Exam practice

Lost or found? Write a clear French lost-property notice

Write a short French notice people can use: lost or found, object details, date, place and one contact route. Includes an A2 writing task and model.

In short

Start with the object and its status: Carnet perdu means “Lost notebook”; Carnet trouvé means “Notebook found”. Add a recognisable detail, a date and place, and one clear way to reply.

Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn

Carnet perduLost notebook

Focus: The owner is looking for it.

object + perdu / perdue

J’ai perdu un petit carnet vert.
I have lost a small green notebook.

Carnet trouvéNotebook found

Focus: Someone has found it.

object + trouvé / trouvée

J’ai trouvé un carnet près de l’entrée.
I found a notebook near the entrance.

For this task, reception has agreed to take messages for Lina. Her notebook is small and green, and her first name is written on the first page. She lost it on 18 May and thinks she left it in the drawing room. Turn those details into a notice a passing reader can understand.

A2 · Public notice · guided writing taskNot an official exam paper

Vous êtes Lina. Vous avez perdu un petit carnet vert le 18 mai après-midi, peut-être dans la salle de dessin du centre. Votre prénom est écrit sur la première page. L’accueil accepte de prendre les messages. Rédigez une annonce : indiquez ce que vous cherchez et expliquez comment vous contacter.

(50 mots minimum)

You are Lina. You lost a small green notebook on the afternoon of 18 May, perhaps in the centre’s drawing room. Your first name is on the first page. Reception will take messages. Write a notice describing what you are looking for and explaining how to contact you. Write at least 50 words for this task.

Your answer

Nothing you write is saved or sent. Copy it before you leave.

Read a model answer

Carnet perdu

J’ai perdu un petit carnet vert le 18 mai après-midi. Je pense l’avoir laissé dans la salle de dessin du centre. Mon prénom, Lina, est écrit sur la première page.

Si vous avez trouvé ce carnet, merci de laisser un message pour moi à l’accueil du centre.

Merci beaucoup pour votre aide !

Lina

Review your draft

Before you finish

A self-review aid, not an exam mark. Ticks are not saved.

Match the headline to the object

Picture the notice before you write

Useful endings in a headline
ObjectLostFound
un sacSac perduSac trouvé
une trousseTrousse perdueTrousse trouvée
des clésClés perduesClés trouvées
Question 1No account needed
You have lost a scarf. Choose the headline.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

Écharpe perdue. Écharpe is feminine: perdue. Trouvée would tell readers that someone has found it.

Question 2No account needed
Where should a reader leave a message for Lina?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

À l’accueil du centre.. The model explicitly asks for a message at reception. The drawing room is the likely place of loss.

Question 3No account needed
Which clue stays useful if the notice remains up for several days?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

le 18 mai après-midi. A calendar date remains clear as time passes. Hier changes meaning for someone reading the notice later.