The art of persuasion
Vocabulary
- convaincreto convince
- rhétoriquerhetoric
- appelappeal/call
- convaincantconvincing
- biaisbias
- positionposition/stance
- plaidoyerplea/advocacy
- démonstrationdemonstration/proof
- preuveproof/evidence
- adhésionsupport/buy-in
Persuasion in French relies on strong rhetorical structures and the conditionnel passé to present hypothetical outcomes.
Conditionnel passé (past conditional): Formed with the conditional of avoir/être + past participle.
- Si j'avais étudié davantage, j'aurais réussi. (If I had studied more, I would have succeeded.)
- Si nous avions agi plus tôt, le problème aurait été résolu. (If we had acted sooner, the problem would have been solved.)
Persuasive structures:
- Ne pensez-vous pas que... (Don't you think that...)
- Force est de constater que... (One must acknowledge that...)
- Il va sans dire que... (It goes without saying that...)
- Les faits montrent clairement que... (The facts clearly show that...)
Building an argument:
- State your position: Je suis convaincu que... (I am convinced that...)
- Provide evidence: Cela est confirmé par... (This is confirmed by...)
- Anticipate objections: On pourrait objecter que... cependant... (One could object that... however...)
Mastering these structures makes your arguments compelling and well-structured.
Expressions
- Si j'avais su, j'aurais agiExpressing regret about the past
- Force est de constater queOne must acknowledge that
- Ne pensez-vous pas queRhetorical persuasion question
- Il va sans dire queIt goes without saying
- Les faits parlent d'eux-mêmesThe facts speak for themselves
- On ne saurait nier queOne cannot deny that
- Tout porte à croire queEverything suggests that
- Je suis convaincu queI am convinced that
Common mistakes
Si j'aurais su, j'aurais agiSi j'avais su, j'aurais agiAfter si in past hypotheticals, use the plus-que-parfait, never the conditionnel.
Je suis convaincu de queJe suis convaincu queConvaincu que takes no preposition before que.
Les faits montrent que clairementLes faits montrent clairement queThe adverb clairement goes before que, not after it.
Force est constater queForce est de constater queThe expression requires de before the infinitive.
Si nous avons agi plus tôtSi nous avions agi plus tôtPast hypotheticals require the plus-que-parfait after si.
Quick quiz
Question 1 of 5
How do you say “plea/advocacy” in French?
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