NationStates Jolt Archive

Bugger. I've got my french oral exam tommorrow and I still need to fill out some sheets with questions on so I have something to say.
Anyone got any advice for oral exams or some good french phrases I could use (things like "par contre" and "D'habitude")?

avoid word with the letter "R" in it as much as possible. I don't know about you, but i've never been able to say that letter correctly. I just scrape by with an english "r".

French is my main language, so I'd be happy to help, but you'd need to be more precise on what it is exactly they expect of you.

I know how you feel. I did mine t'other day and lost my booklet thing. The good news is that it wasn't nearly as bad as I expected it to be. By this point you can more or less make it up on the spot. If you can't think of something to say then say "alors" instead of "errrr". Apparently the French do that alot.

Christ, good luck. If it helps, I scraped by my German Oral by reading the sheet on which my statement was written when it was upside down on my examiners desk...

"Oral" exam hehehehehehehe

Heehee. I know what a french kiss is, but a french oral? Teehee. *is puerile*

Sorry. I'm bored. But yeah, I did one of those once. I think I got a C.

Did you really just make a thread called "French oral exam" in General? Oh my, good luck with the gutter minds. The other ones. *giggles*

I know how you feel. I did mine t'other day and lost my booklet thing. The good news is that it wasn't nearly as bad as I expected it to be. By this point you can more or less make it up on the spot. If you can't think of something to say then say "alors" instead of "errrr". Apparently the French do that alot.

Yeah. Say 'Alors' and 'Where is the nearest white flag' [/Xenophobia]

Seriously man, good luck. Just plug gaps in with random french-sounding words.

Ah, awesome. I wasn't the only puerile one after all. How silly of me to assume I would be. Teehee, french oral. :D

French is my main language, so I'd be happy to help, but you'd need to be more precise on what it is exactly they expect of you.

I guess it would be French things to say, so things like ideoms. Also how to say things like: "In my opinion", and good joining words

Yeah. Say 'Alors' and 'Where is the nearest white flag' [/Xenophobia]

Seriously man, good luck. Just plug gaps in with random french-sounding words.

and if you don't know a word in french, just take the english word for it and sound it out in a french way. 50% of the time you'll be right.

Bugger. I've got my french oral exam tommorrow and I still need to fill out some sheets with questions on so I have something to say.
Anyone got any advice for oral exams or some good french phrases I could use (things like "par contre" and "D'habitude")?

What level are you at? GCSE, AS level, or A level. If you're not in the UK then how old are you?

Mais oui, bien sur, naturellement, ça c'est vrai - bonne chance, mon ami(e)!

What level are you at? GCSE, AS level, or A level. If you're not in the UK then how old are you?

GCSE

I have my french oral tomorrow as well :(

I guess it would be French things to say, so things like ideoms. Also how to say things like: "In my opinion", and good joining words
In my opinion translates to "À mon avis".

Got any other catchphrases you want me to translate? Just tossing in random joining words isn't gonna be a great way of making conversation, you know :p

and if you don't know a word in french, just take the english word for it and sound it out in a french way. 50% of the time you'll be right.
Horrible advice if I've ever heard any. This doesn't work, and any french speaker worth his or her salt will give you funny looks if you try this.

I would have to say that the main problem with this oral exam is that it is French.
I can't help you but I would recommend going to France and train your French in the future before your exam.
I hear its just a train away for Londoners these days.

In my opinion translates to "À mon avis".

Got any other catchphrases you want me to translate? Just tossing in random joining words isn't gonna be a great way of making conversation, you know :p

Are there other ways of saying "On the other hand/However", apart form "par contre"?

Horrible advice if I've ever heard any. This doesn't work, and any french speaker worth his or her salt will give you funny looks if you try this.
It's better than saying nothing and at least it keeps the thing going. If you get bogged down trying to remember a word you waste loads of time you could be spending talking about stuff you know how to say.

GCSE

I did that last year. Don't worry about complicated vocabulary, concentrate on learning your speech and the answers to the questions and you should be fine.

Good luck. :)

To summarise difficulties, I'm having trouble thinking of what to say, and how to make it good by adding lots of tenses and advanced vocabulary.

Are there other ways of saying "On the other hand/However", apart form "par contre"?
"D'un autre côté" seems appropriate

It's better than saying nothing and at least it keeps the thing going. If you get bogged down trying to remember a word you waste loads of time you could be spending talking about stuff you know how to say.
Still, taking an english word and trying to make it sound french not only screams "tourist" and "amateur", it's also very silly. Better to try to rephrase or outright say "I forgot the french word for ___" than go with that strategy.

Je voudrais un castor mort, svp.

I would a dead beaver, please.

How on earth would you pronounce svp?

GCSE

Don't stress over it too much. If you can keep it simple and get that right, concentrate on that over trying be complicated and fucking it up.

Good luck.

Je voudrais un castor mort, svp.

I would a dead beaver, please.

How on earth would you pronounce svp?
svp is an abbreviation of "s'il vous plaît". And I really can't help you with the pronounciation, my esperanto is far too mediocre.

svp is an abbreviation of "s'il vous plaît". And I really can't help you with the pronounciation, my esperanto is far too mediocre.

Ah. Just so long as the word isn't actually svp. Oh, and make sure they know you know you're asking for a dead beaver.

Ah. Just so long as the word isn't actually svp. Oh, and make sure they know you know you're asking for a dead beaver.
Actually, I don't order dead beavers much at all. And seeing as I am a native french speaker, I doubt I'd have any problems making myself understood :p

and if you don't know a word in french, just take the english word for it and sound it out in a french way. 50% of the time you'll be right.

Thank you, Norman invaders! :D

Still, taking an english word and trying to make it sound french not only screams "tourist" and "amateur", it's also very silly. Better to try to rephrase or outright say "I forgot the french word for ___" than go with that strategy.
But you must remember that in Britain at GCSE we have this thing called "positive marking". It doesn't matter how many mistakes you make - only what you say that is correct is taken into account. This means that it's in your interests to get 1 word wrong and move along to the next sentence of correct stuff you have to say than to try to remember the word and sound more accurate and intelligent.

Thank you, Norman invaders!
Thank you, Vikings!

But you must remember that in Britain at GCSE we have this thing called "positive marking". It doesn't matter how many mistakes you make - only what you say that is correct is taken into account. This means that it's in your interests to get 1 word wrong and move along to the next sentence of correct stuff you have to say than to try to remember the word and sound more accurate and intelligent.
So your marks depends on how well you can weasel your way out of looking like you know things, instead of being honest when you don't know a word?

Well, I guess it's all good for when you're in an academic environment, if that's how it works in Britain, but if you ever go on a trip in a french-speaking country, don't try it.

So your marks depends on how well you can weasel your way out of looking like you know things, instead of being honest when you don't know a word?
Yeah, pretty much. Its like that in the States as well.

So your marks depends on how well you can weasel your way out of looking like you know things, instead of being honest when you don't know a word?
Well not quite. Theoretically if you just didn't say anything then you would get the same marks as saying something that's wrong, but if you do that then the markers tend to lose track of what you're saying and you lose marks because they're confused.

Well, I guess it's all good for when you're in an academic environment, if that's how it works in Britain, but if you ever go on a trip in a french-speaking country, don't try it.
Agreed. GCSEs are designed to get people to pass so the government can say they have improved education. They aren't designed with academic rigour in mind.

Well not quite. Theoretically if you just didn't say anything then you would get the same marks as saying something that's wrong, but if you do that then the markers tend to lose track of what you're saying and you lose marks because they're confused.


Agreed. GCSEs are designed to get people to pass so the government can say they have improved education. They aren't designed with academic rigour in mind.
Well, that explains it. Here I was trying to help him better his french, instead of helping him LOOK as if his french had really improved. Silly me and my old school vision of education :rolleyes:

*snigger*

French oral exam!

Well, that explains it. Here I was trying to help him better his french, instead of helping him LOOK as if his french had really improved. Silly me and my old school vision of education :rolleyes:
lol, sadly it has gotten that way, but it's more in his interests to get a good mark in French than to learn French properly, unless we wants to go on to study French, but considering he's asking for help the day before the exam I don't think he is. I'm just being pragmatic.

If you can throw in prepositions like y and en, I understand they will award you more points

lol, sadly it has gotten that way, but it's more in his interests to get a good mark in French than to learn French properly, unless we wants to go on to study French, but considering he's asking for help the day before the exam I don't think he is. I'm just being pragmatic.
Yeah, we live in a sad world indeed. Anyway, as long as he understans none of what he learns is worth the paper it's written on in real life situations, then he'll be okay then O_o

I'm just being pragmatic.
If I just looked like I knew English and Swedish that would not be all that pragmatic.

Les ananas ne parles pas!

Mais...je suis un ananas...et je parle...

Les ananas ne parlent pas!

Mais...je suis un ananas...et je parle...

I can do grammar nazism too :p

I can do grammar nazism, too.
I can only do it in English. ;)

To summarise difficulties, I'm having trouble thinking of what to say, and how to make it good by adding lots of tenses and advanced vocabulary.
No. Just know how to use the tenses you've gone over, and know the vocab well, then be able to think on your feet. Comme ca:

Quand je me leve chaque matin, je frappe ma petite soeur, mais elle ne sait rien, parce qu'elle est bete.

Simple, easy...and I never got out of the present tense.

You might have to know conjugations for the immediate future: (je vais dormir, tu vas te frapper sur la tete, il va tomber dans le fleuve, nous allons chanter "Frere Jaques", vous allez devenir intelligent dans quelques ans, ils vont pecher leur chien), etc.

Or in the past tense, which is "avoir" conjugated, with the past participle of whatever other verb, except with the DRMRSVANDERTRAMP verbs, which take etre. Mais, vous le savez.

C'est facile, vraiment.

If I just looked like I knew English and Swedish that would not be all that pragmatic.
It would if looking like you knew those languages was important for getting into a university but you never intended to speak them ever again.

C'est facile, vraiment.
Non, ce n'est pas facile - au contraire, je pense que la langue est tres difficile (pour moi). ;)

I can only do it in English. ;)
You're looking for trouble, now.

ils vont pêcher leur chien

They will fish their dog, really?

You're looking for trouble, now.
Actually, I'm avoiding trouble. ;)

en contraire
It's "au contraire", actually.

They will fish their dog, really?
A) I didn't use accents on a number of occasions, because I don't feel like going to the accent site and using them.

B) Sure, why not? It's a grammatically correct sentence, even if it doesn't make any sense.

Non, ce n'est pas facile - en contraire, je pense que la langue est tres difficile (pour moi).

J'ai eu les cinq semestres de Francais, donc les trucs simples sont faciles. Les conjugations "parfaits" sont dificiles, quelquefois.

B) Sure, why not? It's a grammatically correct sentence, even if it doesn't make any sense.

Gah, stop butchering my beautiful language :headbang:
Stupid british education system :p

Wading my way through answering the questions now. Thanks for the help :).
btw, what are you allowed to bring in to the oral exam? Is it just the A5 sheet of paper or can you bring in one of the conversation sheets with your answers on?

I'm stuck, what does this mean?:

"Les actualites, pourquoi sont-elles importantes?"

I think it's "How important are they", but I don't have clue what "les actualites" are.

I'm stuck, what does this mean?:

"Les actualites, pourquoi sont-elles importantes?"

I think it's "How important are they", but I don't have clue what "les actualites" are.
Les actualités are the news. "Why are the news important?" is the question you need to answer.

Les actualités are the news. "Why are the news important?" is the question you need to answer.

Thanks :)

GCSE


AHH! Sorry, can't help you there, i was already (and still am) amased that i managed to get a C as my final grade (ok, that was something like 3 years back and it was IGCSE's)

Actually, I did like using the word Parce'qu (is that how you write? I don't remeber, i've been forced to learn to much other stuff since then)

GCSE
what level is that?

what level is that?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GCSE

Jumping on the bandwagon of oral jokes:
Aussie kiss-Like a French kiss, but down under.
;) :p

It's "au contraire", actually.
Thanks. I corrected it. It does look better now!
J'ai eu les cinq semestres de Francais, donc les trucs simples sont faciles. Les conjugations "parfaits" sont dificiles, quelquefois.
I've had French from 7th to 11th grade in Germany and an additional year of French in the U.S. (when we felt like it - classes were held by a fellow exchange student from France).

And while reading still doesn't cause too many problems I haven't really spoken it in almost a decade, let alone written (or typed!) any of it...
Mais je comprends ce que tu dis (if that's right).

C'est fini. Done. :D
I was told afterwards that I "had nothing to worry about", and that I had "prepared very well" :D

Apart from a few pauses I think it went great!