Moody’s keeps France’s rating at Aa3 with a negative outlook

Les chiffres sont ceux de l’article et n’ont pas été vérifiés par la rédaction.

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.

Le 23 octobre, l’agence de notation Moody’s a maintenu la note souveraine de la France à Aa3, sans la dégrader, avec une perspective négative.

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”.

Une majorité d’économistes attendait une dégradation.

The imparfait describes states, background, habits and actions in progress in the past (il était, elle avait, ils pensaient). Take the nous form of the present, drop -ons, and add -ais / -ais / -ait / -ions / -iez / -aient. If the passé composé gives “the event itself”, the imparfait paints “the situation at the time”.

L’agence estime aussi que les coûts de financement et les tensions sociales devraient se modérer dans les prochains mois.

The conditional expresses possibility, supposition, unconfirmed information and polite requests (“would”, “might”). It uses the same stem as the future and the same endings as the imparfait (-ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient): pouvoir → il pourrait. In the news it is used to avoid asserting, as in “is reported to…” or “there is a possibility…”.

Selon l’article, la note de Moody’s repose sur l’hypothèse qu’un budget 2027 réduisant le déficit sera adopté.

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).

L’horodatage affiché de l’article ne correspond pas à l’heure de la décision ; l’article a été écrit après celle-ci.

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.

Il ne s’agit ni d’un conseil ni d’une incitation à investir.

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).

La date de la prochaine revue n’est pas indiquée dans l’article.

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”.

Selon France 24, Moody’s a maintenu le vendredi 23 octobre la note souveraine de la France à Aa3, avec une perspective « négative ».

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.

Il ne s’agit ni d’un conseil ni d’une incitation à investir.

It explains what something is about: “it is a matter of…”. The il is not a particular man but a formal subject of this construction. The negative il ne s’agit pas de means “this is not about…”.

Il a souligné le rôle des forces politiques qui ont accepté d’ouvrir le débat budgétaire dans un calendrier normal, malgré l’absence de majorité.

Qui continues a description of the person or thing just mentioned (“the one that does…”). Because qui is itself the subject of the next verb, do not repeat the subject. The verb agrees with the noun qui refers to.

Le 23 octobre, l’agence de notation Moody’s a maintenu la note souveraine de la France à Aa3, sans la dégrader, avec une perspective négative.

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.

France 24によると、ムーディーズは、23日（金）、フランスの国の格付けを、Aa3のまま据え置き、見通しは「ネガティブ（悪い方向）」を保ちました。

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.

記事によると、財政赤字は、2025年がGDPの5.1％で、2026年は5.4％になる見込みです。

予定 is a plan, 見込み a forecast and 方針 a course of action or intention. None of them asserts that something has already been carried out. Note the difference from expressions such as “決まりました”.

数字は、記事の引用で、当編集部が確認したものではありません。

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.

格付け会社ムーディーズは、23日、フランスの国の格付けを、引き下げず、Aa3のまま据え置きました。

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.

記事は、多くのエコノミストが、引き下げを予想していた、と伝えています。

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.

首相は、年末までに予算を成立させ、財政赤字を国内総生産（GDP）の5％にすることを、目標にしています。

“〜すること” treats an action or content like a noun. The particle after it (が・を・は…) shows its role in the sentence. “ことができる” is a fixed combination meaning “can”.