📖LearnModule 10 · Lesson 24 of 30Independent User · CEFR B1 + B2 mastery, and the C1 bridgeUnit 5 · L'exposé
Réagir sur le moment
Module 10 of the free French course (CEFR B1 + B2 mastery, and the C1 bridge), lesson 24 of 30: When a question surprises you. On this page: 8 words with their genders and respellings, the rule, a watch-out line, the conjugation table and the audio — the study notes behind the workbook's lesson 24.
The words
French
English
Say it
c'est une bonne question
that is a good question
seh tewn bun kehs-TYOH(n)
je dirais que
I would say that
zhuh dee-REH kuh
si je comprends bien
if I understand correctly
see zhuh koh(n)-prah(n) BYA(n)
gagner du temps
to buy time
gah-nyay dew TAH(n)
reformuler
to rephrase
ruh-for-mew-LAY
le silence
the silence
luh see-LAH(n)S
surprendre
to take by surprise
sewr-PRAH(n)DR
spontané
spontaneous
spoh(n)-tah-NAY
Respellings follow the course’s say-it key; the stressed syllable is in capitals. Print this lesson’s flashcards (PDF) — the words on the front, the English and respelling on the back.
Hear the words
Each word is read twice — say it back in the gap. Computer-generated voice; credits on the course page.
La règle · The rule
When a question surprises you, buy time in French rather than in silence. C'est une bonne question. Je dirais que... Si je comprends bien, vous me demandez si...
Et aussi · And also
Repeating the question back is the most useful of the three: it gives you four seconds, and it makes sure you answer what was actually asked.
Attention · Watch out
Repeat the question back before answering: si je comprends bien, vous me demandez si... It buys four seconds and makes sure you answer what was actually asked.
dire, conditionnel — the table
je dirais · tu dirais · il/elle dirait · nous dirions · vous diriez · ils/elles diraient
Do it now — on paper
Say all 8 words aloud twice from the respelling, then once from the French spelling alone — begin with c'est une bonne question.
Copy every word with its accents on paper; then cover the English column and write each meaning back from the French.
Write out dire, conditionnel in full from memory, every person, and check each form against the table above.
This free course is the reading half. The writing half — write-in lessons, daily practice pages with built-in review, self-checks and a full answer key — is the companion workbook series, The French Ladder: one workbook per module, fifteen in all, released band by band with the Basic band (Modules 1–5) first.
Keep these words
Turn this lesson’s words into flashcards, then space your reviews — the two habits the research behind our study guides backs hardest.