Matching game

Faire état de: mentioning a claim is not the same as verifying it

Distinguish faire état de, établir and faire l’objet de in French reports by tracking what is mentioned, established or subjected to a process.

In short

Faire état de reports or mentions information; it does not by itself certify it. Établir que presents a finding as established, so examine the evidence offered. Faire l’objet de means being the subject of something: its complement can name an ongoing check, a proposal or a decision with an actual outcome.

Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn

A small robot carries an envelope on a tray towards a person holding a magnifying glass beside a lamp.
Passing on information and checking it are different actions; preserve the report’s stated source and status. Illustration: Atelier

Match each complete report sentence to the status it states

Tap one on the left, then its partner on the right.

Track what follows de

Three constructions with different relations
ConstructionExampleRelation
faire état de + informationLa note fait état de plusieurs demandes.The note mentions the requests.
établir que + propositionLe registre établit que le colis est arrivé mardi.The record establishes the stated arrival fact.
faire l’objet de + processus ou traitementLe colis fait l’objet d’une inspection.The parcel undergoes an inspection.

A report can faire état de a well-supported fact or an unverified allegation. The expression itself does not force either status. Keep any attribution or qualification that follows. Conversely, a writer saying établit is making a stronger claim, but that wording alone is not a substitute for adequate evidence.

The complement can carry the outcome

Fait l’objet d’un examen en cours reports an ongoing process. Fait l’objet d’un refus motivé reports a stated refusal. It would be wrong to teach faire l’objet de as always meaning “still pending”: the noun phrase after de supplies the relevant treatment or decision.

Question 1No account needed
Does faire état de automatically verify an allegation?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

No.. Mention and verification are distinct.

Question 2No account needed
Where does the ongoing-process meaning come from in fait l’objet d’un contrôle en cours?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

The complement contrôle en cours.. The complement gives the process and status.

Question 3No account needed
What should survive a faithful paraphrase of a service’s unconfirmed claim?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

Its attribution and unconfirmed status.. Removing either can turn a report into an adopted fact.

A concise summary can use mentionne, établit or est soumis à when those replacements fit the complete sentence. Simplifying the verb does not authorise changing the status of the information being relayed.