Television (AQA GCSE French): Revision Notes
Television - La télévision
Introduction
Television is a popular topic in French conversation, and you'll need to know key vocabulary and phrases to discuss what you watch and when. This topic covers essential TV-related vocabulary, how to talk about different days of the week, and useful expressions for describing programmes and viewing habits.
Essential vocabulary
| French | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| la télévision / la télé | television / TV | Télé is the shortened, informal version |
| l'acteur (m) | actor | Masculine noun |
| l'actrice (f) | actress | Feminine form of actor |
| la comédie | comedy | Feminine noun |
| l'émission (f) | programme | General term for TV programmes |
| le film | film/movie | Masculine noun |
| le personnage | character | Masculine noun |
| recommander | to recommend | Regular -er verb |
| regarder | to watch | Regular -er verb |
| le crime | crime | Used for crime programmes |
| la critique | review/criticism | Can mean both review and criticism |
| la police | police | Used for police programmes |
| la série | series/soap opera | Includes both series and soap operas |
| la tragédie | tragedy/drama | Covers tragic and dramatic programmes |
Notice how many TV-related terms are similar to English words, but remember that French pronunciation rules apply. The gender markers (m) and (f) are essential for using the correct articles (le/la) and making adjectives agree properly.
Days of the week
When talking about television viewing habits, you'll often need to use days of the week. Here's what you need to remember:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| lundi | Monday |
| mardi | Tuesday |
| mercredi | Wednesday |
| jeudi | Thursday |
| vendredi | Friday |
| samedi | Saturday |
| dimanche | Sunday |
Important grammar rules for days
Days of the week in French have several key differences from English:
Critical Grammar Rules for Days:
- No capital letters: Unlike English, French days don't start with capital letters unless they begin a sentence
- Using "le" for regular activities: When you do something regularly on a certain day, put "le" before the day
- No "on" equivalent: French doesn't have a direct translation for "on" with days
Working with Days of the Week:
Regular activity: Le mardi, je regarde la télé (On Tuesdays, I watch TV)
Single occurrence: Lundi can mean "on Monday"
Weekend reference: The weekend is called le week-end in French
Example sentences
The following examples show how to use television vocabulary in context with proper grammar structures.
Present tense examples
Present Tense TV Sentences:
- Je regarde la télévision tous les soirs (I watch television every evening)
- Ma famille et moi regardons des comédies (My family and I watch comedies)
- Il y a quatre personnes qui regardent la télé (There are four people watching TV)
- Cette émission est très amusante (This programme is very entertaining)
- Je recommande cette série policière (I recommend this police series)
Past tense examples
Past Tense TV Sentences:
- Hier soir, j'ai regardé un film triste (Last night, I watched a sad film)
- Nous avons regardé une émission amusante (We watched an entertaining programme)
- J'ai trouvé les personnages très sympa (I found the characters very likeable)
Grammar and pronunciation tips
Understanding these essential grammar rules will help you use television vocabulary correctly in conversation.
Elision rules
Understanding Elision:
When words starting with vowels follow certain words, you drop the final vowel and add an apostrophe. This is called elision and is essential for natural-sounding French.
Elision Examples:
- L'homme instead of le homme (the man)
- L'émission instead of la émission (the programme)
- J'aime instead of je aime (I like)
Gender agreements
Critical Rule: Adjectives must agree with the gender of the noun they describe. This affects how you describe TV programmes and characters.
Gender Agreement Examples:
- Un film amusant (an entertaining film - masculine)
- Une émission amusante (an entertaining programme - feminine)
Pronunciation tip
The final 's' in words like les disappears when followed by a consonant, but creates a 'z' sound when followed by a vowel (liaison). This is particularly important when describing multiple TV programmes or actors.
Translation practice
Test your understanding with these translation exercises, focusing on correct grammar and proper vocabulary usage.
French to English
Translation Practice - French to English:
- Le week-end, je regarde la télé avec ma famille.
- J'aime bien les émissions de police mais je n'aime pas les tragédies.
English to French
Translation Practice - English to French:
- On Wednesdays, I watch comedies.
- The actors in this series are very good.
Answers
Translation Answers:
- At the weekend, I watch TV with my family.
- I quite like police programmes but I don't like tragedies.
- Le mercredi, je regarde des comédies.
- Les acteurs de cette série sont très bons.
Remember!
Key Points to Remember:
- Days of the week don't have capital letters in French (unless starting a sentence)
- Use "le" before days when talking about regular activities
- Elision occurs with words starting with vowels - don't forget the apostrophe
- TV vocabulary includes many borrowed English words, but pronunciation follows French rules
- Gender markers (m) and (f) help you remember whether to use le/la and how adjectives should agree