Global Issues: Poverty and Homelessness
Higher-tier vocabulary for poverty and homelessness as a global issue covers nouns such as la pauvreté (poverty), un(e) sans-abri/un(e) SDF (a homeless person), la faim (hunger), la précarité (economic insecurity) and les inégalités (inequalities); verbs including mendier (to beg), lutter contre (to fight against) and sensibiliser (to raise awareness); and the impersonal structure il importe de plus infinitive, which means it matters/is important to, alongside the more familiar importer meaning to import. This is abstract, higher-register vocabulary used to build reasoned arguments rather than simple description.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Learn the core nouns with gender: la pauvreté (feminine), la faim (feminine), la précarité (feminine, a more abstract, higher-tier word for insecurity/hardship), les inégalités (feminine plural), une banque alimentaire (a food bank), un refuge (a shelter).
- Learn the noun un(e) sans-abri (invariable - the word itself does not change for gender or number, only the article does) and its common abbreviation un(e) SDF, from sans domicile fixe (of no fixed address).
- Learn the verbs mendier (to beg) and the informal idiom faire la manche (to busk/beg for money, a colloquial register worth recognising in spoken or informal texts) alongside avoir faim (to be hungry, no article before faim).
- Learn the action verbs for discussing solutions: lutter contre la pauvreté (to fight against poverty), sensibiliser les gens à un problème (to raise people's awareness of a problem), faire un don à une banque alimentaire.
- Learn the dual-meaning verb importer: as a business term it means to import goods (importer des marchandises), but in the impersonal structure il importe de plus infinitive it means it matters/is essential to - a higher-register alternative to il faut, ideal for persuasive writing.
- Practise building an argumentative sentence with il importe de, since Higher Tier mark schemes reward structures beyond il faut and il est important de: il importe de sensibiliser les jeunes à la pauvreté.
- When reading or listening, watch for statistics or numbers attached to inequality vocabulary (le nombre de sans-abri a augmente de..., un enfant sur cinq) - Higher Tier comprehension questions often test whether you can extract and use these precisely.
Worked example
Build an argumentative sentence about poverty using the higher-register structure il importe de and at least two pieces of topic vocabulary.
- Choose the higher-register opinion structure rather than il faut: il importe de.
- Add the first action, using lutter contre: il importe de lutter contre la pauvreté et les inégalités.
- Add a second clause naming a concrete solution: on peut, par exemple, faire un don à une banque alimentaire.
- Add a justifying clause referencing a specific group affected: car de plus en plus de familles souffrent de la précarité.
- Combine into one full sentence: 'Il importe de lutter contre la pauvreté et les inégalités; on peut, par exemple, faire un don à une banque alimentaire, car de plus en plus de familles souffrent de la précarité.'
Practice questions
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Q1Give two meanings of the verb importer, and explain the difference.Show answer
Answer: It can mean to import goods (importer des marchandises), or, in the impersonal structure il importe de, it means it matters/is essential to.
Q2Translate into English: 'Le nombre de sans-abri a augmente dans les grandes villes.'Show answer
Answer: The number of homeless people has increased in big cities.
Q3Give the French for 'a food bank.'Show answer
Answer: une banque alimentaire
Q4Translate into French: 'It is essential to raise awareness among young people.'Show answer
Answer: Il importe de sensibiliser les jeunes.
Q5What does SDF stand for, and what does it mean?Show answer
Answer: Sans domicile fixe - of no fixed address; used as a noun meaning a homeless person.
Q6Give one French verb meaning 'to fight against' (a problem).Show answer
Answer: lutter contre
Q7Does sans-abri change for gender or number? Explain.Show answer
Answer: No, it is invariable - only the article changes (un sans-abri, une sans-abri, des sans-abri).
Q8Correct the error: 'La France important beaucoup de nourriture chaque année, mais il importe aussi d'aider les sans-abris.'Show answer
Answer: La France importe beaucoup de nourriture chaque année, mais il importe aussi d'aider les sans-abri (verb form importe, not important; and sans-abri stays invariable, no plural s).
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. 'Selon une étude récente, environ un enfant sur cinq vit dans la précarité en France. Beaucoup de familles doivent choisir entre payer le loyer et acheter assez de nourriture. Des associations comme les banques alimentaires jouent un rôle essentiel, mais elles disent qu'elles ne peuvent pas répondre à toute la demande. Il importe, selon les experts, d'agir au niveau national et pas seulement local.' (a) According to the study mentioned, what proportion of children in France live in precarity? (1 mark) (b) What difficult choice do many families face? (2 marks) (c) What problem do food banks report? (1 mark) (d) What do experts say is important? (2 marks)
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Translate this passage into English: 'Il importe de comprendre que la pauvreté n'est pas toujours visible: certaines personnes sans-abri dorment chez des amis plutôt que dans la rue. Sensibiliser le public à cette réalité pourrait encourager plus de gens à faire un don ou à faire du bénévolat.'
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See real GCSE French past-paper questions, with official mark schemes →
Free printable worksheet
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