Ready-made exam phrases
The examiner reads the subject aloud, with no prep time. None of these phrases need anything filled in — learn them and say them exactly as they are: ask for a repeat, take the floor, buy time while you decide where you stand, talk around a word that won't come, and close cleanly.
Go through them one by one: listen → shadow → next. Turn on auto-play for hands-free sequential playback.
① Didn't catch it · ask to repeat
The examiner reads the subject once, with no prep time. Use these to ask for a repeat or a slower pace.
- Pourriez-vous répéter la question, s'il vous plaît ?
Could you repeat the question, please?
- Je n'ai pas bien saisi, pourriez-vous répéter ?
I didn't quite catch that — could you repeat?
- Pourriez-vous parler un peu plus lentement, s'il vous plaît ?
Could you speak a little more slowly, please?
② Check understanding
When you're unsure what's being asked, use these to confirm or ask for a rephrasing.
- Que voulez-vous dire par là, exactement ?
What exactly do you mean by that?
- Si j'ai bien compris, vous me demandez… ?
If I understood correctly, you're asking me…?
③ Your opening line
The examiner finishes reading and you're on. These take the floor while you find something to say.
- Merci pour cette question, c'est un sujet dont on parle beaucoup en ce moment.
Thank you for this question — it's a topic people are talking about a lot right now.
- C'est une question intéressante, et je crois qu'elle concerne beaucoup de monde.
That's an interesting question, and I think it concerns a lot of people.
④ Buy a little time
Opening fillers that avoid dead air and earn you a few seconds to think.
- C'est une question intéressante, laissez-moi réfléchir un instant.
That's an interesting question — let me think for a moment.
- Eh bien, c'est-à-dire que…
Well, that is to say…
⑤ Both sides have a point
Say this while you're still deciding where you stand — it's a respectable point in its own right, and it runs about 15 seconds.
- Personnellement, je pense qu'on ne peut pas répondre à cette question de façon absolue : tout dépend de la situation de chacun, de son âge, de son mode de vie.
Personally, I don't think you can answer this in absolute terms: it depends on each person's situation, age and way of life.
- À vrai dire, les deux points de vue se comprennent très bien, parce que chacun raisonne à partir de sa propre expérience, et cette expérience n'est jamais la même.
To be honest, both points of view make sense, because everyone reasons from their own experience, and that experience is never the same.
⑥ Announce your plan
Saying "two reasons and one reservation" shows the examiner you have a structure — and commits you to following it.
- Je vais vous expliquer cela en trois temps : deux raisons qui vont dans ce sens, puis une limite qu'il ne faut pas oublier.
I'll explain this in three steps: two reasons that point that way, then a limit we shouldn't forget.
- Pour justifier cela, je vais avancer deux arguments, avant de nuancer avec un troisième point.
To justify that I'll put forward two arguments, before qualifying with a third point.
⑦ Can't find the word
Don't stop on a missing word. Going around it costs far less than silence — these work just as well in the Tâche 2 dialogue.
- Comment dire… je cherche le mot exact.
How shall I put it… I'm looking for the exact word.
- Ce que je veux dire, c'est que…
What I mean is that…
- Disons que c'est une situation un peu particulière.
Let's say it's a slightly unusual situation.
- Je ne trouve pas le mot juste, mais l'idée est là.
I can't find the right word, but that's the idea.
- Autrement dit, cela revient à peu près au même.
In other words, it comes to more or less the same thing.
- Enfin, vous voyez ce que je veux dire.
Anyway, you see what I mean.
⑧ Closing
Land the monologue with one clean line rather than letting the clock cut you off mid-sentence.
- C'est à peu près tout ce que j'avais à dire là-dessus. Merci pour votre attention.
That's more or less all I had to say about it. Thank you for your attention.
- Je crois avoir fait le tour de la question. Merci de m'avoir donné la parole.
I think I've covered the question. Thank you for giving me the floor.
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