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Lesson 38.06B1
Giving a Structured Presentation
Giving a Structured Presentation
A structured French oral presentation (exposé) leans on a specific set of signpost phrases to organize ideas — useful both for oral exams and for real-world presentations.
Grammar Comparison
Grammar Comparison
tout d'abord / ensuite / enfin — sequencing adverbs
French
Tout d'abord, je vais parler de... Ensuite... Enfin...
English
First of all, I'm going to talk about... Next... Finally...
English uses a similarly small signpost set ('first, next, finally'), so the concept transfers directly — the main new task is simply learning the French words rather than any new grammar. Note that these structuring adverbs themselves don't take que or trigger any special mood, unlike some of the more complex connectors you'll meet at B2 and C1 that do govern subjonctif.
Vocabulary
Vocabulary
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| tout d'abord | too dah-BOR | first of all |
| ensuite | ahn-SWEET | next/then |
| puis | pwee | then |
| enfin | ahn-FAN | finally |
| pour conclure | poor kon-KLUR | to conclude |
| en premier lieu | ahn pruh-mee-AY lyuh | in the first place |
| d'une part...d'autre part | dun par...DOH-truh par | on the one hand...on the other hand |
| il s'agit de | eel sah-ZHEE duh | it is about/a matter of |
| aborder un sujet | ah-bor-DAY uhn su-ZHEH | to address a topic |
| développer une idée | dayv-loh-PAY un ee-DAY | to develop an idea |
| en résumé | ahn ray-zu-MAY | in summary |
| un plan | uhn plahn | an outline/structure |