This exam is for graduate students who need to fulfill a language requirement.  Exams consist of two passages to be translated from French to English.  A French to English print dictionary is permitted for use, but not provided; students must supply their own.  Usually exams are held once per semester, however we’ve offered one in September and one in December this year. 

December 2025

Friday Dec 5, 2025 HQ room #133 from 3:00pm - 5:00pm

PLEASE USE THIS QUALTRICS SURVEY TO SIGN UP FOR THE Dec 5th EXAM.

A message from Professor Lauren Pinzka:

Dear Participant,

It is important to know that I am most of all looking to see if you know the basic syntactic and grammatical features of French, not specific vocabulary. 

This said, it is problematic when I realize that you don’t know high use words such as “attendre” or “rester,” both of which are false cognates as you know.  

You should make sure that you know the important verb tenses including the passé simple, the use of direct and indirect object pronouns and of course the subjunctive. 

Therefore, you should be able to understand what je le lui ai demandé means.  Pronoun usage in general including “le mien” is very important.  Be sure to understand the usage of “ne…..que” in a sentence. 

Regarding idiomatic expressions: translate into a similar idiomatic expression in English that has the same meaning.  Do not take poetic license. 

You are not expected to be a professional translator; I want to make sure that you understand French, that suffices! 

Therefore, do not translate word for word, respect proper usage in English, but do not alter the meaning because a different expression is more appealing to you. 

An example:  je n’y ai plus jamais remis les pieds== I never set foot there again.  I would accept “I never went there again.”  Less evocative but it conveys the meaning.

I will pass you, even if you make approximately four mistakes per blue book page, so I am not expecting perfection.  I tolerate English mistakes especially from non-native speakers of English because this is not a test of your English.  

Good luck!

 Lauren Pinzka

Films at the Whitney

 

NOUVELLE VAGUE

Richard Linklater (2025)

Wednesday, November 5, 2025 | 7:30 pm

53 Wall St.

Auditorium

 

Films at the Whitney

35 mm | 2025 | directed by Richard Linklater | France, USA | 105 minutes | French with English subtitles 

Oscar-nominated indie auteur Richard Linklater’s latest film is a love letter to the magic of the French New Wave. NOUVELLE VAGUE is an electric and meticulous portrait of the making of Jean-Luc Godard’s iconic 1960 debut film, BREATHLESS. In part recreation of the pioneering New Wave film, and part ode to the creative chaos of the 1959 streets of Paris, Linklater transports us to a uniquely transformative time in global cinema. 

Presented by Whitney Humanities Center, Yale Film Archive, and the French department’s Ciné-Club 

35mm print courtesy of Netflix 

Don’t miss our screening of BREATHLESS, the masterpiece at the heart of NOUVELLE VAGUE, on November 1 at 2:00 pm in HQ L02.

Comme and speak with the members of the Tunisian Chorale.

Concert @ 2PM in Woolsey Hall followed by the YFC event at 4pm.