Social Issues: Charity, Volunteering and Household Chores
Vocabulary for charity, volunteering and household chores, part of the Social Issues strand, covers nouns such as une association caritative (a charity), un(e) bénévole (a volunteer) and les tâches ménagères (household chores); verbs including faire du bénévolat (to volunteer), collecter des fonds (to fundraise), faire un don (to make a donation) and everyday chore verbs such as faire la vaisselle (to do the washing-up), passer l'aspirateur (to vacuum) and promener le chien (to walk the dog). Examiners test whether candidates can talk about helping others and contributing at home using accurate verbs of obligation and correct chore vocabulary.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Learn the core charity nouns with gender: une association caritative (feminine), un(e) bénévole (a volunteer, epicene noun changing only the article), un don (masculine, a donation).
- Learn the near-miss bénévole/volontaire: un(e) bénévole is someone who gives their time unpaid to a charity; volontaire is more often an adjective meaning willing, or refers to a volunteer in a different sense (e.g. military) - bénévole is the correct word for GCSE charity contexts.
- Learn the verbs faire du bénévolat (to volunteer, an activity), collecter des fonds (to fundraise), faire un don à une association (to make a donation to a charity), aider les autres (to help others).
- Learn household chore vocabulary as fixed phrases with faire or an object verb: faire la vaisselle, faire le ménage, passer l'aspirateur, ranger sa chambre, promener le chien, mettre la table.
- Pair chore and charity vocabulary with modal structures for obligation and suggestion: il faut/on devrait (one should) plus infinitive, e.g. on devrait aider les autres plus souvent.
- Practise linking a chore or charity action to a reason with pour plus infinitive (to show purpose): je fais du bénévolat pour aider les personnes âgées.
- When reading or listening, listen for a frequency expression attached to a chore (chaque semaine, tous les jours) since exam questions often ask exactly how often, not just what the chore is.
Worked example
Build a sentence combining a modal verb, a volunteering activity and a purpose clause.
- Choose the modal structure for suggestion: on devrait plus infinitive.
- Add the volunteering activity: on devrait faire du bénévolat dans une association caritative.
- Add a purpose clause with pour plus infinitive: pour aider les gens dans le besoin.
- Extend with a second, contrasting idea about chores at home using il faut: il faut aussi faire sa part à la maison, comme passer l'aspirateur.
- Combine into one full answer: 'On devrait faire du bénévolat dans une association caritative pour aider les gens dans le besoin, et il faut aussi faire sa part à la maison, comme passer l'aspirateur.'
Practice questions
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Q1What is the difference between un(e) bénévole and volontaire in a charity context?Show answer
Answer: Un(e) bénévole is a person who volunteers unpaid time to a charity; volontaire is more often an adjective meaning willing, or refers to volunteering in a different sense - bénévole is the correct GCSE term.
Q2Translate into English: 'Je fais du bénévolat dans un refuge pour animaux chaque week-end.'Show answer
Answer: I volunteer at an animal shelter every weekend.
Q3Give the French for 'to do the washing-up.'Show answer
Answer: faire la vaisselle
Q4Translate into French: 'One should help others more often.'Show answer
Answer: On devrait aider les autres plus souvent.
Q5Give one French verb phrase meaning 'to fundraise.'Show answer
Answer: collecter des fonds
Q6What is the gender of don and association?Show answer
Answer: Don is masculine (un don); association is feminine (une association).
Q7Correct the error: 'Je fais toujours mon lit, mais je ne passe jamais l'aspirateur, car mes parents dit que c'est ma tâche.'Show answer
Answer: Je fais toujours mon lit, mais je ne passe jamais l'aspirateur, car mes parents disent que c'est ma tâche (subject-verb agreement: mes parents disent, not dit).
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a GCSE French exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Lisez ce texte, puis répondez aux questions en anglais. 'Depuis six mois, je fais du bénévolat dans une banque alimentaire près de chez moi. Chaque samedi, j'aide à trier les dons et à préparer des colis pour les familles dans le besoin. À la maison, j'essaie aussi de faire ma part: je passe l'aspirateur et je promène le chien tous les jours. Mes parents disent que je devrais faire encore plus, mais je pense que je fais déjà beaucoup.' (a) How long has the writer been volunteering, and where? (2 marks) (b) What does the writer do every Saturday? (2 marks) (c) Give two chores the writer does at home, and how often. (2 marks)
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Translate this passage into English: 'À mon avis, tout le monde devrait faire du bénévolat au moins une fois par mois. Aider les autres nous rend plus reconnaissants pour ce que nous avons, et cela peut vraiment changer la vie de quelqu'un dans le besoin.'
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See real GCSE French past-paper questions, with official mark schemes →
Free printable worksheet
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