french alcohol essay

Alcohol – L’alcool

ALCOHOL – L’ALCOOL

• Il est incontestable qu’il y a un problème d’alcool en Irlande. Les jeunes commencent à boire de l’alcool à un âge précoce sans réaliser le danger auquel ils sont exposés.

It is clear that there is a problem with alcohol in Ireland. Young people begin drinking at a young age, without realising the danger to which they are exposed to.

• L’alcool peut avoir un effet néfaste sur la santé.

Alcohol can have a harmful effect on health.

• On peut trouver de l’alcool vendu ouvertement dans presque tous les magasins, les stations de service, les bars et la liste n’en finit pas!

We can find alcohol openly sold in almost every shop, petrol station, bar and the list never ends.

KEY GRAMMATICAL CONSTRUCTIONS…ALCOHOL – L’ALCOOL

• Name of problem + peut avoir un effet néfaste – Name of problem can have a harmful effect on
• Une kyrielle de problèmes – A wide range of problems

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Everything You Wanted to Know About French Wine (And Were Maybe Afraid to Ask)

September 30, 2019

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Like baguette and cheese , wine is a major part of both French culture and of the image France has around the world. When you picture a French person in your mind, it’s probable that they’re either holding a glass or bottle of wine or have one on the café table in front of them. 

But unlike cheese and bread, wine carries a certain cachet that can make it seem intimidating.

The French tendency to use abbreviations and specific terminology on wine labels, not to mention the numerous different varieties of French wine you’ll find even in the most basic corner store in France, can make this iconic drink seem out of reach for the average person. In fact, it’s totally the opposite. In France, a lot of good wines (and of course, not-so-good wines) are totally affordable, and there’s nothing fancy about having a glass with a meal. 

Once you understand the essentials, you’ll be able to enjoy (or at least understand) French wine like a local.  Let’s drink up some information about French wine! 

What kinds of wine are produced in France?

There are roughly ten main wine-growing regions in France: Alsace, Bordeaux, Bourgogne (Burgundy), Beaujolais, Champagne, Côtes du Rhône, Jura, Languedoc, the Loire Valley, and Médoc. But many other regions, like the inland southwest and Normandy also produce wine. You can read lots of interesting information about the wine grown in different regions of France here and here . 

As you probably guessed when you read that list, most French wines are named for the region they come from – for example, bordeaux, burgundy ( bourgogne in French), médoc, and champagne. Note that when talking about a wine, not the region, the word begins with a lowercase letter. 

Those are the major categories of French wine; from there, you’ll have more specific names that relate to a location within a region, like Saint-Emilion, a popular type of bordeaux.

All of this shows one of the most important things to understand about French wine: It’s not about the grapes it comes from (which include chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon, and have been cultivated and used in other parts of the world, as well); rather, it’s the type of soil and other conditions in a particular French wine region. This is a concept known as terroir . 

Each region’ s wines have a particular reputation, some more well-known than others. But there’s no single “best” French wine-growing region; it depends on what kind of wine you like.

The three main varieties, as you may already know, are red ( vin rouge ), white ( vin blanc ), and rosé ( rosé ).  These colors are derived from the color of the grapes used to make them…mostly. You can read all about the fascinating process of winemaking here . 

Although they may seem highly codified and maybe a bit snobby to someone looking in from overseas, there are no hard and fast rules for French wines. There might be some labels or vintages ( millésimes ) that are considered excellent, but the average French person is just as capable of enjoying a mid-range bottle you bought from the grocery store, as a pricey purchase from a wine cellar or local vineyard. It’s all about your personal taste.

What is the history of French wine?

Since it’s such an iconic part of our idea of French culture, you may be wondering , Was wine invented in France? The answer is…not exactly. The practice of fermenting grapes to produce wine probably first came about in China, around 7000 BC/BCE. But its origins in Europe stem from the country of Georgia, around 6000 BC (or BCE, if you prefer). 

From Georgia, the practice of making wine gradually spread through the continent. It took a few millennia, but by the 1 st century AD (or CE, if you prefer), wine grown in what is today France’s Rhône region had quite the reputation among Ancient Roman connoisseurs. 

So, wine didn’t originate in France, but it’s been a part of French history for a very long time, even so.

On the other hand, there is a winemaking process that did originate in France. In the early 16th century, Benedictine monks near Carcassonne probably invented the process of creating sparkling wine. The most famous variety of this white, bubbly concoction is champagne, famously cultivated and elaborated upon by a fellow monk, Dom Perignon, in the 17 th century.

Champagne is a sparkling wine, but not all sparkling wine can be called “champagne”. Under European Union legislation, the name “champagne” can only be used for a sparkling wine from the Champagne region that follows strict guidelines covering everything from the grapes, to the process of making it.  

This means that there are many other kinds of French wines roughly similar to champagne. Personally, I love clairette de die, a sparkling wine from the Rhône region that’s sweeter and lighter than champagne.  

Although the French appreciate many different kinds of sparkling white wines, champagne tends to be the most popular, especially during the winter holidays , when it’s classically paired with foie-gras.  

Despite the fact that wine’s origins aren’t French, for most French people , wine is an inherent part of French culture – and French national pride. One of the effects of this is that most French people are a bit snobby when it comes to foreign wines. 

So, if you’re invited to dinner, a birthday party, or other gathering at a French person’s house and you want to bring a bottle of wine (a customary thing to do, although flowers are a completely reasonable alternative), always bring a French wine, even if the one you would have chosen has an excellent reputation overseas.

Why is wine important to French culture?

Do an internet search for “Why is wine important to French culture” and you’ll see a number of theories and even academic papers in lieu of a concrete answer. 

This is surprising, but somewhat understandable. I think part of the reason that there’s no concrete answer to the question comes down to the fact that wine has such a long history in France. It seems like habit, pride, and a climate and soil that naturally lend themselves to making good wine, all came together.

Do French people drink  a lot of wine?

With its reputation and cultural status, it’s easy to think that French people drink a lot of wine. And in fact, France is the leading wine-consuming country per person. According to the survey cited here , the French population drinks about 11% of the world’s wine.  

That seems like a lot, but believe it or not, wine consumption has drastically gone down over the past decades. Today, wine producers even worry at how (comparatively) little wine the French drink!

According to this article , the average French adult drinks 51.2 liters (13.5 gallons) of wine over the course of a year. In the year 2000, it was 71.5 liters (18.9 gallons)! 

There are a number of reasons for this change, from health and drunk driving awareness campaigns (the latter often in the form of very disturbing, graphic commercials on TV), to cultural changes like an increased variety in drink options and different ways of entertaining. 

I’ve experienced this firsthand. For example, unless I’m invited specifically for a party or meal, the most common thing I get offered when I’m invited to someone’s place here in Paris is either tea, coffee, or fruit juice. This may at least partly be due to the fact that most of the people I know are in their twenties to forties, since some studies consider reduced wine consumption in France a generational change. When my sixty-year-old mother-in-law has her French friends over, even if they just stop by to say hello, she immediately offers them an apéro (pre-meal drink). Still, I also know some older French people who would rather offer some exotic, high end tea than a bottle of wine to guests, so there are definitely other factors at play, as well.

Although wine and alcohol consumption in France may be less than it was in previous decades, you may be wondering if France has an alcohol problem. Interestingly, according to this recent survey , France ranked 43 on a list of 53 European countries with health issues connected to alcohol. This means that, while alcoholism is certainly a phenomenon in France, it’s not a scourge. I think this is mainly due to the French way of consuming food and drink in general: Everything in moderation. 

Do all French people drink wine? 

Although France has the most wine-consumers per capita, not all French people drink wine. For every French person who likes to prendre un verre (have a glass of wine), there are those who can’t, for religious-, dietary-, or health -related reasons, legal reasons ( the drinking age in France is 18 ), or simply because they don’t like wine. 

I know lots of French people, especially those from the north of France, who prefer beer to wine. And then there are those (like me) who’d rather have water, a soft drink, juice, coffee, or tea. In fact, the most commonly consumed drink in France is actually water !  

Even if you do find yourself at a table or bar with some old-fashioned native French people, I can’t imagine ever feeling pressured to drink. I say this from experience because…I hate wine. I’ve had plenty of time to try and get to know wine – my Italian mother even allowed my siblings and me to drink it at dinner when we were teenagers.  I’ve just never liked it, and the many years I’ve been in France haven’t changed things.  

Regardless of my dislike of wine, no one has ever been more than simply puzzled that I didn’t want any. I’ve never seen a French person pressure someone to drink or even taste wine. I think part of the reason for this may be the French respect for private life. 

So, if you can’t or don’t want to drink wine, don’t worry – you’ll probably never be pressured to do so in France. And there will also always be alternatives at cafes, restaurants, hotels, and even people’s homes. 

What do French people eat with wine?  

Another big rule of drinking French wine is that wine is rarely something you drink on its own. Instead, it’s intended to be accompanied by food, whether a cheese plate or a full-blown meal. 

Many French etiquette guides will say that, in France, someone drinking a glass of wine without anything else is probably a foreigner or an alcoholic, but I find that a bit extreme. I’ve seen French people savor a glass of wine at a café terrace from time to time without any judgment. My French husband confirms this. He says it’s not the most common thing to see, but if the person drinking the glass of wine looks like they’re not drunk or shabbily dressed, he wouldn’t think anything of it.

Still, wine is generally an accompaniment to a meal. So, what do you eat with French wines?  Generally speaking, French red wine goes with most kinds of meat, while white is drunk with chicken or fish.   Of course, there are exceptions to these rules. For example, since coq au vin is prepared with red wine -typically burgundy – it would be strange to drink white wine with it. 

If you’re confused, don’t worry: even French people might occasionally have trouble with l’accord mets et vins (wine and meal pairings). 

The internet is a godsend for this, offering so many helpful resources. For example, the Guide Hachette des Vins lets you search or browse by wine region, type, bestsellers/recommendations (choose the “Le Guide” tab), or even a specific meal . For example, searching for “coq au vin” allowed me to discover several varieties of red wine that would go best with this iconic dish (not to mention a coq au vin recipe!).

If you prefer clicking over typing, this online guide from famous caviste (wine merchant) chain Nicolas, lets you  lets you click on an assortment of meats, cheeses, or desserts for an idea. 

Do the French cook with wine?

Some famous traditional French dishes contain wine. These include French onion soup,bœuf bourguignon, coq au vin, and moules marinières . 

In addition to these, both amateur and professional French cooks might decide to add a splattering of wine to certain other dishes. I sometimes make a leek and potato soup with a splash of white wine, for example. But this really depends on a person’s tastes and recipe choice.

Normally, the alcohol in the wine burns off in the cooking process, so indulging in these dishes will only get you “food drunk”. That said, if you can’t consume wine for health or religious reasons, you can look online for versions of these recipes that don’t include it. At some restaurants, you may be able to ask for some of these without wine, or just choose a different option. For example, there are many ways mussels are cooked and seasoned, so à la marinière will probably be only one of several choices on the menu.

What is the best French wine?  

There may be an annual contest for the best baguette in Paris, but there’s no single, definitive ranking of the “best” French wine. This is mainly due to the fact that there are so many different varieties. How could you compare a sparkling white from Alsace to a full-bodied red from Bordeaux?  Another reason is that different wines have different roles. A red would taste better with meat, while a white is best with fish. And so on. 

You could say that maybe a wine’s quality is implied by its price. But look at any wine-related article, website, or video, and you’ll find that there are some excellent wines that cost about 8 euros in France. 

All right, what about a wine whose label says it won a local tasting competition or something similar? According to wine expert Stephen Cronk, this could be an indication that a wine is good, but many contests are just used to make money, and anyway, what’s being judged is purely based on opinion, so you may not like how that award-winning wine tastes. 

If you’ve ever seen a movie or TV show where a character was supposed to be classy and know their wine, they often order a type of wine followed by a year. This is called un millésime (vintage) in French, and it corresponds to a particular year’s grape harvest. 

Due to characteristics like weather conditions, some years resulted in better-tasting wine than others. If you’re a big wine fan, you probably know the best years for each wine the way I know which film won the Oscar for a given year. But most people don’t necessarily know a good millésime off the top of their head. Luckily, once again the internet comes to the rescue. You can find charts like this one that show how well-rated the wines grown in a particular region were for a particular year (the number listed is the rating out of 20 – 20 being the best and 1 being the worst).

This all seems very calculated, but again, it really comes down to what you like. Sample different wines and see what moves you. If you want, talk to a caviste or someone else who knows wine to get some recommendations – but never take these at face value; no matter how good that wine is supposed to be, you may not like it.

Personally, one thing that I’ve found really helpful is that French supermarkets usually have selections of wines of varying prices and varieties that they recommend. These are typically signified by a cardboard label around the neck of a bottle or just a sign near the price. Whenever I’m invited to a dinner and have to bring wine, I just choose one in my price range that the store recommends. So far, I’ve never chosen a wine that makes people cringe, and the wine often garners praise. This makes me seem like I know what I’m talking about when it comes to wine, which is totally not the case!

How to read a French wine label

Another thing that can help you choose a good quality wine, especially if you’re offering it as a gift, is knowing how to read certain marks, abbreviations, and even codified colors on French wine bottles.

The most famous is the abbreviation AOC. This stands for Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée . Essentially, it means a wine has been produced under strict controls regarding everything from the area it comes from, to the winemaking process. It’s also been subject to an official tasting. This site points out that since every year’s harvest  is different, a wine might get the AOC one year and not get it the next. If you’re curious about the AOC, that link has a lot of additional details and information. 

AOP is another abbreviation you might find, though only on more recent wine bottles, since it hasn’t been used for long. Short for Appellation d’Origine Protégée , it’s supposed to be the new highest level when it comes to wine quality control. 

So essentially, if a wine has “AOC” or “AOP” on the label, that’s a sign of quality. You can find explanations of some other abbreviations that signify things like where a wine was bottled, and thus also contribute to a wine’s quality, here . 

As the site I just linked to points out, even the metal wrapper around the bottle and the seal you’ll sometimes find on a bottle’s cork or screw top , has its own significance. Green means that the wine is AOC or AOP; blue means that it’s a vin de table (house wine – a basic, simple wine, usually cheap), and red is just the neutral color any wine can use.

Although knowing all of this information can help you determine if a wine is good quality, that doesn’t mean you or the person you’re buying if for will like it. Again, remember that wine is based on opinion above all else, so you just might like  a basic vin de table with no AOC or AOP certification better than an award-winning variety.   The good news? It’s an excuse to try all kinds of wine!

How to order wine in a French restaurant

French wine is complicated in many ways, but the basics of ordering it aren’t. You order wine just as you would any other drink. You can see some phrases for that, as well as an example of a typical exchange between a client and waiter here .    

That sample exchange is also useful because it mentions ice. In France, you NEVER add ice to wine. Ever. Unless maybe you’re in the privacy of your home or hotel room, and even then, if you’ve been in France long enough, you might feel like you’re being judged by the very walls.

Aside from the basics, there are a few differences between ordering  most beverages and ordering wine in France. For one thing, most restaurants, cafes, brasseries, and other eateries in France will give you the choice of ordering un verre (a glass), un pichet (a small pitcher), or une bouteille (a bottle) of wine.

For another, when the server brings you the wine, they’ll pour a little into a glass and wait for you to smell and taste it to give your approval (more on this in the section on French wine etiquette).  Don’t be intimidated – just go through the motions, and unless the wine really does smell or taste weird or horrible (very unlikely), just nod with approval and the server will top off your glass and serve everyone else.

Some French wine etiquette

Like any traditional food or drink, wine in France comes with certain “rules”.  

These rules aren’t always followed, though. For example, you’ll probably find lots of articles claiming that it’s considered rude for women in France to pour themselves wine; they should wait to be served by a man. Personally, I’ve never experienced this , or if I did, it was in a way that wasn’t noticeable. For example, I might have had dinner with a very traditional, native French bourgeois family where a man poured the wine, but I just assumed that was because he was the host.

Most of the meals I’ve shared with native French people, whether bourgeois or bohemian, old or young, were more natural. If a woman wanted some wine, she served herself. If she was hosting the dinner, she might even serve other guests – men and women alike. If a bottle of wine was brought out at a picnic, the person opening it would do the reasonable thing and pour it into the plastic cup of whoever wanted some, and afterwards, whoever wanted more would serve themselves.

So this custom may be good to keep in mind if you’re attending a very traditional, old-fashioned, for mal event ,but it’s not necessarily de rigueur in France today. Personally, that makes me glad, since it’s not only sexist, but impractical.

One French wine etiquette rule that is always followed is that if you order wine at a restaurant, the waiter will bring it to you and expect you to smell and taste a little bit of it to give your approval. Since I don’t drink wine, I’ve never had to do this, but apparently a lot of people – foreigners and French alike – find it to be a lot of pressure. After all, not all of us are wine experts, and for most, unless the wine is really horrible, what are you going to say about it? You are allowed to refuse it, but I would imagine that most people wouldn’t be that offended by a wine they were served.

The situation has inspired comedians from France and abroad. Take, for example, this segment on wine in France by British comedian Paul Taylor, and this bit (start at the 1:10 second mark) from a video by French comedian and YouTube star Norman Thavaud. 

How to make a toast in French

Another aspect of French wine etiquette is the toast. You may read that there’s a lot of complicated protocol tied to this, like not crossing glasses with another person, and looking each other in the eye when you make the toast. This is generally true in formal settings. You can read about the surprisingly dark history of these customs in a post by our very own Benjamin, here . 

Benjamin’s article also reveals the bad news that that the consequence of a poorly executed toast is said to be seven years’ bad luck or bad sex!

Generally speaking, though, whether you’re sharing a casual meal at a bistro or a friend’s house, or a lowkey family lunch or dinner, the most consistently upheld French toasting customs I’ve personally seen is to say a traditional toasting word or phrase and be sure that everyone clinks their glasses ( trinquer ) with everyone else.

What do you say when you make a toast in French?

The rough French equivalent of “Cheers” is À votre santé (for someone you don’t know well or address in a formal way, or for a group) or À ta santé (for someone you’re close with). These both mean, “To your health.”

On informal occasions, you’ll probably hear this shortened to À la vôtre or À la tienne (literally, “To yours” – meaning “To your health”), or even simply Santé (Health.)

Another informal French toast is “ Tchin ” or “ Tchin tchin .” Interestingly, most sources I’ve read always show this as “ Tchin tchin ,” but with my French family and friends, we always say one “ Tchin .”  There doesn’t seem to be a difference between using one tchin or two – it seems like it just depends on what people around you say. But either way, you will be understood. 

These are the most common ways to make a toast in French. Obviously, a long speech could also be made if you’re toasting someone for a special occasion. But these short words or phrases are what you’ll hear most often.

French wine vocabulary

There are lots of words associated with wine in France, from ordering it, to drinking it, to describing it in very elaborate ways. You may have noticed Paul Taylor making fun of the latter in his video.

Here are some general words to know:

• le vin – this is the French word for wine
• le vin rouge/blanc/rosé – red/white/rosé wine
• du vin mousseux – sparkling wine (Remember that any sparkling white wine made outside the Champagne region cannot officially be called champagne.)
• le terroir – the idea of where and how a wine is grown, which is the most important thing about wine for the French. Each region and vineyard has its own terroir.
• un millésime – vintage (the year a wine’s grapes were harvested)
• une bouteille – a bottle
• un pichet – a pitcher (one of the common ways you can order wine in a restaurant in France, it’s the equivalent of roughly 2-3 glasses)
• un verre – a glass
• une coupe – a flute (long, thin glass for drinking champagne and other sparkling wines)
• le bouchon – the cork
• le tire-bouchon – corkscrew
• le nez – the smell/aroma of a wine
• un grand cru – very good wine
• du pinard – cheap (probably not very good-tasting) wine

un + region – a particular region’s type of wine (note that this doesn’t always apply – for example, you don’t say un alsace . The ones that do follow this rule are probably wine varieties you’ve already heard of, like bordeaux, bourgogne, or médoc.)  For example, un bordeaux , un beaujolais  . Note also that in general you can use a definite article when talking about a particular kind of wine where the quantity isn’t specified. For example, J’aime bien les bordeaux mais je préfère les vins d’Alsace. (I like Bordeaux wine, but I prefer wines from Alsace.)

• une dégustation de vin – a wine tasting
• l’accord mets et vins – wine and meal pairings
• trinquer – to clink glasses, to toast, in a larger sense, to drink. 

And if you’re a wine fan and want to get into describing wines in a vivid, poetic way, here’s a great source of vocabulary for that (with some basic wine vocabulary thrown in for good measure). 

A few French wine phrases and expressions 

Here are some common wine-related expressions you’ll hear in France:

avoir le vin gai/mauvais/triste  : to be happy/nasty/sad after drinking some glasses of wine./to be a happy/nasty/sad drunk.  Example: Si tu sors avec Barbara, fais attention – elle a le vin mauvais. (If you go out with Barbara, be careful – she gets nasty when she’s had a few glasses of wine.)

un pot-de-vin – a bribe

le vin bouchonné – Wine that’s got bits of cork floating in it, making it taste bad.

un vin d’honneur – a reception. Example : Il y aura un vin d’honneur après le baptême de ma nièce. (There will be a reception after my niece’s baptism.)

Two French sayings about wine

Let’s finish with two common French sayings about wine: 

• Le vin entre et la raison sort. (Wine enters and reason leaves)
• Quand le vin est tiré, il faut le boire. (Once you’ve started something (i.e. pulled open the cork), you have to finish it).

Now you know the basics of French wine. If you’re a fan, why not have a glass to celebrate? À la vôtre!  

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L'alcool - Alcohol (French opinion piece)

Subject: French

Age range: 14 - 18

Resource type: Unit of work

Last updated

31 May 2018

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Write an essay in French

Beyond the fact that writing an essay in French can be a good practice to improve your writing, you may also be asked to write one during your schooling. So, it is important to study the topic of French essay writing and get some useful tips..

» Tips and tricks for your French essay » The structure of a French essay » Sample French Essay

Tips and tricks for your French essay

When writing a French essay for school, you should always use a structured approach and good French skills to present your arguments in a focused way. Beyond French skills, there are also important formal requirements for a successful French essay. We will come back to this in detail later. First, you will find some useful tips and tricks that will help you write more compelling and better French essays in the future.

• Have a clear thesis and structure
• Do sufficient research and use reliable sources
• Use examples and arguments to support your thesis
• Avoid plagiarism and cite correctly
• Always check structure, grammar and spelling

When you write your essay at school or university, you need to make sure that the general structure of your essay, the presentation of the arguments and, above all, your French language skills play a role in the mark you will get. This is why you should definitely take a closer look at the structure of an essay as well as the most important grammar rules and formulations for French essays.

The structure of a French essay

In an essay, you deal at length and in detail with a usually given topic. When you write an essay in French, you must follow a certain structure. Below we show you what this structure looks like and give you some tips for writing the most important parts of your essay.

The Introduction

The introduction prepares the main body of your essay. You think of a meaningful title for your essay, you describe your thesis or your question, you give general information on the subject and you prepare your argument by giving an overview of your most important arguments.

Below are examples and phrases that you can use to write the introduction to your essay in French.

The title should be meaningful, concise and reflect the content of the essay.

Introductory paragraph

The first paragraph of your French essay should briefly introduce the topic and engage the reader. Here are some examples to help you write your essay:

Proposal or question

The central proposition or question of your French essay should be a clear and concise definition of the purpose of the essay. Use these examples to get a clearer idea of ​​how to write theses in French:

Overview of Arguments and Structure

At the end of your introduction, describe the structure of the main part of your essay (your outline) and outline your argument. Here are some French expressions that will certainly help you write your essay:

The body of your essay

The main part of your French essay deals with the given topic in detail. The subject is studied from all angles. The main body of your essay follows a thread of argument and discusses in detail the main arguments of your thesis previously made in the introduction.

In the body of the text, you should discuss the subject of your essay in clear and concise language. To achieve this, we give you some wording aids as well as vocabulary and phrases that you can use to write your essay in French.

Formulation tools:

French vocabulary for essays.

In the conclusion of your French essay, you address the thesis of your essay, summarize the main points of your discussion in the main body, and draw a conclusion. On the basis of the arguments and the resulting conclusions, you formulate in the conclusion of your dissertation final thoughts and suggestions for the future. It is important that you do not add new information or new arguments. This should only be done in the body of your text.

Here are some wording guides to help you write your essay in French:

Sample French Essay

Les avantages des voyages linguistiques

Malgré les difficultés potentielles, les voyages linguistiques offrent aux apprenants une occasion unique d'améliorer leurs compétences linguistiques et de découvrir de nouvelles cultures, ce qui en fait un investissement précieux pour leur développement personnel et académique.

Les séjours linguistiques sont des voyages organisés dans le but d'améliorer les compétences linguistiques des participants. Ces voyages peuvent se dérouler dans le pays ou à l'étranger et durer d'un week-end à plusieurs semaines. L'un des principaux avantages des séjours linguistiques est l'immersion. Entourés de locuteurs natifs, les apprenants sont contraints de pratiquer et d'améliorer leurs compétences linguistiques dans des situations réelles.Il s'agit d'une méthode d'apprentissage beaucoup plus efficace que le simple fait d'étudier une langue dans une salle de classe.

Un autre avantage des séjours linguistiques est l'expérience culturelle. Voyager dans un nouveau pays permet aux apprenants de découvrir de nouvelles coutumes, traditions et modes de vie, et de se familiariser avec l'histoire et la culture du pays. Cela enrichit non seulement l'expérience d'apprentissage de la langue, mais contribue également à élargir les horizons et à accroître la sensibilisation culturelle.

Cependant, les séjours linguistiques peuvent également présenter des inconvénients. Par exemple, le coût du voyage et de l'hébergement peut être élevé, en particulier pour les séjours de longue durée. En outre, les apprenants peuvent être confrontés à la barrière de la langue ou à un choc culturel, ce qui peut être difficile à surmonter. Le coût et les difficultés potentielles des séjours linguistiques peuvent sembler décourageants, mais ils offrent des avantages précieux en termes d'épanouissement personnel et scolaire.

Les compétences linguistiques et les connaissances culturelles acquises peuvent déboucher sur de nouvelles opportunités d'emploi et améliorer la communication dans un cadre professionnel. Les bourses et les aides financières rendent les séjours linguistiques plus accessibles. Le fait d'être confronté à une barrière linguistique ou à un choc culturel peut également être l'occasion d'un développement personnel. Ces avantages l'emportent largement sur les inconvénients et font des séjours linguistiques un investissement qui en vaut la peine.

En conclusion, malgré les difficultés potentielles, les séjours linguistiques offrent aux apprenants une occasion unique d'améliorer leurs compétences linguistiques et de découvrir de nouvelles cultures, ce qui en fait un investissement précieux pour le développement personnel et académique. Qu'il s'agisse d'un débutant ou d'un apprenant avancé, un voyage linguistique est une expérience à ne pas manquer.

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French attitudes towards alcohol evolving over time Bob Ponterio SUNY Cortland

Background for the teacher (intended for college level classes)

Temperance (moderation) and prohibition (interdiction) movements tended to be supported by religious and women's groups because excessive consumption often led to loss of family income, abuse of women and children, and other, shall we say, less than moral behavior.

In France, this period corresponds to two major events.

First, during the 19th century, there was a massive movement of people out of the countryside and agricultural work and into the cities for industrial work. Living conditions in cities were generally poor, salaries were low, alcohol consumption tended to be a big part of the limited recreational time available to the working classes. Next, phylloxera, the insect that destroyed most French vineyards, was introduced from the US and began devastating the wine industry in France around 1863.

Absinthe had been an expensive drink, made from grape alcohol. Working class people tended to drink wine, which was less expensive. As wine disappeared and prices skyrocketed, companies began making absinthe with lower priced grain alcohol. Since the large working class began drinking this new lower cost absinthe, more companies began making it, and production standards fell, quite probably leading to the production of some absinthe made from bad alcohol.

Abuse of absinthe or abuse of alcohol?

Interest in the plight of the working class was seen in French art of the period, and alcohol/absinthe was prominent. Degas' Absinthe (1876) and Zola's L'Assommoir (1876-7) touched the popular imagination and had a major impact on attitudes (perspective) towards absinthe and alcohol abuse. Organizations used public ad campaigns to influence popular opinion and increase support for temperance and prohibition. And absinthe, because of its growing popularity and new association with the working class, became a focus of the anti-alcohol movement. Bourgeois fear of working class violence after 1848 also likely played a role in the condemnation of a drink associated with "working class" behavior. Indeed, many, especially in the slowly recovering wine industry, felt the need to carefully distinguish between absinthe and other alcohol products. So people could be for wine that made people feel "good" but against absinthe that made people "crazy". After absinthe was banned in France in 1915 (having already been banned in Switzerland earlier) the anti-prohibition movement criticized the ban as an affront to French freedoms at a time when the country was plunged into war. In addition, absinthe was even portrayed as beneficial to health. In these ads, the positive images represent the middle class. Mais oui, ma chère! Il est de très bon ton aujourd'hui de prendre une "Oxygénée Cusenier," mon docteur me l'a dit.

Boire ou conduire, il faut choisir. A campaign that continues today.

Une soirée sans capitaine de soirée c'est mortel!

Celui qui conduit, c'est celui qui ne boit pas !

http://www.rentrerenvie.fr/goodies.htm# (radio, video, posters)

Or using a post-it note (un pense-bête) to associate the ad with current cultural practices.

Anthropology of food

Home Special Issues from thematic work... S1 The Quest for Identities: Consump...

The Quest for Identities: Consumption of Wine in France

1 In the study of the Anthropology of Food, Drinking has occupied a marginal and specific position. It is only recently that anthropologists have started to claim that they have a distinctive perspective on Drinking and if ‘according to Dwight Heath few anthropologists before the 1970s would set out deliberately to study patterns of thought and action concerning drink, they had nevertheless written a great deal on alcohol’. The publication in the 1980s of ‘Constructive Drinking’ by Mary Douglas and, more recently, the forthcoming volume edited by Igor de Garine demonstrates how things have moved on. Both volumes have set out to study Drinking in a comparative context and, in this regard, wine has been studied as one of the alcoholic beverages consumed amongst others. For Mary Douglas, the specificity of the anthropological perspective is to examine the consumption of alcohol as a way of life, one element of a given culture. According to her, there are three distinct ways in which drinking is an essential social act, performed in a recognised social context: Drinks construct the world as it is , the manufacture of alcohol is an economic activity of consequence and the ceremonials of drinking construct an ideal world. For Jack Goody who criticizes some of Douglas comments, the importance of culture has to be acknowledged and a study of food and eating (or drinking) must involve political economy both at the micro-level such as the household as well as at the macro level such as the role of the state.

Wine as an anthropological object

2 Starting with these hypotheses in mind, I would like to look at the Consumption and Culture of Wine in France, within the context of an anthropology at home. I will argue that wine has to be studied as a total social fact and therefore it has to be analysed as a specifically rooted type of drink in France at a time when French society and culture is increasingly fragmented. In order to set up the main conceptual elements: Wine, Wine Consumption and Wine Culture, I will attempt to define them in a comparative and interdisciplinary way.

3 First, Wine could be defined as an alcoholic beverage consumed mainly in western societies with Judeo Christian religious belief underlying its consumption. Wine is ‘a spiritual food, the main element in the communion ritual: bread or wafers for Christ’s body, red wine or grape juice for his blood: The wine as a potent, spiritual; substance, the masculine (by opposition to the bread which represents the feminine, the mundane and earthly)’. Historically, the cultivation of vine has been inextricably linked to the religious uses of wine, and wine, the result of man’s labour, cannot just be seen as an ordinary commodity. Its consumption relates to its production, and by consuming wine we are consuming space, time and symbols. Wine could be defined as a sacred and profane food.

4 Another characteristic associated with wine is the concept of hierarchy. In his book published in 1987, Georges Guille-Escuret argues that ‘wine is a food for hierarchy and consequently it contributes to the hierarchisation of society’. Historians have demonstrated that medieval religious communities were already concerned with the issue of quality which was attached to specific vineyards, their cultivation and the wine produced in these ‘terroirs’ . However, it was during the eighteenth century that France that witnessed the emergence of the ‘cru’ as a valued and highly commercial beverage encapsulating the idea of a tie to a place. The great variety of wines and the wide range of prices attest to the existence of an intense hierarchy associated with the consumption of wine. In this hierarchy, popular versus elitist, regional versus national characterises different processes which were traditionally attached to the consumption of wine. Wine cannot therefore be analysed sociologically as an alimentary homogeneous category.

5 In the French context, Roland Barthes, in his collection of essays analysing French popular culture (‘Mythologies’ published in 1970), describes wine as a ‘boisson-totem’ (totem drink), an alimentary sign of Frenchness, a possession which is its very own, and prescriptive in its consumption : ‘l’ivresse est conséquence, jamais finalité; la boisson est sentie comme l’étalement d’un plaisir non comme la cause nécessaire d’un effet recherché’ (drunkeness is a consequence not the aim; the beverage is used to be appreciated and is not an end in itself). For many observers, drinking wine is therefore a national practice, rooted in French identity and this image still persists in the national imaginary despite the decline and fragmentation of wine consumption. However, today wine has to negotiate its position in the new order and has to resign itself to the fact that only one part of its products will maintain its emblematic power.

6 The anthropology of wine in France relates to the religious, hierarchical and deeply political dimension of the product, but it has also to take into account the recent changes affecting wine consumption.

Wine Consumption

7 Wine Consumption in Europe has been diminishing for several decades in the countries where it was traditionally produced and the world market has regressed since the 1980s. Between 1965 and 1980, wine consumption per inhabitant in Europe rose 6% especially in the Nordic countries, the United Kingdom and Germany, followed by a decrease prior to 1986. Between 1995 and 1998, although consumption of wine was declining, it remains predominant in the countries where dietary habits are rooted in tradition, such as France or Italy, even if consumption has been steadily declining since 1995.

8 If we look at developments in France over the past few years, consumption of alcohol has decreased by 25% between 1970 and 1990. Wine consumption, a traditional part of the culture, still predominates, while beer consumption remains stable and the consumption of spirits has increased slightly. Wine production has always been a protected economic sector, and France still ranks amongst the largest wine producing countries worldwide, which helps to safeguard the economic market. Wine as a product has also seen its quality improving significantly, to the extent that it is impossible today to drink a technically bad wine. Generally speaking, the percentage of regular drinkers has decreased continually since 1981, while the proportion of occasional drinkers continues to increase. The proportion of non-consumers appears to have stabilised following a period of decrease. Again regional and social variations remain a factor of differentiation. Over the last twenty years, there have been a number of major changes affecting wine consumption in France which could be summarised as follows

There has been a decrease in the consumption of ordinary wines and an increase in the consumption of fine wines.

Accompanying this trend, the consumption of wine is characterised by a growing social differentiation.

Consumers buy reduced quantities but spend more money on acquiring wines. There is a growing disparity between ordinary wines and fine wines.

Consumption of wine today is increasingly defined as occasional.

Differential drinking takes place between generations with young people consuming less wines in favour of other types of alcoholic drinks.

There has been a growing concern since the Loi Evin (Evin’s Law, in effect since 1993 and modified in 2001) and the adoption of the principles and recommendations of the WHO Alcohol Action Plan (1992) for alcohol consumption and health issues. This has been accompanied by a growing concern for dietetics, good health and lifestyles which have had an impact on the wine consumption.

9 These various changes in wine consumption began in the 1970s and have been followed by the emergence of a new culture of wine.

Wine Culture

10 The new culture of Wine emerged in the 1980s in the context of changing patterns of wine consumption. This new culture of wine is defined by the large diffusion of journals, magazines, guides, photographs or other types of publications mainly edited or written by wine experts, journalists, historians, professionals or even politicians. This growing literature was accompanied by the explosion of places devoted to wine drinking as a specific social act, of associations, festivals and clubs as wine drinking places. The success of such initiatives illustrates the decline of a traditional and private culture of wine and the emergence of an emblematic and fragmented culture of wine. Its roots could be traced back to 1988 with the La Villette Exhibition in Paris entitled ‘Vine and Wine’ and the opening of the first library devoted to wines in Europe l’Athéneum (in Burgundy). However, various initiatives and phenomena associated with wine-drinking were already present in the 1970s, as illustrated by the cave à vins in Paris or the Nicolas’ chain. According to Gilbert Garrier, the new wine culture has enabled the spread of a sound and basic technical culture amongst consumers. The male middle class in their fifties, however, seems to have formed the majority of these consumers. For many observers, wine has become a cultural product and therefore the meanings behind its consumption have altered. For many others, despite these numerous changes, France remains a country symbolically defined by its wines et where everybody knows about wines.

11 The examination of these three elements: Wine, Culture and Consumption in the French context echoed wider changes affecting food in contemporary society, but it also argues for a specific and original position of wine -its consumption and its culture- in French Culture and society. Our research project seeks to postulate that wine in France has undergone major changes and is currently negotiating its new position in French society and Identity. To sum up, the anthropology of wine drinking in France, which could be defined as the study of patterns of thought and action, has to take into account a number of major cultural changes:

A fragmentation of society which is reflected by a fragmentation of drinking, drinkers and drinks.

A growing competition of drinks which challenges wine as a French national emblem.

An elitist and empowering culture of wine which separates the amateurs from the drinkers and thus makes it inaccessible for the average French person. Wine connoisseurs are not a modern creature, but their high public visibility is a contemporary phenomenon. The democratisation of wine drinking in the XIX th century has been followed at the end of then XXth century by a dictatorial and bourgeois wine culture and consumption.

The wine consumed has changed and the consumption of quality wines is no longer restricted to festive occasions.  

Production and Consumption of wine in France

12 In her book ‘Constructive Drinking’, Mary Douglas acknowledged the fact that French anthropologists have taken a great interest in fermentation processes from the point of view of nutrition, biochemistry and economic organisation. An anthropology of wine in France requires us to take into account the two sides of the product, that is to say the production and the consumption. According to Guille-Escuret, one issue defines the relationship between producers and consumers in contemporary France: the producers who have the expertise and the knowledge about quality wines are numerically in decline compared to the visible and powerful group of the amateurs. Therefore the question of power will strike a balance between these two social groups. At the core of the discussion, the social construction of tastes and expertises has to be explored and the social groups constituted by the amateurs and the professionals has to be examined in the light of their production of knowledge.

13 This raises several questions about the role of experts and professionals as mediators in contemporary French society:

Could the role of the expert be seen as the role of cultural mediator between producers and society? or do the experts themselves participate into the social construction of the product?

Is there a specific homogeneous knowledge transmitted? or does fragmentation of society imply a fragmentation of knowledge ?

To what extent have socio-economic changes challenged a unified and national culture of wine?

In sum; what knowledge? for whom?

14 Our research project will examine the role of the experts, the production of discourses and the social construction of tastes in the process of expertise. The main question lies in the relationship between individual and society, to what extent changes in wine consumption and culture are the reflects or reflects the changes in French society as a whole. The discussion will also integrate the effects of Europeanisation on wine consumption, the influence of the anglo-saxon school of taste (Robert Parker Guide, Hugh Thomas etc...). There are already a number of topics I have identified as possible values/meanings which are contested through consumption:

‘Terroir’ versus grapes and in relation with them the concept of territories, ‘crus’, popular and elistist consumption, local and regional products.

The social and regional construction of ‘quality’ through the various expertises and guides, fairs.

The differentiation of time which affects the cycle of wine production and consumption in the context of a timeless society, in quest of time.

Wine Culture in Contemporary France

The Quest for Identities

15 The anthropology of Food has always focused on the issue of identity –food as a marker of identity and difference and drink as a marker of personal identity and of boundaries of inclusion and exclusion. As we have seen, wine drinking in France has experienced various changes. The fragmentation of French society has consequently led to a fragmentation of the drinker, and of the act of drinking itself. Different types of consumption characterise our modern societies and the anthropology of modernity requires the ethnography of this plurality of places where the consumer drinks: when eating out, during family occasions, wine tasting clubs, visits to the producer, local festivals and wine fairs. An ethnography of these drinking places argues for a quest for identities seen as a process of identification in the context of a fragmented and increasingly individualistic French society. What these wine drinkers have in common is the need to express knowledge and pleasures associated with the consumption of wine. Even if the consumption remains individual, the collective framework appears as the key element. Drinking wine is above all a collective sharing, the place for a symbolic exchange. When working with producers and wine-growers, it was very often the case that a collective wine consumption takes place and is presented as compulsory for all the members of the present group. For consumers, in the situation of a wine tasting club, the consumption was individual and non prescriptive in the sense that the anthropologist was very often left to observe rather than participate. In this context, the emphasis was put on the verbal description of sensations, feelings and tastes while in the first situation, the product was not described in an emotional way but rather in a technical manner. The aim of my study is to explore this quest for identities by examining several places where consumption takes place. By focusing on wine tasting clubs (there is a wide range of wine tasting clubs with very specific audiences and aims and objectives) and other places devoted to wine-drinking, I aim to explore the passion for wine as opposed to whiskies or other strong alcoholic beverages and to identify the articulation of social identities by contrast with a strong and traditional national identity which was said to charactere the consumption of wine in the XIXth century.

16 There are a number of hypothesis I would like to examine:

To what extent has wine been affected by the major changes of food consumption: Homogeneisation? Europeanisation? Individualisation? Complexification?

Is there a French model of Wine drinking?

What does the quest for identities tell us about French society?

Does the alimentary taste in wine provide social ties between generations, gender, social categories, regional/national level, excluded/included?

17 Underlying these hypotheses, there are a number of topics that I would like to explore:

The emergence of a complex drinker as a modern creature

The rise of local, regional and national identification in contrast with globalisation

The gendering of wine-drinking

The empowering nature of wine expertise and the social differentiation resulting from it.

Bibliography

Aigrain P., Boulet D., Lambert J.L., Laporte. 1991. La consommation du vin en France : évolutions tendancielles et diversité des comportements, Revue d’Économie Mér idionale , vol. 39, nº3 and 4 : pp. 19-52.

Badouin, R. 1990. L’évolution de la consommation des vins en France, A.R. Académie d’Agriculture Francaise, 76, pp. 33-42.

Barthes, R. 1970. Mythologies , Paris, Gallimard, coll. Points, p. 74.

De Garine, I. (forthcoming). Anthropology of Drink , Berghahn.

See the introduction by Mary Douglas to this edited collection of essays. Douglas, M. 1987. Constructive Drinking. Perspectives on Drink from Anthropology , Cambridge University Press, Editions de la maison des Sciences de l’Homme, p. 3, p. 7, p. 8.

Garrier, G. 1995. Histoire sociale et culturelle du vin , Bordas, Cultures, p. 294.

Guille-Escuret, G. 1987. La souche, la cuve et la bouteille , Editions de la maison des Sciences de l’Homme, p. 93.

See INRA Report. 1996. Les comportements individuels de consommation du vin en France 1980-1995 , ONIVINS, INRA.

Iossifides, A. 1992. Wine: life’s blood and spiritual essence in a Greek orthodox covent, in Gefou-Madianou, D (ed). Alcohol, Gender and Culture , London, Routledge, p. 91.

Pfirsch, J-V. 1997. La saveur des sociétés. Sociologie des goûts alimentaires en France et en Allemagne , Presses Universitaires de Rennes.

List of illustrations

Electronic reference

Marion Demossier , “The Quest for Identities: Consumption of Wine in France” ,  Anthropology of food [Online], S1 | October 2001, Online since 01 October 2001 , connection on 09 September 2024 . URL : http://journals.openedition.org/aof/1571; DOI : https://doi.org/10.4000/aof.1571

About the author

Marion demossier.

University of Bath Department of European Studies and Modern Languages

By this author

• J. Csergo: La gastronomie est-elle une marchandise culturelle comme les autres ? [Full text] Published in Anthropology of food , Book reviews
• Introduction à Varia , le numéro permanent [Full text] Introduction to Varia in progress [Full text | translation | en] Published in Anthropology of food , Varia articles: 2008-2024
• Geneviève Teil, De la coupe aux lèvres. Pratiques de la perception et mise en marche des vins de qualité [Full text] Toulouse, Éditions Octarès, 2004, 351 p. Published in Anthropology of food , 3 | December 2004
• Jean-Luc Fernandez, La critique vinicole en France. Pouvoir de prescription et construction de la confiance [Full text] Paris, L’Harmattan, Logiques sociales, 2004, 252 p. Published in Anthropology of food , 3 | December 2004
• Wine and Globalisation: foreword [Full text] Published in Anthropology of food , 3 | December 2004
• Vin et Mondialisation : préface [Full text] Published in Anthropology of food , 3 | December 2004

The text only may be used under licence CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 . All other elements (illustrations, imported files) are “All rights reserved”, unless otherwise stated.

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• 16 | 2022 Feeding genders
• 15 | 2021 Aesthetics, gestures and tastes in South and East Asia: crossed approaches on culinary arts
• 14 | 2019 Gastro-politics: Culture, Identity and Culinary Politics in Peru
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• 9 | 2015 Children’s food heritage, Anthropological approaches
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• 6 | September 2008 Food and survival. Food insecurity in the land of plenty
• 5 | May 2006 Food and Religion
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• S17 | 2022 Gender and foodways under the urban life in Africa, Latin America and Asia
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• S14 | 2020 Contester le terroir: nouveaux imaginaires anthropologiques sur le goût de l'endroit
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• S12 | 2018 People Moving with Food from and to Northern Europe
• S11 | 2015 Guardians of the Earth: Challenges of land use
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• S7 | 2012 Nordic Food Culture
• S6 | December 2009 Modelos alimentarios y recomposiciones sociales en América Latina
• S5 | September 2009 Can consumers save the world?
• S4 | May 2008 Food models and social recompositions in Latin America
• S3 | December 2007 Food Chains
• S2 | March 2007 From local food to localised food
• S1 | October 2001 Comparative views on some food practices in Europe

Pre-publication

• La protestation AUCHAN DÉGAGE à Dakar 
• Bao jiaozi , the material, symbolic and sensorial production of festive food
• Engagements militants, professionnalisés ou distanciés : les visages multiples de l’alimentation engagée
• Vers des solidarités alimentaires territorialisées... Retour sur la recherche-action SOLALTER menée en Bretagne

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Alcool – alcohol

By: Author David Issokson

Posted on Published: May 19, 2024  - Last updated: June 24, 2024

In today’s lesson we’ll focus on the masculine noun alcool , which means alcohol. This word made it onto my lessons list as many students aren’t quite sure of how to pronounce the double -oo . Keep reading and you’ll get it!

Pronunciation

In French, the pronunciation of l’alcool (alcohol) is ahl-kohl or alkɔl .

Word origin

The modern French word alcool comes from al-kuḥl in Arabic, with kuhl referring to powders obtained from sublimation. Over time kuhl was used to refer to distilled spirits.

Example sentences

For this first example, alcool can refer to a liqueur or spirits.

Le pastis est un alcool d’anis.

Pastis is is an anise liqueur.

This second sentence uses the term apéritif , which refers to a pre-dinner drink which almost always contains alcohol.

À l’apéritif, les invités ont bu de l’alcool.

The guests drank alcoholic beverages for the apéritif .

In French, cidre means hard apple cider which contains alcohol. Le jus de pomme means both apple juice and non-alcoholic apple cider.

Il y a de l’alcool dans le cidre.

There is alcohol in hard cider.

Martin commande une bière sans alcool.

Martin is ordering a non-alcoholic beer.

Sylvie commande une boisson alcoolisée.

Sylvie is ordering an alcoholic beverage.

Word of the Day lessons

Lessons by David Issokson

Related lessons

• Champagne names
• Wine vocabulary

References:

• WordReference

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David Issokson

David Issokson is a lifelong language learner and speaks over seven languages. Of all the languages he speaks, he's the most passionate about French! David has helped hundreds of students to improve their French in his private lessons. When not teaching or writing his French Word of the Day lessons, David enjoys his time skiing, hiking and mountain biking in Victor, Idaho.

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French Writing Practice

French writing exercises by level.

Practise your French writing skills with our ever-growing collection of interactive French writing exercises for every  CEFR level from A0 to C1! If you're unsure about your current proficiency, try our test to get your French level  before diving into the exercises.

All writing exercises are made by our qualified native French teachers to help you improve your writing skills and confidence.

Kwizbot  will give you a series of prompts to translate to French. He’ll show you where you make mistakes as you go along and will suggest related lessons for you.

Boost your French writing skills by adding the lessons you find most interesting to your  Notebook and practising them later.

Click on any exercise to get started.

A1: Beginner French writing exercises

• A baseball player Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Genre masculin Sports & Leisure Catherine tells us about her friend Mathieu who plays baseball.
• A busy sea holiday [US: vacation] Le Présent (Indicatif) Article défini Verbes réguliers avec -ER Aline spends her seaside holiday [US: vacation] enjoying water sports.
• A Christmas feast Le Présent (Indicatif) Préposition Article Food & Drink Celebrations & Important Dates Sébastien is in charge of Christmas Eve Dinner this year.
• A day in my cat Max's life Le Présent (Indicatif) Préposition Pronom réfléchi Family & Relationships Juliette tells about her cat's daily routine.
• A day in the city of Le Mans Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif Adjectif possessif Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Audrey had a nice time visiting Le Mans, in northwestern France.
• A day with my daughter Le Présent (Indicatif) Adverbe Verbes réguliers avec -ER Marc loves spending the day with his infant daughter!
• A declaration of love Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Article défini Here's a lovely love letter for your French Valentine.
• A dream Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Adjectif Family & Relationships Geoffrey tells us about one of his dreams.
• A favour between colleagues Le Présent (Indicatif) Genre féminin Question/Interrogative Brigitte needs a favour from her colleague Sandra.
• A French lunch menu Adjectif Article Préposition Food & Drink Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Here's the typical lunch menu of a French coffee shop.
• A French woman Le Présent (Indicatif) Genre masculin Genre féminin Employment Élodie tells us about her everyday life as a lawyer specialising in women's rights.
• A love letter Le Présent (Indicatif) Genre féminin Genre masculin Thomas writes a love letter to his girlfriend Julie.
• A love story Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Adjectif Family & Relationships Cécile and Andrew meet in a bar.
• A musical family Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Adjectif possessif Music Family & Relationships In Killian's family, everyone loves music!
• A new bedroom for Manon Adjectif Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Sophie and Damien are doing some cool DIY in their daughter's bedroom.
• A passion for planes Le Présent (Indicatif) Préposition Pluriel Léo's little brother loves planes.
• A quick phone call Le Présent (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct Pronom d'objet indirect Family & Relationships Franck calls his wife Lisa before she leaves work.
• A quiet New Year's Eve Préposition Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif Bastien likes spending New Year's Eve alone at home.
• A rainy afternoon Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif Genre masculin Family & Relationships Soizic and Armelle meet up on a rainy day in Brest.
• A romantic Valentine Le Présent (Indicatif) Préposition Verbes réguliers avec -ER Celebrations & Important Dates Family & Relationships Henri tells us about his special plans for Valentine's Day.
• A stylish couple Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif Préposition Karim describes a couple's stylish outfits.
• A week of good deeds Le Présent (Indicatif) Article défini Article Philippe does one good deed every day.
• A week of treats Le Présent (Indicatif) Préposition Article défini To treat her mother, Julie organises a week of Mother's Day gifts.
• A winter meal Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Pluriel Food & Drink Bernard has his perfect comfort meal for cold nights.
• Actress Anne Dorval Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif Genre féminin Famous People Film & TV Claire tells us about her favourite actress, French-Canadian Anne Dorval.
• Anne's Easter loot Adjectif Préposition Pluriel Celebrations & Important Dates Anne lists all the treats she found during her Easter egg hunt.
• Annoying Things Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Adjectif Family & Relationships Philippe and Julien share some of the things that really annoy them.
• Anthony, hairdresser Le Présent (Indicatif) Adverbe Genre masculin Anthony tells us about his job as a hairdresser.
• Arnaud and Ophélie describe themselves Le Présent (Indicatif) Article défini Verbes avec -OIR Family & Relationships Arnaud and Ophélie describe themselves physically.
• Astérix Le Présent (Indicatif) Préposition Verbe irrégulier Learn more about this iconic character from French culture.
• At breakfast Le Présent (Indicatif) Adverbe Adjectif Émilie and Jérémie are having breakfast.
• At midnight Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif possessif Verbes réguliers avec -ER Food & Drink Celebrations & Important Dates Family & Relationships Sébastien's family celebrates Christmas on the evening of the 24th.
• At the airport Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif Verbe irrégulier Louis and Lucie are about to get on a plane.
• At the beach Free Le Présent (Indicatif) Question/Interrogative Verbe irrégulier Food & Drink Sports & Leisure Conversation at the beach between an ice cream vendor and a customer.
• At the beach Le Présent (Indicatif) Pluriel Verbes réguliers avec -ER Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Tom is telling us about his day at the beach.
• At the bookshop Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Question/Interrogative Employment Literature, Poetry, Theatre François needs help choosing a book.
• At the brasserie Le Présent (Indicatif) Question/Interrogative Article Eve orders food at a brasserie in France.
• At the campsite Préposition Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif Benjamin and Thomas have just arrived at the campsite.
• At the gift shop Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif démonstratif Adjectif Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Mike and Linda pick some souvenirs in a Montmartre gift shop.
• At the newsagent's Le Présent (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet indirect Pronom d'objet direct Employment Family & Relationships Sophie is buying a few items at a French newsagent's.
• At the sporting goods store Le Présent (Indicatif) Question/Interrogative Verbes réguliers avec -ER Sports & Leisure Alain is buying tennis equipment for his son.
• Baby at the beach Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Préposition Family & Relationships Baby enjoys being at the beach with his family.
• Back to School Adjectif Le Présent (Indicatif) Pluriel Language & Education Family & Relationships Mathieu tells us about going back to school tomorrow.
• Ball Sports Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Pluriel Sports & Leisure Vincent and Leila discuss their favourite ball sports.
• Between neighbours Le Présent (Indicatif) Forme négative Question/Interrogative Neighbours Jules and Sarah talk about an upcoming barbecue.
• Beyoncé Le Présent (Indicatif) Genre féminin Genre masculin Famous People Music Family & Relationships The famous singer introduces herself.
• Board games Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Adjectif possessif Sports & Leisure Family & Relationships Jonathan is playing board games with his family.
• Booking a hotel room Le Présent (Indicatif) Question/Interrogative Verbe irrégulier Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Pierre wants to book a room in a hotel.
• Can I come? Le Présent (Indicatif) Question/Interrogative Préposition Sports & Leisure Family & Relationships Marie chats with her roommate's friend Damien.
• Clara's list to Santa Pluriel Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif possessif Julien's daughter is quite exhaustive in her list to Santa this year!
• Cleaning with my family Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Adjectif possessif Family & Relationships Jonathan and his family are cleaning the house today!
• Colourful animals Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif Article défini Here's a funny and colourful story about animals.
• Corsica is beautiful! Adjectif Pluriel Le Présent (Indicatif) Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Julien explains why he thinks Corsica is so beautiful.
• Do you like the French language? Adjectif Le Présent (Indicatif) Genre féminin Language & Education Noémie and Léo have opposite opinions on the French language!
• Do you like theme parks? Verbes réguliers avec -ER Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif Sports & Leisure Louis and Zoé give their opposite opinions on theme parks.
• Driving in the city Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Genre féminin Sports & Leisure Family & Relationships Sophie and Christophe talk about driving in city centres [US: downtown].
• Easter decorations Free Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif Verbes réguliers avec -ER Celebrations & Important Dates Sports & Leisure Family & Relationships Alice and her sister Zoé are decorating their house for Easter.
• Easter preparations Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif possessif Adjectif Celebrations & Important Dates Language & Education Today, Daniel and his pupils are getting ready for Easter.
• Émile and I Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Verbe irrégulier Family & Relationships Antoine talks about his imaginary friend, Émile.
• Exchanging a scarf Le Présent (Indicatif) Question/Interrogative Adjectif démonstratif Family & Relationships Christine is returning a scarf to the shop
• Father of two Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif possessif Pluriel Family & Relationships Léon talks about his two beloved children.
• Father's Day Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Préposition Sophie has a special routine for Father's Day.
• Filling in a form Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif possessif Adjectif Employment Family & Relationships Olivier answers questions from a form.
• First day at uni Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif Verbes réguliers avec -ER Samuel and Gina meet at university.
• Food shopping for a picnic Le Présent (Indicatif) Question/Interrogative Article Food & Drink Daniel and Aline are buying food for a picnic.
• For equality Le Présent (Indicatif) Article défini Article Hadrien and Sonia explain why they're for gender equality.
• Gardening with Jacqueline Le Présent (Indicatif) Pluriel Genre masculin Sports & Leisure Family & Relationships Julia always loves to take care of her aunt's garden with her.
• Going on a diet Le Présent (Indicatif) Article Futur Food & Drink Sports & Leisure Family & Relationships Marie has a plan to lose weight this year.
• Going shopping Adjectif Le Présent (Indicatif) Préposition Food & Drink Family & Relationships Annie and Nicolas discuss her upcoming trip to the shop.
• Hanukkah with my family Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif Verbes réguliers avec -ER Celebrations & Important Dates Family & Relationships Rachelle celebrates Hanukkah with her family every year.
• Happy New Year! Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Adjectif Paul loves celebrating the New Year.
• Healthcare in France Préposition Le Présent (Indicatif) Pronom sujet Learn about France's healthcare system.
• Hello, my name is France! Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif Pluriel Politics, History & Economics The country France introduces itself.
• Hello! I'm Mario! Le Présent (Indicatif) Pronom Pronom sujet Famous People Sports & Leisure The famous plumber introduces himself.
• Helping my neighbourhood Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Préposition Family & Relationships Noémie likes helping her neighbours after school.
• Helping the planet Article Le Présent (Indicatif) Préposition Technology & Science François does his best to help the planet in his everyday life.
• How to make a cake Préposition Article Futur Brigitte is going to make a cake today.
• How to stay healthy Le Présent (Indicatif) Forme négative Article Food & Drink Sports & Leisure Matthieu tells us about his healthy habits.
• How to vote at a polling station in France? Le Présent (Indicatif) Préposition Verbe irrégulier Politics, History & Economics Learn how to vote in a French election.
• Hurray for football [US:soccer]! Verbes réguliers avec -ER Le Présent (Indicatif) Préposition Annie's brother is a big fan of football [US:soccer].
• Hurray for snow! Le Présent (Indicatif) Adverbe Verbes réguliers avec -ER Léo loves snow.
• Hurray for the city centre! Préposition Le Présent (Indicatif) Article Julien tells us why he loves living in the city centre [US: downtown].
• Hurray for the internet! Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Adjectif Amir and Chloë talk about why they love the internet.
• I hate the rain! Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Adverbe Sports & Leisure Annie stays in on rainy days
• I love camping! Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif Genre masculin Anissa goes camping in the summer.
• I love Hallowe'en! Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Adverbe Gabriel tells us why he loves Hallowe'en.
• I, Louis XIV Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Adjectif Famous People Politics, History & Economics Family & Relationships The French king Louis XIV tells us about himself.
• I'm hot! Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Verbe irrégulier Family & Relationships Marc offers tips for dealing with the heat.
• I'm Jean Valjean Le Présent (Indicatif) Préposition Verbes avec -OIR At the beginning of Victor Hugo's "Les Misérables", our hero Jean Valjean knocks on a bishop's door.
• In a Basque restaurant Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif Question/Interrogative Food & Drink Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Pascal wants to try a Basque specialty while visiting Biarritz.
• In French class Le Présent (Indicatif) Pronom sujet Préposition Language & Education Marc explains what his French lessons consist of.
• In science class Le Présent (Indicatif) Pluriel Article défini Language & Education Family & Relationships Jérôme's favorite subject is science!
• In the bathroom Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif Pluriel Adrien describes his bathroom.
• Jean-Paul's routine Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif possessif Genre féminin Family & Relationships Retiree Jean-Paul loves his morning routine.
• Job: Postman Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif Verbes réguliers avec -ER Employment Philippe tells us about his job as a postman.
• Job: Veterinarian Le Présent (Indicatif) Adverbe Article What does being a veterinarian entail?
• Juliette Binoche Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Article Famous People Film & TV The famous French actress tells us about herself.
• Learning the guitar Le Présent (Indicatif) Genre masculin Pluriel Music Sports & Leisure Stéphane tells us about his guitar lessons.
• Léna's family Le Présent (Indicatif) Genre féminin Genre masculin Family & Relationships Meet Léna's close family.
• Mimi the mermaid Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif Verbes réguliers avec -ER Family & Relationships Mimi the mermaid introduces herself.
• Mister Grumpy Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Article défini Family & Relationships Meet Mister Grumpy who hates jokes, humour and pranks!
• Money and me Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Troisième personne Politics, History & Economics Thibault and Flora are complete opposite when it comes to money!
• Montpellier Hérault Rugby club Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif Adjectif possessif Sports & Leisure Martin tells us about his favourite rugby club, the MHR.
• Moods and colours Adjectif Le Présent (Indicatif) Accord Language & Education Family & Relationships Martin likes different colours depending on his mood.
• Mrs Durand's Menagerie Adjectif Le Présent (Indicatif) Pluriel Family & Relationships Mrs Durand loves her many animals.
• My active routine Le Présent (Indicatif) Préposition Verbes réguliers avec -ER Sports & Leisure Thomas's routine reflects his passion for sports.
• My afternoons with my friend Lise Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Préposition Nora and her friend Lise have a nice Saturday afternoon routine.
• My astronaut costume Le Présent (Indicatif) Adverbe Pluriel Celebrations & Important Dates Sports & Leisure This year, Hugo is dressing up as an astronaut for Mardi Gras.
• My basketball team Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif possessif Verbes réguliers avec -ER Quentin loves his basketball team!
• My beautiful car Adjectif Le Présent (Indicatif) Genre masculin Technology & Science Yvan describes his beloved new car.
• My bicycle ride Free Le Présent (Indicatif) Préposition Pluriel Bastien loves his weekend ride in the woods.
• My children's Hallowe'en Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif possessif Adjectif Sports & Leisure Family & Relationships Luc's children are all ready for Hallowe'en.
• My cousin Benjamin Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Pluriel Family & Relationships Jonathan talks about his favourite cousin.
• My daughter and books Le Présent (Indicatif) Pluriel Genre masculin Literature, Poetry, Theatre Sports & Leisure Patrick's daughter has a passion for books !
• My daughter's birthday Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif Genre féminin Family & Relationships David's daughter Émilie is turning seven today!
• My daughters' interests Adjectif Le Présent (Indicatif) Pluriel Sports & Leisure Family & Relationships Samuel's daughters have very different interests!
• My dog's birthday Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Préposition Every year, Florian celebrates his dog Max's birthday.
• My eco-friendly habits Le Présent (Indicatif) Préposition Verbes réguliers avec -ER Marc tries to help the planet in his everyday life.
• My favourite desserts Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif Préposition Food & Drink Liliane, Sébastien and François talk about their favourite desserts.
• My favourite instrument Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif Verbes réguliers avec -ER Marc and Véronique tell Sabrina what their favourite musical instruments are.
• My favourite Olympic events Adjectif Le Présent (Indicatif) Genre féminin Celebrations & Important Dates Sports & Leisure Liam is describing his two favourite sporting events at the Olympic Games.
• My favourite season Le Présent (Indicatif) Article défini Adjectif Bertrand tells us why he prefers fall to other seasons.
• My favourite summer fruit Le Présent (Indicatif) Article Article défini Lucas tells what fruit he loves eating in the summer.
• My favourite superheroes Le Présent (Indicatif) Adverbe Verbes réguliers avec -ER Thomas talks about his favourite superheroes.
• My favourite winter drink Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif Verbes réguliers avec -ER Food & Drink Find out what Coline's favourite winter drink is!
• My godmother Isabelle and I Le Présent (Indicatif) Genre féminin Adjectif Family & Relationships Simon talks about his great relationship with his godmother.
• My grandson Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif possessif Verbe irrégulier Raymond is completely gaga over his first grandson.
• My hotel room Le Présent (Indicatif) Préposition Adjectif Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Lucas describes his Paris hotel room.
• My little sister Le Présent (Indicatif) Genre féminin Genre masculin Family & Relationships Damien's little sister can be pretty annoying.
• My neighbourhood Free Le Présent (Indicatif) Genre masculin Préposition Family & Relationships Antoine tells us about his neighbourhood's best features.
• My New Year's resolutions Le Présent (Indicatif) Pluriel Adjectif possessif Celebrations & Important Dates Sports & Leisure Family & Relationships Thierry makes a list of good resolutions for the new year 2020.
• My shopping list Le Présent (Indicatif) Pluriel Article Food & Drink Family & Relationships Bertrand is getting his shopping list ready.
• My sister the nurse Le Présent (Indicatif) Genre masculin Verbes réguliers avec -ER Laure tells us about her sister's job.
• My staycation Le Présent (Indicatif) Pluriel Préposition Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Sports & Leisure Arthur is going to enjoy his week of staycation.
• My three children Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif Genre féminin Justine tells us about her three beloved children.
• My turtle Caroline Le Présent (Indicatif) Préposition Pronom réfléchi Family & Relationships Daniel tells us about his favourite pet.
• My twin daughters Adjectif Pluriel Le Présent (Indicatif) Family & Relationships Philippe tells us about his lovely identical twins Ella and Emma.
• My typical snowy day Le Présent (Indicatif) Préposition Verbes réguliers avec -ER Sports & Leisure Family & Relationships Pauline tells us what she likes to do when it snows outside.
• My week of activities Le Présent (Indicatif) Article défini Verbes réguliers avec -ER Sports & Leisure Family & Relationships Julien's week is full on activities!
• Night routine before a test Le Présent (Indicatif) Genre féminin Adjectif Language & Education Technology & Science Antoine's night-before-a-test routine is all about reducing stress.
• No chores for me! Le Présent (Indicatif) Genre masculin Verbes réguliers avec -ER Family & Relationships Teenager Lise hates doing chores.
• On the red carpet Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif Genre féminin Art & Design Laura admires the stars' outfits as they walk the red carpet.
• Opposite siblings Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif Verbe irrégulier Family & Relationships Élodie tells us how different she is from her brother Thomas.
• Portrait of a cat Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Article défini Family & Relationships Marcel the cat is talking about himself.
• Profession: G.P. [US: family doctor] Le Présent (Indicatif) Genre masculin Pronom démonstratif Employment Technology & Science Thérèse talks about her job as a general practitioner [US: family doctor].
• Profession: Journalist Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Pluriel José tells us about his job as a journalist.
• Quebec City Adjectif Genre féminin Adjectif possessif Olivia loves living in Quebec City.
• Radio news bulletin Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif Article Politics, History & Economics Here is a short news broadcast.
• Speed dating Le Présent (Indicatif) Préposition Verbes réguliers avec -ER Family & Relationships Claudine and Marc get acquainted during a speed dating session.
• Summer food and drinks Adjectif Article défini Pluriel Food & Drink Léa asks her friends what they like to eat and drink in the summer.
• Thanksgiving with family Le Présent (Indicatif) Pronom réfléchi Préposition Food & Drink Celebrations & Important Dates Sports & Leisure Family & Relationships James tells us about his Thanksgiving traditions.
• The driving licence test Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Préposition Language & Education Technology & Science Véronique is taking her driving licence exam.
• The election of the French president Le Présent (Indicatif) Préposition Question/Interrogative Politics, History & Economics Learn how the French president is elected.
• The Hobbies Family Le Présent (Indicatif) Pluriel Genre féminin Sports & Leisure Family & Relationships In Raphaël's family, everyone has a different hobby!
• The morning of the first day back to school Le Présent (Indicatif) Genre féminin Adjectif Language & Education Family & Relationships Irène and her daughter Émilie are getting ready for Émilie's first day of school.
• The woman on the train Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Article Family & Relationships Every morning, Lisa sees this woman on her commuter train.
• Tips to fight the cold Le Présent (Indicatif) Genre masculin Genre féminin Barnabé is very sensitive to cold, but luckily, he has lots of coping mechanisms!
• To buy a train ticket Le Présent (Indicatif) Question/Interrogative Idioms about Time Family & Relationships Thomas is buying a train ticket at a French train station.
• To get to the train station Le Présent (Indicatif) Préposition Verbes réguliers avec -ER Family & Relationships Arnaud asks a passerby for directions to the train station.
• Toulouse's specialties Adjectif Le Présent (Indicatif) Genre féminin Food & Drink Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Marius and Anaïs talk about the Southern city's delicious specialties.
• Visit to A&E [US: the ER] Le Présent (Indicatif) Genre féminin Adjectif Employment Technology & Science Lucie talks to a doctor at the hospital.
• Visiting Orléans Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif Verbes réguliers avec -ER Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Matthieu asks for recommendations for his first time visiting Orléans.
• What is Francophonie? Article Article défini Le Présent (Indicatif) Language & Education Damien explains what francophonie is.
• What's your favourite artistic activity? Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Adjectif Art & Design Sports & Leisure Nora and Lucien share their favourite artistic activities.
• When I'm sick Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbe irrégulier Verbes réguliers avec -ER Family & Relationships Julien tells us what he does when he's ill.
• Where is the town hall? Le Présent (Indicatif) Préposition Mode impératif Sports & Leisure James asks Mélanie for directions.
• Which French king am I? Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif possessif Genre féminin Politics, History & Economics This mysterious French king tells us about himself... do you recognise him?
• Why do I love the Alsace region? Genre féminin Adjectif possessif Pluriel Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Sébastien tells us why he loves this French region.

A2: Lower Intermediate French writing exercises

• 10 house rules for children Mode impératif L'Impératif Présent Préposition Family & Relationships Here are ten rules to make home life nicer.
• A Creole picnic Adjectif Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Food & Drink Monuments, Tourism & Vacations During a visit to La Réunion, Julie and Léo went for a typical Creole meal.
• A day with Grandad Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Bastien went to visit his granddad at his retirement home.
• A family of dog lovers L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Adjectif Family & Relationships Anthony had many dogs growing up, but Pip was special.
• A few days in Dordogne Free Pronom d'objet direct Adjectif Pronom d'objet indirect Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Monique tells Patrick about her coming holiday [US: vacation].
• A football accident Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Verbes avec être comme auxiliaire Sports & Leisure Family & Relationships Anthony had his friend Bruno over to play...
• A great party for Mum [US:Mom]! Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Verbes avec être comme auxiliaire Participe passé Celebrations & Important Dates Family & Relationships Manon and her sister Aline treated their mother for Mother's Day.
• A great weekend Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Verbes avec être comme auxiliaire Préposition Henri had a lovely weekend.
• A Hallowe'en party Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Question/Interrogative Le Présent (Indicatif) Amélie's guests are having a Hallowe'en blast!
• A holiday [US:vacation] letter Adjectif L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Jacqueline writes about her holiday [US: vacation] to her friend Patricia.
• A love for teaching L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Pluriel Damien's passion for teaching started early.
• A new mother Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Adverbe Rachelle and her boyfriend had to learn how to take care of their baby.
• A new TV Adjectif L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Le Présent (Indicatif) Sébastien tells Yvan about the TV he just bought.
• A nice train journey Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Préposition Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Family & Relationships Lucie and her boyfriend Marc went to the countryside by train this weekend.
• A noisy hotel room Le Présent (Indicatif) Adverbe Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Bertrand complains to the hotel reception about noises during the night.
• A nostalgic walk Adjectif Adjectif possessif L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Bernard's neighbourhood has changed a lot over the years.
• A romantic trip to Paris Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Verbe irrégulier Préposition Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Family & Relationships Anna took her boyfriend on a romantic trip to Paris.
• A romantic weekend away Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct Sports & Leisure Family & Relationships Aline and her boyfriend went away for a relaxing weekend.
• A secret admirer Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif Comparatif Family & Relationships Lucie wonders who her secret admirer is.
• A sleeper's story L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Pronom réfléchi Amélie used to be a real sleepyhead.
• A Thanksgiving gift Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Participe passé Verbes réguliers avec -ER Tammy's family prepared a Thanksgiving meal for a less fortunate family.
• A week of beach activities Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Verbe auxiliaire Participe passé Oriane spent the week enjoying beach sports and activities.
• A weekend of chores Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Romain and his wife Sabine spent the weekend doing chores.
• Afternoon ice cream Free Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbe irrégulier Adjectif Food & Drink Lucie and Greg feel like an ice cream this afternoon.
• An Easter egg hunt Préposition Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Adjectif Celebrations & Important Dates Discover where Julien and his siblings found their Easter eggs!
• An Italian holiday [US: vacation] Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Préposition Julia's girlfriends went on an Italian holiday [US: vacation].
• Apple tart Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Participe passé Verbes réguliers avec -ER Bruno helped his aunt make her famous apple tart.
• Arriving at the hotel Pronom d'objet direct Mode impératif Pronom d'objet indirect Employment Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Aline checks into her Parisian hotel.
• At a Fatals Picards concert Adjectif possessif Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Adverbe Julien and his friend Matthieu went to see the French band Les Fatals Picards on stage.
• At my best friend's wedding Pronom d'objet direct Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Le Présent (Indicatif) Family & Relationships Patrick gives a toast at Stéphane's wedding.
• At rapper Soprano's concert Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Pluriel Troisième personne Music Romain was thrilled to finally see his idol Soprano live!
• At the allergist's Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Adjectif Employment Technology & Science Pierre went to the allergist to get a diagnosis.
• At the bar Le Présent (Indicatif) Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Forme négative Food & Drink Au bar Patricia and Samuel discuss what drinks they want to order.
• At the bureau de change Le Présent (Indicatif) Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Préposition Employment Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Patrick needs to change some dollars upon arriving in Paris.
• At the Chinese restaurant Le Présent (Indicatif) Forme négative Article Food & Drink James is ordering food in a Chinese restaurant.
• At the cinema Le Présent (Indicatif) Adverbe Verbe irrégulier Thibault and Aïssa enjoy an evening at the movies.
• At the dermatologist's Le Présent (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct Pronom d'objet indirect Employment Technology & Science Manon needs help with her eczema.
• At the farmers' market Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif possessif Verbe irrégulier Food & Drink Sports & Leisure Stéphane enjoys a visit to his local farmers' market.
• At the grocery store Le Présent (Indicatif) Question/Interrogative Préposition Employment Food & Drink Family & Relationships Julie and Frank need some things from the grocery store.
• At the gym Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif possessif Hélène is looking to join some classes at her gym.
• At the library Le Présent (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct Pronom d'objet indirect Sports & Leisure Alexandre is borrowing a book at his local library.
• At the medieval market in Orléans L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Le Présent (Indicatif) Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Art & Design Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Flora and Sami enjoy Orléans's medieval market.
• At the mountain restaurant Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif possessif Verbe irrégulier Food & Drink Gérard and Sylvie stop for lunch after their mountain hike.
• At the nail salon Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif Préposition Barbara is at the nail salon.
• At the New Year's Eve House Party Le Présent (Indicatif) Préposition Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Celebrations & Important Dates Mathieu welcomes his guest at his New Year's Eve house party.
• At the post office Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif possessif Infinitif Family & Relationships Christophe has a few errands to run at the post office.
• At the shoe store Le Présent (Indicatif) Question/Interrogative Pronom d'objet indirect Family & Relationships Christine is looking for a pair of shoes with the help of a nice sales assistant.
• At the till [US: cash register] Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Adverbe A customer is offered the shop's loyalty card.
• Bastille Day in the South of France Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Adjectif L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Celebrations & Important Dates Bernard tells us about celebrating Bastille Day last summer.
• Bedtime stories L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Adjectif Genre féminin Literature, Poetry, Theatre Family & Relationships Florian remembers the bedtime ritual he had with his daughter.
• Breakfast in the sun Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Adverbe Participe passé Food & Drink Family & Relationships Sabrina surprised Thomas with a nice breakfast on the balcony.
• Calling the hotel's room service Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif Adverbe Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Valérie calls room service from her hotel room.
• Camille Cottin Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Préposition Verbes avec être comme auxiliaire The French actress introduces herself.
• Chocolate mousse cooking tips! Mode impératif Le Présent (Indicatif) L'Impératif Présent Food & Drink André gives us some tips to make the perfect chocolate mousse.
• Chocolatier Amaury Guichon Le Présent (Indicatif) Préposition Verbe irrégulier Inès introduces Thibault to the famous pastry chef and chocolatier.
• Conversation on the plane Le Présent (Indicatif) Question/Interrogative Adjectif possessif Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Family & Relationships Pascal and Julie get acquainted on a flight to Montpellier.
• Cooking as a family L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Préposition Adjectif Food & Drink Family & Relationships Yesterday, Antoine and his family made tartiflette together.
• Dividing the restaurant bill Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Verbe irrégulier Verbes réguliers avec -ER Food & Drink Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Sports & Leisure Isabelle and her friends are splitting the bill at the restaurant.
• Do you have a favourite male singer? L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Genre féminin Troisième personne Famous People Music Simone and Amélie are talking about their favourite French-speaking male singers.
• Do you have any dirty clothes? Le Présent (Indicatif) Question/Interrogative Pronom d'objet direct Family & Relationships Bastien and his mother debate the need for a dirty laundry basket.
• Drawing a face Adjectif L'Impératif Présent Mode impératif Teacher François asks his pupils to draw a face.
• Driving in France Le Présent (Indicatif) Adverbe Préposition Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Technology & Science Here are a few things to be aware of when driving in France!
• Easter in France Le Présent (Indicatif) Préposition Article défini Learn more about how French people celebrate Easter.
• Finding a Father's Day present Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Adjectif Préposition Louna and her brother Nassim went shopping for Father's Day.
• Fireworks Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Adverbe Participe passé Celebrations & Important Dates Sports & Leisure Family & Relationships Juliette went to watch New Year's fireworks yesterday.
• First Christmas Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Adjectif This year was baby Tristan's first Christmas.
• First visit to the vet L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Genre masculin Sébastien's cat just gave birth to four little kittens!
• Fishing with Dad Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Pluriel Genre masculin Sports & Leisure Benjamin went fishing with his father last Sunday.
• From the city to the countryside Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Verbes avec être comme auxiliaire L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Marie decided to leave Paris to live in the countryside.
• Gardening : yes or no? Verbes réguliers avec -ER Le Présent (Indicatif) Pronom sujet Thibault and Cécile gives their differing opinions on gardening.
• Getting ready for the first day back to school Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Genre féminin Pluriel Language & Education Flora got ready for her first day back to school.
• Getting to know each other Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Employment Family & Relationships New colleagues Julien and Olivier get to know each other over a coffee.
• Giving up tobacco Le Présent (Indicatif) Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Family & Relationships Amélie has stopped smoking and she's so happy about it!
• Gwoka: Guadeloupe's music Le Présent (Indicatif) Article Article défini Learn about Guadeloupe's traditional music.
• Holiday [US: Vacation] by the sea L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Pluriel Préposition Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Family & Relationships Édouard remembers his childhood seaside holidays [US: vacations] in the south of France.
• I love autumn! Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Préposition Food & Drink Sports & Leisure Family & Relationships Jacqueline tells us what she loves to do in the fall.
• I love my grandmother! Le Présent (Indicatif) L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Pluriel Family & Relationships Lucas tells us about his lovely grandmother.
• I love the mountains! Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Le Présent (Indicatif) Adverbe Gilles shares why he loves going to the mountains more than going to the seaside.
• I prefer going skiing Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif Comparatif Sports & Leisure Pierre tells us why he prefers going skiing rather than beach holidays.
• In a taxi Le Présent (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct Pronom d'objet indirect Family & Relationships Magalie needs her taxi to take her for a few errands.
• In the changing rooms Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Pronom d'objet direct Sports & Leisure Family & Relationships Mélanie is trying on a dress... and testing Pierre's patience!
• Instagram love Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Adverbe Préposition Family & Relationships Technology & Science Julien and Sandra became famous thanks to their Instagram account.
• Instructions for a test L'Impératif Présent Mode impératif Préposition Language & Education Teacher Marc read out the instructions for today's French test.
• It's not my fault! Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Genre masculin Genre féminin Teacher Émilie lists her students' funny excuses.
• Jacques Brel Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct Gaston is a big fan of the Belgian singer-songwriter.
• Jojo is such a joker! Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Adjectif possessif Genre féminin Family & Relationships Thomas talks about his school friend Jojo, who loves a joke.
• Last night's party Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Verbes avec être comme auxiliaire Sports & Leisure Family & Relationships Pauline and Adrien discuss yesterday's party at Thomas's house.
• Les Sables-d'Olonne Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Adjectif Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Julien enjoyed his stay in the seaside town of Les Sables-d'Olonne, in the Pays de la Loire region in France.
• Lockdown solidarity Free Le Présent (Indicatif) Genre masculin Adjectif possessif Family & Relationships Clément and his neighbours organised to help each other.
• Making Halloween decorations Question/Interrogative Pronom d'objet direct Préposition Celebrations & Important Dates Sports & Leisure Elsie and her mother are making some spooky Halloween decorations.
• Mister Snowman Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Adjectif Verbes réguliers avec -ER Mister Snowman was born this morning.
• Mother's Day presents Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet indirect Pronom d'objet direct Eve and Ornella compare their Mother's Day presents.
• Movie Date Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Verbes avec être comme auxiliaire Film & TV Family & Relationships Luc was nervous for his first date with Belinda.
• Movie night at home Le Présent (Indicatif) Préposition Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Film & TV Food & Drink Pauline and Alex are getting ready to watch a movie at home.
• Moving in: Calling the electric company Adjectif possessif Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Le Présent (Indicatif) Family & Relationships Bruno sets up the electricity account for his new place.
• Muscle ache Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbe irrégulier Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Family & Relationships Viviane tells her friend Jérôme how going back to the gym left her pretty sore!
• My afternoon at the funfair L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Sports & Leisure Sébastien spent last Saturday afternoon at the funfair with his friend Matthieu.
• My breakfast habits L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Genre féminin Food & Drink Sophie's breakfast habits have changed quite a lot over time.
• My children's after-school activities Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif possessif Genre féminin Sports & Leisure Family & Relationships Marc's children have picked their after school activities for this year.
• My cousin and her accordion Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Language & Education Music Aurélie's cousin Lyse plays the accordion.
• My dad is the best! Le Présent (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet indirect Verbes réguliers avec -ER Celebrations & Important Dates Family & Relationships Colette talks about her father and how kind he is.
• My driving licence [US: driver's license] Le Présent (Indicatif) Pluriel Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Family & Relationships Jean-Pierre is taking his driving test tomorrow.
• My electric car Adjectif Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Le Présent (Indicatif) François is really happy to have bought an electric car, despite a few disadvantages.
• My favourite team won! Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Adjectif possessif Genre féminin Yesterday, Anna celebrated her team's victory.
• My favourite work of art Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif Adjectif possessif Art & Design Stéphane asks Isabelle, Clémence and Benjamin about their favourite works of art.
• My gratitude journal Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif Genre masculin Benoît gets a lot out of his gratitude journal.
• My Hallowe'en costume Adjectif Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Le Présent (Indicatif) Daniel tells us how hard it can be to pick one's Hallowe'en costume.
• My head in the stars L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Préposition Genre masculin Sports & Leisure Family & Relationships Technology & Science Thomas has always had one passion: the stars.
• My kids' letter to Santa Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Participe passé Pluriel Celebrations & Important Dates Family & Relationships Julia's twins wrote their first letter to Santa.
• My name is Tintin! Verbes réguliers avec -ER Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Le Présent (Indicatif) Language & Education Literature, Poetry, Theatre Famous reporter Tintin introduces himself.
• My new glasses L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet indirect Technology & Science Michel recently realised he needed glasses.
• My trips to the swimming pool with my daughter L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Préposition Pronom d'objet direct Sports & Leisure Family & Relationships Brigitte fondly remembers her weekly trips to the swimming pool with her young daughter.
• My visit to Omaha beach Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Adjectif Verbes avec être comme auxiliaire Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Politics, History & Economics Peter went to visit this famous D-Day beach in Normandy.
• My weekend with Mum [US: Mom] Free Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Participe passé Adjectif possessif Family & Relationships Claire spent quality time with her mother last weekend.
• My weekend's activities Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Verbe irrégulier Concordance des Temps Sports & Leisure Éric tells us how the weather affected his weekend.
• My weekends with Dad L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Pluriel Préposition Sports & Leisure Family & Relationships Alexandre remembers the getaway weekends he used to spend with his father.
• My work experience placement Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Thomas worked in an office as part of his work experience placement.
• Napoleon, a Corsican emperor Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Genre L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Famous People Politics, History & Economics Did you know that French emperor Napoleon was from Corsica?
• Natural disasters Le Présent (Indicatif) Préposition Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Technology & Science Frank and Julien talk about natural disasters and their causes.
• New Year's celebrations in Belgium Adjectif Préposition L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Food & Drink Celebrations & Important Dates Magalie discovered a few Belgian traditions when she spent New Year's there.
• New Year's plans Le Présent (Indicatif) Futur Le Futur Proche (Indicatif) Celebrations & Important Dates Yann and Paul are discussing their plans for New Year's Eve.
• On the first floor of the Eiffel Tower L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Le Présent (Indicatif) Question/Interrogative Visitors Jenny and Sam chat on the first floor of the famous Eiffel tower.
• One day in Father Christmas's workshop Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Adjectif Verbes réguliers avec -ER Let's peek through the window to see what the elves are doing.
• Organising my desk Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Adverbe Adjectif Language & Education Julie got her desk ready to go back to school.
• Our new family member Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Adjectif Adjectif possessif Family & Relationships The family is growing bigger with the arrival of Minette, our new cat.
• Paying bills Le Présent (Indicatif) Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct Roommates Émilie and Judith discuss bills.
• Phone call from the bank Le Présent (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct Adjectif Family & Relationships Mr Dupuy gets a phone call from his bank.
• Picking an outfit Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Pronom d'objet indirect Emma is choosing an outfit with the help of her friend Lucie.
• Playing with my boys Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Pronom sujet Sports & Leisure Family & Relationships Romain likes spending time with his sons.
• Postcard from Vendée Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Le Présent (Indicatif) Préposition Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Sports & Leisure Juliette writes a postcard from the Vendée region in France to her best friend Matt.
• Quitting a job Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct Employment Michelle had had enough of her boss's disrespect.
• Reading "The Lord of the Rings" L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct Sports & Leisure Family & Relationships Baptiste remembers the first time he read Tolkien's masterpiece.
• Room for dessert? Le Présent (Indicatif) L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Verbe irrégulier Food & Drink Olivier and his girlfriend Sarah debate having dessert at the restaurant.
• Saïd Taghmaoui Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Préposition L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Famous People Film & TV Learn about this famous French-Moroccan-American actor.
• Salad Niçoise recipe L'Impératif Présent Mode impératif Préposition Food & Drink Babette teaches us how to make a salad Niçoise.
• Segway in the park L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Le Présent (Indicatif) Noémie and her friend Manon went for a Segway ride in Versailles's royal gardens.
• Senegalese soldiers Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Préposition Politics, History & Economics Learn about these Senegalese soldiers and their role in French History.
• Studying abroad Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Verbes avec être comme auxiliaire Language & Education Daniela shares her experience studying abroad for a year.
• Switzerland Adjectif Article défini Pluriel Learn more about this Francophone country.
• Taking Grandma phone shopping L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet indirect Family & Relationships Marielle took her grandmother to buy a mobile phone.
• Tent or camper van? Le Présent (Indicatif) Préposition Adjectif Sports & Leisure André and Yann discuss their camping preferences.
• The birth of my son Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct Geoffrey remembers the first time he saw his son.
• The Grund neighbourhood in Luxembourg City Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Adjectif Le Présent (Indicatif) Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Joséphine tells us about her favourite area in Luxembourg City.
• The LU Tower in Nantes Le Présent (Indicatif) Pronom sujet Pronom Food & Drink Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Romain visited the famous former biscuit [US: cookie] factory in Nantes.
• The new menu at the Bistro du Soleil Adjectif Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Le Présent (Indicatif) Food & Drink Julien was happy to discover the Bistro du Soleil's new menu.
• The perfect couple Le Présent (Indicatif) Adverbe Verbes réguliers avec -ER Family & Relationships Marielle tells us why she thinks that Marc and Julien are the perfect couple.
• The right to vote in France Adjectif Le Présent (Indicatif) Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Politics, History & Economics Find out facts about the right to vote in France.
• This week Le Présent (Indicatif) Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Genre féminin Sports & Leisure Family & Relationships Paul talks about his busy week.
• Tom's first day back to school Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Verbes avec être comme auxiliaire Reflexive verbs Émilie tells us about her son Tom's first day of school.
• Two great museums in Nice Le Présent (Indicatif) Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Adjectif possessif Art & Design Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Barnabé tells Hélène about his visits to the Chagall and Matisse museums in Nice.
• Two major French-speaking female authors Le Présent (Indicatif) Genre masculin Adverbe Language & Education Literature, Poetry, Theatre Eric and Fiona talk about French-speaking authors Myriam Warner-Vieyra and Maryse Condé.
• Une leçon de ski Mode impératif L'Impératif Présent Adjectif possessif Sports & Leisure Julie and Yvan are having their first ski lesson.
• Visit of Marseille Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Verbes avec être comme auxiliaire L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Gaspard spent the weekend in Marseille, France.
• Visiting the Arc de Triomphe in Paris Mode impératif Pronom d'objet direct L'Impératif Présent Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Couple Iris and Samuel are enjoying their visit to this iconic French monument.
• Visiting Toulouse Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Adjectif Verbes réguliers avec -ER Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Bastien and Léa enjoyed their visit of Toulouse's historical centre.
• Weather forecast Préposition Article Le Futur Proche (Indicatif) Technology & Science Here's a French weather forecast.
• Weekend in Lyon Free Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Préposition Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Vincent tells us about the weekend he spent in Lyon with his cousin.
• Welcome to the Sticks Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif Film & TV Mickaël learned a lot from this funny French comedy.
• What a change! L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Adjectif Le Présent (Indicatif) Sports & Leisure Family & Relationships Émilie moved from a small village to Paris, and that's a big change!
• What do you want to watch? Le Présent (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct Mode impératif Grégoire and Inès decide what they want to watch on TV.
• When I became a vegetarian Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Forme négative Pronom d'objet indirect Food & Drink Family & Relationships Geoffrey tells us about his journey becoming a vegetarian.
• Who am I? Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Adjectif possessif L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Famous People Politics, History & Economics Guess who this important figure of the French Resistance is.
• Who is this writer ? Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Adjectif Participe passé Famous People Literature, Poetry, Theatre Guess who this (male) French writer is!
• Why I learned German L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Adjectif possessif Sabrina tells us why she first decided to learn German.
• Why study French? Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Verbe irrégulier L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Language & Education Hugo gives us his reasons to pick up French again.
• Working from home - an opinion L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet indirect Patrick tells us about trying WFH a few months ago.

B1: Intermediate French writing exercises

• A better commute L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Préposition Pronom relatif Technology & Science Aurélie is looking forward to the new, much better commute she'll have soon.
• A childhood passion L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Adverbe Sports & Leisure Family & Relationships Vincent and his brother loved video games growing up.
• A clichéd break-up Le Présent (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct Pronom d'objet indirect Family & Relationships François uses all the clichéd breakup lines to leave his girlfriend Sophie.
• A dinner invitation Le Conditionnel Présent Préposition Article défini Sabrina invites her friends Louise and Manon to dinner.
• A family day at the park Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Préposition Verbes réguliers avec -ER Food & Drink Sports & Leisure Family & Relationships Benoît will spend this Saturday at the park with his daughter Mia.
• A French April Fool's Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Verbes réguliers avec -IR Celebrations & Important Dates Sports & Leisure Cécile and her sons are making the traditional French fish for April Fool's day.
• A friend's apology Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Forme négative Verbe irrégulier Gaston apologises for hurting his friend Miriam.
• A game of hide and seek Le Présent (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Family & Relationships Linda and Christian are watching from afar a game of hide and seek between the children.
• A gem of a restaurant Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbe irrégulier Gilles and his wife Martine discovered a little Italian restaurant in town last weekend.
• A good work routine Verbes réguliers avec -ER Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Genre féminin Employment Marc plans to improve his work routine.
• A great French handball team Préposition L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Sports & Leisure Sophie and Alex are chatting about the French handball team's chances of winning another gold medal.
• A greener future Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Verbes réguliers avec -IR Technology & Science Julien is seeing a future where people are more eco-conscious.
• A Horror Story Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet indirect Pronom d'objet direct Celebrations & Important Dates Family & Relationships On a dark October night, Emma received a disturbing call...
• A luxury holiday [US: vacation] with friends Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -IR Verbes réguliers avec -ER Alain has the perfect luxury holiday [US: vacation] planned for when he wins the lottery!
• A special Monday Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbe irrégulier Celebrations & Important Dates Sports & Leisure Family & Relationships Anna is looking forward to a lazy Easter Monday!
• A strange encounter Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Pronom réfléchi Reflexive verbs Literature, Poetry, Theatre Family & Relationships Yoann had the strangest encounter in the Broceliande forest!
• A trip to the cinema Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Verbe irrégulier Le Présent (Indicatif) Film & TV Sports & Leisure Antoine and his daughter Emma are planning a trip to the movies.
• A weather forecast Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Préposition Verbe irrégulier Technology & Science Find out what tomorrow's weather will be like.
• A weekend in Montpellier Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Le Présent (Indicatif) Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Élise and Lucas plan their weekend in the southern French city.
• A wonderful job Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Pronom relatif Guillaume loves his job as an A&E [US: ER] doctor.
• An afternoon in the fall Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet indirect Adjectif Zoë is planning to meet her friend Quentin for a nice October afternoon.
• An amazing New Year's Eve meal Pronom d'objet direct Préposition Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Food & Drink Celebrations & Important Dates Henriette is planning a dazzling meal for New Year!
• An annoying cat allergy L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Genre féminin Genre masculin Family & Relationships Éloïse suffers from an annoying cat allergy.
• An awful new boyfriend L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Adverbe Grégory finds his aunt's new boyfriend quite repulsive!
• An incredibly caring boy L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Family & Relationships Lydia's son, Olivier, is such a caring person.
• An old scary tradition L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Préposition Adjectif Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Celebrations & Important Dates Yoann recalls celebrating the old Celtic tradition of Samhain with his Gran.
• An opinion on football [US:soccer] Le Présent (Indicatif) Pronom relatif Verbes réguliers avec -ER Théo has a nuanced take on football [US:soccer].
• Anger management Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Adverbe Lucie talks about her techniques to manage her anger.
• Animal emergency Le Présent (Indicatif) Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Family & Relationships Julien's cat is stuck in the tree!
• Around the world by motorcycle Le Conditionnel Présent Préposition Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Sports & Leisure Joël would love to travel the world on his motorcycle.
• Artist Chéri Chérin Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Adjectif Adjectif possessif Art & Design Famous People Learn about the amazing Congolese artist Chéri Chérin.
• Asking about a hotel room Adjectif possessif Verbe irrégulier Pronom d'objet indirect Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Catherine has a few questions about the hotel room she's booked.
• At the amusement park Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbe irrégulier Sports & Leisure Thomas will go to the amusement park with his friend Samia for their birthday this year.
• At the coffee machine Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Forme négative Verbe irrégulier Cyril, Pauline and Eve catch up by the coffee machine on Monday morning.
• At the doctor's Le Présent (Indicatif) Mode impératif L'Impératif Présent Family & Relationships Robert goes to the doctor for a consultation.
• At the patisserie Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Le Présent (Indicatif) Le Conditionnel Présent Daniel needs a special cake.
• At the till Préposition Verbes réguliers avec -ER Le Présent (Indicatif) Employment Sports & Leisure Peter is at the till [US: cash register] of a French supermarket.
• Back pain L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Adverbe Flora tells the doctor how she hurt her back.
• Beatrice's baby shower Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Adjectif possessif Emma and her sister organised their cousin's baby shower.
• Becoming a model L'Impératif Présent Mode impératif Préposition Art & Design Employment Enjoy some useful tips on becoming a model.
• Becoming an astronaut L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Adjectif possessif Pronom d'objet indirect Élodie dreams of becoming an astronaut.
• Belgian food facts Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif Article Discover some interesting food-related facts about Belgium.
• Birthday makeover Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Pluriel Adjectif possessif Family & Relationships "New year, new me" Julia thought on her 20th birthday.
• Booking an appointment at the dentist's Le Présent (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet indirect Pronom d'objet direct Famous People Marc needs an urgent dentist appointment for a bad toothache.
• Busy Schedule Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Verbe irrégulier Idioms about Time Family & Relationships Isabelle recaps what everyone will have to do on Saturday!
• Camping at home Préposition Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Verbe irrégulier Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Sports & Leisure Gabriel and Rose are making plans for the weekend.
• Cancelling a purchase L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Adjectif possessif Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Justin calls Bokado's customer service to cancel his order.
• Cathy's future holiday [US: vacation] in Montpellier Free Préposition Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Verbe irrégulier Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Learn about Cathy's plan to spend her holiday [US: vacation] in Montpellier.
• Choosing a travel pass in Paris Le Présent (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet indirect Pronom d'objet direct Susan needs (travel) tickets to visit Paris.
• Christmas at my parents' house Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Participe passé Verbe irrégulier Quentin spent a classic Christmas with his parents.
• Christmas in the mountains Le Présent (Indicatif) Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Celebrations & Important Dates Family & Relationships Antoine will spend Christmas at his dad's house in the Alps, if he can get there!
• Christmas specialities Le Présent (Indicatif) Préposition Article Food & Drink Celebrations & Important Dates Paul tells us about some traditional French Christmas dishes.
• Conversation between the election's two rounds Le Présent (Indicatif) Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Verbes avec être comme auxiliaire Politics, History & Economics Marc explains the French presidential election process to his friend Alice.
• Corsican polyphonic singing Le Présent (Indicatif) Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Genre Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Music Do you know about this bewitchingly melodic tradition from Corsica?
• Credit card fraud Verbes réguliers avec -ER Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Participe passé Josiane calls her bank about a suspicious transaction.
• Cycling in Nantes Le Présent (Indicatif) Préposition Verbe irrégulier Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Sports & Leisure Isabelle agrees with Nantes's status as France's "cycling capital".
• Dalida Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Genre féminin Adjectif possessif Famous People Music Learn about Dalida, an iconic French-speaking singer.
• Dealing with your emotions Adverbe Mode impératif Adjectif possessif Sports & Leisure Technology & Science Here's a guide to keeping calm.
• Discussing a ski weekend Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Verbe irrégulier Pronom d'objet direct Sports & Leisure Laurent and his friend Matt are planning their ski weekend.
• Dreaming of Paris Le Conditionnel Présent Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Family & Relationships Grégory imagines his ideal Valentine's Day's proposal.
• Easter baking class Adjectif Pronom d'objet direct Préposition Food & Drink Celebrations & Important Dates Flora and Yvan enjoy decorating their Easter chocolate bunnies.
• Family holiday car trip Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbe irrégulier Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Family & Relationships Let the squabbles begin!
• Flying anxiety Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Le Présent (Indicatif) Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Family & Relationships Jean-Luc has a plan to deal with his fear of flying.
• Following the GPS L'Impératif Présent Mode impératif Préposition Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Technology & Science Follow this GPS's instructions to reach your destination.
• François Damiens's hidden camera videos L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Article Adjectif possessif Philippe and Anissa talk about their favourite hidden camera pranks by François Damiens.
• Getting ready for autumn Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct Pronom d'objet indirect Celebrations & Important Dates Sports & Leisure Family & Relationships Rosalie won't get caught out by the arrival of autumn this year.
• Giving up smoking L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Forme négative Family & Relationships François tells us how he managed to stop smoking.
• Going back in time Le Conditionnel Présent Verbe irrégulier L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Politics, History & Economics Family & Relationships Marine asks Amanda, Bruno and Sébastien what they would do if they could go back in time.
• Going to the bank Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Préposition Adjectif possessif Family & Relationships Flora and her father need to go to the bank.
• Guadeloupe's Carnival Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Adverbe Discover this colourful Guadeloupe tradition.
• Gymnastics enthusiasts Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Préposition Genre masculin Sports & Leisure Clara and Martine share a passion for gymnastics.
• How do you like to keep up with the news? Le Présent (Indicatif) Pluriel Genre féminin Vanessa and Ludovic tell us how they stay informed.
• How to share household chores equally Mode impératif L'Impératif Présent Préposition Family & Relationships Follow Céline's tips to share household chores more equally.
• I love swimming! L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Sports & Leisure Thomas tells us about his love for swimming and his hope to one day dive from up high!
• I miss French food! L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Adjectif Pronom d'objet indirect Food & Drink Hélène tells Betty how she's coping with missing French food abroad.
• I want to help! Le Conditionnel Présent Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Pronom relatif Family & Relationships Suzanne wishes she had more time to help others.
• I, Lucky Luke Le Conditionnel Présent Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Adverbe Literature, Poetry, Theatre Christophe imagines what he would do if he were the fastest shooter in the West.
• I've always loved French Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Sports & Leisure Family & Relationships Emily has always had a fascination for the French language.
• If I could be a child again Le Conditionnel Présent Verbe irrégulier Adverbe Laurent would love to be 10 again.
• If I could start over... Le Conditionnel Présent Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet indirect Employment Language & Education Anne wishes she could do things differently.
• If I were a chef Le Conditionnel Présent Pronom relatif Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Food & Drink Benjamin tells us of his dream of being a chef.
• If I were Céline Dion Le Conditionnel Présent Adjectif Préposition Ornella imagines what it would be like to be the French Canadian star.
• If I were Wonder Woman Le Conditionnel Présent Pronom relatif Pronom indéfini Film & TV Literature, Poetry, Theatre Annie imagines what it would be like to be Wonder Woman.
• In the changing rooms [US: locker rooms] Pronom d'objet direct Pronom d'objet indirect Forme négative The guys are chatting after football [US: soccer] practice.
• Interview with a jewellery creator Le Présent (Indicatif) Pluriel Adjectif possessif Art & Design Hugo is interviewing Marie who creates her own jewellery.
• Ivory Coast: a destination like no other Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif Verbes réguliers avec -ER Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Find out why Ivory Coast is such an amazing holiday [US:vacation] destination.
• Learning to read in French Le Présent (Indicatif) Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct Language & Education David talks about how he learned to read fluently in French.
• Let's go back to the gym! Verbes réguliers avec -ER Adverbe Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Olivier and Victoria discuss going back to the gym after the winter.
• Liberty, Equality, Fraternity Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Adjectif Adverbe Learn about the origin of the French Republic motto.
• Lighthouses in Brittany Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Préposition Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Politics, History & Economics Learn about the beautiful lighthouses you can find in Brittany.
• Lockdown shopping Le Présent (Indicatif) Adverbe Préposition Marguerite's Christmas shopping habits will be a bit disrupted this year.
• Looking for a new house Pronom d'objet direct Préposition Pronom d'objet indirect Sébastien and Éric are looking at real-estate listings.
• Looking for a rental car Le Présent (Indicatif) Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Question/Interrogative Employment Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Technology & Science Chloé is looking for a rental car for her next trip.
• Looking for my phone Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Adverbe Pronom d'objet direct Family & Relationships Jonathan lost his phone on the train...
• Lyon saucisson Adjectif Idioms about Time Genre féminin Food & Drink Learn about Lyon's famous pork sausage and how best to enjoy it.
• Making friends online Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Pluriel Family & Relationships Technology & Science Find out how Mary made new friends online
• Marseille's famous people Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Adverbe Adjectif Louis and Emma talk about their favourite celebrities from Marseille.
• Message to my granddaughters Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Adjectif possessif Verbe irrégulier Family & Relationships Grandmother Viviane has a message for her beloved granddaughters.
• My brother and his wife Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Genre masculin Pronom réfléchi Family & Relationships Marielle tells us about her brother's great relationship.
• My European trip Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Préposition Verbes réguliers avec -ER Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Jonathan is planning a mini tour of Europe for next year's holiday [US: vacation].
• My family's breakfasts Le Présent (Indicatif) Préposition Pluriel Food & Drink Sébastien tells us about his family's different breakfast routines.
• My favourite things at Easter Le Présent (Indicatif) Pronom relatif Verbes réguliers avec -ER Celebrations & Important Dates Family & Relationships Alain talks about the things he loves about this time of year.
• My Hallowe'en Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Verbes réguliers avec -IR Like every year, Bastien will spend Hallowe'en with his nephews.
• My ideal day Le Conditionnel Présent Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Genre masculin Sports & Leisure Anna tells us how she would spend her ideal day.
• My ideal garden Adjectif Adverbe Le Conditionnel Présent Flora imagines her perfect garden.
• My ideal person Le Conditionnel Présent Adjectif possessif Genre féminin Family & Relationships Cédric imagines his ideal partner.
• My love for museum gift shops Le Présent (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct Adjectif Art & Design Laurent loves museums, and their gift shops even more!
• My neighbour from Hell Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Family & Relationships Julie's neighbour, Sonia, is pretty terrible!
• My new flat [US: apartment] L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Verbe irrégulier Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Family & Relationships Franck is moving soon into a much nicer flat [US: apartment]
• My New Year's Eve's celebration Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Verbes réguliers avec -IR Food & Drink Celebrations & Important Dates This year, Paul is hosting New Year's Eve.
• My next holiday [US: vacation] Préposition Verbes réguliers avec -ER Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Monuments, Tourism & Vacations François has his holiday [US: vacation] to Canada well planned!
• My post-university plans Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Verbe irrégulier Employment Language & Education Antony wants to move to Paris after his studies.
• My Provence dream Le Conditionnel Présent Verbe irrégulier Pronom relatif Juliette dreams of what life would be like if she lived in Provence.
• New in town Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Adjectif Family & Relationships Caroline writes in her diary about her plans to make new friends in a new town.
• New recruit Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Adjectif possessif Adverbe Employment Family & Relationships Antoine sums up his first two months in the company.
• New year, new resolutions Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Comparatif Verbes avec -DRE Celebrations & Important Dates Sports & Leisure Family & Relationships Séverine and her friend Maya discuss their future New Year's resolutions.
• Next summer in Paris Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet indirect Verbes réguliers avec -ER Sabrina will visit her friends in Paris next summer.
• On the phone to Grandma Pronom d'objet indirect Pronom d'objet direct Le Présent (Indicatif) Family & Relationships Jeanne calls her grandmother to catch up.
• Our family chalet L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Le Présent (Indicatif) Genre féminin Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Sports & Leisure Florian tells about his family's chalet tradition.
• Our Halloween costumes Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Adjectif Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Celebrations & Important Dates Lisa and her friend Olivier discuss what they'll wear for Halloween.
• Our next family reunion Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Verbe irrégulier Préposition Sophie can't wait to see her family again.
• Our Parisian holiday Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Préposition Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Anthony has his Paris holiday all planned out.
• Our plans for Music Day Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Le Présent (Indicatif) Préposition Celebrations & Important Dates Music Sabine and Thomas discuss their plans to celebrate Music Day on June 21.
• Parisian monuments to visit Verbes réguliers avec -ER Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Le Présent (Indicatif) Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Chantal and Luc are chatting about the Parisian monuments they've visited.
• Picking our wedding flowers Adjectif possessif Pluriel Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Perrine has opted for a country-style wedding, with matching flowers.
• Police check Le Présent (Indicatif) L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct Family & Relationships Janine is stopped for a routine police check.
• Preparing our shopping list Le Présent (Indicatif) Article Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Food & Drink Thibault and Julie are writing their shopping list.
• Ready for Easter Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Préposition Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Celebrations & Important Dates Christine and Baptiste discuss their plans for Easter.
• Ready for school? Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif Genre féminin Celebrations & Important Dates Language & Education Family & Relationships Lisa and Jonathan discuss their kids' state of mind before going back to school.
• Ready for the zombie apocalypse Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Verbe irrégulier Sébastien explains how he and his friends will deal with the imminent zombie apocalypse.
• Redecorating the bedroom Préposition Adjectif Le Présent (Indicatif) Art & Design Jean-Marc and Pauline are chatting about redecorating their bedroom.
• Sailing in the Caribbean Le Conditionnel Présent Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Préposition Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Sports & Leisure Patrick and Sébastien are planning a sailing tour of some of Caribbean islands.
• Selfies L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Le Présent (Indicatif) Family & Relationships Technology & Science Marc considers the photographic phenomenon of the selfie.
• Selling stamps L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Christophe needs help to sell a stamp collection.
• Spanish cooking Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Verbe irrégulier Food & Drink Jean-Luc cooked a Spanish meal for his friends, with mixed results!
• Splitting the bill Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Verbes avec être comme auxiliaire Food & Drink Sports & Leisure Lisa, Julien and Manon have to split the bill at the restaurant.
• Squabbling Sisters' Scrabble Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Pronom d'objet direct Sports & Leisure Family & Relationships Maya and Liane are arguing while playing Scrabble.
• Studying abroad Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct Le Présent (Indicatif) Language & Education Louis decided to go study abroad next year.
• Studying for an exam Pronom d'objet direct Verbe irrégulier Pronom d'objet indirect Language & Education Julie, Matthieu and Laurent discuss their revision strategies.
• Studying programme Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Verbes réguliers avec -IR Language & Education Jérôme and Thomas have a plan to study for their end-of-semester exams.
• Surfing in Biarritz Préposition Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Sports & Leisure Milo and Stéphane talk about going surfing in Biarritz.
• Synchronised swimming L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Adverbe Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Frank would love to join a synchronised swimming team.
• Table for one Question/Interrogative Préposition Mode impératif Food & Drink Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Kelly is trying her luck for a table at a restaurant.
• The 8 skittles game Le Présent (Indicatif) Préposition Verbe irrégulier Sports & Leisure Learn about this French version of a classic sport.
• The best carnivals in the world Le Conditionnel Présent Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Adjectif Celebrations & Important Dates Sports & Leisure Simon asks Mathieu and Lydia what carnival they'd love to go to.
• The best concert ever! Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Préposition Music Laura tells us about the great concert she went to yesterday.
• The brass band Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Music Alice can't wait to go and see the brass band on Sunday!
• The Cirque of Mafate in La Réunion Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Find out about an exceptional place to visit on Réunion island.
• The manga phenomenon in France Adjectif Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Le Présent (Indicatif) Learn more about French people's love for these Japanese comics.
• The new dad Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Pronom d'objet direct Family & Relationships Christophe wants to share so much with his newly born daughter.
• The play Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Verbe irrégulier Pronom d'objet direct Literature, Poetry, Theatre Sports & Leisure Family & Relationships Lucie just joined an after work drama class.
• The pleasure of traditional mail L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Le Présent (Indicatif) Coralie has always loved sending and receiving letters.
• The power of love L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Adverbe Gaspard became a new man when he fell in love.
• The year of the Baccalauréat Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Adverbe Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Language & Education Laurent is planning the year ahead to prepare his end-of-high school exams.
• Travel money in France: what to do and not to do Le Présent (Indicatif) Pronom réfléchi Adjectif Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Politics, History & Economics Sports & Leisure Listen to Marc, a travel expert, tell people about travel money on a radio show.
• Trip to Paris Free Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Family & Relationships Mélanie's sister and her husband went to Paris last year.
• Trip to the theatre Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Adverbe Pronom d'objet direct Thierry went back to the theatre last weekend.
• Two model daughters Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Verbes réguliers avec -IR Family & Relationships Marina and Louise are on their best behaviour to convince their parents to let them go out.
• Visit to the Chocolate Fair Préposition Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Food & Drink Vincent and his familly will go to the Paris Chocolate Fair this year.
• Watching the Olympic Games Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif Pluriel Bruno and Flora like following the Olympics.
• What I love about my partner Le Présent (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct Verbes réguliers avec -ER Adèle talks about her partner's best features.
• What literary hero would you be? Le Conditionnel Présent Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Adjectif Literature, Poetry, Theatre Michel and Lisa discuss what character from a novel they'd like to be.
• When I'm retired Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Adjectif Pluriel Sports & Leisure Family & Relationships Bernard tells us what he'll do once he retires.
• Which band to see? Le Présent (Indicatif) Préposition Verbes réguliers avec -ER Sabrina and Angélique are deciding which band they want to go see next.
• Winter weather forecast Préposition Verbe irrégulier Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Film & TV Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Tomorrow's weather forecast is very wintery.

B2: Upper Intermediate French writing exercises

• "Amélie": my favourite film! Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbe irrégulier Mode subjonctif Film & TV Lisa explains why "Amélie" is her favourite film.
• "Vernon Subutex" - an opinion Le Présent (Indicatif) Genre féminin Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Carole tells us why she loves the first volume of Virginie Despentes's trilogy.
• (Scary) Bedtime stories Le Subjonctif Présent Pronom d'objet indirect Le Présent (Indicatif) Jasmine talks to her partner Nicolas about the type of bedtime stories he is telling their son.
• A busy weekend ahead Le Subjonctif Présent Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Mode subjonctif Family & Relationships Olivier sums up his busy schedule for the weekend.
• A day in the countryside Free Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct Préposition Sports & Leisure Family & Relationships Marie spent last weekend in the countryside with her daughters.
• A great Advent calendar Adjectif Mode impératif Le Présent (Indicatif) Celebrations & Important Dates Sports & Leisure Find out how to make a unique Advent calendar.
• A great passion for reading L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Adjectif possessif Genre féminin Literature, Poetry, Theatre Sports & Leisure Florence talks about her grandmother's passion for books.
• A guided tour of Avignon Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -IR Verbes réguliers avec -ER Art & Design Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Our local guide introduces three major monuments from the French city of Avignon.
• A History of French TV Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Pronom relatif Préposition Film & TV Learn some interesting facts about the beginnings of French TV.
• A little lost dog L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct Sébastien helped a lost dog find his home.
• A misunderstanding Pronom d'objet direct Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet indirect Family & Relationships Alex is not happy with his friend Samantha who did not show up to meet Alex's new girlfriend.
• A networking New Year's Eve Le Subjonctif Présent Mode subjonctif Adjectif possessif Jacques has to go to a networking party for work on New Year's Eve.
• A nice morning surprise Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Préposition Pronom d'objet direct Food & Drink Lucie will serve a delicious breakfast in bed to her fiancée on their anniversary.
• A nice table "à la française" Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Le Subjonctif Présent Food & Drink Jacqueline explains the intricacies of setting the table the French way.
• A nightmare journey Free Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Le Subjonctif Présent Family & Relationships Josiane and Robert explain why they're an hour late to their friends' place.
• A perfect interview L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Le Présent (Indicatif) Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Employment Léo's just had the best job interview of his life!
• A professional phone call Le Présent (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct Pronom d'objet indirect Sonia Martel is talking to M. Delarue's executive assistant.
• A slippery drive Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Adverbe Technology & Science Richard struggled to get to work this morning: everything was frozen!
• A surprise gift Préposition L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Le Plus-que-Parfait (Indicatif) Gaspard remembers a special gift he made for his mother when he was a boy.
• A year full of changes Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct Pronom d'objet indirect Annette reflects back on the last year and its ups and downs.
• Ahmed the elephant : an Ivory Coast story Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Préposition Participe passé Discover the heartwarming true story of Ahmed the elephant.
• At the dry cleaner's Le Présent (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct Verbe irrégulier Eric brought his favourite suit jacket to the dry cleaner's.
• At the football [US: soccer] game Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Participe passé Adjectif possessif Celebrations & Important Dates Sports & Leisure Henri took his dad to a football [US:soccer] game for Father's Day.
• At the garage sale Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbe irrégulier Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Patrick explains to Amelle how to find bargains.
• At the neighbours' house Pronom d'objet direct Le Présent (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet indirect Food & Drink Family & Relationships Véronique and Bruno are at their neighbours' house for an aperitif.
• At the repair shop Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct Verbes réguliers avec -ER Sabrina needs help with her laptop.
• At university Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Genre féminin Pronom d'objet direct Léa and Laura bump into each other at their new university.
• Autumn/Winter 2020 trends Verbe irrégulier Préposition Adjectif Discover the Autumn/Winter 2020 fashion trends.
• Bad Movie Review L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Adjectif Le Subjonctif Présent Film & TV Bernadette delivers a scathing movie review.
• Barbara L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Adjectif possessif Genre féminin Famous People Music Laëtitia talks about her passion for fascinating French singer Barbara.
• Bastille Day in France L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Pronom relatif Adjectif Mathilde remembers how she used to celebrate Bastille Day with her family.
• Bayonne, France's chocolate capital Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif Préposition Food & Drink Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Learn why Bayonne is considered the French capital of chocolate.
• Bouldering in Fontainebleau Le Présent (Indicatif) Préposition Adjectif Irène loves spending the day rock-climbing in Fontainebleau.
• Brasserie La Coupole Le Présent (Indicatif) Préposition Adverbe Food & Drink Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Vincent always eats here when he's in Paris.
• British National Museums Le Présent (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct Préposition Monuments, Tourism & Vacations National museums are free in the UK, as Paul happily found out.
• Building a snowman Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Verbe irrégulier Verbes réguliers avec -ER Sports & Leisure Martine and Bastien enjoyed building a snowman.
• Camping with your dog Le Présent (Indicatif) Le Subjonctif Présent Mode subjonctif Sports & Leisure Family & Relationships Patrick gives us some advice on taking your dog camping with you.
• Car breakdown Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Verbes avec être comme auxiliaire Le Plus-que-Parfait (Indicatif) Julien's car broke down at the most inconvenient time.
• Catherine Ségurane: a local heroine Préposition Le Présent (Indicatif) Pronom réfléchi Famous People Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Politics, History & Economics Toni, a tourist guide from Nice talks about local legend Catherine Ségurane.
• City vs dog poop L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Adjectif possessif Politics, History & Economics Family & Relationships Alain and Pauline discuss the city's measures to fight against dog waste.
• Composting is awesome! Le Présent (Indicatif) Préposition Verbe irrégulier Technology & Science Elsa explains composting to her friend Pierre.
• Congratulations on your degree! Pluriel Pronom d'objet direct Adverbe Language & Education Family & Relationships Thomas's aunt and uncle send him an email to congratulate him on getting his Master degree.
• Conversation between friends Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct Pronom d'objet indirect Sports & Leisure Family & Relationships Friends Simon and Isabelle are catching up.
• Couples' annoying habits Le Présent (Indicatif) Forme négative Verbes réguliers avec -ER Family & Relationships Olivier gets so annoyed by the way couples behave sometimes!
• DIY with Dad L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Pluriel Troisième personne Émilie loved spending time in her father's shed.
• Easter, a family celebration Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Préposition Celebrations & Important Dates Family & Relationships François and his family celebrate the religious holiday of Easter.
• Extreme cosmetic surgery Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Le Présent (Indicatif) Le Subjonctif Présent Anella had several operations to look like her idol, the Barbie doll.
• Family Reunion Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Family & Relationships At a family reunion, Lea sees her aunt Patricia for the first time in years.
• Fatherly pride L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct Luc is so proud of his daughter's stage debut.
• Fighting lockdown blues Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Verbe irrégulier Pronom d'objet indirect Samia did everything she could to cheer up her grandmother Janine during lockdown.
• Finding the perfect anniversary gift Pronom d'objet indirect Pronom d'objet direct Le Présent (Indicatif) Family & Relationships Jean-Paul is listing his gift ideas for his wife on their anniversary.
• First night out after Baby Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Adverbe Romane couldn't wait to go out with her girlfriends again!
• Food shopping in farm shops Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Food & Drink Politics, History & Economics Find out the advantages and disadvantages of food shopping in a farm shop.
• French Easter specialties Le Présent (Indicatif) Préposition Pronom relatif Celebrations & Important Dates Discover some of France's regional Easter specialties.
• French-style lemon tart recipe Mode impératif L'Impératif Présent Préposition Food & Drink Follow the recipe to make a delicious lemon tart.
• Garip Ay's amazing paintings Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Pronom relatif Art & Design Jean-Pierre tells us about the work of this fascinating Turkish artist.
• Getting ready for the holiday [US: vacation] Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Bastien and Alicia are getting ready for tomorrow's departure.
• Giving back Le Présent (Indicatif) Pronom réfléchi Pronom relatif Celebrations & Important Dates Especially during the holiday season, it's good to give back to those less fortunate than us...
• Going lily-of-the-valley picking Adjectif possessif Pronom d'objet indirect Pronom d'objet direct Sports & Leisure Family & Relationships Jean-Pierre's family goes to pick lily-of-the-valley every year.
• Happy Father's Day! Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Verbe irrégulier Adverbe Sabrina has prepared the perfect Father's Day for her dad.
• Heatwave Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Préposition L'Impératif Présent Politics, History & Economics Technology & Science A weather forecast on one of the hottest days of the year.
• High cost of cigarette packaging change Préposition Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbe irrégulier Politics, History & Economics Learn about the cost of the new policy on cigarette packaging in France.
• Holiday [US: Vacation] in French-speaking Switzerland Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Adverbe Genre Irène tells Jules how delighted she was by her trip to French-speaking Switzerland.
• Holidaying abroad: pros and cons Adverbe Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Sébastien weighs up his pros and cons of going abroad for the holiday.
• Horse riding on the beach L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Adverbe Iris discovered the joy of horse riding by the sea.
• How I met your mother L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Le Plus-que-Parfait (Indicatif) Julien tells his children how he met their mother Émilie.
• How to become an official candidate in the French presidential election? Le Subjonctif Présent Mode subjonctif Le Présent (Indicatif) Learn about the French electoral process to become a presidential candidate.
• I can't find my shirt! Pronom d'objet direct Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Verbe irrégulier Family & Relationships Claire and Julien are almost ready to go out...except for Julien's missing shirt!
• In a clothes store Pronom d'objet direct Pronom d'objet indirect Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Sports & Leisure Patrick complains to the sales assistant about a defective item.
• In the return taxi Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Verbes avec être comme auxiliaire Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Aline talks about her trip with the taxi driver on her way back to the airport.
• In the woods with my dog Ulysse Le Présent (Indicatif) Infinitif Pronom relatif Gaëlle enjoys her walks through the woods with her dog Ulysse.
• Jean-Pierre Bacri Pronom d'objet direct Pronom d'objet indirect Adverbe Yann and Élodie loved the great French actor who passed away in 2021.
• Living abroad Le Présent (Indicatif) Pronom relatif Adverbe Bastien thinks that living abroad can only enrich one's life.
• Lockdown letters Pronom d'objet direct Pronom d'objet indirect Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Alexandre has been sending letters to his grandmother during lockdown.
• Long time no see! Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Le Présent (Indicatif) Forme négative Family & Relationships Marina and her cousin Tom catch up after quite a while.
• Louise Bourgeois Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Genre féminin Pluriel Art & Design Famous People Politics, History & Economics Marie-Claire tells us about her favourite French artist.
• Mice invasion Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct Pronom d'objet indirect Family & Relationships Lisa and Paul are discussing options to get rid of Lisa's mice.
• Moving house chores Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct Family & Relationships Sophie had so many chores to do before moving into her new apartment.
• My car is a real beater! Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct Pronom d'objet indirect Sports & Leisure Technology & Science Yann's car has so many problems!
• My chosen family L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Préposition Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Family & Relationships Magalie found her own loving family.
• My dream invention Le Conditionnel Présent Verbe irrégulier Pronom d'objet indirect Technology & Science Sonia asks Sylvie what invention she'd dream to see becoming a reality.
• My exotic Christmas Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Préposition Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Celebrations & Important Dates Aline is remembering spending last Christmas in Marrakech, Morocco.
• My first Easter memory L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Le Plus-que-Parfait (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct Celebrations & Important Dates Family & Relationships Alexandre remembers the first time he went egg hunting.
• My first music festival L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Le Plus-que-Parfait (Indicatif) Adjectif Music Amélie recalls the first time she went to a music festival with her best friend Emma.
• My grandmother's rosebushes L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct Pronom d'objet indirect Family & Relationships Lucie tells us about her grandmother's beloved and renowned rosebushes.
• My hot-headed nephew L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Adjectif possessif Genre féminin Family & Relationships Michel talks about how his nephew used to get on his nerves.
• My kids' back to school day Le Subjonctif Présent Le Présent (Indicatif) Mode subjonctif Language & Education Family & Relationships Claire is getting ready for the kids' first day back to school.
• My life is a hashtag Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct Participe passé Family & Relationships Technology & Science Sébastien explains why hashtags are so important in his life.
• My mother's favourite singer Préposition Le Présent (Indicatif) Le Conditionnel Présent Famous People Music Patricia tells us about her mum's passion for French singer Serge Lama.
• My passion for French cuisine Le Présent (Indicatif) Pronom relatif Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Food & Drink James presents some of the reasons why he loves French cooking.
• My plan for the day of my exam Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Verbe irrégulier Adverbe Language & Education Sports & Leisure Family & Relationships Viviane has perfectly planned for her exam day.
• My sense of direction Verbe irrégulier Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Joseph and Sabrina discuss their more or less deficient sense of direction.
• My sister the future pianist Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Verbe irrégulier Forme négative Music Sports & Leisure Lucas's sister has always dreamed of playing piano.
• New town, new friends Le Présent (Indicatif) Adverbe Pluriel Family & Relationships Laurence wants to help her daughter make new friends in their new town.
• New vs old technologies L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Le Présent (Indicatif) Reflexive verbs Technology & Science Enzo asks retiree Gertrude her opinion on new technologies.
• New wallpaper in the dining room L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Préposition Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Josiane explains her choice of new wallpaper for the dining room.
• Nostalgia: pros and cons Le Présent (Indicatif) Le Subjonctif Présent Article Noémie and Alain discuss the pros and cons of nostalgia.
• Nudist beaches in France Préposition Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Discover some of France's nudist beaches.
• Oceanopolis is great! Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Préposition L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Sports & Leisure Céline tells you about her visit to the ocean discovery park in Brest, Brittany.
• On the terrace of a fancy restaurant Le Présent (Indicatif) Préposition Verbe irrégulier Food & Drink Family & Relationships Jean-Luc and his fiancée are enjoying a meal on the terrace of a fancy restaurant.
• On Valentine's Day, beware of faux pas! Verbe irrégulier Le Subjonctif Présent Mode subjonctif Family & Relationships Henri gives us tips to pick the right Valentine's Day's present.
• Our "grown-up" hobbies Le Présent (Indicatif) Préposition L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Viviane and Luc tell us about their respective hobbies: adult colouring and homebrewing.
• Our camper holiday [US: RV vacation] Pronom d'objet direct L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet indirect Élodie and her cousin Sarah had the best time on their camper holiday [US: RV vacation].
• Our holiday [US:vacation] in Wallonia Verbes réguliers avec -ER Préposition Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Daniel and Claire are planning their visit to Wallonia [re: French-speaking Belgium].
• Our new house's renovations Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Préposition Verbes réguliers avec -ER Family & Relationships Jacques and his partner Louise are planning their new house's renovations.
• Our plans for Valentine's Day Le Présent (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet indirect Verbe irrégulier Barnabé and Samia discuss their Valentine's Day plans.
• Pears in red wine and cassis Mode impératif L'Impératif Présent Préposition Food & Drink Here's chef Paul Bocuse's famous (and delicious) "Poires à la Beaujolaise" recipe.
• Pisces Horoscope Verbes réguliers avec -ER Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Adjectif possessif Sports & Leisure Family & Relationships Technology & Science Find out what the predictions are for Pisces this coming week.
• Planning a camping trip Verbe irrégulier Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Pronom Patricia and Alexandre are planning their camping weekend.
• Playing video games Le Présent (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct Pronom d'objet indirect Sports & Leisure Quentin and Lise are playing a racing video game together.
• Pre-date stress L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Forme négative Préposition Family & Relationships Luc was really nervous last week ahead of his date with the amazing Olivia !
• Public Transport L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Adverbe Sports & Leisure Family & Relationships François discovered the joys of public transport when moving from a small village to Paris.
• Rebooking a flight Le Présent (Indicatif) Question/Interrogative Adjectif possessif Employment Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Patrice calls Easyplane to postpone his flight.
• Roaming charges in France Adjectif L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Préposition Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Technology & Science Lisa, who is French, discusses roaming charges for foreigners visiting France with her British friend Mike.
• Robbery at the bakery L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Verbes avec être comme auxiliaire Employment Here's a local news article about a robbery.
• Saving up for Christmas Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Préposition Le Subjonctif Présent Politics, History & Economics Celebrations & Important Dates Nadia has a plan to save money until the Holidays.
• Sorting out my office Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Adverbe L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Family & Relationships Jean-Pascal's office needed a good clean.
• Stendhal syndrome Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Participe passé Le Plus-que-Parfait (Indicatif) Learn more about this fascinating, if controversial, affliction.
• Strasbourg's Christmas Market Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Adjectif Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Celebrations & Important Dates Olivier tells us about one of the most magical Christmas markets in France.
• Tarte Tatin recipe Mode impératif Préposition Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Food & Drink Learn how to prepare this delicious French apple tart.
• Thanksgiving celebrations Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Verbe irrégulier Verbes réguliers avec -ER Adam and his friends are making their own Thanksgiving dinner this year.
• The adventures of Fantômette L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Le Conditionnel Passé Adjectif possessif Literature, Poetry, Theatre Nadia has always loved the character of Fantômette!
• The Alsace wine route Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Pluriel Pronom d'objet direct Food & Drink Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Henri is finding out about Laura's trip to Alsace.
• The Appeal of 18 June 1940 Article Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Article défini Politics, History & Economics Celebrations & Important Dates Discover the historical context around Charles de Gaulle's most famous speech.
• The benefits of yoga Le Présent (Indicatif) Pronom relatif Pronom d'objet Discover a few of the many benefits yoga can bring into one's life.
• The best hotel booking L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Adjectif Adverbe Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Olivier had the most amazing hotel experience!
• The mental load L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Le Présent (Indicatif) Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Emma explains how the bulk of household organisational tasks tends to fall on women's shoulders.
• The Nice Carnaval Préposition Pronom relatif Le Présent (Indicatif) Celebrations & Important Dates Sports & Leisure Guillaume plans on going to the famous Nice Carnaval this year.
• The Paul Bocuse Institute in Lyon Adverbe Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Préposition Famous People Food & Drink Language & Education Marie's son dreams of studying at this world-renowned French cooking school.
• The Ritz hotel in Paris Préposition Adjectif Le Présent (Indicatif) Famous People Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Learn about one of the most iconic hotels in Paris.
• The worst holiday [US: vacation] of my life! L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Amandine tells us about her very disappointing holiday [US: vacation]!
• Thomas Pesquet Préposition Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Famous People Technology & Science Learn about France's most famous astronaut.
• Toussaint Louverture Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Préposition Adjectif Famous People Politics, History & Economics Find out why this historical figure is important in Haiti.
• Train mishap L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Genre féminin Family & Relationships Lisa missed her stop on her way to work!
• Training for a marathon Verbe irrégulier L'Impératif Présent Mode impératif Sports & Leisure Follow our tips to train and run your first marathon.
• Trouble on the way to holiday [US: vacation] Le Présent (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct Pronom d'objet indirect Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Family & Relationships On the road to go on holiday [US: vacation], Christophe and Laure's car engine overheated.
• Two tourist destinations Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbe irrégulier Le Subjonctif Présent Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Béatrice and Simon are discussing two different places to visit in France.
• Visit to Disneyland Paris Le Présent (Indicatif) Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Préposition Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Sports & Leisure Tristan can't wait to visit the famous theme park for the first time!
• Visiting my best friend L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Verbe irrégulier Pronom d'objet indirect Sports & Leisure Family & Relationships Juliette wants to visit her best friend Pierre who moved away last year.
• Watching fencing at the Olympics Le Présent (Indicatif) Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct Sports & Leisure Couple Tina and Olivier are watching an Olympic fencing match on TV.
• Water damage Le Présent (Indicatif) Mode subjonctif Le Subjonctif Présent Family & Relationships Noémie and Samuel investigate a water leak in their flat [US: apartment].
• Welcome to Bordeaux's Tourist Office Free Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Article défini Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Bordeaux's Tourist Office introduces us to the city's best touristic attractions
• What is joual? Adjectif Le Présent (Indicatif) Article Learn about this typical French Canadian way of speaking.
• What monster would you be? Le Conditionnel Présent Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Préposition Family & Relationships Suzanne asks David, Agathe and Hugo what monsters they'd like to be.
• What to get Mum [US Mom]? Pronom d'objet indirect Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbe irrégulier Daniel and his girlfriend Olivia decide what to get his mother for her birthday.
• Where to study L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Adjectif Pronom relatif Italian student Mateo finally picked the country where he wants to study.
• Women's vote in France Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Genre féminin Politics, History & Economics Catherine and Blanche tell us about the first time they were allowed to vote in 1945.
• Workaholic's back to work Le Présent (Indicatif) Pluriel Verbes réguliers avec -ER Employment Arthur hates time off and can't wait to be back at work!
• Working as an A&E [US: ER] doctor Le Présent (Indicatif) Pronom réfléchi Adverbe Employment Technology & Science Find out what it's like for Dr. Patrick Dupond to work as an A&E [US: ER] doctor.
• Worrying weather changes Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Adjectif Adverbe Technology & Science Friends Ferdinand and Josette are worrying about the weather changes they've witnessed over the years.

C1: Advanced French writing exercises

• 3 Culinary delights from French-speaking countries Adjectif Le Présent (Indicatif) Adjectif possessif Food & Drink Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Find out about three dishes from French-speaking countries.
• A bad matchmaker Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct Pronom d'objet Family & Relationships Sophie tells us about her failed attempt at matchmaking.
• A birthday party Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Pronom relatif Verbe irrégulier Nicolas has planned a birthday party full of games for his daughter Flora.
• A chilling story L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Préposition Pronom relatif A young couple had just moved into a huge manor...
• A couple's ups and downs Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Pronom réfléchi Family & Relationships Hélène explains how she and her partner managed to navigate out of a rough patch.
• A difficult sibling relationship L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Pronom relatif Pronom réfléchi Family & Relationships Yvan has always had a fraught relationship with his sister.
• A dissatisfied customer Mode subjonctif Le Subjonctif Présent Pronom d'objet direct Monsieur Dubois writes to complain about not receiving an order.
• A dreadful teenager L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct Pronom d'objet indirect Family & Relationships Philippe recalls his bad behaviour as a teenage boy.
• A drunken evening Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Participe passé Pronom d'objet direct Christophe had quite an eventful evening!
• A ghost story L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Pronom relatif Le Passé Simple (Indicatif) Celebrations & Important Dates Family & Relationships Hugo is visiting his mother on All Saints' Day.
• A hard time at work L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Employment Érica went through a rough time at work.
• A horrible storm! L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Le Plus-que-Parfait (Indicatif) Mode subjonctif Technology & Science Julien remembers spending a horrible night due to a violent storm.
• A last minute request L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Employment Family & Relationships Isabelle's colleague keeps making her miserable...
• A long-standing friendship L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Adjectif possessif Family & Relationships Carole tells us about her long-standing relationship with her friend Aline.
• A lovely car L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Genre masculin Première personne Technology & Science Find out about Michel's beloved 2CV car.
• A lovely encounter L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Adjectif Genre féminin Sports & Leisure Family & Relationships On her daily walk, Audrey met a furry little friend in need of help...
• A snow storm to remember Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Adverbe Mode subjonctif Lily recalls last year's snow storm.
• A special Christmas in Switzerland L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Le Plus-que-Parfait (Indicatif) Préposition Food & Drink Celebrations & Important Dates Damien recalls a wonderful family Christmas holiday in Switzerland.
• A sudden reappearance Pronom d'objet direct Forme négative Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Family & Relationships After years of disappearance, Olivia's friend is back.
• A wedding proposal L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet indirect David tells us how he planned to propose to his girlfriend.
• Advice for new pet owners Pronom d'objet indirect Pronom d'objet Le Présent (Indicatif) Family & Relationships Laurent asks people for their advice on welcoming a new pet at home.
• Alberto Giacometti Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbe irrégulier Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Jean-Louis and Samuel discuss the famous Swiss artist.
• Alice and the Caterpillar (Alice in Wonderland) Le Présent (Indicatif) Le Passé Simple (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct Literature, Poetry, Theatre Alice meets the mysterious Caterpillar in this adapted excerpt from "Alice in Wonderland"
• An animal tale L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Mode impératif L'Impératif Présent Family & Relationships By a lovely winter morning, Henri the hare meets poorly Lili the rabbit.
• An incredible trip on the Canal du Midi Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct Verbe irrégulier Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Sports & Leisure Patrice recalls his trip along the Canal du Midi.
• An upcycling tutorial Adjectif Préposition Pronom d'objet direct Art & Design Sports & Leisure Technology & Science Find out a few ideas for your upcycling projets.
• Anna's birthday party L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Le Subjonctif Présent Food & Drink Family & Relationships Clément discusses the organisation of his daughter's birthday party with his friend Charlotte.
• Anne of Brittany Le Passé Simple (Indicatif) Verbe irrégulier Genre féminin Learn about the extraordinary woman who was crowned Queen of France twice.
• At the psychiatrist's Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Le Subjonctif Présent Mode subjonctif Employment Family & Relationships Mme Dupont is talking to her psychiatrist.
• At the ski resort Le Présent (Indicatif) Le Subjonctif Présent Mode subjonctif Sports & Leisure Paul needs to get ski gear for himself and his family.
• At the water park Le Présent (Indicatif) Le Subjonctif Présent Mode subjonctif The whole family is having a good time at the water park.
• At Uncle Robert's 70th birthday Verbe irrégulier Le Subjonctif Présent Mode subjonctif Family & Relationships Laura catches up with her cousin Charlotte at a family event.
• Back to School shopping Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbe irrégulier Mode impératif Language & Education Family & Relationships Viviane and Christian try and get everything on their children's school supply list.
• Bathroom chat Le Présent (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Family & Relationships Bruno and Sonia are having a chat in the bathroom.
• Brest during World War II L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Verbe irrégulier Adjectif possessif Politics, History & Economics Alex is talking about WWII in Brest with his granddad.
• Californian dream L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Le Subjonctif Présent Mode subjonctif Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Olivia finally followed her dream to move to California.
• Camping in the woods Free L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Préposition Le Plus-que-Parfait (Indicatif) Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Nathalie enjoys camping in the middle of the woods.
• Coco Chanel Le Passé Simple (Indicatif) Article Verbes réguliers avec -ER Famous People Politics, History & Economics Learn about this extraordinary woman who became a fashion icon.
• Complaining about a hotel room Le Présent (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet indirect Pronom d'objet direct Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Gérard complains to the receptionist about the state of his hotel room.
• Coping with the heatwave Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Le Subjonctif Présent Mode subjonctif Family & Relationships Emma asks how Simon and his pregnant girlfriend Christelle coped with the extreme heat.
• Deep-sea diving in Martinique L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Adjectif possessif Pronom relatif Léonard took his new wife Sophie deep-sea diving in Martinique.
• Discovering Guadeloupe Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Verbes réguliers avec -IR Alicia takes us on a tour of some of Guadeloupe's tourist spots.
• Drôme provençale, a little piece of heaven Le Présent (Indicatif) Pronom relatif Adjectif possessif Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Politics, History & Economics Vincent tells us about this beautiful region in the South of France.
• Easter plans Mode subjonctif Le Subjonctif Présent Le Présent (Indicatif) Julia hopes Easter will be nicer this year!
• Édith Piaf Genre masculin Genre féminin Le Passé Simple (Indicatif) Famous People Music Here's a short biography of one of France's most beloved singers.
• Engagement dinner's speech Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Préposition Pronom relatif Family & Relationships The bride's father thanks the guests for attending and announces the evening programme.
• Engagement surprise Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Adjectif possessif Family & Relationships Louise enjoys an unexpected visit at her engagement party.
• Family Zoom Call Le Subjonctif Présent Mode subjonctif Le Présent (Indicatif) Laurent tries to coordinate a Zoom call with his mother and grandparents.
• Financial advice Le Subjonctif Présent Mode subjonctif Le Présent (Indicatif) Alicia had a meeting with her financial advisor.
• Finding love at a yoga retreat L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Adverbe Adjectif possessif Sports & Leisure Family & Relationships Seniors Germaine and Pierrot didn't expect to fall in love at a yoga retreat.
• Fireside memories L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Préposition Adjectif possessif Family & Relationships Manuelle has warm memories of family times by the fireside.
• First day back to school Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Préposition Pronom d'objet direct Food & Drink Family & Relationships Sabrina tells us what she'll do on her children's first day back to school.
• Fishing with my father Free L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Pronom réfléchi Adjectif possessif Julien remembers going fishing with his dad when he was young.
• French Mobile Phone Habits Adverbe Préposition Mode subjonctif Politics, History & Economics Technology & Science We're taking a look at the importance of mobile phones in French people's lives.
• Gardening weekend Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Adjectif possessif Participe passé Sports & Leisure Jean-Pierre had a busy weekend taking care of his garden.
• Gastronomical review Le Présent (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Food & Drink Discover a mouthwatering review of a French restaurant.
• Gluten-free living L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct Pronom d'objet indirect Food & Drink Alexandre tells us how he dealt with his newly discovered gluten allergy.
• Gustave Moreau Museum L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet indirect Art & Design Claire tells us about her fascination for 19th-century symbolist painter Gustave Moreau.
• Holidaying in July L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Adverbe Monuments, Tourism & Vacations July is a hard time to organise holiday [US: vacation] for, as Martine and Sam found out!
• How to show your love? Verbe irrégulier Adjectif possessif Le Présent (Indicatif) Family & Relationships Marianne and her partner Adèle are making some changes to show their appreciation for each other more.
• How to take the best portrait photos Le Présent (Indicatif) Le Subjonctif Présent Mode subjonctif Sylvie gives Jacques some tips to improve his portrait photos.
• Icons of French tennis Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Adverbe L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Famous People Sports & Leisure Marc and Aline are chatting about the most memorable French tennis players.
• If only I'd won the lottery! Pronom d'objet direct Le Conditionnel Passé Verbes avec être comme auxiliaire Vincent shares what he would have done with the lottery money if he'd won.
• If you could learn anything instantly... Le Conditionnel Présent Le Subjonctif Présent Mode subjonctif Irène, Julien and Pascal answer the question.
• In the Jura mountains with my dog Le Présent (Indicatif) Pronom relatif Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Stéphane recommends going on a mountain holiday [US: vacation] with your dog.
• In the lives of the writers of French romance novels Le Présent (Indicatif) Mode subjonctif Verbes réguliers avec -ER Employment Literature, Poetry, Theatre Discover what the life of a French writer of romance novels looks like.
• Jean-Marc Vallée Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Pronom relatif L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Famous People Film & TV Nathan and Florence discuss the late Quebecois director Jean-Marc Vallée.
• Johnny Hallyday, a French icon L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Le Présent (Indicatif) Famous People Music Paul and his mum talk about her favourite French singer, Johnny Hallyday.
• La Petite France in Strasbourg Préposition Adjectif Verbes réguliers avec -ER Art & Design Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Discover this unique area of Strasbourg, a UNESCO site and tourists' favourite.
• Last-minute hesitations L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Adverbe Genre féminin Literature, Poetry, Theatre Family & Relationships François is torn between his love for Marianne and his duty to the Duchess who he's about to marry.
• Letter to my daughter L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Mode subjonctif Le Subjonctif Présent Family & Relationships Marc writes a love letter to his newborn baby girl.
• Letter to Santa Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbe irrégulier Mode subjonctif Celebrations & Important Dates Timothée writes to Santa, hoping he's been good enough this year...
• Living in Paris: pros and cons Le Présent (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct Pronom d'objet indirect Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Parisians Bastien and Louise discuss the advantages and disadvantages of living in the French capital.
• Long distance relationships Le Subjonctif Présent Mode subjonctif Le Présent (Indicatif) Family & Relationships Here's some advice on how to keep your long distance relation working.
• Luxembourg: A bit of history Le Présent (Indicatif) Pronom relatif Pronom réfléchi Politics, History & Economics Learn about the early history of this interesting country.
• Missed plane! Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Adverbe Préposition Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Family & Relationships Bastien missed his morning flight to Paris!
• Missing a friend's Hen [US: Bachelorette] Party Le Présent (Indicatif) Adverbe Pronom d'objet direct Manquer l'EVJF d'une amie
• Moana's French voice-over's interview Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Le Présent (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Film & TV Paul interviews Cerise Calixte, the French actress who gave her voice to Disney's Moana (Vaiana in the French version).
• Montpellier, city of street art Le Présent (Indicatif) Le Subjonctif Présent Mode subjonctif Art & Design Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Valentin tells us why Montpellier is a great street art city.
• Multilingualism in Alsace Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Article Pronom d'objet direct Politics, History & Economics Language & Education Find out which languages are spoken in Alsace.
• My family's Hallowe'en L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Adjectif possessif Préposition Celebrations & Important Dates Family & Relationships Martin tells us about his family's Hallowe'en traditions.
• My first Mother's Day Le Plus-que-Parfait (Indicatif) L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Adjectif possessif Celebrations & Important Dates Family & Relationships Danielle looks back on her very first Mother's Day with her son.
• My Hanukkah traditions L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Adjectif possessif Genre féminin Celebrations & Important Dates Family & Relationships Rachelle explains why Hanukkah is such a special occasion for her.
• My life as a locavore Le Présent (Indicatif) Adverbe Le Subjonctif Présent Sophie explains why she decided to become a locavore.
• My son's school trip transformation L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Préposition Pronom relatif Family & Relationships Naomi wondered about her son's strange behaviour after his school trip to France.
• My trip to Lyon Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Pronom relatif L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Yvan spent a few days exploring the French city.
• Nice's cuisine: a healthy diet Le Présent (Indicatif) Préposition Adjectif Food & Drink Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Find out why the dishes from Nice are so healthy.
• Not the festival type Mode subjonctif Le Subjonctif Présent Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Jean-Marc discovered that outdoor festivals were really not his thing!
• Ode to my favourite uncle L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Le Subjonctif Présent Pronom d'objet direct Simon writes a loving text to his favourite uncle.
• Of the difficulties of learning French Le Présent (Indicatif) L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct Mike and Jane discuss the challenges they encountered learning French.
• On a desert island Le Conditionnel Présent L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Le Présent (Indicatif) Family & Relationships Technology & Science Pierre discusses his friend Yves's choice of single item that he would take with him on a desert island.
• Our baby's progress Le Subjonctif Présent Le Présent (Indicatif) Mode subjonctif Christophe can't believe how fast his baby daughter is growing up.
• Paris Catacombs Visit: Juliette's review Le Présent (Indicatif) Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet indirect Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Juliette reviews her visit of Paris's Catacombs.
• Paris's Haussmannian revolution L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Le Passé Simple (Indicatif) Verbes réguliers avec -ER Art & Design Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Learn about the architectural revolution that took place in Paris in the 19th century.
• Planning mishap Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct Pronom d'objet indirect Sports & Leisure Family & Relationships Fabienne and Pascal were to meet Charlotte and Cyril to go to the cinema...except they showed up an hour late! What happened?
• Playground battle Le Passé Simple (Indicatif) Adjectif possessif Verbes réguliers avec -ER Family & Relationships Thomas and Alex fought an epic battle in the school playground.
• Police Station Dialogue Pronom d'objet direct Pronom d'objet indirect L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Family & Relationships Detective Jacques Poireau is interviewing a murder suspect.
• Pompidou Centre Free Le Passé Simple (Indicatif) Préposition Verbe irrégulier Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Politics, History & Economics Learn about the history of this unique building in Paris.
• Post-holiday [US: vacation] voice mail Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Le Présent (Indicatif) L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Family & Relationships Éric leaves a voice mail for his best friend after a sunny break in Nice.
• Prepaid travel cards Pronom d'objet direct Pronom d'objet indirect L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Technology & Science Alain talks about the advantages of prepaid travel cards.
• Reading books in a foreign language Le Présent (Indicatif) Adverbe Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Language & Education Literature, Poetry, Theatre Killian and Rose, who are not native French speakers, are chatting about reading books in French.
• Real daredevils! Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Adverbe Patricia's twins have a loyalty card at the local hospital...
• Results of the 2022 presidential election's first round Pronom relatif Conjonction de subordination Verbes réguliers avec -ER Politics, History & Economics Here's a summary of the main results of the first round of France's 2022 presidential elections.
• Review of the iPhone 8 Plus Comparatif Forme négative Adverbe Technology & Science Christine reviews the disappointing new iPhone 8 Plus.
• Roxy's bath Le Présent (Indicatif) Le Subjonctif Présent Adverbe Giving a bath to her dog Roxy is really no picnic for Lisa!
• Staycation: a positive experience Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Forme négative Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Sports & Leisure Oscar talks about his experience with staycations.
• Stereotypes about girls: an evolution? Le Subjonctif Présent Mode subjonctif Question/Interrogative Politics, History & Economics Family & Relationships Danielle Moreau, a sociologist, talks about the evolution of stereotypes towards girls on a radio show.
• Summer recipes Le Présent (Indicatif) Mode subjonctif Le Subjonctif Présent Food & Drink Marielle shares her favourite summer dishes with us.
• Taking the children to the park Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet direct Family & Relationships Overwhelmed dad Luc tells us about the challenge that is taking the kids to the park.
• Taking the driving license test Mode subjonctif Le Subjonctif Présent Verbe irrégulier Irène is taking her driving license test.
• The "Veuve Clicquot" Le Passé Simple (Indicatif) Adjectif possessif Pronom relatif Food & Drink Politics, History & Economics Here's the story of how widow Barbe-Nicole Clicquot created one of the most famous champagne brands in the world.
• The Abbey of Fontevraud: a Royal affair Le Présent (Indicatif) Préposition Verbes réguliers avec -ER Famous People Monuments, Tourism & Vacations Politics, History & Economics Eleanor of Aquitaine answers a few questions about the Abbey of Fontevraud.
• The benefits of music Pronom d'objet indirect Pronom d'objet direct Le Présent (Indicatif) Music Mathieu tells us about the benefits of music.
• The best house painting company Adjectif possessif Le Présent (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet indirect You won't find a better house painting company than Jean-Pierre's!
• The city of the future Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) Pronom relatif Verbe irrégulier Family & Relationships Technology & Science Yann asked people what they imagine cities will look like in the future.
• The feminist revolutionary Olympe de Gouges Mode subjonctif Le Subjonctif Présent Le Passé Simple (Indicatif) Famous People Politics, History & Economics Bastien tells us about this extraordinary humanist writer from 18th century France.
• The flower fair Adjectif L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Damien and his family really enjoyed their visit to the flower fair.
• The French language in the world Préposition Article Le Présent (Indicatif) Employment Language & Education Find out about the impact of French in the world.
• The GPS is malfunctioning! Pronom d'objet direct Pronom d'objet indirect Le Présent (Indicatif) Technology & Science Rémi and Isabelle's car GPS is malfunctioning!
• The King cake Le Présent (Indicatif) Le Subjonctif Présent Mode subjonctif Food & Drink Celebrations & Important Dates Learn about the tradition around King cake.
• The Lumberjack - Part 1 L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Préposition Pronom d'objet direct Celebrations & Important Dates Literature, Poetry, Theatre Here's an original Christmas story about a lumberjack who lived in the North Pole...
• The Lumberjack - Part 2 Le Présent (Indicatif) Forme négative Verbes réguliers avec -ER Celebrations & Important Dates Literature, Poetry, Theatre Who left those tiny footprints? Here's the end of our original Christmas story!
• The town of Gruyères Mode subjonctif Verbes réguliers avec -ER Le Subjonctif Présent Sébastien had a lovely time visiting the famous Swiss town.
• To our adopted son Pronom d'objet direct Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Mode subjonctif Family & Relationships Christian tells his son how wanted he was and still is.
• Unicycle passion Le Plus-que-Parfait (Indicatif) L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) Yvette tells us about the day when her passion for unicycling was born.
• Welcome to Lille Le Présent (Indicatif) Adverbe Adjectif Monuments, Tourism & Vacations The northern city has a lot to offer to visitors.
• What's a good mother? Le Présent (Indicatif) Le Subjonctif Présent Pronom relatif Family & Relationships Julie has been getting much contradictory advice since she became a mother.
• Which book to choose? Le Présent (Indicatif) Pronom relatif Pronom d'objet indirect Literature, Poetry, Theatre Christian is looking for a few recommendations at his local library.
• Who's your favourite football [US:soccer] player? Pronom d'objet direct Le Présent (Indicatif) Pronom d'objet indirect Bertrand and Léa discuss their favourite French football [US:soccer] players.
• Why did I become a vet? L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Genre masculin Pluriel Jean-Luc tells us what made him choose this profession.
• Working as a PA Mode subjonctif Le Subjonctif Présent Verbe irrégulier Employment Sophie talks about her career as a personal assistant.
• Writer's Block L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Préposition Le Subjonctif Présent Literature, Poetry, Theatre Lucille talks about coping mechanisms to circumvent the dreaded writer's block.
• Yves Saint-Laurent L'Imparfait (Indicatif) Adjectif possessif Genre féminin Art & Design Famous People Thibault and his friend Sonia talk about French designer Yves Saint-Laurent.

In this section

• Hanukkah 2023 Menorah
• Christmas 2023 Advent Calendar
• Tips and ideas to improve your French writing skills
• French Glossary and Jargon Buster

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How to Write an Essay in French

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When it comes to expressing your thoughts in French , there’s nothing better than the essay.

It is, after all, the favorite form of such famed French thinkers as Montaigne, Chateaubriand, Houellebecq and Simone de Beauvoir.

In this post, I’ve outlined the four most common types of essays in French, ranked from easiest to most difficult, to help you get to know this concept better. 

Why Are French Essays Different?

Must-have french phrases for writing essays, 4 types of french essays and how to write them, 1. text summary (synthèse de texte).

• 2. Text Commentary (Commentaire de texte)

3. Dialectic Dissertation (Thèse, Antithèse, Synthèse)

• 4. Progressive Dissertation (Plan progressif)

And one more thing...

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

Writing an essay in French is not the same as those typical 5-paragraph essays you’ve probably written in English.

In fact, there’s a whole other logic that has to be used to ensure that your essay meets French format standards and structure. It’s not merely writing your ideas in another language .

And that’s because the French use Cartesian logic (also known as Cartesian doubt) , developed by René Descartes , which requires a writer to begin with what is known and then lead the reader through to the logical conclusion: a paragraph that contains the thesis. Through the essay, the writer will reject all that is not certain or all that is subjective in his or her quest to find the objective truth.

Sound intriguing? Read on for more!

Before we get to the four main types of essays, here are a few French phrases that will be especially helpful as you delve into essay-writing in French:

Introductory phrases , which help you present new ideas.

Connecting phrases , which help you connect ideas and sections.

Contrasting phrases , which help you juxtapose two ideas.

Concluding phrases , which help you to introduce your conclusion.

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The text summary or synthèse de texte  is one of the easiest French writing exercises to get a handle on. It essentially involves reading a text and then summarizing it in an established number of words, while repeating no phrases that are in the original text. No analysis is called for.

A  synthèse de texte  should follow the same format as the text that is being synthesized. The arguments should be presented in the same way, and no major element of the original text should be left out of the  synthèse.

Here is an informative post about writing a synthèse de texte , written for French speakers. 

The text summary is a great exercise for exploring the following French language elements:

• Synonyms , as you will need to find other words to describe what is said in the original text.
• Nominalization , which involves turning verbs into nouns and generally cuts down on word count.
• Vocabulary , as the knowledge of more exact terms will allow you to avoid periphrases and cut down on word count.

While beginners may wish to work with only one text, advanced learners can synthesize as many as three texts in one text summary. 

Since a text summary is simple in its essence, it’s a great writing exercise that can accompany you through your entire learning process.

2. Text Commentary  (Commentaire de texte)

A text commentary or commentaire de texte   is the first writing exercise where the student is asked to present an analysis of the materials at hand, not just a summary.

That said, a  commentaire  de texte  is not a reaction piece. It involves a very delicate balance of summary and opinion, the latter of which must be presented as impersonally as possible. This can be done either by using the third person (on) or the general first person plural (nous) . The singular first person (je) should never be used in a  commentaire de texte.

A commentaire de texte  should be written in three parts:

• An introduction , where the text is presented.
• An argument , where the text is analyzed.
• A conclusion , where the analysis is summarized and elevated.

Here is a handy in-depth guide to writing a successful commentaire de texte,  written for French speakers.

Unlike with the synthesis, you will not be able to address all elements of a text in a commentary. You should not summarize the text in a commentary, at least not for the sake of summarizing. Every element of the text that you speak about in your commentary must be analyzed.

To successfully analyze a text, you will need to brush up on your figurative language. Here are some great resources to get you started:

• Here’s an introduction to figurative language in French.
• This guide to figurative language  presents the different elements in useful categories.
• This guide , intended for high school students preparing for the BAC—the exam all French high school students take, which they’re required to pass to go to university—is great for seeing examples of how to integrate figurative language into your commentaries.
• Speaking of which, here’s an example of a corrected commentary from the BAC, which will help you not only include figurative language but get a head start on writing your own commentaries.

The French answer to the 5-paragraph essay is known as the  dissertation .  Like the American 5-paragraph essay, it has an introduction, body paragraphs and a conclusion. The stream of logic, however, is distinct.

There are actually two kinds of  dissertation,  each of which has its own rules.

The first form of  dissertation  is the dialectic dissertation , better known as  thèse, antithèse, synthèse . In this form, there are actually only two body paragraphs. After the introduction, a thesis is posited. Following the thesis, its opposite, the antithesis, is explored (and hopefully, debunked). The final paragraph, what we know as the conclusion, is the  synthesis , which addresses the strengths of the thesis, the strengths and weaknesses of the antithesis, and concludes with the reasons why the original thesis is correct.

For example, imagine that the question was, “Are computers useful to the development of the human brain?” You could begin with a section showing the ways in which computers are useful for the progression of our common intelligence—doing long calculations, creating in-depth models, etc.

Then you would delve into the problems that computers pose to human intelligence, citing examples of the ways in which spelling proficiency has decreased since the invention of spell check, for example. Finally, you would synthesize this information and conclude that the “pro” outweighs the “con.”

The key to success with this format is developing an outline before writing. The thesis must be established, with examples, and the antithesis must be supported as well. When all of the information has been organized in the outline, the writing can begin, supported by the tools you have learned from your mastery of the synthesis and commentary.

Here are a few tools to help you get writing:

• Here’s a great guide to writing a dialectic dissertation .
• Here’s an example of a plan for a dialectic dissertation , showing you the three parts of the essay as well as things to consider when writing a dialectic dissertation.

4. Progressive Dissertation ( Plan progressif)

The progressive dissertation is slightly less common, but no less useful, than the first form.

The progressive form basically consists of examining an idea via multiple points of view—a sort of deepening of the understanding of the notion, starting with a superficial perspective and ending with a deep and profound analysis.

If the dialectic dissertation is like a scale, weighing pros and cons of an idea, the progressive dissertation is like peeling an onion, uncovering more and more layers as you get to the deeper crux of the idea.

Concretely, this means that you will generally follow this layout:

• A first, elementary exploration of the idea.
• A second, more philosophical exploration of the idea.
• A third, more transcendent exploration of the idea.

This format for the dissertation is more commonly used for essays that are written in response to a philosophical question, for example, “What is a person?” or “What is justice?”

Let’s say the question was, “What is war?” In the first part, you would explore dictionary definitions—a basic idea of war, i.e. an armed conflict between two parties, usually nations. You could give examples that back up this definition, and you could narrow down the definition of the subject as much as needed. For example, you might want to make mention that not all conflicts are wars, or you might want to explore whether the “War on Terror” is a war.

In the second part, you would explore a more philosophical look at the topic, using a definition that you provide. You first explain how you plan to analyze the subject, and then you do so. In French, this is known as  poser une problématique  (establishing a thesis question), and it usually is done by first writing out a question and then exploring it using examples: “Is war a reflection of the base predilection of humans for violence?”

In the third part, you will take a step back and explore this question from a distance, taking the time to construct a natural conclusion and answer for the question.

This form may not be as useful in as many cases as the first type of essay, but it’s a good form to learn, particularly for those interested in philosophy. Here’s an in-depth guide  to writing a progressive dissertation.

As you progress in French and become more and more comfortable with writing, try your hand at each of these types of writing exercises, and even with other forms of the dissertation . You’ll soon be a pro at everything from a synthèse de texte to a dissertation!

FluentU has a wide variety of great content, like interviews, documentary excerpts and web series, as you can see here:

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For example, if you tap on the word "crois," you'll see this:

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All throughout, FluentU tracks the vocabulary that you’re learning and uses this information to give you a totally personalized experience. It gives you extra practice with difficult words—and reminds you when it’s time to review what you’ve learned.

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The Thesis Statement in a Persuasive Text

Alys Avalos-Rivera

In another chapter, we discussed the features of an informational essay. In this chapter, we will guide you to understand the essential elements of a similar type of academic text: the persuasive essay. Although informational and persuasive writing follow similar principles such as an orderly presentation of ideas that should be supported with evidence (e.g. facts, arguments, or examples), their purposes differ. The objective is written to take a stance (specific point of view) with respect to a controversial topic and persuade the audience to adopt the writer’s position. Because of this difference, the thesis statement of the persuasive essay needs to introduce the writer’s position in the controversy featured in the essay. Also, the preview of the essay’s structure should outline the arguments that the author will use to support his/her stance.

Should the US drinking age be lowered?

In the US, drinking alcoholic beverages is illegal for people under 21 years of age (minimum legal drinking age or MLDA). This law has long caused a great deal of disagreement and debates. While some people think it is paradoxical that young people of 18 cannot enter a bar but still go to war, others believe that the law is the best way to keep youth away from irresponsible and heavy drinking episodes (also called binge drinking). The following texts were written by readers of the New York Times” Room for Debate page to express their opinions about the subject. [1]

• Read the comments and underline the readers’ main arguments (reasons to support one position or the other).
• Identify which readers are against lowering the minimum drinking age (CON) and which are in favor (PRO)?
• Which arguments seem the least convincing? Which are the most persuasive? Why?

Content focus: Rating thesis statements

Considering these features, in the following task you will analyze how six college students drafted their thesis statements for a persuasive essay on the MLDA controversy. In the prompt used by the instructor for this assignment, students were required to address the following purposes:

• Present the PROs and CONs of the MLDA to a group of college students’ parents.
• Persuade the parents to vote in favor of lowering the MLDA to 18 years of age.

In other words, the writers need to take a stance on the issue. Read the Thesis Statement and assess how well each one fulfills the purposes given above and to what extent. Rate the Thesis Statement using a scale from 1 to 6, where 6 will stand for the best Thesis Statement and 1 will be given to the poorest. Be prepared to explain the reasons you have to support your rating.

a. The United States has more accidents caused by drivers under the influence of alcohol than other countries where there is no MLDA (        )

b. Young people should be allowed to drink without legal restrictions based on their age, which is ridiculous (        )

c. Parents should teach their children how to drink alcohol in moderation.  (        )

d. Lowering the MLDA will allow parents to introduce their children to alcohol use under the supervision and reduce the rate of accidents caused by drunken drivers (        )

e. A reduction in the MLDA will help neutralize teenagers’ obsession with drinking, allow parents to monitor their children first encounters with alcohol, and reduce the rate of accidents caused by irresponsible drinking.   (        )

f. Having the MLDA fixed at 21 is only increasing young people’s fascination with drinking in unsafe environments and using false IDs.     (        )

Guidelines for a thesis statement

What should be considered when drafting a thesis statement for an essay that aims to persuade the audience to take a stand in a controversial issue? Think of some possible guidelines to write an effective persuasive TS taking into account the following:

• How should you address your audience?
• Where in your text should you introduce your stance?
• What language features (words, phrases) could be useful?
• How can you connect your TS with the main arguments you will use in your essay?

Write your guidelines below and discuss them with your colleagues and your instructor:

In some of the thesis statements listed above, the writers use modal verbs such as will and should . The first one ( will ) is used to predict the results that could be achieved if the authorities follow a specific course of action regarding the MLDA. The second one ( should ) is used to recommend what should be done with respect to the MLDA. These and other modal verbs that express advice, convey an obligation, or predict an outcome are often used to introduce the writer’s stance because they are useful to express the speaker’s desires, or his/her ideas of how the world should be. Other modal verbs that are also used with these purposes are: must, can, could, ought to, and also the semi-modal have to .

When using modal verbs to compose your thesis statement, however, you should be careful to select the one that best represents your purpose. The meaning of your thesis statement can change a great deal if you use one or the other. Read the following examples and explain how the meaning has changed with each modal (in bold):

*Although ought to and must are accepted as standard forms, they are not used in Academic English very often because they imply a strong and categorical position. Scientists usually abstain from categorical statements because these expressions do not convey that the writer remains open to new possibilities. Scientist prefer to maintain a more open attitude in their writing in case new evidence is discovered in the future that can change their points of view about the world.

Although the participants in the Room for Debate’s and Star Wars pages hold different points of view regarding very different topics, they all engaged in their online discussions with a common purpose: persuading their audience of their point of view. They do so in a succinct fashion because their audience does not usually invest much time in reading blog posts that are too long and complex. Therefore, effective blog/forum posters try to be direct and present one single point per post. On the contrary, academic persuasive writing needs to be more detailed and provide the audience with more than just the author’s point of view.

• https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2015/02/10/you-must-be-21-to-drink ↵

The Thesis Statement in a Persuasive Text Copyright © 2020 by Alys Avalos-Rivera is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Essay on Alcoholism

Students are often asked to write an essay on Alcoholism in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Alcoholism

Understanding alcoholism.

Alcoholism is a serious issue. It is a disease where a person cannot control their desire to drink alcohol. They keep drinking even when it causes harm.

Alcoholism can be caused by genetics, environment, and mental health. Some people are more prone to it because of their family history. Others might start drinking due to stress or depression.

The Effects

Alcoholism can lead to health problems like liver disease. It can also cause problems at work, school, or with relationships. It’s important to seek help if you or someone you know is struggling.

250 Words Essay on Alcoholism

Introduction.

Alcoholism, also known as alcohol use disorder (AUD), is a chronic disease characterized by an inability to control or abstain from alcohol use despite its negative consequences. It is a pervasive global issue with significant health, social, and economic implications.

Causes and Risk Factors

Impacts and consequences.

The impacts of alcoholism are far-reaching. Physiologically, it can lead to liver disease, cardiovascular problems, and neurological damage. Psychologically, it can result in depression, anxiety, and increased risk of suicide. Socially, it can disrupt relationships, lead to job loss, and contribute to social isolation.

Treatment and Prevention

Treatment for alcoholism typically involves a combination of medication, therapy, and support groups. Prevention strategies include education about the risks of excessive alcohol consumption, early intervention for at-risk individuals, and policies to limit alcohol availability.

Alcoholism is a complex disease with a multitude of contributing factors and consequences. Understanding its causes, impacts, and treatment options is key to addressing this pervasive issue. As future leaders, we must advocate for effective prevention strategies and accessible treatment services to combat alcoholism.

500 Words Essay on Alcoholism

Alcoholism, also known as Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), is a chronic disease characterized by an inability to control or abstain from alcohol use despite its negative repercussions. It is a multifaceted disease, with complex interactions between genetic, environmental, and psychological factors.

Genetic Underpinnings of Alcoholism

Scientific research has established a strong genetic component to alcoholism. Certain genes can make individuals more susceptible to alcohol addiction, demonstrating that alcoholism is not merely a result of personal weakness or lack of willpower. It is estimated that genetics accounts for about 50% of the risk for AUD. However, having a genetic predisposition does not guarantee the development of alcoholism, indicating the significant role of environmental factors.

Environmental Factors and Alcoholism

The psychological impact of alcoholism.

Alcoholism inflicts significant psychological damage. It can lead to a range of mental health disorders, including depression, anxiety, and increased risk of suicide. Furthermore, alcoholism can negatively impact cognitive functions, impair judgment, and lead to behavioral changes. It is also closely linked to social problems, such as domestic violence, child abuse, and other forms of crime.

Treatment and Recovery

Alcoholism is a treatable disease, with various therapeutic strategies available. These include behavioral treatments, medications, and mutual-support groups. Behavioral treatments aim to change drinking behavior through counseling, while medications can help to manage withdrawal symptoms and prevent relapse. Mutual-support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous provide a supportive community for individuals recovering from alcoholism.

Prevention is Better than Cure

Prevention strategies are crucial in combating alcoholism. These include enforcing age restrictions on alcohol sales, regulating alcohol advertising, providing education about the risks of excessive alcohol consumption, and implementing screening programs to identify individuals at risk.

Alcoholism is a complex, multifaceted disease that requires a comprehensive approach for its prevention and treatment. Understanding its genetic, environmental, and psychological dimensions can inform effective strategies to combat this pervasive public health issue. While alcoholism is a serious disease, recovery is possible with the right support and treatment. Therefore, it is essential to foster a supportive environment for those struggling with this disorder, free from stigma and judgment.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

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