Key points about talking about a fairer society in French
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 - Describing social inequality
Useful vocabulary to help you talk about discrimination and inequality includes:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| avoir tort | to be wrong, incorrect |
| l’accès (pour les personnes handicapées/âgées) | access (for disabled/elderly people) |
| le droit | right |
| les droits (m. pl.) égaux | equal rights |
| l’écart (m.) | gap |
| l’égalité (f.) / l’inégalité (f.) | equality / inequality |
| juste / injuste | fair / unfair |
| la majorité | majority |
| le racisme | racisme |
| le sexisme | sexism |
| la société | society |
For example:
L’inégalité dans la société n’est pas juste. - Inequality in society is not fair.
Il y a beaucoup de discrimination contre les personnes transgenres. - There is a lot of discrimination against transgender people.
Il ne faut jamais accepter le racisme ou le sexisme. - We must never accept racism or sexism.
Listening practice
Listen to four French teenagers talking about their experience of social inequality. Choose the issue that each person is talking about from the options given.
Vocabulary - Creating a fairer society
Actions that can help raise awareness of discrimination and create a fairer society include:
| French | English | French | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| participer à l’action sociale | to take part in, participate in social action | être un(e) allié(e) | to be an ally |
| aider les autres | to help others | essayer de faire une différence | to try to make a difference |
| améliorer l’éducation | to improve education | lutter pour l’égalité | to fight for equality |
| chercher des solutions | to look for solutions | se réunir avec des victimes | to gather/meet with victims |
| écrire aux journaux | to write to the papers | travailler ensemble/avec la police | to work together / with the police |
For example:
Pour changer la société, il faut lutter pour l’égalité. - To change society, we must fight for equality.
Je voudrais être un allié pour les autres. - I want to be an ally for others.
All Foundation Tier vocabulary listed in this guide can be found on the vocabulary sheet below.
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.
Reading practice
Read the blog post by Marie, a teenager thinking about voting. Decide if each of the statements below is true or false.
Avant, je voulais être influenceur mais mon ambition maintenant est de travailler pour le gouvernement. Un de mes profs m’a dit que j’aurais plus de pouvoir comme ça afin de faire une vraie différence dans la vie des gens.
Par exemple, je voudrais encourager les jeunes à voter – à mon avis, c’est la responsabilité de chaque citoyen. Se plaindre sur les réseaux sociaux ne marche pas – il faut changer les lois.
Je m’intéresse aux problèmes sociaux depuis longtemps. Quand j’avais quatorze ans, je suis devenu membre d’une organisation qui lutte contre le racisme. Récemment, j’ai écrit des lettres aux journaux et je leur ai donné mon point de vue, comme adolescent. Bientôt, je vais organiser une manifestation contre la discrimination.
- Marie wants to be an influencer.
The answer is False.
She wants to work for the government.
- She was given some advice by a teacher.
The answer is True
- She thinks that young people should vote.
The answer is True.
- Marie believes that posting on social media changes things.
The answer is False
She thinks that it does not work.
- She recently became interested in social problems.
The answer is False
She has been interested for a long time.
- She has already organised a demonstration.
The answer is False
She plans to organise a demonstration soon.
Click Show more to see a full translation of the text.
Translation
Before, I wanted to be an influencer but my ambition now is to work for the government. One of my teachers told me that I would have more power like that in order to make a real difference in peoples’ lives.
For example, I would like to encourage young people to vote – in my opinion, it’s the responsibility of every citizen. Complaining on social media doesn’t work – we need to change the laws.
I’ve been interested in social problems for a long time. When I was fourteen, I became a member of an organisation which fights against racism. Recently I wrote some letters to the paper and I gave them my point of view as a teenager. Soon, I’m going to organise a demonstration against discrimination.
Vocabulary sheet
Click or tap on the image below for a list of useful vocabulary to use when talking about a fairer society.
Higher Tier - Vocabulary - Talking about a fairer society
Useful vocabulary to describe inequality includes:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| la discrimination (réligieuse) | (religious) discrimination |
| la justice/l’injustice(f.) | justice/injustice |
| un manque de liberté | a lack of freedom |
| la minorité | minority |
Useful vocabulary to describe possible solutions includes:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| changer la loi | to change the law |
| devenir conscient(e) de la situation | to become aware of the situation |
| défendre les droits des jeunes | to stand up for young people’s rights |
| manifester/aller à une manifestation | to demonstrate / to go to a demonstration |
| soutenir une organisation locale/une association internationale | to support a local organisation/international association |
| s’identifier à quelqu’un | to identify with someone |
| se plaindre sur les réseaux sociaux | complain on social media |
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 renseignements. - I give them information.
Ils nous ont répondu. - They replied to us.
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 renseignements. - I give them information.
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.
In the conditional and simple future tenses, the indirect object pronoun goes in front of the conjugated verb.
For example:
Elle nous demanderait. - She would ask us.
Je leur donnerai un choix. - I will give them a choice.
Higher Tier - Vocabulary sheet
Click or tap on the image below for a list of useful Higher Tier vocabulary to use when talking about a fairer society.
Now you have revised the important vocabulary and key grammar points for talking about a fairer, why not try have a look at the Describing accommodation in French guide.
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