The environment and where people live: Translation (both directions)
Translation practice on the environment and where people live covers present tense descriptions of local areas and environmental problems, il faut + infinitive for obligations and solutions, comparatives for contrasting town and countryside, and the set phrase de plus en plus (more and more) for describing worsening or growing trends. Examiners are testing accurate translation of environmental cause-and-effect statements and obligation structures, kept at the level of il faut + infinitive rather than a subordinate subjunctive clause.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Read the whole sentence/passage first.
- Identify tense/person: present tense for facts and ongoing problems, near future/future for predicted consequences ('if we do not act, the planet will suffer').
- Translate obligation/solution structures with il faut + infinitive (it is necessary to/we must) or on doit + infinitive, keeping the second verb in the infinitive.
- Translate de plus en plus (more and more) and de moins en moins (less and less) as set phrases, not word for word.
- Build comparatives correctly for town/countryside contrasts: la campagne est plus calme que la ville (the countryside is calmer than the city); remember the adjective agrees with the noun.
- Write a full draft, then check agreements last, including adjective agreement and subject-verb agreement.
- Read the finished sentence back for natural phrasing, avoiding a literal word-for-word French or English structure.
Worked example
Translate into French: There is more and more pollution in big cities, so we must use public transport instead of the car if we want to protect the environment.
- Chunk the sentence: 'There is more and more pollution in big cities' / 'so we must use public transport instead of the car' / 'if we want to protect the environment'.
- 'more and more' is the set phrase de plus en plus: il y a de plus en plus de pollution dans les grandes villes.
- 'we must use' is an obligation, so il faut + infinitive, kept in the infinitive rather than conjugated: il faut utiliser les transports en commun au lieu de la voiture.
- 'if we want to protect the environment' stays in the present tense after si (a simple present condition): si nous voulons protéger l'environnement.
- Check agreement: grandes agrees with the feminine plural villes.
- Full translation: Il y a de plus en plus de pollution dans les grandes villes, donc il faut utiliser les transports en commun au lieu de la voiture si nous voulons protéger l'environnement.
Practice questions
Try each question, then tap to reveal the answer.
Q1Translate into English: Il faut recycler plus pour réduire la quantité de déchets.Show answer
Answer: We need to recycle more to reduce the amount of waste.
Q2Translate into French: There is more and more traffic in the town centre.Show answer
Answer: Il y a de plus en plus de circulation dans le centre-ville.
Q3Translate into English: La campagne est plus calme et moins polluée que la ville.Show answer
Answer: The countryside is calmer and less polluted than the city/town.
Q4Spot the error and correct it: 'Il faut que nous recyclons plus.'Show answer
Answer: Il faut + infinitive does not need a conjugated subordinate verb at this level; it should read: Il faut recycler plus.
Q5Translate into French: There are fewer and fewer green spaces in my area.Show answer
Answer: Il y a de moins en moins d'espaces verts dans mon quartier.
Q6Translate into English: Si on ne fait rien, la situation va empirer.Show answer
Answer: If we/people do nothing, the situation is going to get worse.
Q7Translate into French: In my opinion, the government should invest more in renewable energy.Show answer
Answer: À mon avis, le gouvernement devrait investir davantage dans les énergies renouvelables.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a GCSE French exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Translate this passage into English: Dans ma ville, il y a de plus en plus de circulation et l'air est souvent pollué. À mon avis, il faut construire plus de pistes cyclables pour encourager les gens à prendre le vélo. Si personne ne change ses habitudes, la qualité de l'air va continuer à empirer.
Show mark scheme
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Translate this passage into French: In my area, there is less and less green space because of new building. In my opinion, the local council should protect the parks and plant more trees. If everyone recycled more, the town would be much cleaner. We must all act now to protect the environment.
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See real GCSE French past-paper questions, with official mark schemes →
Free printable worksheet
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