Key points about describing issues in society and possible solutions
An indirect object pronoun replaces a noun that is the indirect object in a sentence, eg ‘I give an apple to the man’ becomes ‘I give him an apple’.replace The name of a thing such as an object, a place or a person. Nouns are often described as naming words. to avoid repetition and are useful when talking about possible solutions to social issues.
Build up vocabulary on problems, possible solutions and politics to talk about social issues.
This guide contains a listening practice and a Higher Tier only reading practice.
Vocabulary - Social issues and possible solutions
Useful vocabulary to help with understanding and describing social issues include:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| la crise | crisis |
| le chômage | unemployment |
| la liberté | freedom |
| le problème des sans-abri | homelessness |
| la faim | hunger |
| la drogue | drugs |
| la violence | violence |
| le manque de logement | lack of accommodation/(housing) |
| la pauvreté | poverty |
| l’inégalité | inequality |
| la sécurité | security/safety |
| le vol | theft/flight |
For example:
L’inégalité dans la société n’est pas juste. - Inequality in society is not fair.
La violence dans la rue est vraiment terrible. - Violence in the streets is really terrible.
Les habitants ici s’inquiètent du chômage. - The residents here worry about unemployment.
Useful vocabulary for describing possible solutions include:
| French | English | French | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| participer à l’action sociale | to take part in, participate in social action | être bénévole | to be a volunteer |
| aider les autres | to help others | développer les solutions | to develop solutions |
| aller à une réunion | to go to a meeting | essayer de faire une différence | to try to make a difference |
| aller à une manifestation | to go to a demonstration | faire la grève | to go on strike |
| améliorer la situation | to improve the situation | s'organiser pour faire du progrès | to get organised to make progress |
| créer plus de boulots | to create more jobs | travailler ensemble / avec la police | to work together / with the police |
| donner de l’argent / de la nourriture | to give money / food | les droits des jeunes | the rights of young people |
For example:
Pour changer la société, il faut travailler ensemble et essayer de faire une différence. - To change society, we must work together and try to make a difference.
Je suis allé à une manifestation en ville. - I went to a demonstration in town.
Grammar - Indirect object pronouns
Indirect object pronouns replace nouns to avoid repeating them two sentences in a row.
An indirect object pronoun is used in the place of the indirect object of a verb.
For example, in the sentence ‘I give the apple to the man’ the apple is the of the A word used to describe an action or state of being., and the man is the indirect object.
Indirect object pronouns
The singular French indirect object pronouns are as follows:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| me / m’ (before a vowel or ‘h’) | (to) me |
| te / t’ (before a vowel or ‘h’) | (to) you |
| lui | (to) him / her / it (masculine and feminine nouns) |
| vous | (to) you |
For example, if you are giving an apple to a man and want to say ‘I give him an apple’, use lui to mean ‘him’.
Je lui donne une pomme. – I give him an apple.
Remember that lui can mean (to) him, her or it, depending on the context.
When to use indirect object pronouns
Indirect object pronouns are used with some verbs that are followed by à, including:
| Infinitives followed by à | Conjugated examples |
|---|---|
| demander à - to ask (to) someone | je lui demande – I ask him/her |
| raconter / dire à - to tell / say to someone | elle te raconte / dit – she tells you |
| donner à - to give to someone | il me donne – he gives me |
| écrire à - to write to someone | je lui écris – I write to him/her |
| parler à - to speak/talk to someone | nous vous parlons – we talk to you |
| répondre à - to answer (to) someone | vous me répondez – you answer me |
| téléphoner à - to telephone (to) someone | ils me téléphonent – they phone me |
Position of indirect object pronouns
In the present, imperfect and future The tense of a verb shows when the action took place. Present, future and perfect are all tenses., the indirect object pronoun goes between the The person or thing in the sentence that is doing the action. and the A word used to describe an action or state of being..
For example:
Il me donnera des solutions. – He will give me some solutions.
In the immediate future (aller + infinitive) and for A verb that is usually followed by an infinitive, such as pouvoir (to be able to), vouloir (to want to), and devoir (must). with The basic form of the verb. In French, all infinitives end in '-er', '-ir' or '-re'., the indirect object pronoun goes before the infinitive.
For example:
Elle va lui parler. – She is going to speak to him/her.
In the The perfect tense is used to talk about an action or a state that has finished, and that is in the past. , the indirect object pronoun goes before the Auxiliary verbs support the main verb you want to write in a past tense. The auxiliary verbs in French are ‘avoir’ (to have) and ‘être’ (to be). .
For example:
Je vous ai demandé. – I asked you.
In negative sentences the indirect object pronoun usually goes between the ne and the A verb that has changed from the infinitive to show which person or people are doing the action or the tense the verb is in. , or before the infinitive (in the immediate future and with modal verbs).
For example:
Elle ne va pas me parler. - She isn’t going to speak to me.
Indirect object pronouns - Mini quiz
Choose the correct French translation for the following sentences.
Find out more about indirect object pronouns in the Indirect object pronouns in French guide.
Listening practice
Listen to these extracts from a podcast, where French teenagers are talking about their views on issues where they live.
Choose the correct ending for each sentence.
- Farah is worried about …
| A | crime |
| B | unemployment |
| C | environmental issues |
The answer is A
Transcript
Moi, j’ai peur de sortir le soir. On voit des groupes de jeunes qui essaient de te voler ton portable. Il faut plus de policiers en ville.
Translation
I’m scared to go out at night. You see groups of young people who try to steal your phone. We need more police in town.
- Jonathan is aware of …
| A | street violence |
| B | shoplifting |
| C | homelessness |
The answer is C
Transcript
Il y a un homme qui dort dans la rue près du centre commercial. Mon père lui parle de temps en temps mais il a besoin d’un logement.
Translation
There is a man who sleeps in the road near the shopping centre. My dad speaks to him from time to time but he needs accommodation.
- Lucie is fighting for …
| A | affordable housing |
| B | pay equality |
| C | gay rights |
The answer is B
Transcript
Je suis bénévole avec une organisation qui lutte pour l’égalité entre les sexes. Les femmes gagnent toujours moins d’argent que les hommes au travail. C’est fou !
Translation
I am a volunteer with an organisation which fights for equality between the sexes. Women still earn less money than men at work. It’s crazy!
- Sara’s school is trying to resolve …
| A | online bullying |
| B | hunger |
| C | knife crime |
The answer is B
Transcript
La faim est un vrai problème pour certains car la nourriture coûte trop cher en ce moment. Cependant, notre collège va commencer à donner tous des déjeuners gratuits.
Translation
Hunger is a real problem for some people because food is too expensive at the moment. However, our school is going to start giving us all free lunches.
Vocabulary - Talking about politics
Useful vocabulary related to politics includes:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| le / la candidat(e) | candidate |
| le gouvernement | government |
| la politique | politics |
| le / la président(e) | president |
| le vote | vote |
| voter | to vote |
All Foundation Tier vocabulary listed in this guide can be found on the vocabulary sheet below.
Vocabulary sheet
Click or tap on the image below for a list of useful vocabulary to use when talking issues in society and possible solutions.
Higher Tier - Vocabulary - Social issues
Useful vocabulary for describing social issues includes:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| la crise économique | the economic crisis |
| le conflit | conflict |
| le taux de chômage | the rate of unemployment |
| la liberté de la presse | the freedom of the press |
For example;
Les habitants ici s’inquiètent du chômage. - The residents here worry about unemployment.
Useful vocabulary for describing possible solutions includes:
| French | English | French | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| assister à une réunion | to attend a meeting | aller à une manifestation / manifester | to go to a demonstration / to demonstrate |
| être conscient(e) de la situation | to be aware of the situation | améliorer la coopération | to improve cooperation |
| défendre les droits des jeunes | to stand up for young people’s rights | soutenir une organisation locale / une association internationale | to support a local organisation / an international association |
| distribuer des affiches | to hand / give out posters | arrêter la souffrance | to stop suffering |
| lutter contre les problèmes | to fight against problems | unir comme une communauté | to unite as a community |
Useful vocabulary for talking about politics includes:
| French | English | French | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| un accord | an agreement | la loi | law |
| le débat | debate | le / la ministre | minister |
| la démocratie / démocratique | democracy / democratic | le parlement | parliament |
| l’électeur / l’électrice | elector, voter | le / la porte-parole | spokesperson, spokeswoman, spokesman |
| l’élection (f) | election | la puissance / puissant | power / powerful |
| élire / élu | to elect / elected | représenter les citoyens / citoyennes | to represent citizens |
| l’impôt | tax | la république | the republic |
For example:
À l’avenir, je serai bénévole avec une organisation locale. - In the future, I will be a volunteer with a local organisation.
Le gouvernement peut utiliser les impôts pour l’éducation ou pour les hôpitaux. - The government can use taxes for education or for hospitals.
All Higher Tier vocabulary listed in this guide can be found on the vocabulary sheet below.
Higher tier - Grammar - Plural indirect object pronouns
The plural indirect object pronouns are only needed at Higher Tier.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| nous | to (us) |
| vous | to (you) |
| leur | to (them) |
If you are giving something to a group of people and want to say ‘I give them …’, use leur to mean ‘them’.
For example:
Je leur donne des affiches. - I give them posters.
Ils nous ont répondu. - They replied to us.
Plural indirect object pronouns follow the same rules as singular direct object pronouns, in terms of their position in sentences.
Find out more about using plural indirect object pronouns in the Indirect object pronouns in French guide.
Higher Tier - Reading practice
Read the blog post by Marie, a teenager thinking about voting. Decide if each of the statements below is true or false.
La majorité d’ados ne comprennent pas notre système démocratique donc je pense qu’il vaut la peine d’enseigner la politique au lycée.
Je veux être bonne citoyenne mais je sais que les jeunes se sentent souvent déçus par le gouvernement. Le pire, c’est quand les ministres mentent aux électeurs.
Puisque les femmes ont dû lutter pour le droit de vote dans le passé, ce serait une honte de ne pas participer aux élections. Quand j’aurai dix-huit ans, je voterai mais je n’ai pas encore décidé pour qui.
Je crois que les lois sont puissantes et peuvent faire une différence pour les problèmes mondiaux qui nous concernent le plus. Par exemple, l’environnement, la guerre et la drogue.
- Politics is taught to most teenagers in sixth form.
The answer is False.
- She thinks young people are angry with the government.
The answer is False.
- Marie thinks it’s not worth voting.
The answer is False.
- She believes that laws can improve things.
The answer is True.
Click Show more to see a full translation of the text.
Translation
The majority of teenagers do not understand our democratic system so I think it’s worth teaching politics in sixth form.
I want to be a good citizen but I know that young people often feel disappointed by the government. The worst thing is when ministers lie to voters.
Since women had to fight for the right to vote in the past, it would be a shame not to take part in elections. When I’m eighteen, I will vote but I haven’t decided who for yet.
I think that laws are powerful and can make a difference for worldwide problems that affect us most. For example, the environment, war and drugs.
Higher Tier - Vocabulary sheet
Click or tap on the image below for a list of useful Higher Tier vocabulary to use when talking about issues in society and possible solutions.
Now you have revised the important vocabulary and key grammar points for describing issues in society and possible solutions, why not try have a look at the Describing relationships guide.
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