The series Le jour où tout a basculé - À l'audience contains a wealth of legal jargon. This lesson will clear up some of the terms you'll come across there, specifically the differences between the multiple French words for "court." Whether you have an immediate use for it, enjoy watching courtroom dramas, or just want to expand your legal vocabulary in French, this lesson is for you! 

The generic word for "court" is le tribunal, a cognate of the English "tribunal":

Docteur Cujasse, le tribunal vous dispense de peine.

Dr. Cujasse, the court dismisses the charges against you.

Caption 25, Le Jour où tout a basculé À l'audience: Mon chirurgien était ivre - Part 7

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So how would you translate the idiom “to go to court,” as in to take legal action? It's simply aller au tribunal:

L’entreprise est prête à aller au tribunal pour empêcher ces mesures draconiennes.

The company is prepared to go to court to stop these drastic measures.

In French, le tribunal refers not only to the institution of the court but also to the building itself, the courthouse (unlike in English, a distinction is not made between them). Le tribunal is a place where a certain decorum is expected, as the judge reminds the audience in this video:

Nous sommes dans un tribunal. Merci.

We are in a courthouse. Thank you.

Caption 63, Le Jour où tout a basculé À l'audience: Mon chirurgien était ivre - Part 3

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Le tribunal, the building, also has another name, le palais de justice (law court, court of law). As its name suggests, le palais de justice often looks like “a palace,” an imposing historic building with Greek columns, similar to US courthouses:

On peut dire le Palais de Justice ou le Tribunal.

One can say the Courthouse or the Tribunal.

Caption 25, Lionel à Metz - Part 1

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Going back to le tribunal, the institution, why does this sometimes translate as “tribunal” in English? Both French and English use the word “tribunal” when referring to certain specialized courts, such as un tribunal militaire (a military tribunal):

Donc on va lire soit l'ordonnance qui déclare une personne otage, soit on va lire le jugement qui a été rendu par un tribunal militaire allemand qui a condamné à mort un résistant.

So they'll read either the ordinance that declares a person hostage, or they'll read the judgment that was rendered by a German military tribunal that condemned a Resistance fighter to death.

Captions 16-18, Voyage en France Le Mémorial de la France combattante - Part 2

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There is yet another type of tribunal called une tribune in French, originally a platform where Roman orators spoke from. Today this refers to a special European tribunal, la tribune du Parlement européen:

Il est régulièrement invité à les défendre à la tribune du Parlement européen à Bruxelles.

He is regularly invited to defend them in the tribunal of the European Parliament in Brussels.

Captions 26-27, Le Mans TV Youssef Ben Amar, un rappeur engagé en politique

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La tribune has a wide range of other meanings as well, including "platform," "bleachers," and "opinion column."

Now that we've explored le tribunal, let's move on to la cour. La cour is a cognate of the English "court," but it's only used to describe certain types of courts. 

For instance, we have la Cour Suprême (Supreme Court). While the French-Canadian legal system is based on French civil law, Quebec has adopted the American term "Supreme Court," la Cour Suprême. As the following video notes, la Cour Suprême du Canada made some controversial decisions regarding the French language in Quebec:

Ça a été très mal vu ; la Cour Suprême du Canada a démoli une partie de la loi.

It was looked upon very badly; the Supreme Court of Canada struck down a part of the law.

Caption 27, Le Québec parle aux Français - Part 3

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On the other hand, France does not have la Cour Suprême but la cour de cassation, the highest court where final rulings are made. This can be roughly translated as "final court of appeal":

La cour de cassation est la plus haute juridiction de l'ordre judiciaire français.

The final court of appeal is the highest court in the French judicial system.

Before a case can reach la cour de cassation, it has to go through the lower courts, namely la cour d’appel (the court of appeals):

La cour d'appel a aussi certaines compétences administratives.

The court of appeals also has administrative functions.

To sum up, le tribunal is the general word for "court" in French, referring both to a courthouse and to the juridical institution. It usually translates as “court” in English, unless referring to specific tribunals. On the other hand, la cour only refers to specific types of courts (cour de cassation, cour d'appel).

Cette leçon est levée (this lesson is adjourned). See you in court for another session on legal vocabulary!

In a previous lesson on French art vocabulary, we learned that “le cadre is the frame around a painting or photograph.” In this lesson, we will focus on other meanings of cadre (frame) that are not related to art. In the process, we will also discuss related vocabulary such as encadrement (frame, management) and encadrer (to frame, supervise) that are also not always art-related.

Indeed, un cadre can take on a more figurative meaning. In the example below, it means “an environment”:

On a un cadre qui est vraiment agréable donc les gens viennent.

We have an environment that is really pleasant, so people come.

Caption 59, Le Mans TV Mon Village - Malicorne - Part 1

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Or, un cadre is simply “a space,” an interior space:

On a pris une décoratrice d'intérieur pour nous faire un cadre vraiment zen, épuré

We took on an interior designer to make us a really Zen, clean space

Caption 18, Alsace 20 Grain de Sel: à l'Anatable à Dinsheim

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As mentioned in the previous lesson, "un cadre is also the word for 'framework' (as in the expression dans le cadre de, 'within the framework of')":

Donc là on leur met - et bien évidemment dans le cadre de ce suivi - une bague du Muséum d'Histoire naturelle de Paris

So there we put on them - and quite obviously within the framework of this follow-up - a ring from the Paris Museum of Natural History

Captions 13-14, Canal 32 Les secrets des cailles des blés

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The expression dans le cadre de can also mean “within the context of”:

et que ça rentre aussi tout à fait dans le cadre du vivre-ensemble

and that it also falls really well within the context of harmonious living

Caption 38, Actus Quartier Fête de quartier Python-Duvernois - Part 4

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You might come across a less common meaning of dans le cadre de: “as part of,” as in part of an event, such as the anniversary of a wine route: 

Oui. C'est un petit peu aussi dans le cadre du soixantième anniversaire de la route des vins.

Yes. It's a little bit also as part of the sixtieth anniversary of the wine route.

Caption 6, Alsace 20 100 recettes pour 100 vins

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In short, un cadre refers to a space, environment, setting, framework, or context. But you may be surprised to learn that it’s also the word for "executive" or "manager." For example, the mother in the following video is une cadre supérieure (a top executive):

Mère de famille, cadre supérieure

Mother of a family, top executive

Caption 7, Le Jour où tout a basculé À l'audience - Arnaque en couple ? - Part 2

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And it seems logical that un poste d’encadrement should refer to "a management position":

Découvrons un premier exemple pour un poste d'encadrement.

Let's discover a first example, for a management position.

Caption 64, QuestionEntretien Pourquoi vous et pas un autre ? - Part 3

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Likewise, the verb encadrer means “to organize” or “supervise.” (Note that in an art context, encadrer means to frame a picture or a photograph.) In the video below, the speaker mentions that the annual Paris-Plage event was bien encadré (well organized) thanks to its constant supervising and monitoring:

C'est toujours, euh... bien encadré.

It's always, uh... well organized.

Caption 24, Lionel L Paris-Plage - Part 2

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Encadrer is synonymous with surveiller (to supervise, monitor, surveil):

Il y a toujours des gens pour encadrer, surveiller.

There are always people to supervise, monitor.

Caption 29, Lionel L Paris-Plage - Part 2

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Encadré in the broader sense of the word means “taken care of.” In the following video, the speaker would like to go on a cruise where everything is encadré:

Tout est encadré.

Everything is taken care of.

Caption 40, Le Jour où tout a basculé Mes grands-parents sont infidèles - Part 1

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However, on the opposite end of the spectrum, encadré can imply excessive interference to the point of feeling restricted. In the video below, Youssef Ben Amar, a contender in the legislative race, tries to debunk the myth that politics is about imposing restrictions:

On nous a vendu le mot "politique" comme quelque chose de très encadré

We've been sold the word "politics" as something very restricted

Captions 14-15, Le Mans TV Youssef Ben Amar, un rappeur engagé en politique

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Worse still, encadrer is not just a criticism—it can also describe something or someone you can't stand:

Je ne peux pas me les encadrer.

I can't stomach them.

Caption 85, Le saviez-vous? Comment dire qu'on n'aime pas?

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So, to sum up, encadrer has many meanings, ranging from “to frame," "to supervise", "to organize," "to loathe.” The Yabla team will make sure that you’re bien encadré or bien encadrée (well taken care of) thanks to our numerous videos.

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\Wishing you every success dans le cadre de Yabla! Thank you for reading.