TEF Canada Section A Questions: Functional Bank and Follow-Ups
Choose relevant TEF Canada information questions from four everyday scenarios, then practise answer-based follow-ups and repair exercises with explanations.
A TEF Canada Section A question bank is useful when it helps you ask for the missing fact, then react to the answer. Here are adaptable French questions grouped by function, with follow-up choices and exercises. For the full task method and an original start-to-finish dialogue, use the Section A guide.
Choose the question by information need
The sample booklet's announcements include everyday offers such as services, leisure and housing. You are interested in an announcement and speak to a person who can supply details. With an unknown contact, keep vous consistent. Do not fire every question in this bank at one person. Select the few that matter for the specific decision, listen, and change course when an answer resolves or complicates an issue.
| Need | Adaptable French question | What the answer should settle |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | Est-ce qu'il reste des places pour la séance de samedi ? | Whether the proposed date is still possible. |
| Start | À quelle date commence le prochain groupe ? | The first day, not just the weekday. |
| Time | À quelle heure faut-il arriver ? | The reporting time, which may differ from the activity start. |
| Duration | Combien de temps dure chaque séance ? | Time commitment per meeting. |
| Place | Où se trouve exactement le lieu de rendez-vous ? | Usable location, not just a district. |
| Level | L'activité convient-elle à une personne qui débute ? | Whether prior experience is needed. |
| Inclusions | Le matériel est-il compris dans le prix ? | Which supplies are covered. |
| Total cost | Quel est le prix total, frais compris ? | Overall cost, not an isolated advertised fee. |
| Condition | Faut-il apporter un document ou un équipement particulier ? | What the participant must supply. |
| Registration | Comment puis-je réserver une place ? | Concrete next step. |
The wording changes with the offer. Ask Le logement est-il meublé ? about a rental, not about a language course. Ask Les outils sont-ils fournis ? about a workshop, not about a job interview. The aim is relevant information, not displaying every French question structure you know.
Four mini-banks for common announcement types
A class or workshop
- Combien de participants y a-t-il dans chaque groupe ?
- Quels sujets aborderez-vous pendant la première séance ?
- Si je manque une séance, pourrai-je la rattraper ?
- À quel moment dois-je régler l'inscription ?
The third question uses si with a present-tense condition and a future consequence; it asks about a real possible absence. If the receptionist says that missed sessions cannot be replaced, do not keep asking which make-up date is available.
A service appointment
- Quel est le premier rendez-vous disponible ?
- Combien de temps faut-il prévoir sur place ?
- Le devis est-il gratuit ou facturé séparément ?
- Puis-je déplacer le rendez-vous si mon horaire change ?
A devis is an estimate; use the word only when the service can reasonably provide one. The question about moving an appointment becomes useful after you know one is available.
A room or accommodation listing
- La chambre est-elle toujours disponible ?
- Le logement se trouve-t-il près d'un arrêt de bus ?
- Quelles charges sont comprises dans le loyer annoncé ?
- Serait-il possible de visiter la chambre avant de prendre une décision ?
These are language examples, not rental advice. If the interlocutor gives a vague answer such as les charges habituelles, ask which charges they mean.
A job or volunteer listing
- Quelles seraient les tâches principales ?
- Les horaires sont-ils fixes ou variables ?
- Une formation est-elle prévue au début ?
- Comment dois-je présenter ma candidature ?
Do not assume a paid role, a volunteer role or eligibility from a vague announcement. Ask directly about terms relevant to the fictional situation.
Turn a reply into a follow-up
| You hear | Useful follow-up | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Il reste une place, mais seulement le soir. | À quelle heure commence le groupe du soir ? | The new schedule may decide whether you can go. |
| Le prix comprend le cours, mais pas les fournitures. | Quel budget faut-il prévoir pour les fournitures ? | You need a usable total. |
| Vous pouvez vous inscrire jusqu'à jeudi. | Le paiement doit-il aussi être effectué avant jeudi ? | Two deadlines might differ. |
| Nous proposons une formule souple. | Que signifie “souple” pour les horaires ? | A vague adjective becomes a precise condition. |
To confirm a detail, use Si j'ai bien compris, les outils sont fournis, mais je dois apporter mon vélo. C'est bien cela ? To request repetition, use Pourriez-vous répéter la date, s'il vous plaît ? These moves are more useful than inventing an answer you did not hear. The OQLF's guide to French questions explains direct and indirect question forms; choose a clear form that fits a spoken exchange.
Practice 1: choose the missing fact
Imagine an original advertisement for an evening photography class. It mentions “small groups” and “equipment available”. Write one French question for each situation.
- You need to know whether a camera is actually provided to each participant.
- You are told the class begins at 18:00, but you do not know when it ends.
- You learn the fee is 70 dollars, but do not know whether printing is included.
- You are told registration closes Friday, but the payment deadline is unclear.
Possible answers
- Est-ce qu'un appareil photo est prêté à chaque participant ? It narrows “equipment available” to the needed item and person.
- À quelle heure le cours se termine-t-il ? The start is known; ask for the missing end.
- Le prix comprend-il l'impression des photos ? It checks a specific extra cost.
- Dois-je aussi payer avant vendredi ? It tests whether the registration deadline applies to payment.
Practice 2: repair a mismatched question
- Receptionist: Les séances ont lieu le mardi et le jeudi. Candidate: Combien coûtent les séances ? The candidate needs to know which day has a beginner group. Rewrite the question.
- Receptionist: Le matériel est fourni, sauf le papier. Candidate: Le matériel est-il fourni ? Rewrite to follow the exception.
- Receptionist: Il y a encore deux places. Candidate: Reste-t-il des places ? The candidate needs to register. Rewrite the question.
Possible repairs
- Lequel de ces deux groupes est destiné aux débutants ? It targets the decision without asking an unrelated price question.
- Quel type de papier dois-je apporter ? It uses the newly stated exception.
- Comment puis-je réserver l'une de ces deux places ? It advances from availability to action.
Practise aloud with a partner who changes one detail in every answer. The bank supplies options; your listening determines the next question. For a complete Section A exchange, return to the task guide. For public provider examples, see the official preparation page.