📖LearnModule 15 · Lesson 13 of 30Proficient User · CEFR C2 mastery — the capstoneUnit 3 · L'oral préparé
La question difficile
Module 15 of the free French course (CEFR C2 mastery — the capstone), lesson 13 of 30: Every prepared case has one question it does not want. On this page: 8 words with their genders and respellings, the rule, a watch-out line and the audio — the study notes behind the workbook's lesson 13.
The words
French
English
Say it
le point faible
the weak point
luh pwa(n) FEHBL
je le maintiens quand même
I stand by it anyway
zhuh luh ma(n)-tya(n) kah(n) MEHM
maintenir
to uphold
ma(n)t-NEER
la réponse honnête
the honest answer
lah ray-poh(n)s oh-NEHT
faire semblant
to pretend
fehr sah(n)-BLAH(n)
avouer une faiblesse
to admit a weakness
ah-voo-ay ewn feh-BLEHS
crédible au débat
credible in debate
kray-deebl oh day-BAH
préparer en premier
to prepare first
pray-pah-ray ah(n) pruh-MYAY
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
Every prepared case has one question it does not want. Prepare that one first, and prepare an honest answer rather than a clever one: c'est le point faible de mon argument, et voici pourquoi je le maintiens quand même.
Et aussi · And also
Admitting a weakness and keeping the position is the most credible thing you can do in a French debate. Pretending the weakness is not there is the least.
Attention · Watch out
Prepare the question you least want FIRST, and answer it honestly: c'est le point faible de mon argument, je le maintiens quand même. faire semblant (pretending the weakness is not there) is the least credible move in a French debate.
Do it now — on paper
Say all 8 words aloud twice from the respelling, then once from the French spelling alone — begin with le point faible.
Copy every word with its accents on paper; then cover the English column and write each meaning back from the French.
Write two sentences of your own that get the watch-out line right, then the two practice pages of workbook lesson 13 in Module 15 are the written half of this page.
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.