Bordeaux, Tuesday 13 October: call to demonstrate and strike

Ne présumez pas que l’heure et le lieu sont ceux du 8 octobre.

Être in the present is est for a singular subject and sont for a plural one. It describes nature, state or place (“is”, “is located”). If what follows (the attribute) is a noun, adjective or prepositional phrase, it is not a passive. If a past participle follows, it is a passive (est annoncé). Headlines and summaries often use the present to describe the current situation.

Un syndicat d’enseignants a appelé à la mobilisation et à la grève le mardi 13 octobre.

The passé composé is the most common past tense, used for “did” and “has done” — actions completed in the past. It is formed with the auxiliary avoir (a / ont…) in the present + a past participle. Past participles of -er verbs end in -é (annoncer → annoncé); learn the irregular ones (faire → fait, prendre → pris, voir → vu). In the negative, ne … pas wraps the auxiliary (n’a pas annoncé). In the news it reports facts that have already happened, such as “announced” or “voted”.

Les lignes ou tronçons concernés n’étaient pas confirmés.

The passive means “is done” or “is being done”. It is formed with être + past participle, which agrees with the subject in gender and number (la mesure est adoptée / les mesures sont adoptées). The agent is introduced by par (or de). In the news it is common when the event, rather than the actor, is the focus (est prévu / est annoncé / est connu).

Consultez les dernières annonces des organisateurs, les informations des écoles et TBM.

The imperative expresses commands, requests and advice. It has no subject: the sentence starts with the verb (Consultez les informations.). The vous form ends in -ez, nous in -ons (Restons prudents.), and tu in -e for -er verbs (Consulte). It is very common in notices and warnings (Vérifiez, Consultez, Restez informé).

Il s’agit d’une annonce ou d’un appel ; cet article ne confirme pas que l’événement a eu lieu.

A pronominal verb is used with a reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nous, vous) before the verb. It can mean “do to oneself”, “be done” or “do to each other”. In the news, se traduire (to result in), se tenir (to take place), s’agir de (to be a matter of) and se diffuser (to spread) are frequent. The pronoun changes with the subject (il se tient / ils se tiennent / je me souviens).

Heure et lieu de rassemblement n’étaient pas encore annoncés.

Normally ne and pas wrap the verb. Before a vowel, ne becomes n’. Check which part of the sentence the negation covers. Ne … plus means “no longer”.

Ne présumez pas que l’heure et le lieu sont ceux du 8 octobre.

Le 15 octobre means “on 15 October”. Distinguish the le before a date from the le that marks a weekly habit like a weekday. Du is de + le and au is à + le, so decide the meaning from the verb and period expressions around them. Their role depends on the group: a range of dates, the date of a bulletin or another complement.

Un syndicat d’enseignants a appelé à la mobilisation et à la grève le mardi 13 octobre.

Et joins not only words but also groups of nouns and whole clauses. Spot the two elements playing the same role to break up a long sentence. Et does not necessarily express cause and effect.

Le FSU-SNUipp 33 appelle les personnels des écoles à faire grève le mardi 13 octobre, en lien avec la mobilisation des lycéens et étudiants.

Le is masculine singular, la feminine singular and les plural. Before a vowel or a silent h, singular le and la become l’. The definite article points to something already known or a general concept, so look at the context.

争点は、教育にかかわる人員、校舎、学習環境などです。

“暴言など” gives “abusive language” as one example. It is not necessarily a closed list of only the things named. It also helps when reading the scope of a news story.

教員の組合が、10月13日（火）の動員とストライキを呼びかけました。

In “発表しました”, ました makes a verb polite past. The negative is “ませんでした”. Read the actual date together with the date and time in the text.

集合の時間と場所は、まだ発表されていませんでした。

The て-form links actions in a series, in order or as a reason. In “確認して、出発する” the relation is judged from the content. In “〜ている” it can show an action in progress or a continuing state.

FSU-SNUipp 33は、高校生・学生の動員にあわせて、学校の職員に、10月13日（火）のストライキへの参加を呼びかけました。

A explains noun B that follows. It is not only possession: the relation can be belonging, target, content and more. In “政府の案” and “年金の税控除”, read the relation from the context.

集合場所と時間は、主催側が、後日発表するとしていました。

は shows what the sentence is about; an explanation of that topic follows. は and が are not always interchangeable: contrast and the way information is placed change.

集合の時刻と場所を、8日のデモと同じだと考えないでください。

と shows the partner or standard of comparison. Adding は, as in “全体の増減とは別の指標”, sharpens the contrast. Making clear what is compared with what helps you read differences in statistics or systems.