Back to school: calls to block lycées, the minister calls the mobilisation “residual”
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- Classes resumed on 2 November and lycée and student groups are calling for blockades.
- The education minister says the disruption is “residual”: only a few lycées are affected.
- The police are reinforced outside schools, and actions are announced for 3 and 5 November.
In this article
The situation at the start of term
According to franceinfo, classes resumed on Monday 2 November after two weeks of All Saints’ holidays. Lycée and student organisations want to continue a movement under way for six weeks. On France Inter, the Minister of National Education, Édouard Geffray, said he saw “a few disrupted lycées, in Île-de-France, in the North, in Toulouse”, a “rather residual” situation, while judging that “the school year is now at risk for several hundred thousand pupils”.
The calls to block
Pierre Sourzat, president of the organisation Les Lycéens!, assured on Sunday that “lycées will be blocked from Monday”. The Union syndicale lycéenne (USL) and the Union étudiante are calling for new blockades on Tuesday and Thursday, while the Unef is asking people to organise in all universities on 2 November and is making Tuesday 3 November a “black day”. According to France 24, a march is also planned in Paris on 3 November between the Panthéon and the Medef headquarters.
Police and the government’s position
From Monday the police are boosting staffing to secure schools after violence seen during earlier mobilisations, according to a message from the National Public Security Directorate seen by AFP. The entourage of Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday that “the time for a return to class has come”, while acknowledging that “this kind of movement never ends absolutely cleanly”.
Demands and measures already announced
The inter-union group (USL, Unef, Fage, Union étudiante) demands €10 billion for education and higher education and the abolition of Parcoursup. On Monday 26 October, the ministers of National Education and Higher Education promised the gradual replacement of Parcoursup by 2028, cancellation of job cuts, 500 additional posts, a cap of 28 pupils per seconde class and 15,000 more places in higher education. A “first step” for youth organisations, but not enough.
What has changed since our previous article
Our article of 1 November reported the figures for the 31 October mobilisation (320,000 according to the Interior Ministry, nearly 500,000 according to organisers) and the dates of 3 and 5 November. The new elements are the real situation outside lycées at the start of term and statements by the minister and the presidential entourage. At the time of publication (morning), the scale of the blockades was not established: follow the next reports.
Learn the grammar
French grammar
Learn sentence patterns and usage from the article’s own sentences.
01The present indicative
est / sont + attribute (noun, adjective, prepositional phrase)
Selon France 24, une manifestation est aussi prévue à Paris le 3 novembre entre le Panthéon et le siège du Medef.Key pointsÊtre 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
present of avoir + past participle
Les cours ont repris le 2 novembre.Key pointsThe 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 imparfait
stem (nous form of the present) + -ais / -ait / -ions / -iez / -aient
Notre article du 1er novembre rapportait les chiffres de la mobilisation du 31 octobre (320 000 selon le ministère de l’Intérieur, près de 500 000 selon les organisateurs) et les échéances du 3 et du 5 novembre.Key pointsThe 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”.
04The futur simple
stem (infinitive) + -ai / -as / -a / -ons / -ez / -ont
Pierre Sourzat, président de l’organisation Les Lycéens !, a assuré dimanche que « les lycées seront bloqués dès lundi ».Key pointsThe 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.
05The passive voice in the present
être (est / sont) + past participle (+ par / de)
Les organisations lycéennes et étudiantes appellent à poursuivre le mouvement et la police est renforcée.Key pointsThe 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).
06The gerund
en + present participle (-ant)
L’entourage d’Emmanuel Macron a estimé dimanche que « le temps d’un retour en classe est venu », tout en reconnaissant que « ce genre de mouvement ne se termine jamais de manière absolument nette ».Key pointsThe gerund means “while doing”, “by doing” or “when doing”. Its form is en + present participle (-ant). Take the nous form of the present, drop -ons and add -ant (faire → faisant). The subject is normally that of the main clause. It shows things happening at the same time, or the means.
07The imperative
present vous form (-ez) / nous (-ons) / tu
Au moment de la publication (matin), l’ampleur des blocages n’est pas établie : suivez les prochains comptes rendus.Key pointsThe 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).
08Pronominal verbs
se / s’ + verb
L’entourage d’Emmanuel Macron a estimé dimanche que « le temps d’un retour en classe est venu », tout en reconnaissant que « ce genre de mouvement ne se termine jamais de manière absolument nette ».Key pointsA 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).
09Negation and its scope
ne / n’ … pas · ne … plus
Au moment de la publication (matin), l’ampleur des blocages n’est pas établie : suivez les prochains comptes rendus.Key pointsNormally 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”.
10Citing a source with selon
selon + noun / organisation
Selon franceinfo, les cours ont repris le lundi 2 novembre après deux semaines de vacances de la Toussaint.Key pointsSelon 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.
11Expressing a plan or a deadline
être prévu / prévoir / être envisagé
Selon France 24, une manifestation est aussi prévue à Paris le 3 novembre entre le Panthéon et le siège du Medef.Key pointsPrévoir 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.
12Purpose with pour
pour + infinitive
Dès lundi, la police renforce ses effectifs pour sécuriser les établissements après des violences observées lors des précédentes mobilisations, selon un message de la Direction nationale de la sécurité publique consulté par l’AFP.Key pointsThis is the purpose, “in order to…”. Put the base form of a verb after pour. The purpose stated here is separate from whether the effect was actually achieved.
13The subject relative pronoun qui
noun + qui + verb
Voici ce qui change depuis notre précédent article.Key pointsQui 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.
Japanese grammar
Understand the structure and usage from the text.
01Citing a source: によると
noun + によると
franceinfoによると、2週間のトゥサン（諸聖人）の休暇が終わり、11月2日（月）に授業が再開しました。Key pointsAs 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.
02Plan, outlook and policy
〜の予定 / 〜見込み / 〜方針
前回（11月1日付）は、10月31日のデモの人数（内務省32万人、主催者側約50万人）と、3日・5日の予定を伝えました。Key points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”.
03Giving examples with など
noun / expression + など
教育大臣のエドゥアール・ジェフレ氏（Édouard Geffray）は、ラジオ局フランス・アンテルで「いまのところ、イル＝ド＝フランスや北部、トゥールーズなどで混乱している高校がいくつかある。Key points“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.
04The polite past ました
verb stem (連用形) + ました
2日に授業が再開しました。Key pointsIn “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.
05Quoting with と: content and report
plain-form sentence + と + verbe de parole (報じる, 説明する…)
高校生・学生の団体は、6週間前から続く運動を続けたいとしています。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.
06Treating a clause like a noun with こと
plain-form sentence + こと + particle
警察は月曜から、これまでの動員で暴力が見られたことを受けて、学校の警備の人員を増やします。Key points“〜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”.