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17 October riots: more than 2,000 shops hit according to CCI France, meeting at Bercy

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AT A GLANCE

The damage is put at “hundreds of millions of euros”. On the 19th the government brought together retail and insurance representatives, with no aid measure decided at this stage.

Photo of the shopping street rue Sainte-Catherine in Bordeaux (archive photo)
Horcrux · CC BY-SA 4.0
In this article

What scale?

The president of CCI France estimates that “we will exceed 2,000” shops directly affected, for damage of “hundreds of millions of euros” (BFM Business). The retail federation puts it nearer 1,500: 2,000 is therefore a high estimate. According to ICI, more than 80 shops were looted or vandalised in Lille.

The meeting at Bercy

Trade Minister Serge Papin summoned shopkeepers, distributors, hoteliers, restaurateurs, banks and insurers to Bercy from 9 am. Sébastien Lecornu’s crisis cell also deals with the economy-trade and insurance sides. Aid measures are not yet known.

Can shopkeepers be compensated?

According to France Épargne, two routes exist. First, the professional multi-risk contract, provided it expressly covers riots and popular movements; the deadline to report a theft cannot be less than two working days. Second, a claim against the State: without cover, you send a compensation request to the prefect, the State being liable without fault for damage caused by crowds. Photograph the damage, file a complaint, draw up an inventory. This is not legal advice.

To keep in mind

The figures are estimates by professional organisations, not final tallies. Cover depends on each contract: ask your insurer.

LANGUAGE NOTES

Learn the grammar

Explained in English

French grammar

Learn sentence patterns and usage from the article’s own sentences.

01The present indicative
Structure

est / sont + attribute (noun, adjective, prepositional phrase)

In the article
La fédération du commerce chiffre plutôt autour de 1 500 : 2 000 est donc une estimation haute.
Key points

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.

02The passé composé
Structure

present of avoir + past participle

In the article
Le gouvernement a réuni le 19 les représentants du commerce et des assureurs, sans mesure d’aide arrêtée à ce stade.
Key points

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”.

03The futur simple
Structure

stem (infinitive) + -ai / -as / -a / -ons / -ez / -ont

In the article
Le président de CCI France estime que « l’on dépassera les 2 000 » commerces directement touchés, pour des dégâts de « centaines de millions d’euros » (BFM Business).
Key points

The futur simple means “will do” or “is planned to”. Add -ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont to the infinitive (participer → il participera). Watch the irregular stems: être → ser-, avoir → aur-, aller → ir-, faire → fer-, pouvoir → pourr-, voir → verr-. In the news it is used for fixed plans and outlooks.

04The present subjunctive
Structure

il faut que / pour que / bien que + subject + subjunctive

In the article
D’abord le contrat multirisque professionnel, à condition qu’il couvre expressément émeutes et mouvements populaires ; le délai de déclaration d’un vol ne peut pas être inférieur à deux jours ouvrés.
Key points

The subjunctive expresses wish, need, purpose, doubt and feeling rather than “fact”. It is used inside a clause with que. Triggers: il faut que (must), pour que / afin que (so that), bien que / quoique (although), avant que (before), souhaiter que, vouloir que and others. Formation: stem of the ils present minus -ent + -e, -es, -e, -ions, -iez, -ent. Irregular: être → soit, avoir → ait, aller → aille, faire → fasse, pouvoir → puisse, savoir → sache.

05The passive in the passé composé
Structure

a / ont été + past participle

In the article
Selon ICI, plus de 80 commerces ont été pillés ou vandalisés à Lille.
Key points

The past passive means “was done”. Its form is present of avoir + été (past participle of être) + past participle. Été does not change, but the last participle agrees with the subject in gender and number (la loi a été votée / les textes ont été votés). It is frequent in news reporting results such as votes, decisions and announcements.

06The imperative
Structure

present vous form (-ez) / nous (-ons) / tu

In the article
La prise en charge dépend de chaque contrat : renseignez-vous auprès de votre assureur.
Key points

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).

07Pronominal verbs
Structure

se / s’ + verb

In the article
Les dégâts se chiffrent en « centaines de millions d’euros ».
Key points

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).

08Negation and its scope
Structure

ne / n’ … pas · ne … plus

In the article
Les mesures d’aide ne sont pas encore connues.
Key points

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”.

09Citing a source with selon
Structure

selon + noun / organisation

In the article
Selon ICI, plus de 80 commerces ont été pillés ou vandalisés à Lille.
Key points

Selon means “according to”. Put a person or organisation after it as the source. It separates facts the writer checked directly from what another body or report said. Citing a source does not turn a forecast into an accomplished fact.

10Pouvoir: ability and possibility
Structure

peut / peuvent / pourrait + infinitive

In the article
D’abord le contrat multirisque professionnel, à condition qu’il couvre expressément émeutes et mouvements populaires ; le délai de déclaration d’un vol ne peut pas être inférieur à deux jours ouvrés.
Key points

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.

11Million and milliard followed by de
Structure

number + million(s) / milliard(s) + de + noun

In the article
Les dégâts se chiffrent en « centaines de millions d’euros ».
Key points

Million and milliard are nouns, so use de before what is counted. Before a vowel it becomes d’. Mille works differently: look at the quantity as a whole instead of applying the same form.

12Marking a starting point
Structure

dès / depuis / à partir de + point in time

In the article
Le ministre du Commerce, Serge Papin, a convoqué à Bercy dès 9 h commerçants, distributeurs, hôteliers, restaurateurs, banques et assureurs.
Key points

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.

Explained in English

Japanese grammar

Understand the structure and usage from the text.

01Citing a source: によると
Structure

noun + によると

In the article
ICIによると、リールでは80店以上が略奪や破壊の被害を受けました。
Key points

As in “LCPによると”, it shows where the information comes from. What that source reported follows. It is used differently from “私にとって”, which gives one’s own opinion.

02Polite negation and plain form
Structure

〜ではありません / 〜ではない

In the article
法的な助言ではありません。
Key points

They negate a noun and similar content. “ではありません” is the polite form and “ではない” the plain form. “成立ではありません” shows that it cannot be said to have been concluded.

03The polite past ました
Structure

verb stem (連用形) + ました

In the article
政府は19日、商業団体や保険会社を集めましたが、支援策はまだ決まっていません。
Key points

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.

04Quoting with と: content and report
Structure

plain-form sentence + と + verbe de parole (報じる, 説明する…)

In the article
被害額は「数億ユーロ」とされています。
Key points

と takes the content that is reported or explained. In “改定する方針だと報じました”, “改定する方針だ” is what the report said. Separating the content from who said it and how makes long sentences easier to read.

05Possibility in Japanese: できる・られる
Structure

verb potential form / 〜ことができる

In the article
盗難の届け出の期限は契約で決まりますが、2営業日より短くはできません。
Key points

できる is the basic verb for ability. The potential form of 受ける is 受けられる. The same られる can also be passive or honorific, so decide from the meaning of the sentence.

06Linking actions with the て-form
Structure

verb て-form + next expression

In the article
CCI France(商工会議所)の会長は、直接被害を受けた店は2,000店を超えると見ており、被害額は「数億ユーロ」になるとしています(BFM Business)。
Key points

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.

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