Goals What you'll be able to do
By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to…
- 😊 Discuss happiness, values and success.
- 📊 Understand an opinion poll and its percentages.
- 👥 Recognise some emblematic French public figures.
- 🗣️ Handle reported speech in the present (He says that… / She asks if… / I ask what…).
- 🎵 Work on rhythm and breath groups in spoken French.
Discover 📊 First look
The magazine Capital and the polling institute CSA asked French people: "What is the most important thing for having a successful life?" and "Which public figures best symbolise success?". Here are the results.
1. What's the most important thing for having a successful life?
2. Which public figures best symbolise success?
Sœur Emmanuelle
Religion / Humanitarian
35 %Nicolas Sarkozy
Politics
35 %Zinedine Zidane
Sport (football)
33 %Nicolas Hulot
Environment
31 %Jamel Debbouze
Comedy / Entertainment
19 %📝 Notes
- Vivre en conformité avec des principes moraux = to live in line with a moral code. "En conformité avec" = in accordance with, in keeping with.
- Sœur Emmanuelle (1908-2008) — a French Catholic nun famous for her humanitarian work with the rag-pickers of Cairo (Egypt). Often compared to Mother Teresa.
- Nicolas Hulot (1955-) — TV journalist, environmentalist, founder of the Fondation Nicolas-Hulot pour la Nature et l'Homme. France's equivalent of David Attenborough crossed with an environment minister.
- Jamel Debbouze (1975-) — French-Moroccan stand-up comedian and actor, founder of the Jamel Comedy Club in Paris — a launchpad for diverse French stand-up.
- Zinedine Zidane ("Zizou") — World Cup winner with France in 1998, captain in 2006; coached Real Madrid to three Champions League titles in a row.
- Nicolas Sarkozy — President of France 2007-2012; the poll was taken just after his election.
🎙️ The survey on the radio
📖 Transcript
Présentateur : Alors Antoine, de quoi allez-vous nous parler ce matin ?
Antoine : De réussite…
Présentateur : Ah bon !
Antoine : Oui… Le magazine Capital publie cette semaine les résultats d'une enquête intitulée « Réussir sa vie ».
Présentateur : Et alors, qu'est-ce qu'il faut faire pour ça ?
Antoine : Eh bien, si on demande aux Français ce qui est le plus important selon eux pour avoir une vie réussie, ils répondent que c'est d'abord d'avoir une famille heureuse et ensuite de vivre en paix. Les autres points importants : vivre en conformité avec les principes moraux et avoir du temps pour profiter de la vie.
Présentateur : Et l'argent ? La célébrité ?
Antoine : Très peu citées, étonnamment. On a aussi demandé aux Français quelles personnalités symbolisent le mieux la réussite. Et la première personnalité citée est Sœur Emmanuelle, suivie de Nicolas Sarkozy — une religieuse et un homme politique. Les Français citent aussi Zidane. C'est normal, il a une famille, des amis — les Bleus ! — il a de l'argent, et il a fait une belle carrière professionnelle.
Exercise 1 — Match each figure to their field Public figures & fields
Available fields: a. religion · b. environment · c. sport · d. entertainment / comedy · e. politics.
- Jamel Debbouze →
- Nicolas Sarkozy →
- Nicolas Hulot →
- Zinedine Zidane →
- Sœur Emmanuelle →
Vocabulary Words to remember
😊 Happiness & values
📊 Polls & opinion
👤 Public figures & fields
Grammar — Reported speech Indirect / reported speech
Reported (or indirect) speech is used to report what someone says or asks without quoting them word for word. Instead of quotation marks, French uses an introducing verb (dire, demander, raconter, expliquer…) + a linking word (que, si, ce qui, ce que…).
💡 Anglophone tip: French reported speech in the present is mostly one-to-one with English. Il dit que… = "He says that…" / Il demande si… = "He asks if/whether…". Two big differences from English: (1) the word que ("that") cannot be dropped — where English allows "He says he's leaving", French requires "Il dit qu'il part." (2) For "what" in indirect questions, French splits the word into two: ce qui (subject) vs ce que (object) — see the table below.
| Type | Direct speech | Indirect speech | Linking word |
|---|---|---|---|
| Statement declarative |
Il dit : « Je pars demain. » |
Il dit qu'il part demain. (He says (that) he's leaving tomorrow.) |
que |
| Yes/no question yes-no |
Il demande : « Es-tu prêt ? » |
Il demande si tu es prêt. (He asks if/whether you're ready.) |
si |
| Question "What…?" (subject) "what" = subject |
Il demande : « Qu'est-ce qui se passe ? » |
Il demande ce qui se passe. (He asks what's happening.) |
ce qui |
| Question "What…?" (object) "what" = object |
Il demande : « Que fais-tu ? » |
Il demande ce que tu fais. (He asks what you're doing.) |
ce que |
| Question with a question word who, when, where… |
Il demande : « Comment t'appelles-tu ? » « Où vas-tu ? » « Pourquoi pleures-tu ? » |
Il demande comment tu t'appelles. Il demande où tu vas. Il demande pourquoi tu pleures. |
qui où quand comment pourquoi combien quel(le) |
| Command / request imperative |
Il dit : « Viens ici ! » |
Il me demande de venir. (He asks me to come.) |
de + inf |
⚙️ Shifts to make when moving to reported speech
In reported speech, pronouns and possessives shift depending on who is speaking — exactly the same logic as English ("I → he/she", "my → his/her").
| Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|
| Marc dit : « Je pars. » | Marc dit qu'il part. (Marc says he's leaving.) |
| Sophie dit : « Mon frère est malade. » | Sophie dit que son frère est malade. (Sophie says her brother is ill.) |
| Tu me dis : « Tu es prêt(e) ? » | Tu me demandes si je suis prêt(e). (You ask me if I'm ready.) |
🔧 Common introducing verbs
⚠️ Anglophone trap
In English, you can drop "that": "He says he's leaving." In French, the linking word is
compulsory:
❌ « Il dit il part » → ✅ « Il dit qu'il part. »
❌ « Il demande tu vas » → ✅ « Il demande si tu vas. »
Also watch out: French has no tense shift when the introducing verb is in the
present. "He says he is leaving" → « Il dit qu'il part » — the embedded
verb stays in the present. The big sequence-of-tenses headache (présent → imparfait) only
kicks in when the introducing verb is in the past — that's a B1 topic.
Practice Try it out
Exercise 2 — Humanitarian work 🤝 Volunteering
Read Marina's email to her parents, then turn it into reported speech: Mr Vincent (the father) is now telling the news to his sister. Use dire, raconter, préciser, demander, ajouter.
Ma sœur, j'ai eu des nouvelles de Marina aujourd'hui. Elle me elle est arrivée à Pondichéry. Elle elle travaille dans un orphelinat. Elle c'est dur mais passionnant. Et quand je lui quand elle rentre, elle elle ne rentre pas avant trois mois.
Exercise 3 — Interviewing Zidane ⚽ Zidane interview
Turn the questions and answers into reported speech.
- — "Savez-vous que vous faites partie des 5 personnalités les plus citées ?"
→ Le journaliste lui demande . - — "Et vous, comment expliquez-vous ce succès ?"
→ Le journaliste lui demande . - — "Êtes-vous heureux et satisfait de ce que vous avez vécu ?"
→ Le journaliste lui demande . - — Zidane répond : "J'ai une famille et des enfants qui m'aiment."
→ Zidane répond .
Exercise 4 — My interview 🎤 Your own piece
You're a journalist. Pick a public figure (real or invented) and write a short article reporting what they say about happiness or success (120-180 words). Use reported speech with at least 5 different introducing verbs and 2 reported questions. The AI will give feedback 🤖.
Communicate · And you, what do you think? Real-world tasks
With your partner, look at the first question of the poll and say which, in your view, are the 3 most important items for a successful life. Justify your choices.
🎯 Discuss:
- What are the 3 criteria most important to you? Why?
- What surprises you in the poll results?
- In your view, is happiness universal or cultural?
- If you had to name an English-speaking public figure who symbolises success, who would you pick? (David Attenborough? Malala? Taylor Swift? Steve Jobs? Lewis Hamilton?)
- The CSA poll dates from 2007. Do you think the answers would be the same in 2026?
Pronunciation · A question of rhythm! Catching the rhythm
French is pronounced in breath groups (groupes rythmiques), with a slight rising intonation at the end of each group except the last, which falls. This is what gives spoken French its characteristic rhythm. Unlike English, which stresses individual words, French stresses the last syllable of the group.
Example — split into groups ↗ ↘ :
« Si on demande à un Français ↗ /
ce qui est le plus important ↗ /
pour avoir une vie réussie ↗ /
il répondra ↗ /
que c'est d'abord d'avoir une famille heureuse ↗ /
des amis ↗ /
et, ensuite, de pouvoir profiter de la vie ↘ ».
Your turn — slice up the sentences Count the groups
Indicate how many rhythmic groups you hear in each sentence.
- « Avoir une famille heureuse, c'est très important pour beaucoup de Français. » → groups
- « Aujourd'hui, dans le sondage, la famille arrive en tête. » → groups
- « Le bonheur, selon les Français, c'est d'abord la paix, et ensuite la famille. » → groups
🎯 Your turn: repeat each sentence, marking the pauses clearly and lifting your voice at the end of each group.
Happiness in France 🇫🇷 French ideas of happiness
😊 "Gross National Happiness"
France is one of the countries that takes the question of happiness most seriously: it regularly features in the Top 25 of the UN's World Happiness Report. And yet the French themselves consistently report being less happy than the rankings suggest — what's known as the "French happiness paradox". (Compare: the UK is usually around #15-20, the US around #15-25, Australia around #10, and the Nordic countries — Finland, Denmark — typically top the rankings.)
📊 How values shifted (2007 vs 2024)
The 2007 CSA poll above put family first (78 %). In 2024, similar surveys confirm: family is still on top, but ecology, workplace wellbeing and personal development have risen sharply. Career has declined among younger people: they want meaning, not just a paycheque — the French version of the post-pandemic shift you've probably read about in the English-speaking press (the "Great Resignation", "quiet quitting", etc.).
🧘 New symbols of happiness in 2026
- 🌿 The slow life and moving back to the countryside.
- 🧘 Meditation (Petit BamBou, Christophe André).
- 📚 Self-help books (a French bestseller category for the last decade).
- 🚲 Voluntary simplicity and ecological frugality (sobriété).
- 🤝 Social bonds, post-COVID.
🌐 An English-speaker's angle
One striking thing for an Anglophone reader: French public discourse rarely uses the language of "the pursuit of happiness" (an American constitutional phrase). The French speak of le bonheur more as a quiet, contemplative state — closer to the British wellbeing than the American self-actualisation. Books like L'art du bonheur by the philosopher André Comte-Sponville, or Christophe André's work on meditation, are typical entry points. There's also a strong French tradition — going back to Pascal and Camus — of being deeply suspicious of cheerful optimism. Being moderately melancholic is, in some circles, almost a badge of seriousness.