Title: prep2go · DELF B2 Grammar LITE — 50 key concepts

Front: How to use this deck
Back: Purpose: This deck is built for fast grammar study for the DELF B2 exam.
How it helps: Use it to lock the main B2 grammar patterns into memory quickly through spaced repetition, not to replace full preparation.
Prep2Go: This deck is a companion product to prep2go.study and works best alongside the site's mocks, exercises, and study plan.
Focus: DELF B2 expects range and control. This deck focuses on the grammar that changes your score at B2: articles and agreement, subjunctive, conditional, tense control, nuanced verbs, semi-modals, passive voice, nominalisation, sentence architecture, connectors, pronouns, data language, spatial description, colour idioms, high-frequency verbs, and writing formulas.
Why this matters: B2 is not about knowing one more tense. It is about sounding precise, structured, and natural under exam pressure.
Study tip: Read the explanation first, say the French example aloud, then look at the image so the pattern sticks faster.
ExamplesBlock: Complete B2 French grammar for DELF: subjunctive (7 triggers + full irregular tables), conditional (politeness, hypothesis, journalistic would), passé composé agreements, nominalisation, colours and idioms, 40+ discourse connectors, and a marked model essay.

Front: What changes at DELF B2
Back: Meaning: B2 French is not just 'more vocabulary'. It is control over nuance, register, clause structure, and argument flow.
Remember: examiners reward precision under pressure, so grammar must support ideas rather than slow you down.
ExamplesBlock: Le président signe la loi
The president signs the law.

Front: Agreement errors hurt at B2
Back: Meaning: Missing articles, wrong gender, or broken adjective agreement makes otherwise advanced French sound unstable.
Remember: lexical range matters, but agreement is what keeps the whole sentence believable.
ExamplesBlock: Je bois du café. I drink coffee.

Front: Why the subjunctive matters at B2
Back: Meaning: The subjunctive marks subjectivity: wish, emotion, doubt, necessity, judgement, concession, and restriction.
Remember: B2 starts where you can choose between indicative certainty and subjunctive attitude.
ExamplesBlock: Il faut que nous agissions.
We must act.

Front: When certainty blocks the subjunctive
Back: Meaning: The subjunctive appears after uncertainty or evaluation. Strong certainty usually keeps the indicative.
Contrast: je doute que... -> subjunctive, but je sais que... -> indicative.
ExamplesBlock: Je doute qu'il vienne.
I doubt he is coming.

Front: The conditional has three big jobs
Back: Meaning: At B2, the conditional is used for politeness, hypothesis/result, and reported information with distance.
Remember: it softens tone and marks uncertainty without sounding childish.
ExamplesBlock: Selon la presse, le ministre démissionnerait.
According to the press, the minister would be resigning.

Front: B2 tense control means choosing viewpoint
Back: Meaning: DELF B2 expects you to choose between completed events, background, anteriority, and ongoing relevance.
Remember: tense choice is not mechanical; it changes how the reader sees the event.
ExamplesBlock: La France compte 68 millions d'habitants
France has 68 million inhabitants.

Front: One French verb can hide several meanings
Back: Meaning: High-frequency verbs like mettre, prendre, porter, conduire, and tirer expand across literal and abstract uses.
Remember: B2 range often comes from mastering one familiar verb in several contexts.
ExamplesBlock: (rendre + adjective)

Front: Semi-modals raise your register fast
Back: Meaning: B2 French often replaces simple modals with phrase-level structures such as être en mesure de or être susceptible de.
Remember: this is one of the easiest upgrades from B1 wording to B2 wording.
ExamplesBlock: Ce projet est susceptible d'échouer.
This project is likely to fail.

Front: The passive shifts the spotlight
Back: Meaning: Use the passive when the action or result matters more than the doer.
Remember: reports, journalism, and formal summaries often prefer result-first phrasing.
ExamplesBlock: Des mesures ont été prises.
Measures were taken.

Front: Nominalisation sounds more abstract
Back: Meaning: B2 writing often compresses actions into nouns: analyser -> l'analyse, décider -> la décision.
Remember: nominalisation creates a denser, more formal register for essays and reports.
ExamplesBlock: La mise en œuvre de la réforme...
The implementation of the reform...

Front: Relative pronouns build longer sentences
Back: Meaning: qui, que, où, dont, and lequel let you merge two short sentences into one controlled B2 sentence.
Remember: sentence architecture is a core difference between B1 and B2.
ExamplesBlock: J'ai rencontré une femme qui dirige une ONG.

Front: Connectors are argument architecture
Back: Meaning: At B2, connectors do not just link ideas; they signal logic, concession, cause, illustration, and conclusion.
Remember: vary categories on purpose instead of repeating et / mais / donc everywhere.
ExamplesBlock: Certes... Néanmoins... C'est pourquoi... En définitive...

Front: Pronouns make B2 writing less repetitive
Back: Meaning: Relative, demonstrative, and indefinite pronouns let you refer back precisely without repeating nouns.
Remember: this keeps your writing compact and natural.
ExamplesBlock: dont
whose / of which / about which

Front: Data language is part of grammar too
Back: Meaning: DELF reading and oral tasks often require numbers, percentages, trends, proportions, and timeline language.
Remember: if you cannot describe change precisely, you lose clarity even with good ideas.
ExamplesBlock: (≠ English billion)

Front: Spatial language improves oral precision
Back: Meaning: In document description or spoken tasks, direction and position vocabulary makes your French more exact.
Remember: B2 description is specific, not vague.
ExamplesBlock: Tournez à droite.

Front: Colour words can be literal or idiomatic
Back: Meaning: At B2, colours expand into idioms, politics, journalism, and document description.
Remember: range includes cultural meaning, not only naming the colour itself.
ExamplesBlock: blanche blancs blanches

Front: The 50 DELF verbs are topic verbs
Back: Meaning: This article's verb list focuses on education, society, environment, politics, economy, and public debate.
Remember: these are the verbs that help you speak about DELF themes, not just daily life.
ExamplesBlock: Il affirme que c'est vrai.

Front: A strong DELF essay has five moves
Back: Structure: introduction, argument 1, argument 2, counter-argument plus refutation, conclusion.
Remember: grammar choices serve this structure. Good formulas reduce hesitation so you can focus on content.
ExamplesBlock: La question de... est au cœur du débat actuel.
The question of... is at the heart of current debate.

Front: Si + imparfait -> conditional
Back: Meaning: In French hypothesis, si + imperfect sets the condition and the conditional gives the imagined result.
Remember: never use the conditional directly after si in this classic pattern.
ExamplesBlock: Si j'avais plus de temps, je lirais davantage.
If I had more time, I would read more.

Front: Journalistic conditional creates distance
Back: Meaning: The press uses the conditional to report something not yet fully confirmed.
Remember: it signals caution, not fantasy.
ExamplesBlock: Le ministre démissionnerait demain.
The minister is reportedly resigning tomorrow.

Front: Passive voice = être + past participle
Back: Meaning: The passive is built with être plus the past participle, which agrees with the subject.
Remember: keep agreement visible, especially in feminine and plural forms.
ExamplesBlock: La loi a été adoptée.
The law was adopted.

Front: Subjunctive stem: qu'il
Back: Meaning: -e.
Know the stem pattern so the subjunctive form does not freeze you during writing or speaking.
ExamplesBlock: qu'ils -ent

Front: Subjunctive stem: que je
Back: Meaning: -e.
Know the stem pattern so the subjunctive form does not freeze you during writing or speaking.
ExamplesBlock: que nous -ions

Front: Subjunctive stem: que tu
Back: Meaning: -es.
Know the stem pattern so the subjunctive form does not freeze you during writing or speaking.
ExamplesBlock: que vous -iez

Front: Argument essay opener vs filler opener
Back: Meaning: B2 essays open by framing the issue, not by vague filler such as 'Aujourd'hui, on va parler de...'.
Remember: the opening should place the topic inside a debate immediately.
ExamplesBlock: La question de... est au cœur du débat actuel.

Front: Connectors should come from several categories
Back: Meaning: A strong B2 essay mixes addition, contrast, cause/consequence, illustration, and conclusion markers.
Remember: repetition makes the text sound flat even if every single connector is correct.
ExamplesBlock: de plus / cependant / c'est pourquoi / par exemple / en définitive

Front: Core modal: devoir
Back: Meaning: must / should / owe.
These are the base modals before you upgrade into more formal semi-modal structures.
ExamplesBlock: Je dois partir. / Tu lui dois des excuses.

Front: Core modal: falloir (il)
Back: Meaning: must / it is necessary.
These are the base modals before you upgrade into more formal semi-modal structures.
ExamplesBlock: Il faut agir maintenant.

Front: Core modal: pouvoir
Back: Meaning: can / be able to.
These are the base modals before you upgrade into more formal semi-modal structures.
ExamplesBlock: Je peux venir demain.

Front: Core modal: savoir
Back: Meaning: to know how to.
These are the base modals before you upgrade into more formal semi-modal structures.
ExamplesBlock: Je sais nager.

Front: Core modal: valoir mieux
Back: Meaning: it is better.
These are the base modals before you upgrade into more formal semi-modal structures.
ExamplesBlock: Il vaut mieux attendre.

Front: Core modal: vouloir
Back: Meaning: to want.
These are the base modals before you upgrade into more formal semi-modal structures.
ExamplesBlock: Je veux comprendre.

Front: Semi-modal: avoir beau + inf
Back: Meaning: however much one....
Useful for shifting from simple B1 phrasing to more precise B2 register.
ExamplesBlock: Il a beau essayer, il n'y arrive pas.

Front: Semi-modal: avoir du mal à
Back: Meaning: to have difficulty doing.
Useful for shifting from simple B1 phrasing to more precise B2 register.
ExamplesBlock: Elle a du mal à s'exprimer.

Front: Semi-modal: avoir tendance à
Back: Meaning: to tend to.
Useful for shifting from simple B1 phrasing to more precise B2 register.
ExamplesBlock: J'ai tendance à procrastiner.

Front: Semi-modal: être à même de
Back: Meaning: to be capable of.
Useful for shifting from simple B1 phrasing to more precise B2 register.
ExamplesBlock: Elle est à même de diriger le projet.

Front: Semi-modal: être censé(e)
Back: Meaning: to be supposed to.
Useful for shifting from simple B1 phrasing to more precise B2 register.
ExamplesBlock: Il est censé arriver à midi.

Front: Semi-modal: être en mesure de
Back: Meaning: to be in a position to.
Useful for shifting from simple B1 phrasing to more precise B2 register.
ExamplesBlock: Il n'est pas en mesure de répondre.

Front: Semi-modal: être susceptible de
Back: Meaning: to be likely to.
Useful for shifting from simple B1 phrasing to more precise B2 register.
ExamplesBlock: Ce projet est susceptible d'échouer.

Front: Semi-modal: ne faire que
Back: Meaning: to do nothing but.
Useful for shifting from simple B1 phrasing to more precise B2 register.
ExamplesBlock: Il ne fait que se plaindre.

Front: Semi-modal: ne pas manquer de
Back: Meaning: to be sure to.
Useful for shifting from simple B1 phrasing to more precise B2 register.
ExamplesBlock: Il ne manquera pas de vous contacter.

Front: Relative pronoun: (masc.)
Back: Meaning: (pour lequel, dans lequel) L'organisation au sein de laquelle....
Use these to merge clauses and pack more information into one sentence.
ExamplesBlock: (masc.)
(pour lequel, dans lequel) L'organisation au sein de laquelle...

Front: Relative pronoun: after verbs taking de
Back: Meaning: Le problème dont il parle est sérieux..
Use these to merge clauses and pack more information into one sentence.
ExamplesBlock: after verbs taking de
Le problème dont il parle est sérieux.

Front: Relative pronoun: dont
Back: Meaning: possession / de + noun.
Use these to merge clauses and pack more information into one sentence.
ExamplesBlock: L'auteur dont j'ai lu le livre...

Front: Relative pronoun: lequel
Back: Meaning: after a preposition.
Use these to merge clauses and pack more information into one sentence.
ExamplesBlock: La raison pour laquelle il a refusé...

Front: Relative pronoun: où
Back: Meaning: place or time.
Use these to merge clauses and pack more information into one sentence.
ExamplesBlock: La ville où je vis s'appelle Lyon.

Front: Relative pronoun: que
Back: Meaning: object of relative clause.
Use these to merge clauses and pack more information into one sentence.
ExamplesBlock: Le livre que j'ai lu est excellent.

Front: Relative pronoun: qui
Back: Meaning: subject of relative clause La femme qui parle est ministre..
Use these to merge clauses and pack more information into one sentence.
ExamplesBlock: qui
subject of relative clause La femme qui parle est ministre.

Front: Connector: à cause de
Back: Meaning: because of (negative nuance).
Choose connectors by logic category, not by habit.
ExamplesBlock: à cause de
because of (negative nuance)