French Chapter 1: Greetings, Accents, Alphabet, Numbers & Gestures: 20 MCQs with answers

A · Bonsoir

**Bonsoir** is used in the evening. **Bonjour** is for morning to about 6 p.m.; **Bonne nuit** is only for parting at bedtime; **Salut** is too informal for a friend's parents.

C · Bonjour

**Bonjour** is the polite default with strangers and elders. **Salut** is informal, **Bof** is an expression of indifference, and **À bientôt** means 'see you soon'.

C · cédille

The **cédille** (ç) appears under the c in *ça* and forces a soft *s* sound, so *ça* is pronounced *sa*, not *ka*.

C · jé

**G** is *jé* and **J** is *ji* — the reverse of English intuition. *Euh* is E and *air* is R.

D · huit

The sequence is *six, sept, huit, neuf, dix* — so after *sept* comes **huit**.

C · s'il vous plaît

**S'il vous plaît** is the formal 'please', matching *vous*. *S'il te plaît* is informal; *pardon* and *excusez-moi* are apologies/attention-getters.

A · True

French has five accent marks — **aigu**, **grave**, **circonflexe**, **tréma**, and **cédille** — and each changes pronunciation or meaning.

A · Pardon

**Pardon** is for a small bump. **Excusez-moi** is for getting attention, **s'il vous plaît** is 'please', and **bof** means 'meh'.

C · Spell the word or name

*Comment ça s'écrit ?* means 'How is it spelled?' — this is exactly where the French alphabet becomes a **repair tool**.

C · To show the two vowels are pronounced separately

The **tréma** signals two separate vowel sounds: *Noël* is *no-el*, not *nwel*. It has nothing to do with gender or consonant softening.

B · Comment allez-vous ? / Ça va ?

**Comment allez-vous ?** is formal (vous) and **Ça va ?** is informal. The other pairs are greetings or farewells, not 'how are you?' questions.

A · si-zan

Before a vowel sound, *six* keeps its final consonant and links: *six ans* → **si-zan**. Before a consonant it would drop the sound.

A · It is always silent

The letter **h** is **always silent** in French — e.g. *heureux* begins with a vowel sound, not an h sound.

A · Meh / not great

The **bof shrug** means 'meh / not great'. The pinched-fingers gesture means 'perfect', and *à bientôt* means 'see you soon'.

D · Salut

**Salut** is informal and belongs with friends, peers, or people you already know. With a teacher, use *Bonjour* and *Comment allez-vous ?*.

B · G = jé, J = ji

English speakers expect G to sound like 'gee' and J like 'jay'; in French it is the opposite: **G = jé**, **J = ji**. The other pairs are correct but not 'reversed'.

B · The listener may become confused and mishear the name.

The correct option is true because saying 'ji' instead of 'jé' can lead to confusion, as the names of letters differ in French and can change the intended message.

D · It will be seen as a register error, causing discomfort.

The correct option is true because using 'Salut' with a teacher is a register error that can lead to discomfort and a lack of respect in the conversation.

D · The learner demonstrates a lack of understanding of French spelling rules.

The correct option is true because omitting the accent changes the word and reflects a misunderstanding of the importance of accents in French.

A · It is spelled 'A-N-D-R-E'.

The correct option is true because spelling a name letter by letter using the French alphabet (like 'A-N-D-R-E') is the appropriate response to the question about spelling.