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1. Talking about family and weather

Pour parler de sujets familiers en anglais, il faut maîtriser le vocabulaire de base sur la famille et la météo, ainsi que les structures pour poser des questions simples et y répondre naturellement.

Family vocabulary

parents, siblings (brothers/sisters), grandparents, cousins, in-laws, an only child, twins, the eldest/the youngest, a single-parent family, to get on well with sb

Dialogue

A: Do you have any brothers or sisters?
B: Yes, I have an elder brother and a younger sister. My brother is a student at university and my sister is still at primary school.
A: That's a nice family! Do you live with your grandparents too?
B: No, they live in the village, but we visit them every holiday.

Weather vocabulary

sunny, cloudy, rainy, stormy, windy, hot, humid, dry season, rainy season, it's pouring, a heatwave, a downpour

Exemple

A: What's the weather like today?
B: It's very hot and humid — typical of the dry season here in Congo. Yesterday it was cloudy and it rained heavily in the afternoon.

2. Talking about plans (future arrangements)

Règle

BE GOING TO + base verbale : pour une intention, un projet déjà décidé.
I'm going to visit my uncle next weekend.
PRESENT CONTINUOUS (be + V-ing) : pour un arrangement précis, avec heure et lieu déjà fixés.
We're meeting at the stadium at 5 pm on Saturday.
WILL : pour une décision spontanée ou une prédiction non planifiée.
I think it will rain tomorrow.

Dialogue

A: What are you doing this weekend?
B: I'm going to help my mother at the market on Saturday morning, and in the afternoon I'm meeting my friends to prepare for the exam.
A: Sounds busy! I'll probably stay home and rest.

3. Education, social issues, health, nutrition, sport and leisure

Ce vocabulaire thématique permet de discuter à l'oral comme à l'écrit de sujets de société courants dans les épreuves d'anglais.

ThèmeVocabulaire anglaisTraduction
Educationtuition fees, dropout, illiteracy, scholarship, compulsory educationfrais de scolarité, abandon scolaire, analphabétisme, bourse, scolarité obligatoire
Social issuespoverty, unemployment, child labour, inequality, street childrenpauvreté, chômage, travail des enfants, inégalité, enfants de la rue
Healtha balanced diet, junk food, to stay fit, a check-up, malariaune alimentation équilibrée, malbouffe, rester en forme, une visite médicale, paludisme
Nutritionvitamins, fibre, vegetables, to skip a meal, to overeatvitamines, fibres, légumes, sauter un repas, trop manger
Sport / Leisureto work out, a referee, a supporter, board games, to hang outs'entraîner, un arbitre, un supporter, jeux de société, sortir/traîner entre amis

4. Telephoning: apologies, complaints and compliments

Au téléphone, l'anglais utilise des formules figées qu'il faut mémoriser pour sonner naturel et rester poli, même en cas de désaccord.

FonctionExpression anglaiseTraduction
AnsweringHello, this is... speaking.Allô, c'est... à l'appareil.
Asking to speak to sbCould I speak to..., please?Pourrais-je parler à..., s'il vous plaît ?
ApologisingI'm so sorry for the delay. / I do apologise for the inconvenience.Je suis vraiment désolé pour le retard. / Je vous présente mes excuses pour le désagrément.
ComplainingI'm calling to complain about... / This is not acceptable.J'appelle pour me plaindre de... / Ce n'est pas acceptable.
ComplimentingThat's very kind of you! / You did a great job.C'est très aimable à vous ! / Vous avez fait du bon travail.
Ending a callThanks for calling. Talk to you soon. / Bye for now.Merci d'avoir appelé. À bientôt. / Au revoir.

5. Describing a process, a sequence, a recipe or a story

Pour décrire une suite d'actions (recette, expérience scientifique, histoire), on utilise des connecteurs séquentiels qui organisent le récit dans le temps.

Connecteurs

First (of all)... / Then... / Next... / After that... / Meanwhile... / Finally / In the end...

Exemple — A simple recipe: Congolese-style fried plantains

First, peel the ripe plantains and cut them into slices.
Then, heat some oil in a frying pan.
Next, put the slices in the hot oil and fry them for about three minutes on each side.
After that, take them out and put them on a plate with paper towel to remove the extra oil.
Finally, serve them hot with beans or grilled fish.

6. Comparatives and superlatives

Type d'adjectifComparatifSuperlatifExemple
Court (1 syllabe)adj + -er + thanthe + adj + -esttall → taller than → the tallest
Court finissant par -eadj + -r + thanthe + adj + -stnice → nicer than → the nicest
Consonne-voyelle-consonneon double la consonne finaleidembig → bigger than → the biggest
Long (2 syllabes ou plus)more + adj + thanthe most + adjexpensive → more expensive than → the most expensive
Irréguliersgood → better → the best ; bad → worse → the worst ; far → farther/further → the farthest/furthest
Égalité / infériorité

as + adjectif + as (aussi... que) : Brazzaville is as lively as Pointe-Noire.
not as/so + adjectif + as (moins... que) : This book is not as interesting as the other one.

Exemple

Pointe-Noire is bigger than Dolisie, but Brazzaville is the biggest city in the Republic of Congo.
Football is more popular than basketball here, but for many people athletics is the most exciting sport of all.

🎯 L'essentiel à retenir

  • Pour parler de la famille et de la météo, maîtrise le vocabulaire de base et les questions simples (What's the weather like? Do you have brothers or sisters?).
  • BE GOING TO = intention/projet ; PRESENT CONTINUOUS = arrangement précis (heure/lieu fixés) ; WILL = décision spontanée ou prédiction.
  • Les thèmes education, health, nutrition, sport nécessitent un vocabulaire précis, réutilisable à l'oral comme à l'écrit.
  • Au téléphone, utilise les formules figées pour t'excuser, te plaindre ou complimenter tout en restant poli.
  • Pour décrire un processus ou une recette, structure ton discours avec first, then, next, after that, finally.
  • Comparatif court : -er/-est ; long : more/the most ; formes irrégulières à mémoriser (good/bad/far) ; as...as pour l'égalité.
1

Family & weather vocabulary

Facile

Complète les phrases avec le mot qui convient : siblings, grandparents, cloudy, rainy, humid.

  1. My ___ live in the village and I visit them every holiday.
  2. Do you have any ___? Yes, I have two brothers.
  3. It's very ___ today — I think it's going to rain soon.
  4. During the ___ season, it rains almost every day.
  5. Congo's climate is hot and ___.
Correction
  1. grandparents — grands-parents
  2. siblings — frères et sœurs
  3. cloudy — nuageux
  4. rainy — pluvieuse
  5. humid — humide
2

Comparatives and superlatives

Moyen

Mets l'adjectif entre parenthèses au comparatif ou au superlatif selon le contexte.

  1. Brazzaville is (big) ___ than Dolisie.
  2. This is (interesting) ___ book I have ever read.
  3. My sister is (young) ___ than me.
  4. Malaria is (dangerous) ___ disease in our region.
  5. English is (easy) ___ than French, in my opinion.
Correction
  1. bigger — adjectif court + er
  2. the most interesting — adjectif long, superlatif
  3. younger — adjectif court + er
  4. the most dangerous — adjectif long, superlatif
  5. easier — adjectif en -y → -ier
3

Describing a process: ginger tea

Moyen

Remets ces phrases dans le bon ordre logique pour décrire la préparation d'un thé au gingembre, en ajoutant un connecteur séquentiel (First, Then, Next, After that, Finally) devant chacune.

  1. Add sugar to taste and stir well.
  2. Boil water in a pot for five minutes with sliced ginger.
  3. Pour the tea into a cup through a strainer.
  4. Let the tea rest for two minutes.
  5. Serve the tea hot.
Correction
  1. First, boil water in a pot for five minutes with sliced ginger.
  2. Then, let the tea rest for two minutes.
  3. Next, pour the tea into a cup through a strainer.
  4. After that, add sugar to taste and stir well.
  5. Finally, serve the tea hot.
4

My holiday plans

Difficile

Rédige un court paragraphe (5 phrases minimum) décrivant tes projets pour les prochaines grandes vacances. Utilise au moins une fois be going to, une fois le present continuous et une fois will, de façon appropriée.

Proposition de correction

"During the holidays, I'm going to visit my grandparents in the village because I haven't seen them for a long time (be going to = intention). On the 15th, I'm meeting my cousins at the river at 9 am; we've already arranged everything (present continuous = arrangement précis). I'm also going to help my mother sell vegetables at the market. I think I will also read two novels for school, but I'm not sure yet which ones (will = décision non encore fixée). It's going to be a busy but enjoyable holiday!"

🎓

Niveau Bac — Phone complaint & comparing two cities

Bac

A) Tu appelles le service client d'une compagnie de bus car ton bus est arrivé avec deux heures de retard. Rédige un dialogue téléphonique complet (au moins 8 répliques) dans lequel : tu te plains poliment, l'employé s'excuse, et tu termines par un compliment sur la façon dont il/elle a géré la situation.

B) Ensuite, compare Brazzaville et Pointe-Noire (population, animation, climat, coût de la vie) en au moins 5 phrases, en utilisant des comparatifs et des superlatifs variés.

Correction complète

A) Phone dialogue

  1. Employee: Hello, Trans-Congo Bus Company, this is Aline speaking. How can I help you?
  2. Customer: Hello. I'm calling to complain about the bus from Pointe-Noire to Brazzaville this morning. It arrived two hours late.
  3. Employee: I'm so sorry to hear that. Could you tell me the bus number, please?
  4. Customer: Yes, it was bus number 12, the 6 am departure.
  5. Employee: I do apologise for the inconvenience. There was a mechanical problem, and this is not acceptable, you're right. I will make sure this is reported.
  6. Customer: Thank you. I missed an important appointment because of the delay.
  7. Employee: I completely understand, and I'm really sorry. We would like to offer you a free ticket for your next trip.
  8. Customer: That's very kind of you! You handled this situation very professionally. Thank you for your help.
  9. Employee: Thanks for calling, and sorry again. Talk to you soon. Bye for now.

B) Comparing Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire

Brazzaville is bigger than Pointe-Noire in terms of population, and it is the biggest city in the Republic of Congo. However, Pointe-Noire is more lively than Brazzaville at night because of its port and its beaches. The climate in Pointe-Noire is more humid than in Brazzaville, but Brazzaville can be hotter during the dry season. In general, the cost of living in Pointe-Noire is higher than in Brazzaville, which makes Brazzaville the cheapest of the two cities to live in. Overall, both cities are important, but Brazzaville remains the most influential city because it is the political capital.

🎯 Testez vos connaissances

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Question 1/10

What is the correct comparative form of "big"?

Question 2/10

"Everest is ___ mountain in the world."

Question 3/10

Which sentence correctly uses "as...as"?

Question 4/10

"We ___ at the stadium at 5 pm on Saturday." (l'arrangement est déjà fixé)

Question 5/10

Which word means "frères et sœurs" in English?

Question 6/10

What does "It's pouring" mean?

Question 7/10

"I'm calling to ___ about the delay of my order."

Question 8/10

Choose the polite way to apologise on the phone.

Question 9/10

Which connector introduces the last step of a process?

Question 10/10

What is the irregular comparative form of "good"?

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