- 1Try
- 2Learn
- 3Practise
- 4Check
The passé simple: for reading, not speakingRecognising passé simple forms when reading and knowing which infinitive they belong to…Inversion after a fronted adverbInverting the subject after the adverbs that require it, adding the linking -t- where…Cleft sentences: c'est… qui, ce qui… c'estHighlighting an element with c'est… qui, c'est… que and the ce qui / ce que / ce dont…Connectors for formal argumentUsing the connectors that carry a French argumentative text, and telling them apart from…The imperfect subjunctive, for readingRecognising the forms when reading and knowing which spoken tense they match, without…Reconstruct an implicit argumentRelate separate facts to identify the tacit premise and test it with a relevant objection.
Another oneKeep practising: FrenchThe rule, in three lines
The French of reports and laws opens with impersonal il. Each phrase has its own shape: il convient de + infinitive, but il convient que + subjunctive; il s'avère que + indicative, because it states a fact; il s'agit de, which never takes another subject.
The usual slip. Mixing the two: «il convient que signer». With de comes an infinitive, with que a subjunctive.
Why it catches you out. English avoids impersonal openings and looks for a real subject: you should sign. French formal writing does the opposite, so every sentence you translate has to be rebuilt outwards from the il.