French headlines have their own grammar: they drop verbs and turn them into nouns. This page covers the media vocabulary, how to read a headline, and how to report what someone said.
By the end of this unit you can: follow the main points of the news.
1Journal, radio, télé: Talk about where and how you follow the news.
2Les gros titres: Understand the short, verbless style of headlines.
3Il a dit que…: Report what someone said or asked.
4Le passif: Recognise the passive voice in news reports.
5Le flash info: Follow the main points of a short radio news bulletin.
Grammar and usage, explained
The news is plural
Les infos is what most people say for « the news »; les actualités is a little more formal. In English « news » is singular, but in French it's plural, so the verb and adjectives are plural too. One single piece of news is une info or une nouvelle.
J'écoute les infos à la radio le matin.I listen to the news on the radio in the morning.
Les infos sont déprimantes en ce moment.The news is depressing at the moment.
Le journal de 20 heures commence dans cinq minutes.The 8 o'clock news starts in five minutes.
Dans, sur, à: where you saw it
S'informer is reflexive: je m'informe, tu t'informes, on s'informe. To say where you saw or heard something, use dans for a newspaper, sur for websites and social media, and à for radio and TV.
Je l'ai lu dans le journal.I read it in the paper.
Je l'ai vu sur les réseaux sociaux.I saw it on social media.
Je l'ai entendu à la radio.I heard it on the radio.
Headline French
Headlines save space by turning verbs into nouns and dropping little words. « Les prix augmentent » becomes « Hausse des prix ». « Les enseignants font grève » becomes « Grève des enseignants ». Learn the noun behind each verb and headlines get much easier.
Hausse du prix de l'essencePetrol prices rise
Baisse du chômage en marsUnemployment falls in March
Grève des enseignants à DakarTeachers' strike in Dakar
From verb to headline noun
A handful of pairs cover most headlines: augmenter → hausse, baisser → baisse, élire → élection, arrêter → arrestation, ouvrir → ouverture, faire grève → grève. The noun is followed by de: Ouverture du nouveau pont.
Les prix baissent. → Baisse des prixPrices are falling. → Prices fall
On ouvre un nouveau stade. → Ouverture d'un nouveau stadeA new stadium is opening. → New stadium opens
Les chauffeurs de taxi font grève. → Grève des chauffeurs de taxiTaxi drivers are on strike. → Taxi drivers' strike
Reporting speech
To report what someone says, use a verb like dire, annoncer or expliquer + que. Que can't be dropped, and the pronouns change to fit the person speaking: « Je suis fatigué » becomes il dit qu'il est fatigué.
Il dit qu'il est fatigué.He says he's tired.
Ma mère dit que je travaille trop.My mother says I work too much.
Selon la radio, la route est fermée.According to the radio, the road is closed.
Tenses step back
When the reporting verb is in the past (il a dit, elle a annoncé), the tenses usually step back: the present becomes the imparfait, and the passé composé becomes the plus-que-parfait. English does the same: « I'm tired » → he said he was tired. You'll also see the future turn into the conditional (il a dit qu'il viendrait), which comes later in the course.
« Je suis fatigué. » → Il a dit qu'il était fatigué.He said he was tired.
« Nous avons gagné ! » → Ils ont annoncé qu'ils avaient gagné.They announced they had won.
« La route est fermée. » → Elle a expliqué que la route était fermée.She explained that the road was closed.
Spotting the passive
In a passive sentence, the subject undergoes the action. It's built with être + past participle, and the participle agrees with the subject like an adjective. News reports use it all the time, especially in the past: a été + participle.
Le pont a été fermé.The bridge was closed.
La nouvelle maire a été élue dimanche.The new mayor was elected on Sunday.
Deux personnes ont été blessées.Two people were injured.
Who did it, and when?
Add par to say who performed the action. The tense is carried by être: est (present), a été (past), sera (future). The participle doesn't change tense, it only agrees.
Le festival est organisé par la mairie.The festival is organised by the town hall.
Le voleur a été arrêté par la police.The thief was arrested by the police.
Le nouveau pont sera inauguré en mai.The new bridge will be opened in May.
French loves on
In everyday speech, French often avoids the passive and uses on instead, especially when it doesn't matter who did it. Both versions mean the same.
La voiture a été retrouvée. = On a retrouvé la voiture.The car was found.
Le match a été annulé. = On a annulé le match.The match was called off.
Scene: the morning news
It's 7 a.m. in Abidjan. Yao is having breakfast with his flatmate Sophie, a French student, and the radio is on. Listen to the bulletin and their chat, and answer.
Vocabulary: 34 words and phrases
Tap 🔊 to hear each one, recorded by a native-sounding French voice.
Journal, radio, télé
Listen
French
English
les infosTu as vu les infos ce matin ?(Did you see the news this morning?)
the newsShort for les informations. Also les actualités (les actus). It's plural: les infos sont…
journal(masculine)
newspaper / news bulletinUn journal is a newspaper, but le journal (de 20 heures) is also the TV news. Plural: journaux.
presse(feminine)
the pressLa presse écrite = newspapers and magazines.
chaîne(feminine)
(TV) channelChanger de chaîne = to switch channels. Une chaîne YouTube, too.
émission(feminine)
programme / showA TV or radio programme. Un programme is more often a schedule or a plan.
en directLe match est diffusé en direct.(The match is being shown live.)
live
journaliste
journalistSame form for a man and a woman: un or une journaliste.
les réseaux sociaux
social mediaUn réseau, des réseaux: a network.
s'informerJe m'informe surtout sur internet.(I mostly get my news online.)
to keep up with the news
Les gros titres
Listen
French
English
article(masculine)
article
gros titre(masculine)
headlineFaire les gros titres = to make the headlines.
la une
the front pageÀ la une = on the front page, or among the top stories. No elision: la une, never l'une.
rubrique(feminine)
section (of a paper or site)La rubrique sport, la rubrique culture, la rubrique économie…
grève(feminine)
strikeFaire grève or être en grève = to be on strike.
hausse(feminine)
rise, increaseThe headline noun for « go up ». En hausse = rising.
baisse(feminine)
fall, dropEn baisse = falling.
élection(feminine)
electionOften plural: les élections législatives, les élections municipales.
gouvernement(masculine)
government
Il a dit que…
Listen
French
English
il a dit que…
he said that…
elle a annoncé que…
she announced that…
il a déclaré que…
he stated that…A favourite verb of journalists: le ministre a déclaré que…
elle a expliqué que…
she explained that…
il a demandé si…
he asked whether / if…Report a yes/no question with si: « Tu viens ? » → Il a demandé si je venais.
selon…Selon la police, il n'y a pas de blessés.(According to the police, nobody was injured.)
according to…
d'après…
according to…Same as selon, a little more conversational.
was electedPassive in the passé composé: a été + participle, which agrees with the subject: elle a été élue.
a été arrêté
was arrestedArrêter means to stop, but also to arrest.
ont été blessés
were injuredUn blessé = an injured person. Il n'y a pas de blessés = nobody was hurt.
a été annulé
was cancelled
est organisé par…
is organised by…Par introduces whoever does the action.
sera inauguré
will be (officially) openedFuture passive: sera + participle. Inaugurer = to open a building, bridge or road officially.
on a retrouvé…
…was found / they found…French often prefers on to a passive: on a retrouvé la voiture = the car was found.
victime(feminine)
victim / casualtyAlways feminine, even for a man: Moussa est la seule victime de l'accident.
Example sentences
Le soir, je regarde le journal de 20 heures, mais je m'informe aussi à la radio.In the evening I watch the 8 o'clock news, but I also follow the news on the radio.
Ce matin, la grève des taxis fait la une de tous les journaux.This morning, the taxi strike is on the front page of every paper.
D'après la radio, il y a une grève demain, mais il paraît que les bus vont circuler.According to the radio there's a strike tomorrow, but apparently the buses will be running.
Le maire a été élu dimanche et le nouveau pont sera inauguré en juin.The mayor was elected on Sunday and the new bridge will be opened in June.
À la une ce matin : grève des taxis à Abidjan. Selon la radio, les bus vont circuler normalement.Top story this morning: taxi strike in Abidjan. According to the radio, the buses will run as normal.
Practise it, don't just read it
This unit is part of French Ultimate's B1 course: 5 short lessons with an animated video each, speaking and listening practice, a reading and an end-of-unit test.