COP17 on biodiversity in Yerevan: two texts adopted to relaunch efforts

Presque tous sont en retard, selon franceinfo.

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.

Selon franceinfo, la COP17 sur la biodiversité, à Erevan (Arménie), a adopté dans la nuit du 30 au 31 octobre deux textes : un bilan mondial de l’accord de Kunming-Montréal de 2022 et un texte sur les financements.

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”.

Un document de travail proposait une déclaration volontaire.

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”.

Les dates des faits et des annonces sont précisées dans le texte.

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).

Dans le débat sur les financements, la liste officielle des pays donateurs n’a pas été mise à jour depuis 2006.

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 franceinfo, la COP17 sur la biodiversité, à Erevan (Arménie), a adopté dans la nuit du 30 au 31 octobre deux textes : un bilan mondial de l’accord de Kunming-Montréal de 2022 et un texte sur les financements.

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.

Selon franceinfo, la COP17 sur la biodiversité, à Erevan (Arménie), a adopté dans la nuit du 30 au 31 octobre deux textes : un bilan mondial de l’accord de Kunming-Montréal de 2022 et un texte sur les financements.

De…à… shows the start and end, “from … to …”, and is also used for changes in figures. With dates, de + le becomes du and à + le becomes au, giving forms like du 13 au 15. Check whether the interval concerns dates, times or amounts.

Selon franceinfo, la COP17 sur la biodiversité, à Erevan (Arménie), a adopté dans la nuit du 30 au 31 octobre deux textes : un bilan mondial de l’accord de Kunming-Montréal de 2022 et un texte sur les financements.

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.

franceinfoによると、アルメニアの首都エレバンで開かれた生物多様性条約の第17回締約国会議（COP17）は、30日から31日にかけての夜、2つの文書を採択しました。

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.

目標の遅れを取り戻す内容ですが、フランスの大臣は「十分ではない」と評価しています。

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.

1つは、2022年の「昆明・モントリオール生物多様性枠組」の世界的な点検、もう1つは資金に関する文書です。

As in “税控除に関する採決”, it explains what the following noun relates to. It is close to “about” and is common in headlines and descriptions.

陸と海の30%を保護すること、汚染対策、傷んだ生態系の回復などです。

“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.

2週間の交渉が終わりました。

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.

franceinfoは、ほぼすべての目標が遅れていると伝えています。

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.