Course path · B2

French B2: Saying It Exactly

Stop reporting and start arguing. B2 is where you hold a position while somebody pushes back: concede a point without giving it up, hedge a claim you cannot fully back, weigh two options against each other and disagree without souring the room - in French that sounds like a person thinking, not a person translating.

Target language: French
Explained in: English
CEFR level: B2
Structure: 8 modules · 32 lessons

Course journey

Every module has a place in the story.

Follow the authored sequence from the opening lesson through the final chapter. Preview lessons remain open before enrollment.

Module 01
Yes, But
4 lessons
Lesson sequenceOpen chapterHide chapter
1. Conceding a PointFree preview
  About 18 minGrant what the other person said and keep your own position anyway.
  Launch →
2. Hedging a ClaimFree preview
  About 18 minMark the difference between what you know and what you are working out.
  Launch →
3. Weighing It UpLocked
  About 18 minSet two options against each other and say which way the balance falls.
  Locked
4. Disagreeing Without Souring ItLocked
  About 18 minSay that you disagree in a way that keeps the conversation going.
  Locked
Module 02
What Isn't Said
4 lessons
Lesson sequenceOpen chapterHide chapter
1. Saying Less to Mean MoreLocked
  About 18 minHear praise, complaint and refusal in sentences that appear to say none of them.
  Locked
2. Hearing the IronyLocked
  About 18 minRecognise when a speaker means the opposite, and say it yourself without being rude.
  Locked
3. Damning With Faint PraiseLocked
  About 18 minPraise one part of something and let the rest speak for itself.
  Locked
4. Asking Without AskingLocked
  About 18 minGet something done without ever putting a request in front of anyone.
  Locked
Module 03
Why It Follows
4 lessons
Lesson sequenceOpen chapterHide chapter
1. Giving the ReasonLocked
  About 18 minChoose the right word for because, by what the listener already knows.
  Locked
2. Stating the ConsequenceLocked
  About 18 minSay what follows from what, and put the verb where the connector demands.
  Locked
3. What It Was ForLocked
  About 18 minSay what something was for, and let the subject decide the structure.
  Locked
4. If It Were DifferentLocked
  About 18 minSay what would have followed, and keep the conditional out of the if-clause.
  Locked
Module 04
Whose Words Are These
4 lessons
Lesson sequenceOpen chapterHide chapter
1. Where You Heard ItLocked
  About 18 minRelay a claim while making clear you are relaying it, not vouching for it.
  Locked
2. Keeping Your DistanceLocked
  About 18 minRepeat somebody else's words while signalling that you do not accept them.
  Locked
3. Putting It in Their WordsLocked
  About 19 minReport what somebody said, moving the tense, the pointing words and the question form with it.
  Locked
4. Saying Who Said ItLocked
  About 18 minChoose a reporting verb that carries the judgement you actually intend.
  Locked
Module 05
Where the Weight Falls
4 lessons
Lesson sequenceOpen chapterHide chapter
1. Putting It FirstLocked
  About 19 minAnnounce your topic by dislocating it, which is what French does instead of moving words.
  Locked
2. Saying Which OneLocked
  About 18 minSingle one element out with c'est... qui or c'est... que, and know which is which.
  Locked
3. Saving It for LastLocked
  About 18 minCommit to the judgement first and name the thing afterwards, the way spoken French does.
  Locked
4. The Word That Carries ItLocked
  About 19 minUse ne... que, même and their neighbours, and stop reading ne... que as a negative.
  Locked
Module 06
If It Had Been Different
4 lessons
Lesson sequenceOpen chapterHide chapter
1. If I Had the TimeLocked
  About 19 minTalk about what you would do if things were otherwise, and never put a -rais after si.
  Locked
2. If I Had KnownLocked
  About 19 minSay what you would have done differently, and blame or spare someone, about something already over.
  Locked
3. As If Nothing Had HappenedLocked
  About 18 minDescribe how something seems, or how someone is behaving, with comme si - and keep the indicative that French alone uses here.
  Locked
4. What People Actually SayLocked
  About 18 minRecognise the conditional a French speaker uses out loud and an examiner marks, and choose deliberately between them.
  Locked
Module 07
Putting It All Together
4 lessons
Lesson sequenceOpen chapterHide chapter
1. Making the CaseLocked
  About 20 minArgue a position end to end - concede, give the reason, draw the consequence and say what it was for - without preparing it first.
  Locked
2. Saying Less Than You MeanLocked
  About 20 minHedge, understate, damn with faint praise and let the irony land - and hear it done to you.
  Locked
3. Where It Came FromLocked
  About 20 minReport what somebody else said, mark how much you stand behind it, and pass on a rumour without owning it.
  Locked
4. Holding the FloorLocked
  About 20 minTake a long turn: put the important part where French expects it, ask for something without asking, and close when you mean to.
  Locked
Module 08
What the Numbers Say
4 lessons
Lesson sequenceOpen chapterHide chapter
1. Describing ChangeLocked
  About 19 minSay that something rose or fell, by how much and to what level, without confusing the size of the change with the point it reached.
  Locked
2. Comparing and ProportionLocked
  About 19 minCompare two figures and say what share of the total one of them is, without the agreement giving you away.
  Locked
3. Hedging a ForecastLocked
  About 19 minSay what you think will happen and mark how much confidence you put behind it, without committing further than you mean to.
  Locked
4. Walking Through the FiguresLocked
  About 20 minTake somebody through a set of figures from start to finish: place them, describe the change, compare, and close on what it means.
  Locked