Equality, identity and respect

Equality is one of the subjects in the GCSE themes. Learn how to talk about identity, discrimination and respect.

Practise this lesson free (6 questions)

Key words

FrenchEnglish
l'égalité (f) / l'inégalité (f)equality / inequality
égal(e)equal
le racisme / le sexismeracism / sexism
le respect / respecterrespect / to respect
accepterto accept
la religion / religieux, religieusereligion / religious
l'identité (f) / le genreidentity / gender
handicapé(e) / le fauteuil roulantdisabled / wheelchair
la victime / la violencevictim / violence
lutter contreto fight against
la société / les genssociety / people

Identity words

The vocabulary list includes words for describing identity respectfully: gay, lesbienne, bisexuel(le), hétéro(sexuel), transgenre, non-binaire.
Je m'identifie comme... (Higher: s'identifier) = I identify as...
Chacun a le droit d'être soi-même. = Everyone has the right to be themselves.
Tout le monde (everyone) takes a singular verb: Tout le monde est égal.

Giving your view

Il faut + infinitive = we must / it is necessary to: Il faut respecter les autres.
On doit + infinitive = we must: On doit lutter contre le racisme.
Negative: Il ne faut pas juger les gens. (We must not judge people.)
À mon avis, le sexisme est un grand problème dans la société.
Worked example

Translate: In my opinion, everyone is equal and we must fight against racism.

  1. In my opinion = à mon avis
  2. everyone is = tout le monde est (singular verb)
  3. we must fight against = on doit lutter contre / il faut lutter contre

Answer: À mon avis, tout le monde est égal et on doit lutter contre le racisme.

Key idea

L'égalité, le racisme, le sexisme, le respect, l'identité, handicapé(e), la religion, lutter contre. Tout le monde + singular verb. Il faut / on doit + infinitive; il ne faut pas + infinitive.

Common mistakes
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Extra practice

2 more questions

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  1. What does "l'insécurité" mean?

    1. lack of safety, insecurity
    2. security
    3. safety
    4. certainty
    Show the answer

    Answer: lack of safety, insecurity

    In- + sécurité.

  2. Which word means "disabled"?

    1. le handicap
    2. malade
    3. handicapé(e)
    4. âgé(e)
    Show the answer

    Answer: handicapé(e)

    Handicapé = disabled.

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Sources and references

Last updated 2 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us and we will fix it.

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