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French registers test for French 4 (free PDF download)

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Formal, Casual and Slang: Choosing Your Register – French 4 test with Zoé, the Français PDF coach

Quick answer: French has three main registers: soutenu (formal, for letters and ceremonies), courant (standard, for school, shops and daily life) and familier (casual, for friends and family). This French 4 test on French registers has 8 questions worth 20 points, to do in 45 minutes: identify the register, slang to standard and verlan and texts. The scoring guide is on a separate page; free printable PDF.

This test checks that French 4 students can identify register, decode slang and write for different readers. Answer all questions in the language requested, and keep the register consistent in each answer.

Level: French 4 (high school, ACTFL Intermediate Mid) · Standards: ACTFL Intermediate Mid, WL 1.2 Interpretive, WL 1.3 Presentational, WL 4.1 Language Comparisons, WL 2.1 Cultural Practices

Time: 45 minutes · 8 questions · Total: 20 points · No dictionary

Question 1 Identify the register (3 points)

Write soutenu, courant or familier.

  1. Avez-vous l’heure, s’il vous plaît ? (1 point)
  2. T’as l’heure ? (1 point)
  3. Vous pouvez me dire l’heure, s’il vous plaît ? (1 point)

Question 2 Slang to standard (3 points)

Give the standard word.

  1. une bagnole (1 point)
  2. le fric (1 point)
  3. un pote (1 point)

Question 3 Verlan and texts (3 points)

Decode.

  1. meuf (1 point)
  2. pk (1 point)
  3. bcp (1 point)

Question 4 Tu or vous, ne or not (2 points)

  1. Complete with tu or vous: Monsieur, ____ avez oublié votre parapluie. (1 point)
  2. Make formal: Je veux pas partir. (1 point)

Question 5 Casual to standard (2 points)

Rewrite in standard French: T’as vu le film hier ? and J’ai pas de boulot. (1 point each)

Question 6 English to French (2 points)

  1. Formal: Could you help me, please? (1 point)
  2. Casual: I don’t have any money. (use a casual word) (1 point)

Question 7 Reading (3 points)

Read, then answer in English.

Two text messages in French: a friend asks where someone is and apologizes about the bus being lateCc ! Tu viens ou pas ? On t’attend.Dsl, j’ai raté mon bus. J’arrive dans 15 min, tkt.Ok, mdr, tu es toujours à la bourre.
Text messages.
  1. What has happened to the second person? (1 point)
  2. What do dsl and tkt mean? (1 point)
  3. What register is it, and why? (1 point)

Question 8 Writing (2 points)

Write 2 sentences in formal French asking a teacher for an extension on a project. (2 points: register, correct French)

See the French Registers test answer key with scoring

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