People and feelings

What holds these lists together

The lists for what there is to say about a person once name and job are out of the way: where they come from and what has happened to them, how they feel just now, and how they tend to behave. The questions come up in the same conversations — meeting someone, writing a reference, talking about a third person — and the fine distinctions in them are not something you pick up by listening. Some are traps on sight. Sensible means sensitive; «sensible» in English is raisonnable. Sympathique means likeable, not sympathetic. And un brave homme is a decent man, while un homme brave is a brave one.

For example: remonter son arbre généalogique (to trace one’s family tree), agacé (annoyed), consciencieux (conscientious), l’assurance santé animale (the pet health insurance), le chagrin (the grief), le congé parental d’éducation (parental leave)

Spread across the levels

The category runs across the levels — it is an area, not a difficulty. If you practise it, you can also choose a level at the top of the practice page and then get only the part that sits there.