Dialogue
Ask what a French environmental comparison actually includes
Practise a sixteen-line French exchange checking the start, period and excluded stages of an environmental comparison before accepting its conclusion.
- B2
- 16 lines
- Practice mode
- Learn this in the B2 notebook →
In short
Ask Le calcul commence où ? Sur quelle période porte-t-il ? Quelles étapes sont exclues ? Then compare both options on the same basis. A shared end point alone does not establish a shared scope.
Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn
Mina has prepared a delivery comparison. One column includes transport to the warehouse; the other begins there. Your part is to ask precise questions and propose a correction, while keeping the discussion focused on the calculation.
- Mina
Mon tableau indique que l’option A est moins émettrice.
English
My table says option A has lower emissions.
- You
Oui, mais je voudrais vérifier le périmètre avant de conclure.
Yes, but I’d like to check the scope before concluding.
English
Yes, but I’d like to check the scope before concluding.
- Mina
Quel point vous manque ?
English
Which point is missing?
- You
Le calcul commence-t-il à l’entrepôt ou chez le fournisseur ?
Does the calculation begin at the warehouse or the supplier’s premises?
English
Does the calculation begin at the warehouse or the supplier’s premises?
- Mina
Pour A, il commence à l’entrepôt.
English
For A, it starts at the warehouse.
- You
Et pour B, le transport jusqu’à l’entrepôt est-il inclus ?
And for B, is transport to the warehouse included?
English
And for B, is transport to the warehouse included?
- Mina
Oui, cette étape est comprise dans le total de B.
English
Yes, that stage is included in B’s total.
- You
Il faudrait donc ajouter la même étape pour A.
So we would need to add the same stage for A.
English
So we would need to add the same stage for A.
- Mina
D’accord. La période vous semble claire ?
English
All right. Is the period clear to you?
- You
S’agit-il d’un mois d’activité ou d’une année complète ?
Is it one month of activity or a full year?
English
Is it one month of activity or a full year?
- Mina
Les deux colonnes portent sur le mois de mars.
English
Both columns cover March.
- You
Le retour des véhicules est-il comptabilisé ?
Is the vehicles’ return journey counted?
English
Is the vehicles’ return journey counted?
- Mina
Non, il est exclu des deux calculs.
English
No, it is excluded from both calculations.
- You
Mentionnons cette exclusion dans la légende.
Let’s mention that exclusion in the caption.
English
Let’s mention that exclusion in the caption.
- Mina
Je vais reprendre A avec le transport initial.
English
I’ll recalculate A with the initial transport.
- You
Merci. Nous comparerons ensuite les deux totaux sur la même base.
Thank you. We can then compare both totals on the same basis.
English
Thank you. We can then compare both totals on the same basis.
Three questions that settle different boundaries
| Boundary | Question | What it clarifies |
|---|---|---|
| Starting point | Le transport initial est-il inclus ? | Whether the first stage is counted |
| Period | Sur quelle période porte le calcul ? | The time window for both options |
| Exclusion | Le retour est-il comptabilisé ? | Whether the return journey is part of the total |
Être compris dans and être inclus dans mean to be included. Être comptabilisé focuses on being counted in the calculation. Être exclu names an omitted stage. An exclusion shared by both columns can preserve comparability for that limited scope, but it still narrows the conclusion. Mention it when presenting the result.
À périmètre identique, l’écart sera peut-être différent ; attendons le nouveau calcul.
With identical scope, the gap may be different; let’s wait for the new calculation.
The exchange ends with a method rather than a verdict. The corrected total may narrow, widen or reverse the gap; the dialogue does not supply that calculation. This is useful B2 phrasing: identify the missing information, say what must be harmonised and postpone the judgement until the evidence is on the same basis.