Thursday 5 November: national strike and demonstrations announced (five unions)

Le 5 novembre est une journée nationale appelée par les syndicats.

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.

Opening hours et parcours à Bordeaux ne sont pas annoncés ; les trains peuvent aussi être touchés.

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).

Les effets sur les trams et les bus ne sont pas encore détaillés : consultez TBM et TER Nouvelle-Aquitaine.

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).

Opening hours et parcours à Bordeaux ne sont pas annoncés ; les trains peuvent aussi être touchés.

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”.

Les trains au départ ou à l’arrivée de Bordeaux peuvent être touchés ; le nombre de suppressions n’est pas connu.

Put a base-form verb after pouvoir. Peut means “can” or “may”; the conditional pourrait gives a more reserved possibility, “might”. It does not necessarily mean implementation is settled.

Le 5 novembre est une journée nationale appelée par les syndicats.

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.

Cet article sera mis à jour dès qu’une annonce sera publiée.

Dès means “as early as” or “as soon as”, and à partir de means “from … onwards”. Depuis basically shows a state or period continuing from a point in time. All deal with a start, but they are not used the same way.

La CFDT, la CGT, FO, l’Unsa et la FSU appellent à une grève et à des manifestations dans toute la France le jeudi 5 novembre, pour les salariés du privé et du public, les jeunes et les retraités.

Dans means “in, inside” for places, but also for a scope such as a system or period. With future time, dans deux jours means “in two days”. In the article’s example, check what it is “inside” and which scope it marks. Identify the value of dans in the passage.

24日（土）のジレ・ジョーヌや高校生の呼びかけとは、別のものです。

It takes up a word, as in “在留資格とは？”, and asks for its meaning. In explanations it is used as “〜とは、…です”. Here the quotation と and the topic は are combined.

ボルドーの時間とルートは未発表で、鉄道への影響も出る可能性があります。

These forms say something may happen. Even when “possibility” is written, it does not mean it will certainly happen. Check whose forecast it is, plus the time and conditions.

要求は、賃金、公共サービス、雇用、産業などです。

“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.

CFDT、CGT、FO、Unsa、FSUの5団体が、11月5日（木）の全国ストライキとデモを呼びかけています。

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.

対象は、民間と公務員の働く人、若者、年金生活者です。

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.

ボルドーでの集合の時間とルートは、まだ決まっていません。

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.