A stated detail is something the text reports as happening or existing. An opinion is what a person thinks about it.
IGCSE French reading questions often ask about only one of the two, so the skill is to sort them before you answer. It sits within reading for meaning.
How do I sort opinion from detail?
Ask two questions of any sentence. Can this be checked as true or false (a time, a number, an event)?
Or is it a judgement that another person could disagree with? The first is a detail, the second is an opinion.
French also leaves clear signals.
| Signal | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| à mon avis, je pense que, je trouve que | the speaker’s own view | Je trouve que c’est cher. |
| selon Hugo, d’après lui | whose view or claim follows | Selon Hugo, c’est trop bruyant. |
| il / elle pense que, il / elle trouve que | someone else’s view | Inès pense que c’est une bonne idée. |
| judging words: trop, super, affreux, ennuyeux | an evaluation | C’est trop grand. |
Details usually come with a verb of action or existence, a figure, a date or a name, with no judging word. Notice that trop grand is a judgement even when the building really is big, because “too big” depends on who is speaking.
Worked example
Le nouveau centre commercial ouvre en mars. Il compte quarante boutiques. Selon Hugo, c’est trop grand et trop bruyant; sa sœur Inès pense au contraire que c’est une bonne idée pour les jeunes.
Question A: Quand ouvre le centre commercial?
This is a detail: en mars.
Question B: Que pense Hugo du centre commercial?
Selon Hugo introduces his view. He thinks it is too big and too noisy. The details en mars and quarante boutiques are not what he thinks.
Question C: Que pense Inès?
Au contraire signals the opposite of Hugo. She thinks it is a good idea for young people.
Notice that all three answers come from the same short text. The skill is to sort the sentences first, then answer.
What mistake should I watch for?
Mistaken answer to B: Il compte quarante boutiques.
The student answered with a stated fact because the sentence is clearly about the centre. But the question asks what Hugo thinks. “Quarante boutiques” tells you how many shops there are, not how Hugo feels about them.
The correction is to underline the speaker’s name or the signal word in the question, and then search for that same name or signal in the text. Here, Hugo leads you to selon Hugo, followed by his opinion.
Check yourself
La piscine municipale ferme à 20 heures. Pour Karim, l’eau est trop froide, mais sa cousine Amélie adore nager le soir. Elle dit que c’est très calme.
1. À quelle heure la piscine ferme-t-elle? Is this a detail or an opinion?
Show answer
A detail: à 20 heures. It can be checked and has no judging word.
2. Que pense Karim de l’eau?
Show answer
An opinion: he thinks the water is too cold. Trop froide is a judgement that Amélie does not share.
3. Pourquoi Amélie aime-t-elle nager le soir?
Show answer
Because, in her view, it is very calm (très calme). The reason is her own opinion, introduced by elle dit que.
Where does this lead next?
With details and opinions separated, you are ready to check whether evidence supports a reading response, where you test a stated answer against the text. If a sentence still slows you down because of an unknown word, return to inferring a word from context.
A teacher in online one-to-one French tuition can use your own practice texts to show how the signal words work, so you can sort a passage quickly in an exam.