The key word comes first
Manuals, standards, maintenance reports and package leaflets pack a lot of information into noun phrases. This lesson trains decoding: you should understand such phrases quickly and correctly.
The key difference from English: an English noun stack puts the head noun at the end (cooling circuit leak test). The French chain starts with the head noun, and each further de adds a more precise specification.
How a chain is built
Read from the front
Contrôle de l'étanchéité du circuit de refroidissement.
Cooling circuit leak test.
Head: contrôle. What is checked? The tightness. Of what? The cooling circuit.
Mise à jour du logiciel de gestion des stocks.
Inventory management software update.
Head: mise à jour. Which software? The one for managing stock.
Four noun patterns
Besides the de-chain, technical texts build terms in three other ways. Once you recognise the pattern, you know how the parts relate.
Pattern and relation
| Pattern | Relation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| noun + de + noun | specification, belonging | taux de change, durée de vie |
| noun + à + noun or infinitive | purpose, power source, function | pompe à chaleur, moteur à essence, machine à laver |
| noun + relational adjective | replaces a de-phrase | consommation énergétique, réseau ferroviaire, insuffisance cardiaque |
| noun + noun, no preposition | fixed technical term | contrôle qualité, mode veille, date limite |
A relational adjective (adjectif relationnel) looks like a describing adjective but stands for a noun: énergétique here means "of energy", not "energetic". Translate it as a noun modifier in English: consommation énergétique is energy consumption.
Patterns in a sentence
La pompe à chaleur réduit la consommation énergétique de 40 %.
The heat pump cuts energy consumption by 40%.
L'appareil passe en mode veille après dix minutes d'inactivité.
The device switches to standby mode after ten minutes of inactivity.
Ce médicament est contre-indiqué en cas d'insuffisance cardiaque.
This medicine is contraindicated in heart failure.
Where the verb is hiding
In technical texts a noun often carries the action, and a colourless support verb holds the sentence together: procéder à, effectuer, faire l'objet de, donner lieu à. The real information sits in the noun that follows.
How to decode a sentence
- 1
Find the head
Look for the noun after the support verb: contrôle, remplacement, alerte.
- 2
Recover the verb
Turn the noun back into a verb: contrôle → contrôler, remplacement → remplacer.
- 3
Assign the complement
The de-phrase is usually the object of the action: remplacement du joint means the seal is replaced.
Support verbs in technical text
L'installation fait l'objet d'un contrôle annuel.
The system is inspected once a year.
Il a été procédé au remplacement du joint défectueux.
The faulty seal was replaced.
Impersonal passive, typical of maintenance reports.
Tout dépassement du seuil donne lieu à une alerte.
Any breach of the threshold triggers an alert.
Instructions in the infinitive
On labels, packaging and in manuals, French often uses the infinitive where English uses the imperative (Shake before use). In the negative, ne pas stand together before the infinitive.
Typical notices
Agiter avant emploi.
Shake before use.
Conserver à l'abri de la lumière et de l'humidité.
Store away from light and moisture.
Ne pas exposer à une température supérieure à 50 °C.
Do not expose to temperatures above 50 °C.
