AP French Language · Unit 5
La vie contemporaine: every key term you need (+ practice quiz)
36 flashcard terms for AP French Language Unit 5, written to match the course framework. Study them here, then drill them as interactive flashcards, or test yourself with the 20-question quiz — free, no account needed.
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La vie contemporaine AP theme covering education, work, leisure, travel, housing, holidays, advertising and rites of daily life in the francophone world.
Le système scolaire français École maternelle (3-6), école élémentaire (6-11), collège (11-15, ends with le brevet), lycée (15-18, ends with le bac).
Les filières du lycée Since the 2019 reform: voie générale with chosen spécialités, voie technologique (STMG, STI2D...) and voie professionnelle.
Parcoursup National online platform (since 2018) where lycéens rank higher-education choices; often criticized for stress and opacity.
Les grandes écoles Elite selective schools (Polytechnique, HEC, ENS, Sciences Po) entered via classes préparatoires and concours.
L'université Public and nearly free (a few hundred euros per year); licence (3 yrs), master (2), doctorat (3), aligned with the LMD European system.
Le SMIC Salaire minimum interprofessionnel de croissance, France's minimum wage, about 1,800 euros gross per month in 2025.
Les 35 heures Legal work week set by the lois Aubry (1998-2000); overtime beyond 35 hours is paid extra or converted to RTT days.
Les congés payés Five weeks of paid vacation guaranteed by law; first won in 1936 under the Front populaire (two weeks then).
La retraite Legal retirement age raised from 62 to 64 by the contested 2023 reform, sparking massive strikes.
Le CDI et le CDD Contrat à durée indéterminée (permanent) vs. contrat à durée déterminée (fixed-term); the CDI is the norm sought by young workers.
Le stage Internship, common in French degrees; a convention de stage is required and stages over two months must be paid.
Le chômage Unemployment, around 7% in France; youth unemployment stays much higher, a recurring exam topic.
Le baccalauréat professionnel Three-year vocational bac combining school and company placements; leads to work or BTS.
L'apprentissage Apprenticeship alternating school and employer; strongly subsidized since 2020, over 800,000 contracts signed yearly.
Les grandes vacances Summer school break of about two months (early July to early September); families leave in juillet or août ('juilletistes' vs 'aoûtiens').
Les vacances par zones France staggers winter and spring school holidays across zones A, B and C to spread ski-season traffic.
Le Tour de France Cycling race held every July since 1903; the maillot jaune identifies the leader.
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Le football France won the World Cup in 1998 and 2018; the 1998 'black-blanc-beur' team became a symbol of multicultural France.
La pétanque Southern French boules game played on gravel; symbol of leisure and village life.
Le marché Open-air market, weekly in most towns; buying local produce remains a daily-life ritual.
La baguette Artisanal baguette know-how added to UNESCO's intangible heritage list in 2022; about 6 billion baguettes are sold annually.
Le café Social hub for l'apéro and conversation; le café-terrasse culture is protected as part of Parisian identity.
Le logement HLM (habitations à loyer modéré) house about 10 million people; la crise du logement affects big cities.
Le permis de conduire Driving license possible at 17 since 2024; la conduite accompagnée begins at 15.
Le covoiturage Ride-sharing popularized by BlaBlaCar; the government offers a bonus for regular short-distance carpooling.
Les transports en commun Métro, RER, tramway, TER; le pass Navigo in Île-de-France; many cities offer free buses (Montpellier since 2023).
La publicité Advertising: la loi Évin (1991) restricts alcohol and tobacco ads; food ads must carry 'Mangez cinq fruits et légumes par jour'.
Le Nutri-Score Five-color food label from A to E introduced in France in 2017 to guide healthier choices.
Les fêtes et jours fériés 11 public holidays including 14 juillet, 1er mai (le muguet), 11 novembre, Toussaint; le pont links a holiday to a weekend.
La Chandeleur et l'Épiphanie February 2 crêpes and January galette des rois with la fève; secular family traditions.
Le bénévolat étudiant Students volunteer through associations; l'engagement can be recognized in the diploma since 2017.
Le budget des étudiants Bourses sur critères sociaux (CROUS), le resto U with meals at 3.30 euros, and le job étudiant.
Le mode de vie au Québec Cégep between secondary school and university, cabane à sucre in spring, Fête nationale on June 24.
La vie quotidienne au Sénégal Le thiéboudienne as national dish, l'attaya tea ceremony, la teranga (hospitality) as a core value.
Vocabulaire du travail Postuler, un CV, une lettre de motivation, un entretien d'embauche, embaucher, licencier, une augmentation.
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