Japan: trade deficit of ¥2,818.4 billion in the first half, almost double

C’est le onzième semestre consécutif de déficit.

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.

Statistiques du commerce du ministère des Finances (avril-septembre), publiées le 21 octobre : ce qui a creusé le déficit.

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”.

Pourquoi le déficit s’est creusé

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 le ministère des Finances, la balance commerciale d’avril à septembre affiche un déficit de 2 818,4 milliards de yens, en hausse de 98,8 % sur un an, soit presque le double.

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 chiffre « provisoire » peut être révisé.

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.

Statistiques du commerce du ministère des Finances (avril-septembre), publiées le 21 octobre : ce qui a creusé le déficit.

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.

Les exportations ont augmenté de 18,4 % à 634 570 milliards de yens (composants électroniques vers la Chine, automobiles vers les États-Unis).

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.

Statistiques du commerce du ministère des Finances (avril-septembre), publiées le 21 octobre : ce qui a creusé le déficit.

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.

財務省によると、今年度上半期（4〜9月）の貿易収支は、2兆8,184億円の赤字でした。

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.

原油の価格が円で過去最高になり、円安も続いているため、ガソリンや電気、輸入品の値段を押し上げやすくなります。

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.

中東情勢が緊迫して、原油などのエネルギー価格が上がり、円安も重なって、輸入額が増えました。

“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.

輸入額は、輸出の伸びを上回りました。

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.

マイナスなら赤字で、輸入のほうが多いことを意味します。

“〜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”.

半年ごとの数字では、11期続けての赤字です。

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.