Goals What you'll be able to do
By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to…
- 📊 Understand and fill out an online opinion survey.
- 💼 Talk about values at work (pay, holidays, atmosphere, meaning, responsibilities…).
- ⚖️ Choose between indicative and present subjunctive after verbs of opinion, wish, and feeling.
- 🗣️ Express disagreement and debate.
- 🎵 Recognise the tones of emotions: doubt, complaint, enthusiasm, anger.
Discover 💭 First contact
Here's an online opinion survey about values at work. You can take part for free and… earn some money! Read the statements and rate your level of agreement on a scale of 4 (totally agree → not at all).
📊 Take opinion surveys and earn money!
Signing up is free. Read each of the following statements. For each one, say whether you are:
QUESTIONS DE VALEURS — Il est pour vous extrêmement important d'avoir un emploi avec…
Exercise 1 — Online survey Read & understand
Answer the questions about the website above.
- What can you do on this site?
→ - How much does signing up cost?
→ - What does the site offer to encourage people to take part?
→
🎙️ Vox pop · What does he think?
Exercise 2 — What did he say? Listening comprehension
Listen and choose the right answer.
- The journalist asks the guest what he thinks about:
- According to him, the most important thing in a job is:
- To change mindsets, according to him, we need:
Exercise 3 — Statement 1 · "A very good salary" First statement
According to the passer-by interviewed, which answer would he choose for the 1st statement ("un très bon salaire")?
Vocabulary Words to remember
💼 Work & employment
📊 Survey & opinion
🌍 Society & values
Grammar — Indicative or subjunctive? A French mood that English barely uses
The subjunctive (le subjonctif) is a mood that expresses what is not certain: a wish, feeling, doubt, will, obligation. It is used a lot in French — far more than in English. The rule: it's the verb or conjunction right before it that decides.
💡 For English speakers: English still has a subjunctive, but mostly in formal/fixed phrases — "I suggest he be there," "If I were you," "It's important that he arrive on time." In French, this same idea (uncertainty, desire, obligation) is grammaticalised everywhere. Where English says "I want you to come" (infinitive), French must say « Je veux que tu viennes » — subjunctive, with a new conjugation. There's no infinitive shortcut.
| After… | Mood used | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 🟢 verbs of opinion / certainty (positive) penser, croire, dire, savoir, être sûr/certain que, il est clair/évident que… |
indicative | Je pense que tu vas réussir. (I think you'll succeed.) Je suis sûr qu'il est heureux. (I'm sure he's happy.) |
| 🔴 opinion verbs in the negative / interrogative ne pas penser, ne pas croire, ne pas être sûr… |
subjunctive | Je ne pense pas que ce soit important. (I don't think it's important.) Je ne crois pas qu'il vienne. (I don't think he'll come.) |
| 🟣 verbs of will / wish vouloir, désirer, souhaiter, aimer, préférer, exiger que… |
subjunctive | Je veux que tu viennes avec nous. (I want you to come with us.) Je préfère que tu fasses tes devoirs avant. (I'd rather you do your homework first.) |
| 🟡 verbs of necessity / obligation il faut que, il est nécessaire que, il vaut mieux que… |
subjunctive | Il faut qu'on oblige les chômeurs à accepter un emploi. Il vaut mieux que tu partes tôt. (You'd better leave early.) |
| 🟠 verbs of feeling être content/heureux/triste/désolé/étonné que, regretter que, avoir peur que… |
subjunctive | Je regrette que tu ne viennes pas. (I'm sorry you're not coming.) Je suis content que tu sois là. (I'm glad you're here.) |
| ⚫ conjunctions of purpose, time, concession pour que, afin que, avant que, bien que, jusqu'à ce que, à condition que… |
subjunctive | Je t'aide pour que tu réussisses. (I'm helping you so you succeed.) Bien qu'il soit riche, il n'est pas heureux. (Although he's rich, he isn't happy.) |
⚙️ Quick formation of the present subjunctive
Take the stem of the 3rd person plural (ils / elles) in the present, + endings -e, -es, -e, -ions, -iez, -ent.
| Verb | Present (ils) | Subjunctive (que je) |
|---|---|---|
| parler | ils parl-ent | que je parl-e |
| finir | ils finiss-ent | que je finiss-e |
| venir | ils vienn-ent | que je vienn-e |
| ⚠️ 5 irregulars to learn by heart: | ||
| être | que je sois, que tu sois, qu'il soit, que nous soyons, que vous soyez, qu'ils soient | |
| avoir | que j'aie, que tu aies, qu'il ait, que nous ayons, que vous ayez, qu'ils aient | |
| aller | que j'aille, que tu ailles, qu'il aille, que nous allions, que vous alliez, qu'ils aillent | |
| faire | que je fasse, que tu fasses, qu'il fasse… | |
| pouvoir | que je puisse, que tu puisses, qu'il puisse… | |
💡 The English-speaker trick
English mostly avoids the subjunctive by using infinitives ("I want him to leave") or modals ("I'd like him to leave"). French can't do that when there's a subject change — you must use que + a new conjugated verb. The trick: don't think "what does the subjunctive mean", just memorise the triggers — « il faut que… », « je veux que… », « pour que… », « bien que… » are flashing lights announcing the subjunctive!
Practice Try it out
Exercise 4 — I disagree! 😤 Indic. or subj.?
Conjugate the bracketed verbs in the right mood and tense. Watch out for the subjunctive!
— Selon moi, il faudrait qu'on (obliger →)
les chômeurs à accepter un emploi disponible. Je suis sûr qu'il y en (avoir →)
qui peuvent essayer.
— Mais ça ne va pas, non ! Tu crois qu'on (savoir →)
ce qu'est le chômage ?! J'aimerais bien que tu (avoir →)
un peu plus de cœur. Tu ne crois pas qu'il (être →)
difficile de retrouver du travail aujourd'hui ?
— Tu (être →)
vraiment moderne, toi ! Je ne (comprendre →)
pas ce que tu veux dire.
— J'ai très bien compris, merci !
Exercise 5 — Match them up 🔗 Beginnings & endings
Match each beginning (1-4) with the right ending (a-d). Mind the mood required!
Beginnings
- Je pense que les gens…
- Il faudrait que vous…
- Je ne crois pas que les gens…
- Il est certain que…
Endings
- trouvent toujours un travail bien payé. (subj.)
- sont prêts à travailler plus aujourd'hui. (indic.)
- la société d'aujourd'hui est centrée sur la réussite. (indic.)
- preniez de bonnes décisions. (subj.)
- Beginning 1 →
- Beginning 2 →
- Beginning 3 →
- Beginning 4 →
Exercise 6 — What do you think? Rewrite with "Je ne pense pas que…"
Rewrite the sentence using « Je ne pense pas que… ». Careful: you need to switch to the subjunctive!
🎯 Example: Est-ce que la vie de famille est moins importante aujourd'hui ?
→ Je ne pense pas que la vie de famille soit moins importante aujourd'hui.
- Les choses ont changé. → Je ne pense pas que les choses .
- La famille est encore une valeur importante. → Je ne pense pas que la famille .
- Il y a plus de solidarité dans notre société. → Je ne pense pas qu'il .
- On peut éviter le chômage. → Je ne pense pas qu'on .
- Certains choisissent d'être au chômage. → Je ne pense pas que certains .
Exercise 7 — Your opinion 💭 AI-graded
Pick 3-4 statements from the survey above and give your opinion with justifications (120-180 words). Use at least 3 subjunctives (after « je ne pense pas que », « il faut que », « pour que », « bien que »…) and at least 2 indicatives (after « je pense que », « je suis sûr que »…). The AI will mark it 🤖.
Communicate · Your turn Real-world tasks
With a partner, fill in the questionnaire above together. Justify your answers for each statement and discuss where you disagree.
🎯 Going further:
- In your view, what are the 3 most important criteria for a job?
- Do you think these criteria are the same in your country and in France?
- Have you ever taken a job just for the money? Would you do it again?
- What criteria would your parents give? And your friends?
Pronunciation · What tone? Spotting emotion in the voice
In speech, the same word can express 4 different emotions depending on intonation: doubt 🤔, complaint 😩, enthusiasm 😊, anger 😡. Listen carefully and try to reproduce each tone.
Identify the emotion D / P / E / C
For each sentence, write Doubt, Plaint, Enthusiasm or Colère (anger).
- « Ah bon ? » 🤨 (rising, questioning)
- « Ah bon ! » 😩 (falling, weary)
- « Ah bon ! » 😊 (bright and cheerful)
- « Ah bon ?! » 😡 (sharp and forceful)
- « C'est sûr ! » 😊 (cheerful conviction)
- « C'est sûr… » 🤔 (hesitant)
🎯 Your turn: say each expression with 4 different tones. Play with your voice! French intonation is very expressive — much more variation than a flat English "Oh, really."
Work in France 🇫🇷 French workplace culture
⏰ The 35-hour week
Since 2000, the legal working week in France has been 35 hours (the Aubry law, Jospin government). It's one of the shortest in the world. Beyond that, overtime hours are paid at a higher rate. French workers also get 5 weeks of paid holiday a year + about 10 public holidays. Compare this to the UK (28 days statutory minimum including bank holidays), the US (no federal mandate at all), or Australia (4 weeks minimum) — France is generous.
📊 Work by the numbers
working time
(2024)
age (since 2023)
(gross, 2024)
🌿 Quiet quitting & meaning at work
Since COVID, a new mindset has spread in France just like everywhere else: young people (Gen Z) look for meaning before salary. Refusing unpaid overtime, refusing "presenteeism", refusing burn-out — this is quiet quitting (in French sometimes "démission silencieuse"). The top values in 2026: work-life balance, atmosphere, meaning, remote work. The same shift is well documented in the UK, the US and Australia — the vocabulary travels.
🇬🇧🇺🇸 vs 🇫🇷
In the US, "hustle culture" and the 40+ hour week have long been celebrated, with very limited statutory holiday. The UK sits in the middle — the legal cap is 48 hours (with an opt-out), and minimum paid leave is 28 days including bank holidays. In France, work-life balance is protected by law (35 h, paid leave, a "right to disconnect" from work emails since 2017) — a system many envy! When French people hear that an American has 10 vacation days a year, they're genuinely shocked.