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B2

French B2: Fluent

The effort goes out of listening here. A talk, a discussion, a newspaper piece in your own field all get through without constant checking back.

Speaking brings a choice that was not there before: the same thing can now be put several ways, and they differ in how polite they sound, how certain, how formal.

Tenses and if-sentences8

The past

1
B2Passé simple: reading the narrative tenseNobody speaks it, but you have to be able to read it.

The future

3
B2Future perfect (futur antérieur)«Will have finished» — and «when I have finished» too.B2The future used for a guess«That’ll be the postman» — the same trick, the same words.B2Future in the past«was going to» and «would», exactly as you already say them.

If-sentences

4
B2Third conditional: si + pluperfect«had known» and «would have come», built with two auxiliaries.B2Conditions without si«in case it rains» becomes a conditional here.B2Mixed conditionsThe same mixing English does, with the same signal words.B2Wishes and regrets«I wish» has no verb here: it is a si with nothing after it.

Verbs: modals, subjunctive5

The subjunctive

1
B2The subjunctive in the pastOne letter apart from the ordinary perfect, and inaudible.

The passive

2
B2Passive with se and se faire«get your wallet stolen» and «have your hair cut», in one verb.B2The agent: par or de«covered with» is already de; «loved by» is not par.

Verb + infinitive

2
B2faire and laisser + infinitivemake, have and get are all one verb here.B2Past infinitive: après avoirAfter eating is exactly the mistake here.

Spelling, sound and style1

Fine points and style

1
B2Emphasis: c'est … quiEnglish can just say it louder; French has to build the cleft.

Sentence structure4

Joining sentences

2
B2lequel after a prepositionEnglish hides these by stranding the preposition; French cannot.B2Shortened relative clausesThe shortening English does most often is the one French forbids.

Reported speech

2
B2Tense shift in reported speechEnglish backshifts too — but it lets you skip it, and French does not.B2The reporting verbsprétendre is not pretend, and the gap between them is wide.

Word lists at level B2

Lists: 60 · words: 2756

All word lists →

Reading texts at level B2

Sentences from this level’s topics

Il était une fois un roi qui eut trois filles.Once upon a time there was a king who had three daughters.

Dans un mois, nous aurons terminé les travaux.In a month we will have finished the work.

On sonne. — Ce sera le voisin.Someone is at the door. — That will be the neighbour.

J’allais justement te le dire.I was just about to tell you.

Practise level B2 only