3.3Core vocabulary
Two connected topics sit here: describing where you live, and the environmental pressures on it. Questions frequently join them, asking what your area should do.
- le quartier
- neighbourhood
- la banlieue
- suburbs
- les transports en commun
- public transport
- le manque de
- the lack of
- les espaces verts
- green spaces
- le rechauffement climatique
- global warming
- trier les dechets
- to sort waste
- gaspiller
- to waste
- les energies renouvelables
- renewable energy
- la circulation
- traffic
3.3Si clauses
Two patterns cover almost everything at GCSE. Si plus present, then future: si on recycle plus, on reduira la pollution. Si plus imperfect, then conditional: si tout le monde recyclait, cela aiderait.
Worked example
Answer:
Common mistake
Writing 'si je serai' or 'si j'aurais'. The si clause takes the present or the imperfect, never the future or the conditional.
3.3Making recommendations
On devrait, il faudrait and on pourrait are the three structures that turn a complaint into a recommendation, and the difference between a middle and a high mark on this theme is usually whether recommendations appear at all.
Worked example
Answer:
Common mistake
Listing problems without proposing anything. Most questions on this theme explicitly ask what should be done.
3.3Answering on this theme
Comparing your area with somewhere else is an easy way to demonstrate range: a la campagne, il y a moins de bruit qu'en ville, mais il y a aussi moins de choses a faire.
- Si plus present goes with the future; si plus imperfect with the conditional
- Never use a future or conditional directly after si
- On devrait and il faudrait turn a complaint into a recommendation
- Comparisons between town and country add range cheaply