Television (Edexcel GCSE French): Revision Notes
Television
Television forms an important part of discussions about free time activities in French. Understanding how to talk about TV programmes, express opinions about what you watch, and describe viewing habits will help you in both speaking and writing tasks.
Television vocabulary is essential for GCSE French as it frequently appears in listening, reading, and speaking assessments. Mastering these terms will boost your confidence in discussing entertainment and leisure activities.
Essential television vocabulary
Learning key words related to television will help you express your viewing preferences and discuss entertainment with confidence. Pay special attention to the gender of each noun, as this affects the articles and adjectives you use with them.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| l'acteur (m) | actor |
| la chaîne (f) | channel |
| la comédie (f) | comedy |
| le crime (m) | crime |
| l'émission (f) | programme |
| le/la fan | fan |
| le film (m) | film |
| l'horreur (f) | horror |
| les informations (fpl) | news |
| le personnage (m) | character |
| French | English |
|---|---|
| la police (f) | police |
| recommander | to recommend |
| la science-fiction (f) | science fiction |
| la série (f) | series, soap opera |
| la télé(vision) (f) | television |
| la tragédie (f) | tragedy, drama |
| la critique (f) | review, criticism |
Using Television Vocabulary in Context
Here are practical examples showing how to use these terms naturally:
- J'adore les films d'horreur. - I love horror films.
- Mon acteur préféré joue dans cette série. - My favourite actor is in this series.
- Je regarde les informations chaque soir. - I watch the news every evening.
- Cette chaîne diffuse de bonnes comédies. - This channel shows good comedies.
Days of the week with television activities
When talking about your TV viewing habits, you'll often need to mention specific days. French handles this differently from English, and understanding these key grammar rules is essential for accurate communication.
Critical Grammar Point: There is no direct translation for 'on' when used with days of the week in French. Lundi can mean 'on Monday' by itself.
This is a common mistake in exams - avoid translating 'on' directly when using days of the week!
To express that you do something regularly on a certain day, place le in front of the day:
Regular Activities Pattern:
- Le mardi, je regarde la télé. - On Tuesdays, I watch TV.
- Le dimanche, nous regardons un film. - On Sundays, we watch a film.
The definite article "le" indicates a repeated action that happens every week on that day.
Days of the week reference
| French | English |
|---|---|
| lundi | Monday |
| mardi | Tuesday |
| mercredi | Wednesday |
| jeudi | Thursday |
| vendredi | Friday |
| samedi | Saturday |
| dimanche | Sunday |
Days of the week don't have capital letters in French unless they start a sentence - this is different from English!
Weekend expressions
For weekend activities, use le week-end:
- Le week-end, je regarde la télé. - At the weekend, I watch TV.
Exam techniques for television topics
Successfully discussing television topics in French exams requires specific strategies that focus on clear communication over complex grammar.
Picture Description Tasks (Grades 1-5)
When describing pictures showing people watching television, focus on communication rather than complex language. You can describe:
- What people are doing
- How many people you can see
- Basic details about the setting
Example approach: Il y a quatre personnes. Ils regardent la télé. Je vois des fruits. Il y a une famille.
Reading Comprehension Success (Grades 5-9)
When reading French texts about television viewing, remember to:
- Look for liaison - the connection between words (when -s at the end of one word links to a vowel at the start of the next)
- Focus on understanding the main ideas first
- Use context clues to work out unfamiliar vocabulary
Reading tip: Practice reading aloud to improve your understanding of how French sounds and flows.
Translation practice
Practising translation helps reinforce vocabulary and grammar patterns. Work through these systematically, paying attention to word order and gender agreements.
Translation Practice
French to English:
- Je regarde les émissions de science-fiction avec ma famille.
- Le samedi, nous regardons un film d'horreur.
English to French:
- I watch comedies on Fridays.
- My sister recommends this series.
Answers:
- I watch science-fiction programmes with my family.
- On Saturdays, we watch a horror film.
- Je regarde les comédies le vendredi.
- Ma sœur recommande cette série.
Building complex sentences
As you progress, combine television vocabulary with time expressions and opinions to create more sophisticated responses:
Advanced Sentence Construction
- D'habitude, le mercredi soir, je regarde mes séries préférées. - Usually, on Wednesday evenings, I watch my favourite series.
- Je trouve que les films de science-fiction sont passionnants. - I think that science-fiction films are exciting.
Notice how these sentences combine time expressions (d'habitude, le mercredi soir) with opinions (je trouve que) for more natural, fluent French.
Key Points to Remember:
- Television vocabulary includes both masculine and feminine nouns - learn the gender with each word
- Days of the week don't need 'on' in French - lundi means 'on Monday'
- Use le + day for regular activities (le mardi = on Tuesdays)
- Le week-end is used for weekend activities
- Focus on clear communication in exams rather than overly complex language
- Practice reading French texts aloud to improve comprehension and pronunciation
- Master the liaison rules to sound more natural when speaking French