Iran: Trump says a deal “could happen”, with Hormuz and oil at the heart of the talks

Les déclarations des deux gouvernements reflètent leurs positions respectives et ne signifient pas qu’un accord est proche.

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.

Après avoir menacé Téhéran ce week-end, Donald Trump a évoqué lundi un accord possible.

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”.

Vance s’est dit « plutôt optimiste » sur une issue négociée, sans calendrier.

The passé composé of a pronominal verb (se + verb) always uses être as auxiliary (il s’est diffusé / elles se sont réunies). Se changes with the subject: me, te, se, nous, vous. The past participle usually agrees with the subject in gender and number.

Selon France 24 (2 novembre), Donald Trump avait menacé ce week-end de porter à l’Iran un « coup de massue » et dit devoir « s’occuper » d’un ou deux sites nucléaires.

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”.

Iran : Trump dit qu’un accord « pourrait arriver », Ormuz et pétrole au centre des tractations

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…”.

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).

Suivez les dépêches des agences pour la suite.

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).

Lundi, il a estimé qu’un accord « pourrait arriver », reliant la baisse du pétrole au fait que les gens n’anticipent pas de guerre.

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 (2 novembre), Donald Trump avait menacé ce week-end de porter à l’Iran un « coup de massue » et dit devoir « s’occuper » d’un ou deux sites nucléaires.

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.

Un analyste cité par France 24 y voit un signal peut-être tactique à la veille des élections de mi-mandat.

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.

Selon France 24, la guerre a commencé le 28 février par des frappes israélo-américaines sur l’Iran, qui bloque depuis le détroit d’Ormuz et vise des navires.

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 2 novembre, le Brent a reculé de 7,64 % à 104,77 dollars le baril (environ 70 avant la guerre) ; un autre article du même média parle d’une baisse d’environ 6 % à 106 dollars, les chiffres variant selon le moment de la mesure.

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.

France 24（11月2日付）によると、トランプ氏は週末にイランへ「強い一撃（coup de massue）」を加えるかもしれないと警告し、核施設を1、2か所「片づける」必要があるとも述べていました。

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.

両政府の発言は、それぞれの立場を示すもので、合意が近いという意味ではありません。

These forms limit and deny an interpretation: “it does not necessarily follow” or “that is not what is meant”. They do not necessarily deny every fact in the sentence. Read what is being denied together with the earlier part.

週末に「強い一撃」を警告していたトランプ米大統領が、2日には合意の可能性に言及しました。

These forms say something may happen. Even when “possibility” is written, it does not mean it will certainly happen. Check whose forecast it is, plus the time and conditions.

両政府の発言は、それぞれの立場を示すもので、合意が近いという意味ではありません。

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.

しかし月曜には、イランとの合意は「あり得る」と話し、原油価格の下落を、人々が戦争を想定していないためだと説明しました。

ため is used for both reason and purpose. “成立ではないため” is a reason and “運転手を守るため” a purpose. Decide from the whole sentence whether what precedes is a cause or a goal.

ヴァンス副大統領は、交渉による戦争の終結に「かなり楽観的」だとしましたが、時期は示していません。

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.