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BHV: a hearing set for 30 October; receivership does not mean closure

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AT A GLANCE

BHV asked for a receivership procedure on 27 October. On the morning of the 30th, this request, the scheduled hearing and a court decision must be distinguished.

Archive photo of the BHV in Paris. Not a photo from the 30th’s hearing.
Sixtine L.・CC BY-SA 4.0
In this article

The known steps

According to Le Monde and Le Parisien, BHV asked on 27 October for receivership at the commercial court of Lyon. A hearing is scheduled in Paris on 30 October. At the time of our verification, we had not confirmed its outcome.

Understanding receivership

Judicial receivership (redressement judiciaire) aims to allow a company that has stopped paying its debts to continue and reorganise, under court supervision. It is distinct from judicial liquidation. Filing a request does not mean the closure of all stores.

Store and employees

Le Parisien reports on 28 October that management says the store will stay open, while employees worry about their future. Management’s statements must be distinguished from the court’s forthcoming decisions.

Three words to follow what comes next

Request, hearing and decision correspond to different stages. A request expresses what is sought; the hearing is when the court examines the case. For what follows, identify what was asked and what was actually decided.

LANGUAGE NOTES

Learn the grammar

Explained in English

French grammar

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

01Negation and its scope
Structure

ne / n’ … pas · ne … plus

In the article
À l’heure de notre vérification, nous n’avons pas confirmé son résultat.
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”.

02Citing a source with selon
Structure

selon + noun / organisation

In the article
Selon Le Monde et Le Parisien, le BHV a demandé le 27 octobre un redressement au tribunal des activités économiques de Lyon.
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.

03Expressing a plan or a deadline
Structure

être prévu / prévoir / être envisagé

In the article
Au matin du 30, il faut distinguer cette demande, l’audience prévue et une décision de justice.
Key points

Prévoir means “to plan, to expect”. Être prévu means “to be scheduled” and être envisagé means “to be under consideration”. In the news, read them separately from expressions that describe events that have already happened. They do not say that the event has already taken place.

04The present of être
Structure

est / sont + complement

In the article
Une audience est prévue à Paris le 30 octobre.
Key points

Est is third-person singular and sont third-person plural of être. They express “is / are” — a state or description. If a past participle follows, it is a different structure such as the passive, so check the words that follow.

05The subject relative pronoun qui
Structure

noun + qui + verb

In the article
Une demande exprime ce qui est sollicité ; l’audience est le moment où le tribunal examine l’affaire.
Key points

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.

06Dates and their prepositions
Structure

le + 日付 / du … au …

In the article
Le BHV a demandé une procédure de redressement le 27 octobre.
Key points

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.

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
Le MondeとLe Parisienによると、BHVは27日、リヨンの経済活動裁判所に再建手続きを申請しました。
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.

02Indicating the subject: について
Structure

noun + について

In the article
redressement judiciaire は、支払いが難しくなった企業について、裁判所の管理の下で事業を続けながら立て直しを図る手続きです。
Key points

As in “予算について”, it shows the topic to be talked about or explained. In the form “〜についての報道”, の is added so that the group qualifies the following noun.

03The polite past ました
Structure

verb stem (連用形) + ました

In the article
BHVは27日に司法上の再建を申請しました。
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
Le Parisienは28日、経営側が営業を続けると説明している一方、従業員が将来を不安視していると報じました。
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.

05Linking actions with the て-form
Structure

verb て-form + next expression

In the article
一方、パリの経済活動裁判所では30日に審理が予定されています。
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.

06Linking two nouns with の
Structure

noun A + の + noun B

In the article
30日朝の時点で確認できた申請と審理予定を、判断結果と混同せずに説明します。
Key points

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.

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