French Oral

ray2012

Just a thread for people doing their French orals !
What are ye all studying? What day do ye have your oral?
Mine is on Monday, and I feel prepared for it, I think..
Ye nervous?

David086

Anyone have any idea what it's actually going to be like? I'm doing ordinary level and it seems that if you know the basics you'll be ok, is that true?

HPMS

Mine is tuesday, and I don't know how I'm feeling. I'm feeling fine for the normal easy topics and my document but I haven't done much work on the abstract topics so I'll try and do them over the weekend.

Acciaccatura

Mine is on Monday, and I might possibly have a music practical that day too, to be honest I'm far more nervous for that! I did a mock oral and it went grand, but they didn't seem to be in the habit of asking if you had a document, you had to kind of bring it into the conversation. She asked me about my daily routine, which I had forgotten about, and made up stuff and ended up telling her I looked like a gypsy :pac: Don't stress about it, or you'll blank on everything! And the key to a good French accent and sounding natural is actually taking the piss out of the language and using lots of "Euuh...benn..donc...alors", and idioms!

kingcobra

I'm one of the first one's on Monday so at least I'm not waiting for it nervously all week :pac: I'm ready for it but the Masters is on the night before so I'll be a wretch :pac:

ray2012

David086 wrote: »

Anyone have any idea what it's actually going to be like? I'm doing ordinary level and it seems that if you know the basics you'll be ok, is that true?

That would be true to a certain extent, yes. If you know about your family/what you did last summer/what you will do next summer/your daily day/about your school/your town and your past times, you should fair well for an OL student! But the examiner doesn't know what level you are before you go in (as far as I know), so if your French is good and accurate, you may get asked a question on social problems in your town, or something. Also, if you don't give long enough answers and the examine runs out of 'easy' questions to ask, he/she may resort to that. You should maybe learn 2 or 3 lines that you could say for if you were asked about the problem of drugs/alcohol. Maybe "Oui, c'est un probleme croissant de nos jours! Les jeunes commencent a boire pour échapper au train train de la vie quotidienne. C'est un vrai cauchemar. Il faut lutter contre ce probleme. = Yes, it's a growing probleme now-a-days! Young people start drinking to escape from the hum-drum of daily life. It's a real shame. It's vital to fight against this problem."

ray2012

I have mine Monday too, I think I'll be one of the first if it goes in alphabetical order.. What order does yers go in?

kingcobra

ray2012 wrote: »

I have mine Monday too, I think I'll be one of the first if it goes in alphabetical order.. What order does yers go in?

Well ours is categorised by classes and within those it's alphabetical order. Say for example, former ty's all go first and I'm one of the first in the class on the role so I'm one of the first to do the oral

aimzLc2

Hi guys, mine is on wednesday i'm quite nervous but could be worse. I am repeating the leaving this year so i did the french oral last year , i know what it is like if anyone has any questions

aimzLc2

David086 wrote: »

Anyone have any idea what it's actually going to be like? I'm doing ordinary level and it seems that if you know the basics you'll be ok, is that true?

yes.. my examiner actually told us beforehand that she wont be asking abstract topics , that she will ask basic questions. It is pretty much up to you to take it to harder topics , so talk about what you have prepared and you will be fine!

CookieMonster.x

Mine is on Monday and it's for by exam number. Quite nervous for it to be honest! I am quite good at French so I'm just hoping I don't get nervous and mess it up. Does anyone know any other filler phrases? Or little thing to sound more French?

ray2012

kingcobra wrote: »

Well ours is categorised by classes and within those it's alphabetical order. Say for example, former ty's all go first and I'm one of the first in the class on the role so I'm one of the first to do the oral

Ah that won't be the case for me anyways, there is only 1 French class and only 15 of us in the class! Only around 40 people in my whole year, one of the smallest years ever in the school! I think we'll go in alphabetical order.. well I hope, cause then I'll be like 3rd, I'd love to get it over with early in the day!

CookieMonster.x wrote: »

Mine is on Monday and it's for by exam number. Quite nervous for it to be honest! I am quite good at French so I'm just hoping I don't get nervous and mess it up. Does anyone know any other filler phrases? Or little thing to sound more French?

Make sure you use like "donc...alors" those kind of things. For example : "Le sport m'intéresse beaucoup, donc je joue au foot avec ma bande de copain" .. If you're looking to get a high grade like an A, make sure and try to get the subjunctive tense as much as possible. The subjunctive can be gotten into many questions, but the best question to use the subjunctive tense in would be "What do you want to do next year" as in, in college. A few example sentences with the subjunctive :

"Il faut que j'aie quatre cents points"
"Il est nécessaire que je fasse beaucoup de travail"

For a question on the problems of alcohol for example, you could say :

"Il faut que les gens soient plus conscient (more aware) des dangers"

bluejay14

This probably isn't a good sign that I haven't got the foggiest what the subjunctive is.....

dcam

Don't worry about the subjunctive! It really isn't that important. I got an A1 in French last year and I didn't use the subjunctive tense at all. It's much more important to know your basic tenses, present, imperfent, perfect, future, very well. French people rarely if ever use the subjunctive tense when speaking and it's a myth that you need to use the subjunctive to get an A1, so don't worry about it.

Canard

bluejaymraz wrote: »

This probably isn't a good sign that I haven't got the foggiest what the subjunctive is.....

Few people do really. :P In English it's quite obsolete, but it's when you say things like "It's important that I be (rather than "am") on time tomorrow", which in French would be "il faut que je sois à l'heure demain". I guess a better way of looking at it is the difference between "It's crucially important that he know" and "It's crucially important that he knows" - in the first instance, the person doesn't yet know, and the idea is that he has to find out. In the second, he knows already, and that is an important fact.

That probably makes no sense, don't worry, it didn't click with me til fairly recently. The main thing is just to sprinkle it into phrases as ray said above - some more common ones where it stands out would be "pourvu que j'obtienne (normally obtiens) les points dont j'ai besoin..." which means "Provided I get the points I need", or "Il faut que l'on fasse (normally fait) quelque chose avant qu'il ne soit (normally est) trop tard" - that ne is another thing, but yeah, I just told myself to remember it was there rather than going into the nitty gritty details of it. :P

Hopefully now you will all do a little better in your French orals. :cool: Bonne chance à tous!

edit: While you don't need the subjunctive for an A1, it's not too hard to drop it in and it can be impressive. French people do use it quite often, I've heard them do it regularly, because it's just how the language works - certain phrases / conditions require its use.

Just a tip guys, try and use each tense by yourself and don't wait for the examiner to ask a question in that tense.
Par example, in my mock I was asked if I liked my uniform and then after my little spiel, I said however "if I was principal I would give..."
I got the imparfait and conditional in a present tense question.
As a result she only asked me one other conditional question whereas everyone else was asked 3.
Also, I didn't use the subjunctive and got an A2. I understand it but never revised how to create it.

Edit: Also, in regards to abstract topics, they are (as far as I know) not allowed to be asked unless they directly relate to what you have said. You can't talk about daily life and then bam, a q on Margaret Thatcher. But if you say you're area has social problems, you can expect to follow up on that.
Overall tip: if you don't wanna talk about it more, don't mention it in the first place.

CookieMonster.x

ray2012 wrote: »

Ah that won't be the case for me anyways, there is only 1 French class and only 15 of us in the class! Only around 40 people in my whole year, one of the smallest years ever in the school! I think we'll go in alphabetical order.. well I hope, cause then I'll be like 3rd, I'd love to get it over with early in the day!

Make sure you use like "donc...alors" those kind of things. For example : "Le sport m'intéresse beaucoup, donc je joue au foot avec ma bande de copain" .. If you're looking to get a high grade like an A, make sure and try to get the subjunctive tense as much as possible. The subjunctive can be gotten into many questions, but the best question to use the subjunctive tense in would be "What do you want to do next year" as in, in college. A few example sentences with the subjunctive :

"Il faut que j'aie quatre cents points"
"Il est nécessaire que je fasse beaucoup de travail"

For a question on the problems of alcohol for example, you could say :

"Il faut que les gens soient plus conscient (more aware) des dangers"

Thanks! Hoping it will go alright, thinking of all the things they could ask now and getting worried!

ray2012

CookieMonster.x wrote: »

Thanks! Hoping it will go alright, thinking of all the things they could ask now and getting worried!

Just remember that it's just a conversation. The examiner isn't there to ask you tough questions and to try and catch you out, he/she is there to see how good you are at French and to just have a conversation with you. :P

It doesn't feel like the real oral at all. I'm just trying to think of it as another 'mock oral' so I won't get too panicky! :pac:

weirdspider

ray2012 wrote: »

Just remember that it's just a conversation. The examiner isn't there to ask you tough questions and to try and catch you out, he/she is there to see how good you are at French and to just have a conversation with you. :P

It doesn't feel like the real oral at all. I'm just trying to think of it as another 'mock oral' so I won't get too panicky! :pac:

They definitely aren't trying to catch you out but they may throw in tricky questions to differentiate the A1s from the rest. Like for example, in my French oral last year I said "non, je n'ai pas un petit boulot" and then later on she said "vous n'avez pas un petit boulot?" or something along those lines and I was thinking to myself why did she ask this twice? It was probably because I should have answered "si" instead of "non" to the second question. Needless to say I didn't get an A1, my oral was a disaster last year!
So I would say have all the tenses prepared to perfection. Its one thing knowing them outside the exam room but if you haven't spent much time preparing for them you may blank like I did last year! And don't get nervous, no matter what. I know its hard not to but I did and I couldn't even look the examiner in the eye! :S bad marks for communication there, and unlike most people my oral brought me down a grade, from a B1 to a B2.

Canard

weirdspider wrote: »

in my French oral last year I said "non, je n'ai pas un petit boulot" and then later on she said "vous n'avez pas un petit boulot?" or something along those lines and I was thinking to myself why did she ask this twice? It was probably because I should have answered "si" instead of "non" to the second question.

Are you sure? Is "si" not a response to a question that's about to be corrected? Like if you'd said "I do have a job", then she said "so you don't have one?", and you'd say "Si, je travaille..."?

weirdspider

Canard wrote: »

Are you sure? Is "si" not a response to a question that's about to be corrected? Like if you'd said "I do have a job", then she said "so you don't have one?", and you'd say "Si, je travaille..."?

I'm not exactly sure, I can't remember now how she phrased it. I asked the exact question to my French teacher afterwards and she told me that I should have said si instead of non.

CookieMonster.x

Do we have to know our exam numbers in French does anyone know? Merci!

ray2012

CookieMonster.x wrote: »

Do we have to know our exam numbers in French does anyone know? Merci!

Yes, you'll be asked it at the very beginning of the oral exam, I'm almost sure!

CookieMonster.x

ray2012 wrote: »

Yes, you'll be asked it at the very beginning of the oral exam, I'm almost sure!

Damn, is the French for exam number chiffre d'examen or nom te d'examen? And do you have to say it in double digits do you know like 14,16 etc? Thank you!

aimzLc2

CookieMonster.x wrote: »

Damn, is the French for exam number chiffre d'examen or nom te d'examen? And do you have to say it in double digits do you know like 14,16 etc? Thank you!

I think it was just numéro de l'examen or something? i haven't heard of chiffre d'examen , it doesn't matter how you say it! just once you get the numbers right , she has your exam number written in front of her its just that you need to say it on the tape

CookieMonster.x

aimzLc2 wrote: »

I think it was just numéro de l'examen or something? i haven't heard of chiffre d'examen , it doesn't matter how you say it! just once you get the numbers right , she has your exam number written in front of her its just that you need to say it on the tape

Ah ok, thanks! We weren't told about it, I just remember we had to do it for Irish! Thanks!

Maidhfinden

I'm doing a french film for my document, I've prepared a basic run down of what happens in the film, the main actors, where I saw it, and why I like it, and how it's considered revolutionary etc etc, is there anything else I could be asked on it, anything else I should prepare?

Parawhore.xD

Maidhfinden wrote: »

I'm doing a french film for my document, I've prepared a basic run down of what happens in the film, the main actors, where I saw it, and why I like it, and how it's considered revolutionary etc etc, is there anything else I could be asked on it, anything else I should prepare?

If it's got anything like alcohol/drug abuse, juvinial delinquency etc in it I'd have a bit on those, like any sort of society problems I suppose..

ray2012

CookieMonster.x wrote: »

Damn, is the French for exam number chiffre d'examen or nom te d'examen? And do you have to say it in double digits do you know like 14,16 etc? Thank you!

Mon numéro d'examen c'est ....

I don't think it would matter if you said it in double digits or whatever, but I'd say it'd be a little less confusing if you just did them singularly as in "un, deux, trois" !

Maidhfinden

Parawhore.xD wrote: »

If it's got anything like alcohol/drug abuse, juvinial delinquency etc in it I'd have a bit on those, like any sort of society problems I suppose..

Thanks! It's A bout de souffle by Jean-Luc Godard, the main character is a car robber and there is a bit of violence I suppose!

YoursSincerely

Try to use structures like peut-etre + inversion ( perhaps) or pourquoi ne pas (why not) stuff like de plus (furthermore) en plus ( as well as) pourtant (however) getting those little sentence connectors in makes your french sound more natura.l
According to my french teacher if you really do want the top, top marks you should have a subjunctif,if your standard of french is really good you could probably get away with not having it but they will be impressed if you can slot one in, if your doing a document it's really easy to just throw one in there.

good and not too hard subjunctifs if talking about the leaving cert, or parents " mes parents ne veulent que je fasse de mon mieux " my parents only want me to do my best, or talking about college " il faut que j'obtienne cinq cent points" i must get 500 points, and if talking about problemes " il est temps que le gouvernment tienne tete en ce qui concerne le probleme de insert any probleme"- it's time the government took charge about the problem of whatever

My french oral isn't until next tuesday (2nd week) i'm just procrastinating studying straith pictiurs for my irish on thursaday right now:P

Good luck to everyone doing french in the next few days