Theme 1.2: Technology in Everyday Life - Listening Comprehension
Listening comprehension for the Technology in everyday life theme tests understanding of spoken French about phones, social media, the internet, gaming and screen time, presented as monologues, dialogues or short interviews at both tiers, with every item played twice. Examiners are testing whether a student can extract specific detail (which app or device, how often, an opinion with a reason), follow comparisons between now and before technology, and track negatives and connectives that change or qualify an opinion about technology's advantages and disadvantages.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Read every question and option before the recording starts; underline device or app names, and note whether the question wants an opinion, a frequency, or a reason.
- Predict the theme's vocabulary from the title: réseaux sociaux, portable/smartphone, télécharger, en ligne, addiction aux écrans, avantages/inconvénients.
- On the first listening, identify who is speaking and whether their overall attitude to technology is positive, negative or mixed.
- Track tense to know whether a habit is current or past: present (je passe, j'utilise) for a habit now, imperfect (avant, je passais moins de temps) for how things used to be, contrasted with maintenant or de nos jours for today.
- Catch frequency adverbs and time expressions precisely: tous les jours (every day), plusieurs fois par jour (several times a day), pendant deux heures (for two hours) - these are easy to confuse if you mishear the number.
- Track negatives that flip an opinion: ne...plus (no longer, e.g. il ne joue plus aux jeux vidéo), ne...jamais (never), ne...que (only) - 'je ne regarde que des vidéos courtes' means 'I only watch short videos', not 'I don't watch videos'.
- Listen for connectives that signal a change of opinion (mais, par contre, cependant, pourtant); these often introduce a disadvantage right after an advantage, or vice versa.
- Note self-corrections (en fait, je me trompe, plutôt) and take the corrected detail as your final answer; use the second listening to confirm and complete any details missed the first time.
Worked example
You hear: 'Je passe environ trois heures par jour sur mon portable, surtout pour les réseaux sociaux. Avant, je jouais beaucoup aux jeux vidéo, mais je n'y joue plus du tout ; maintenant je préfère regarder des vidéos.' Question: How has the speaker's technology use changed?
- Predict vocabulary before listening: portable, réseaux sociaux, jeux vidéo.
- First listening for gist: a shift away from gaming towards social media and video watching.
- Catch the number and time expression precisely: 'trois heures par jour' means three hours a day, not 'treize' (13).
- Identify the tense contrast: 'je jouais' (imperfect, used to play) versus 'je n'y joue plus du tout' (present + ne...plus, no longer at all) - the imperfect plus a strong negative present marks a completed change.
- Note that 'maintenant' (now) introduces the new habit that replaced the old one: regarder des vidéos.
- Full answer: The speaker now spends about three hours a day on their phone, mostly on social media; they used to play a lot of video games but has completely stopped, and now prefers watching videos instead.
Practice questions
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Q1What does 'je ne joue plus aux jeux vidéo' mean?Show answer
Answer: 'I no longer play video games' - ne...plus reverses a positive habit into 'not anymore'.
Q2You hear 'plusieurs fois par jour'. What frequency is this?Show answer
Answer: Several times a day.
Q3A speaker says 'je passe deux heures... non, plutôt trois heures sur mon téléphone'. How long do they spend on their phone?Show answer
Answer: Three hours - 'non, plutôt' signals a self-correction, so the second number given is correct.
Q4What is the difference between 'je regarde des vidéos' and 'je ne regarde que des vidéos courtes'?Show answer
Answer: The second means 'I only watch short videos' (ne...que = only), which is more restrictive than simply 'I watch videos'.
Q5Before listening to a text titled 'Les dangers des réseaux sociaux', predict two words linked to this theme.Show answer
Answer: Any two of: harcèlement (bullying), vie privée (privacy), addiction, mots de passe (passwords), faux profils.
Q6You hear 'avant, on n'avait pas de smartphone, mais maintenant tout le monde en a un'. Is this describing a fixed past or a change over time?Show answer
Answer: A change over time - the imperfect 'on n'avait pas' (used not to have) is contrasted with 'maintenant' (now) and the present 'tout le monde en a un' (everyone has one).
Q7Translate the price you hear: 'cent vingt euros'.Show answer
Answer: 120 euros.
Q8A speaker says technology is 'utile... mais aussi parfois dangereux'. Is their opinion entirely positive?Show answer
Answer: No - 'mais aussi' introduces a contrasting negative point, so the opinion is mixed (useful but also sometimes dangerous).
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a GCSE French exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Transcript of the recording: Moi, je m'appelle Léa et j'utilise mon portable presque tout le temps : environ quatre heures par jour, surtout le soir. J'ai un compte sur plusieurs réseaux sociaux, mais celui que je préfère, c'est celui où on peut partager des photos. Avant, mes parents ne me laissaient pas avoir de portable, mais depuis mes quatorze ans, j'en ai un. Ce que j'aime le plus, c'est rester en contact avec mes amis, même quand ils sont en vacances. Par contre, je n'aime pas du tout les gens qui postent des informations fausses ; je trouve ça vraiment inquiétant. Questions: 1) How many hours a day does Léa use her phone, and when mostly? 2) What kind of social media app does she prefer? 3) At what age did she get her first phone? 4) Give one thing she likes about technology. 5) Give one thing she dislikes, with her opinion of it.
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Transcript of the recording: - Interviewer : Selon toi, les jeunes passent-ils trop de temps sur les écrans ? - Ado : À mon avis, oui, mais ça dépend des personnes. Moi, par exemple, je n'ai pas de réseaux sociaux du tout, parce que je préfère lire ou faire du sport. Cependant, mon frère cadet, lui, passe facilement six heures par jour devant son ordinateur, ce qui m'inquiète un peu. - Interviewer : Penses-tu que les parents devraient limiter le temps d'écran ? - Ado : Oui, je pense que les parents devraient fixer des limites claires, surtout le soir, parce que trop d'écran empêche de bien dormir. Questions: 1) Does the teenager think young people spend too much time on screens? 2) Does the teenager personally use social media? Give the reason. 3) How many hours a day does the younger brother spend on the computer? 4) What is the teenager's opinion about this? 5) What does the teenager think parents should do, and why?
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See real GCSE French past-paper questions, with official mark schemes →
Free printable worksheet
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