The environment: giving opinions on wider issues

Go beyond your own life and discuss a big issue: what is happening to the planet and what we should do about it.

Practise this lesson free (7 questions)

The problems

la pollution, le changement climatique (climate change), le réchauffement climatique (global warming)
les déchets (waste), le plastique, la circulation (traffic), la déforestation, les espèces menacées (endangered species)
À mon avis, le plus grand problème, c'est la pollution. = In my opinion, the biggest problem is pollution.

What we should do

On doit / Il faut + infinitive = we must. On devrait + infinitive = we should.
recycler (recycle), économiser l'eau et l'énergie (save water and energy), éteindre la lumière (turn off the light)
prendre les transports en commun (use public transport), aller au collège à vélo, utiliser moins de plastique (use less plastic), acheter des produits locaux (buy local products)

Discussing it

Je pense que... / Je crois que... = I think that...
Je suis d'accord. / Je ne suis pas d'accord. = I agree. / I disagree.
Pour protéger la planète, je recycle et je vais au collège à pied. = To protect the planet, I recycle and I walk to school.
Give a reason: parce que c'est important pour l'avenir (because it is important for the future).
Worked example

Translate: To protect the planet, we should use less plastic.

  1. To protect the planet: pour protéger la planète (pour + infinitive).
  2. we should: on devrait + infinitive.
  3. use less plastic: utiliser moins de plastique.

Answer: Pour protéger la planète, on devrait utiliser moins de plastique.

Key idea

Problems: la pollution, le réchauffement climatique, les déchets. Solutions: on doit / il faut / on devrait + infinitive (recycler, économiser l'eau, prendre les transports en commun). Opinions: je pense que, je crois que, je suis d'accord.

Quick check

Try two quick questions

See if it has sunk in. Answers are marked straight away.

Extra practice

2 more questions

Try each one, then tap to check.

  1. What is la pollution de l'air?

    1. air conditioning
    2. fresh air
    3. air pollution
    4. the weather
    Show the answer

    Answer: air pollution

    La pollution de l'air = air pollution.

  2. What does "On devrait économiser l'eau" mean?

    1. We saved water
    2. We must not save water
    3. We should save water
    4. We are saving water
    Show the answer

    Answer: We should save water

    On devrait = we should.

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Practise this lesson free (7 questions)All KS3 French lessons

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Sources and references

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