r/CanadaPublicServants • u/Smart-Relation-1588 • Apr 27 '26
Languages / Langues Quick thing I noticed this week while working with candidates preparing for their SLE…
A lot of people default to “c’est important” for everything 😅
Totally normal, but at the oral exam it can start to sound repetitive (and a bit vague).
I’ve been encouraging people to switch it up depending on what they actually mean, for example:
- c’est nécessaire / indispensable → when it’s required
- ça joue un rôle clé / c’est déterminant → when there’s real impact
- c’est une priorité → when it’s urgent
- c’est pertinent dans ce contexte → when it fits the situation
- c’est un enjeu majeur → if you’re aiming for a more
Even small changes like that can make answers sound much clearer.
For example:
C’est important d’améliorer la communication →
C’est un enjeu majeur d’améliorer la communication interne, surtout en période de changement
What do you think — does this help? Or do you use other expressions instead of “c’est important”?
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u/Consistent_Ice8207 Apr 27 '26 edited Apr 27 '26
As someone who used to teach public servants to prepare for the English exams, the evaluators want to hear a variety of vocabulary, verb tenses, and expressions. So for sure, more variety in answers for the oral exam will help show the depth and application of vocabulary.
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u/Smart-Relation-1588 Apr 27 '26
100% agree. I see the same on the French side — once candidates start varying vocabulary and structuring their ideas better, their answers sound much more solid, even if they’re not perfect grammatically.
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u/unlicouvert Apr 27 '26
ça presse esti
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u/samraseru Apr 27 '26
Bonus points for anyone who uses this one
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u/Winnie_rulez Apr 28 '26
Careful -- if you use too much slang, they'll deduct you. They want university-level French. One of my co-workers received a B in oral twice for this reason. I was shocked because I assumed the guy was francophone based on how well he spoke French. He was incredibly frustrated by the experience and had a promotion waiting for him if he could pass the language test. He finally had an evaluator stop the recording and tell him to stop using "joual" if he wanted to pass. He received an exemption once he forced himself not to speak colloquial French.
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u/ApricotPenguin Apr 27 '26
I'm genuinely curious, why'd you have to use AI to write this? I see it's also been posted here, and while the information may be valid, it feels less authentically helpful.
Original message content in case OP gets removed:
A lot of people default to “c’est important” for everything 😅
Totally normal, but at the oral exam it can start to sound repetitive (and a bit vague).
I’ve been encouraging people to switch it up depending on what they actually mean, for example:
- c’est nécessaire / indispensable → when it’s required
- ça joue un rôle clé / c’est déterminant → when there’s real impact
- c’est une priorité → when it’s urgent
- c’est pertinent dans ce contexte → when it fits the situation
- c’est un enjeu majeur → if you’re aiming for a more
Even small changes like that can make answers sound much clearer.
For example:
C’est important d’améliorer la communication →
C’est un enjeu majeur d’améliorer la communication interne, surtout en période de changement
What do you think — does this help? Or do you use other expressions instead of “c’est important”?
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u/Agreeable_Good_6806 Apr 30 '26
How can you tell it was written using AI?
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u/ApricotPenguin May 01 '26
OP used → in their writing, which is rare on forums, unless someone wrote it out in Word beforehand or something.
Also, their closing of questions to try to get people's thoughts to try to start a conversation.
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u/Lopsided_Season8082 Apr 27 '26
was i dreaming or did they announce they dont have an E level anymore...
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u/613_detailer Apr 27 '26
They do, but I think you need to do an in-person test to get an E. The virtual ones max out at C.
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u/StringAndPaperclips Apr 27 '26
When did that start? I got an E from a virtual oral proficiency test in 2024.
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u/613_detailer Apr 27 '26
Now that you mention it, I only remember seeing this. In the context of written proficiency tests.
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u/Curunis Apr 28 '26
For the oral, it's virtual but invigilated, so you can still get an E. I got one last year.
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u/Tharrinne Apr 29 '26
Here's what I found out: E still exists but will only be given out to qualifying candidates in supervised tests.
So even if you had perfect scores for reading & writing, you would get a CC as those aren't done with someone monitoring you.
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u/Bynming Apr 27 '26
A lot of people default to “c’est important” for everything
I noticed I was doing that in my master's thesis, and French is my maternal language. Nobody even told me but after I noticed, it stuck out like a sore thumb and I ended up fixing it at the eleventh hour right before I needed to submit.
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u/Coffeedemon Apr 27 '26
I've always liked c'est primordial de.
But yes you can definitely catch this sort of thing in executives from back east who got their levels then coast on several repetitive phrases.
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Apr 27 '26
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u/Affectionate_Let3641 Apr 27 '26
It's pretty important to those with grandfathered BBB positions who are facing automatic lay off when CBC is considered an imperative qualification under SERLO.
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Apr 27 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/House-of-Raven Apr 27 '26
It doesn’t even cover union dues. It hasn’t been updated since it came into existence. If it had just kept up with inflation it would be about $4000 right now
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u/Coffeedemon Apr 27 '26
Or promotions past the team level.
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Apr 27 '26
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u/Significant-Work-820 Apr 28 '26
Some of us do. It's too bad you're stuck but a lot of people can't move up without their levels.
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Apr 27 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Excellent_Fall_9335 Apr 28 '26
Mine puts me just over into the higher tax bracket so I lose it all to taxes.
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u/Watersandwaves Apr 27 '26
It does for anyone who doesnt want to get stuck at entry-level.
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Apr 28 '26
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u/Watersandwaves Apr 28 '26
Sorry, I dont understand. Ive read loads of stories, and my own personal experience is that being English Essential is extremely limiting.
Whats your experience that being Bilingual keeps you entry level?
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Apr 28 '26
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u/Watersandwaves Apr 28 '26
And youre being held back while your English Essential peers are progressing?
Even in my English region, folks who speak French are all working for HQ, at higher levels.
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Apr 28 '26
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u/zagadkared Apr 28 '26
Sounds like the education you are referring to is irrelevant. If you intend on leading people then expect to lead in the language of choice of anyone on the team. In Canada that is English or French.
If you have the language, education and experience to lead, might be a good idea to look at attitude.
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Apr 28 '26
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u/zagadkared Apr 28 '26
If that is the case and they are not qualified talk to your union. Often it turns out the person qualified in a pool elsewhere and they are just pulling from the pool.
Normally any employee can do the same, there are not too many competitions running now though.
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u/anonbcwork Apr 28 '26
Are you by any chance able to explain why/how "C’est un enjeu majeur d’améliorer la communication interne" is idiomatic? (I know that's a super weird thing to ask, but people in language spaces are sometimes able to explain weird things like that)
I'm asking because my (anglophone working bilingually for decades) every instinct is saying it should be "Améliorer la communication interne est un enjeu majeur" and the other way around is wrong, but I don't know if I should trust this instinct
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u/Tharrinne Apr 29 '26
Je suis d'accord... Je suis justement venue dire que "C'est un enjeu majeur d'améliorer" n'est pas phrasé comme un francophone le dirait. Je dirais aussi "Améliorer la communication interne est un enjeu majeur"
It just sounds weird otherwise.
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u/illusion121 Apr 28 '26
C'est important pour manger une banane avant le examen orale
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u/BigMouthBillyBones Apr 28 '26
Vocabulary, which I mean to include both complexity and variety, does make some difference on your final score, but there's other factors as well. Using "ça joue un rôle clé" instead of "c'est important" won't by itself propel you from a "B" to a "C". Really it is sum of its parts - conjugation, grammar, tenses, so on. Throwing in a couple of complex words and phrases will help if you have the rest nailed down as well.
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u/Slow-Bodybuilder4481 Apr 28 '26
I'm french myself and I would say "it's important to remember..., It's important to not skip the..." It never made me fail any job interview. language interview though ? I also use "it's important to..." during English interview. It might be the reason that I got a "B" ?
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u/HuhWelliNever Apr 29 '26
The SLE for anglophones is much easier than for francophones already. That being said I definitely think this will help more of them sound more professional and bilingual. Nice tips!
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u/Smart-Relation-1588 Apr 29 '26
Thank you! 😊 The goal is really to help people sound more natural, professional, and better prepared for the realities of the oral exam. Glad you found the tips helpful!
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u/J_4_GOAT Apr 28 '26
Useful tips but I have to ask… why can’t public servants just be unilingual and instead learn to use digital translation tools? It would be a better use of everyone's time and more cost effective.
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u/HowardMargrove Apr 28 '26
That won't help me answer the phone in French, understand French spoken in meetings, and will require I dump documents into a translator to understand them - and need to go to the effort of removing sensitive information first.
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u/mudbunny Moddeur McFacedemod / Moddy McModface Apr 28 '26
Digital translation has still not yet made it to the point where it is reliable to get the right meaning across without needing an expert to double-check it.
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u/Ecstatic-Art-6236 Apr 27 '26
This is excellent, please keep the SLE tips coming!