This introduction covers English to French Translation — Paper 4 Section A within English to French translation: gold structures for GCSE French. Revise English to French translation: gold structures in Writing: 50, 90 and 150 Words + Translation into French for GCSE French with 15 exam-style questions and 15 flashcards. This topic shows up very often in GCSE exams, so students should be able to explain it clearly, not just recognise the term. It is section 1 of 4 in this topic. Use this introduction to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
🔄 English to French Translation — Paper 4 Section A
AQA Paper 4 Section A requires you to translate a short English passage into French — approximately 35 words at Foundation and 50 words at Higher, typically worth 10 marks. Every sentence tests a specific grammatical trap: articles, adjective agreement, tense choice, word order, or prepositions. The students who score highest treat this as a grammar checklist, not a creative exercise.
Practice questions for English to French translation: gold structures
On AQA GCSE French Paper 4, how many marks is the English-to-French translation worth in total?
How do you correctly translate 'I am 15 years old' into French?
Quick recall flashcards
Translation trap: missing articles
French nouns almost always need an article — English often does not.
'I like chocolate' = 'J'aime le chocolat' (need 'le')
'She plays tennis' = 'Elle joue au tennis' (à + le = au)
'I eat bread' = 'Je mange du pain' (need 'du')
Always ask: which article does this noun need?
Translation trap: 'in/to' a country
The preposition changes by gender:
- Feminine countries (most -e): en France, en Espagne, en Italie
- Masculine countries: au Portugal, au Japon, au Canada
- Plural countries: aux États-Unis, aux Pays-Bas
- Cities: à Paris, à Londres, à New York
Never use 'dans' for countries.