📖LearnModule 13 · Lesson 7 of 30Proficient User · CEFR C2, first halfUnit 2 · Les tournures impersonnelles
Il convient de, il importe de
Module 13 of the free French course (CEFR C2, first half), lesson 7 of 30: These are obligations with nobody obliged. 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 7.
The words
French
English
Say it
il convient de
it is fitting to
eel koh(n)-VYA(n) duh
il importe de
it is important to
eel a(n)-PORT duh
il y a lieu de croire
there is reason to believe
eel ee ah lyuh duh KRWAHR
distinguer
to tell apart
dees-ta(n)-GAY
l'obligation sans sujetfeminine — the article elides to l'
obligation with no one obliged
loh-blee-gah-syoh(n) sah(n) sew-ZHEH
l'administrationfeminine — the article elides to l'
the administration
lahd-mee-nees-trah-SYOH(n)
poliment
politely
poh-lee-MAH(n)
valoir
to be worth
vah-LWAHR
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
These are obligations with nobody obliged. Il convient de rappeler que... (it is fitting to recall). Il importe de distinguer... (it matters to distinguish). Il y a lieu de croire que...
Et aussi · And also
They are the politest way in French to tell someone what to do, which is exactly why administrations love them. Read one and ask who, precisely, is doing the convening.
Attention · Watch out
il convient de and il importe de are obligations with nobody obliged; with an infinitive they take de, and with a clause que + subjonctif (il convient que vous partiez). Ask who, precisely, is doing the convening.
valoir — the table
je vaux · tu vaux · il/elle vaut · nous valons · vous valez · ils/elles valent
Do it now — on paper
Say all 8 words aloud twice from the respelling, then once from the French spelling alone — begin with il convient de.
Copy every word with its accents on paper; then cover the English column and write each meaning back from the French.
Write out valoir 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.