Tips for French oral

cabla

Anyone got any usefull tips or small fancy sentences to throw in...??

jenj293

a very good one is:

C'est un bon moyen d'echapper la train-train de la vie quotidien.
It means "it is a great way to escape the hub-bub of everyday life"

"la train-train", pronounced tran-tran, can be replaced with "monotonie" which means monotony(duh!)

you could be talking about sports, tv, reading, any of your hobbies but also when talking about drink, drugs or crime. just slip it in when your talking about ANYTHING that would serve as a means of escape from study, school or homework and the examiner will be VERY impressed!!:cool:

also saying "pas de tout" in a very conversational way is impressive too. it means not at all, when i was asked if i saved any of the money from my summer job i gave a little laugh and said, ha, pas de tout! then she laughed with me!

md99

Or 'Pas toujours'...

Throw in a subjunctive if you can manage, eg Il est possible que j'aille en vacances pendant l'ete...

Myriam

jenj293 wrote:

a very good one is:

C'est un bon moyen d'echapper la train-train de la vie quotidien.
It means "it is a great way to escape the hub-bub of everyday life"

"la train-train", pronounced tran-tran, can be replaced with "monotonie" which means monotony(duh!)

you could be talking about sports, tv, reading, any of your hobbies but also when talking about drink, drugs or crime. just slip it in when your talking about ANYTHING that would serve as a means of escape from study, school or homework and the examiner will be VERY impressed!!:cool:

also saying "pas de tout" in a very conversational way is impressive too. it means not at all, when i was asked if i saved any of the money from my summer job i gave a little laugh and said, ha, pas de tout! then she laughed with me!

"C'est un bon moyen d'échapper AU TRAIN-TRAIN de la vie QUOTIDIENNE (féminin)

also... : "pas du tout" and not "pas de tout"

.... just for Help you !
bye

Myriam

cabla wrote:

Anyone got any usefull tips or small fancy sentences to throw in...??

Il you can translate your short question in french, I can help you, I think.
Bye

md99

Myriam wrote:

Il you can translate your short question in french, I can help you, I think.
Bye

Il voudrait connaitre des expressions utiles d'utiliser pendant son examen orale.

Hope I've no mistakes.

shazzyshaz

oh crap, theyre next wk aint they!!:(

md99

week after.

ZorbaTehZ

If you live in Galweh be able to answer questions on the contamination (nearly finished mine so ill post when I do)

md99

shazzyshaz wrote:

md99 mine is next friday!!

In that case, bonne chance.

shazzyshaz

md99 mine is next friday!!

shazzyshaz

merci!

eh i dont think they will ask us about the contamination somehow...

ninebeanrows

Mon is in the 2nd week, i've written out decent paragraphes for each topic. What abstracts do you have to cover for the oral? Just Pollution and drugs?

Merci

Citizen_Erased

People down the country do their french the second week back and their Irish the first week.

People up the country (like here in Donegal) do their french the first week and then irish next week after.

Or something like thats..

Don't forget to prepare how to shrug off political questions by saying your studying is too much for you to keep up with polotics etc...

shazzyshaz

i dont think they can randomly bring up topics like pollution, politics, drugs unless you mention it. thats what we've been told anyway.. like unless youre talking about drugs as a social problem in your village par exemple...

shazzyshaz

quotidien means daily/everyday

colm-ccfc84

jenj293 wrote:

a very good one is:

C'est un bon moyen d'echapper la train-train de la vie quotidien.
It means "it is a great way to escape the hub-bub of everyday life"

"la train-train", pronounced tran-tran, can be replaced with "monotonie" which means monotony(duh!)

Quotidien means quotidian (duh!)

colm-ccfc84

shazzyshaz wrote:

quotidien means daily/everyday

Quotidien means quotidian.

nervous_twitch

I wouldnt go using elaborate phrases unless the rest of your French is on par.. the examiner will know what is simply being recycled, and tbh, I dont think they'll appreciate it.

Mackleton

Biggest tip I got is to watch the news the week before and prepare some form of an answer on ALL the major issues, Ie the nurse's strike is bound to come up. Also the upcoming election is a hot topic with all the promises being made and as we are all around 18 the right to vote for the first time and your preferences are likely.

Bear in mind that topical questions will only ever be asked if the student shows the ability or if the student allows the examiner to go there and I do mean "Allows" because the topics of you oral can almost always be dictated by yourself. If you take off on a spiel the minute he/she asks about pastimes then chances are you can eat up your time that way.

Also if you are worried specifically in Irish about being asked gnathcaite or conditional tenses, learn say three of each in phrases and slip them in to an answer before they can ask them, once they see you can coherently use them there is a strong chance they wont ask them directly.

But just think, in 2 weeks time we can have a certain degree of two exams in the bag and oral and aural are where people get their A grades, so bear that in mind and put in the effort.

Go n-eiri an tadh libh agus
Bonne Chance!

md99

Mackleton wrote:

But just think, in 2 weeks time we can have a certain degree of two exams in the bag and oral and aural are where people get their A grades, so bear that in mind and put in the effort.

Go n-eiri an tadh libh agus
Bonne Chance!

I know... Can't wait for them to be over!!!!

Haven't a Clue

Mackleton wrote:

Biggest tip I got is to watch the news the week before and prepare some form of an answer on ALL the major issues, Ie the nurse's strike is bound to come up. Also the upcoming election is a hot topic with all the promises being made and as we are all around 18 the right to vote for the first time and your preferences are likely.

Jesus H. Christ, they're gonna ask stuff like that? I doubt "je deteste les infermiéres" followed by an awkward silence is gonna do so. I'm so bollixed for the french oral. Bring on the scrudu beál...

ZorbaTehZ

shazzyshaz wrote:

merci!

eh i dont think they will ask us about the contamination somehow...

Funneh since all my class and teacher, plus my french grinds teacher, plus my neighbour who is a french teacher said to prepare for it. I mean its not like it's even that difficult tbh - 5/6 extra words for chripes sake.

yurmothrintites

Ya be prepared for anything, but if you don't have an idea of what you are asked just say. Gabh mo leisceal, ach níl suim dá laghad agam sa (topic)

I can't remember how to say it in french:)

Haven't a Clue

Je ne compris pas un question. Or something like that. It feckin better be cause by the looks of it, it's gonna be the most used phrase in my oral.

Citizen_Erased

If you do anything at all , at least give this a gander if you havent already
http://skoool.ie/skoool/examcentre_sc.asp?id=443

Spank

Would it be totally unreasonable to go in and just be someone else? Like say you have 10 brothers and sisters and start naming them and saying what their favourite colours are etc etc?

Or how about that you live in a castle and describe all the rooms as 'cloch-y'? Or even that you work as a rockstar parttime, you could bring music in here etc.

I'm actually being serious, would certainly entertain the examiner more than. MY NAME IZ BOB I LIVE IN DUBLIN I AM 18 I LIKE READING POLITICS INTEREST MY BORING ARSE.

I know there is something wrong with this, just tell me....

ZorbaTehZ

Spank wrote:

Would it be totally unreasonable to go in and just be someone else? Like say you have 10 brothers and sisters and start naming them and saying what their favourite colours are etc etc?

Or how about that you live in a castle and describe all the rooms as 'cloch-y'? Or even that you work as a rockstar parttime, you could bring music in here etc.

I'm actually being serious, would certainly entertain the examiner more than. MY NAME IZ BOB I LIVE IN DUBLIN I AM 18 I LIKE READING POLITICS INTEREST MY BORING ARSE.

I know there is something wrong with this, just tell me....

J'aime jouer avec mon baton?

shazzyshaz

ehhhhh zorba i happen to go to a grinds school ya eejit. it wont come up, end of story.

shazzyshaz

haha SPANK- thats pretty funni, i suppose ya cud yeah! like blab on about 10 bros and sis for 12 minutes! should work a treat... hmm mayb not!:)

shazzyshaz

or here is ur asked about anything in the news jus say:

ca ne m'interesse pas!!

et tu es ''SORTED!''

md99

Spank wrote:

Would it be totally unreasonable to go in and just be someone else? Like say you have 10 brothers and sisters and start naming them and saying what their favourite colours are etc etc?

Or how about that you live in a castle and describe all the rooms as 'cloch-y'? Or even that you work as a rockstar parttime, you could bring music in here etc.

I'm actually being serious, would certainly entertain the examiner more than. MY NAME IZ BOB I LIVE IN DUBLIN I AM 18 I LIKE READING POLITICS INTEREST MY BORING ARSE.

I know there is something wrong with this, just tell me....

Yes, you can do this, common strategy in both orals.

Citizen_Erased

Yeap you most certainly can , they couldn't give a rats what you say , it's all about how you say it - the efficiency of your language , grammar , coherence etc... You can say your father owns a unicorn farm and your brother was the man on the grassy that shot Kennedy for all they care .

Your Man

Haven't a Clue wrote:

Je ne compris pas un question. Or something like that. It feckin better be cause by the looks of it, it's gonna be the most used phrase in my oral.

je ne compris pas LE question

Absolute Bender

No biting. Lots of lip movement. Be gentle. If you have braces, avoid oral!

Haven't a Clue

Your Man wrote:

je ne compris pas LE question

No, I was right. "I don't understand a question" will be accurate enough for me.

md99

hehe... another good skill if you are weak in areas is to learn the ability to swing the convo in your direction, may only work temporarily but at least it'll change the subject...

also, for weak students, use a DOCUMENT and be prepared to bluff a good few mins out of it. as a matter of fact, who's using a docu-...ahh screw it I'll poll it.

KnifeWRENCH

md99 wrote:

also, for weak students, use a DOCUMENT and be prepared to bluff a good few mins out of it. as a matter of fact, who's using a docu-...ahh screw it I'll poll it.

weak students??..i presume what you meant to say is"students who are smart enough to actually prepare something they can learn off and talk about,while stupid people who did not prepare one sit in glum silence while the examiner asks them about who they want to see win the french election and what both sarkozy and royale have to offer the people of france....."

my document is photos of saddam husseins execution...so i'll still be talking about an abstract topic that will impress the examiner,AND it will be on my terms...

JC 2K3

I really should prepare and learn something about my document.

It's a pic of the Meat Puppets and in the mock and Christmas orals it basically went something like:

"C'est mon groupe préféré. J'aime bien leur musique. C'est Curt Kirkwood, il joue de la guitare, c'est Cris Kirkwood, il joue de la basse et ce'st Derrik Bostrom, il est le batteur."

Unfortunately, after that I didn't have much to say and then she asked me:

"Pourquoi vous les aimez?"

"Emm... J'aime le bruit qu'ils font... c'est trés different... emm... yeah..."

heh, oh well I'd be happy with a C in the real oral anyway.

md99

square_igloo wrote:

weak students??..i presume what you meant to say is"students who are smart enough to actually prepare something they can learn off and talk about,while stupid people who did not prepare one sit in glum silence while the examiner asks them about who they want to see win the french election and what both sarkozy and royale have to offer the people of france....."

No, I meant WEAK students, this is advice for weak students I was giving.... I didn't imply that only weak students used the document... In the case of a very strong student (nobody in particular) a document is completely unnecessary anyway, it gives a little security on going in but it's still not needed if you're good enough...

Shox

would dey seriuosly consider asking about water contamination in Galway.... Oh GOD... ill just have to say im sorry ive no interest in drinking water because of my exams lol

shazzyshaz

Shox wrote:

would dey seriuosly consider asking about water contamination in Galway.... Oh GOD... ill just have to say im sorry ive no interest in drinking water because of my exams lol

I dont even live anywhere near galway i just happen to go to school there, fk them if they bring it up!!THEY WONT dont worry.

Yeah shox jus say ca ne m'interesse pas! thats wot im doin haha

So Shazzy.You are Yeats girl?

shazzyshaz

Yeats girl??

SoSueMe

You are generally not aksed about politics or news stories. My French teacher is an oral exminer and she is actually French and she knows what she is talking about.
Just say "Ca ne m’intéresse pas" or "La politique ne m’intéresse pas Monsieur /Madame".

ZorbaTehZ

shazzyshaz wrote:

I dont even live anywhere near galway i just happen to go to school there. . .

Huh?

md99

shazzyshaz wrote:

Yeats girl??

Someone who attends Yeats grind school... I take it you're not so?

Fobia

Hopefully the examiner will be thinking the exact same things as I and I can somehow make the page of stuff I have learnt off (as in, learning off currently) last for 15 minutes. Otherwise it's going to be an awfully quiet oral..

bright

SoSueMe wrote:

You are generally not aksed about politics or news stories. My French teacher is an oral exminer and she is actually French and she knows what she is talking about.
Just say "Ca ne m’intéresse pas" or "La politique ne m’intéresse pas Monsieur /Madame".

youi may have already snookered yourself by giving an opinion on somem other current affairs issue, so - je n'y ai pas d'opinion. Je ne sais pas assez du sujet pour former une opinion.

i thinks thats correct if so its handy.Although I do wish there was a nicer, idiomatic way of saying though...