiment fantastique it was really great
3
Making your descriptions more detailed

5. 4
Improve these sentences by adding linking words and
qualifiers to each one.
1. Je travaillais dans un garage. Je lavais les voitures. C’était fatigant. C’était
intéressant.
I worked in a garage. I washed the cars. It was tiring. It was interesting.
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
2. J’ai trouvé le stage utile. J’ai beaucoup appris.
I found the placement useful. I learned a lot.
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
3. Je devais faire des photocopies. Je tapais des lettres. Je faisais du café.
I had to photocopy. I typed letters. I made the coffee.
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
Useful phrases to make your text flow better
après avoir fait le café, je devais taper des lettres
after making the coffee, I had to type letters
après avoir travaillé à la réception, j’aidais les clients
after working on reception, I helped the customers
en arrivant le matin je rangais des dossiers
when I arrived in the morning, I did some filing
en travaillant à l’école je faisais des photocopies
when I was working at the school, I did photocopying

6. 5
Try to add some of these joining words to improve the flow
of your coursework
aussi – also mais – but
à cause de – because of
bientôt - soon
bref - in short néanmoins-never the less
car - because ou - or
cependant- however parce que - because
donc – therefore, so puis – then
puisque – because (since)
et - and pourtant – nevertheless, even so, all the
same
évidemment- obviously, of course pourvu que – provided that, so long as
quelquefois - sometimes
quand- when
finalement – finally régulièrement - regularly
généralement – generally souvent – often
hier – yesterday de temps en temps - from time to time
immédiatement – immediately toujours - always
jusqu’à – until
jamais - never uniquement - only
longtemps – for a longtime vraiment - really
par contre – on the other hand
c’est la raison pour laquelle je l’ai choisi – it’s the reason why I chose it
en raison de – because of e.g. - en raison du soleil/ en raison de la pluie
because of the sun/ the rain
Quantifiers
assez –quite il faisit assez chaud it was quite hot
très – very il faisait très chaud it was very hot
trop – too il faisit trop chaud it was too hot
un peu – a bit il pleuvait un peu it rained a bit

7. 6
Comparatives and superlatives
plus + adjective + que more …..than le français est plus intéressant que les
maths
French is more interesting than Maths
moins + adjective + que less ….than L’Angleterre est moins ensoleillé que
L’Espagne
England is less sunny than Spain
aussi + adjective + que just as …as l’acool est aussi nocif que le tabac
alcohol is just as harmful as tobacco
meilleur que better than l’anglais est meilleur que l’histoire
pire que worse than
le plus intéressant/la plus intéressante the most interesting
(note masculine/feminine)
le plus beau/ la plus belle the most beautiful
c’est la ville la plus belle que j’ai jamais visitée it’s the most eautiful city I’ve ever
visited
c’est les meilleures vacances que j’ai jamais passées it’s the best holiday I’ve ever had
Prepositions

8. 7
Opinions – full sentences
J’adore….
J’aime..
Je n’aime pas…
Je déteste..
Je préfère…
THIS can be followed by NOUN or VERB
1)
J’adore le football
J’aime jouer au football
2)
parce que because
car because
mais but
3)
c’est super/cool/intéressant/facile –
it’s super/cool/interesting/easy
c’est barbant/nul/difficile/inutile-
it’s boring/rubbish/difficult/useless
J’adore jouer au football parce que c’est super et intéressant, mais je déteste le
basket car c’est nul !
How to get more marks!!!
A dd in details (very, slowly, really)
V ariety (not the same phrases)
O pinions
C onjunctions, (and, because)
A djectives (descriptions)
T enses (past, present, future)

9. 8
A – très = very, beaucoup = really
J’aime beaucoup le cinéma
V – il y a = there is, il y aura =there will be
il y a une cantine = there is a canteen
O - je voudrais = I would like
C – et = and, mais = but, aussi = also
A – Je porterais un sweat bleu clair à rayures = I would wear a stripey light blue
jumper
T
Past J’ai fait I did il y avait there was
Present Je fais I do il y a there is / there are
Future Je ferai I will do il y aura there will be
Useful Little words
We all know what the examiners are after: longer sentences! Remember to include:-
Opinions (J’adore, Je n’aime pas)
Linking words (useful little words)
Development (ie make the sentences longer, qui s’appelle)
Range (variety)
Adjectives (describe – colours etc)
Timeframes (past, present, future)
Useful phrases
In order that you get variety, range, make sure you don’t just repeat, I do, I do etc.
Include some of the following. Also if you use ‘car’ next time use ‘parce que’
1. On peut – You can (on pouvait – you could, on pourra - you will be able)
2. Je n’aime pas (it’s a negative)
3. Nous avons joué – we played (Nous jouons – we play)
4. Car/parce que – because
5. Qui s’appelle - , who is called

10. Also we have a range of little
Aussi – also
Bientôt/bref - soon/in short
Car - because
Donc – therefore
Et - and
Finalement – finally
Géneralement – generally
AND – those little phrases
En été – in summer
En mai/en juin – in may/june
De temps en temps – from time to time
Le mardi – on Tuesday
Le soir/le matin – in the evening/in the morni
À 16 Heures – at 4 o’clock
Controlled assessment checklist
Have I included…?
Past
Present
Future
Time phrases
Connectives / Linking words
Opinions
Justifications
Have I included…?
Variety of the two future tenses
Variety of the two past tenses
I would… (conditional)
If… (si)
He/She/We
Descriptions
“Narrate” – explain an event in detail
Variety of vocabulary
Comparisons
Also we have a range of little words that …
Mais – but
soon/in short Neanmoins- neverthe
Ou - or
Puis - then
Quelquefois - sometimes
Régulièrement - regularly
Souvent – often
those little phrases telling us about time
in may/june
from time to time
in the evening/in the morning
at 4 o’clock
ontrolled assessment checklist
Connectives / Linking words
the two future tenses
Variety of the two past tenses
explain an event in detail
9
theless
sometimes
regularly

11. Golden Rules
What will impress the examiner?
1. Do not repeat vocabulary
2. Time expressions – then/next/later/finally
3. 3 or 4 examples of each tense
4. 1 or 2 exclamations –
5. Use because to justify opinions
6. Put an adjective with every noun
7. Include opinions of other people
8. Use the word “since/for”
9. Use a comparison
10. Use longer sequences
11. Use the conditional tense
12. Use a Pluperfect Tense
13. Use a superlative – th
14. Use negative expressions
What will impress the examiner?
Do not repeat vocabulary – try to use items once only
then/next/later/finally
examples of each tense
what a disaster! / What a nightmare!
to justify opinions
with every noun
of other people
“since/for” to say how long you have been doing something
Use longer sequences – which/while/that’s to say
Use the conditional tense
Use a Pluperfect Tense – say what had done
the most beautiful/the biggest/the best
expressions
10
to say how long you have been doing something
e most beautiful/the biggest/the best