Brevet French Revision Sheets 2026

Brevet French — Complete Revision Guide 2026

The French exam at the Brevet lasts 3 hours (100 points). Part 1 (1 h 10) includes a literary text with comprehension and grammar questions, a dictation (20 min) and a rewriting exercise. Part 2 (1 h 30) is a writing task: choose between a creative writing subject and a reflective essay.

1. Grammar Essentials

Word Classes and Functions

Key word classes: nouns, determiners, adjectives, pronouns, verbs, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions. Key functions: subject, direct object (COD), indirect object (COI), circumstantial complement (time, place, cause, manner), subject attribute, epithet, noun complement.

Clause Types

• Independent clause: stands alone. The sun shines.
• Relative clause: introduced by a relative pronoun (qui, que, dont, où). Complements a noun.
• Completive clause: introduced by "que". Functions as COD of the main verb.
• Circumstantial clause: introduced by conjunctions (quand, parce que, si, bien que). Functions as CC.
• Indirect interrogative: introduced by si, ce que, comment... I wonder whether he will come.

Active and Passive Voice

Active: the subject performs the action. Passive: the subject receives the action. The COD becomes subject, the subject becomes agent (introduced by "par"), and the auxiliary "être" is conjugated in the tense of the active verb.

Reported Speech

• Direct speech: exact words in quotation marks.
• Indirect speech: words integrated into a subordinate clause with pronoun and tense changes.
• Free indirect speech: blends narration and character's words without quotation marks or reporting verb.

2. Conjugation

Key tenses: present, imperfect, passé simple, future simple, passé composé, pluperfect. Subjunctive present (after verbs of will, doubt, feeling). Conditional present/past (hypothesis, politeness). Imperative (3 persons only, no subject pronoun).

Essential irregular passé simple forms: être → je fus, avoir → j'eus, faire → je fis, voir → je vis, venir → je vins, prendre → je pris.

3. Spelling Rules

Past participle agreements: with "être" — agrees with subject. With "avoir" — agrees with COD only if placed before the verb. Example: "Les pommes que j'ai mangées" (COD before → agreement).

Common homophones: a/à, est/et, on/ont, son/sont, ou/où, ce/se, ces/ses, la/l'a/là, leur/leurs. Use substitution tests to distinguish them.

4. Figures of Speech

Essential figures: simile (comparison with "like/as"), metaphor (without comparison word), personification, hyperbole (exaggeration), litotes (understatement), anaphora (repetition at start), antithesis (opposition), oxymoron (contradictory terms), periphrasis (roundabout expression), euphemism.

5. Literary Themes

The program covers four themes:

• Self-narration (autobiography): Rousseau (Confessions), Sarraute (Enfance)
• Denouncing society's flaws (satire): La Fontaine (Fables), Voltaire (Candide), Hugo (Les Misérables)
• Poetic visions: Rimbaud (Le Dormeur du val), Baudelaire (Les Fleurs du mal), Éluard (Liberté)
• Acting in society (committed literature): Hugo (Le Dernier Jour d'un condamné), Césaire, Simone Veil

6. Methodology

For dictation: read three times (meaning, agreements, homophones). For comprehension: answer in full sentences, quote the text. For creative writing: clear structure with consistent tenses. For reflective essay: introduction (thesis question), 2-3 argued paragraphs with examples, conclusion.