La journée d'un jeune migrant : Extended writing and speaking | French

Starter quiz

Match the French with the English.

août

⇔

August ✓

eu

⇔

had ✓

bu

⇔

drank, drunk ✓

encore

⇔

yet, again ✓

être

⇔

to be, being ✓

avoir

⇔

to have, having ✓
Match the verb forms of 'avoir' and 'être' with the subject pronoun.

je

⇔

suis ✓

tu

⇔

as ✓

il

⇔

est ✓

nous

⇔

sommes ✓

vous

⇔

êtes ✓

elles

⇔

ont ✓
Use present tense + 'depuis' when:

talking about what you did for a while in the past.

talking about what you have been doing since a time in the past and still do. ✓

talking about how long you have been doing something for. ✓

talking about when you started doing something.
Which is the most appropriate translation for this sentence? 'J'étudie le français depuis plus de trois ans.'

I am studying French since more than three years ago.

I have studied French since more than three years ago.

I have been studying French since more than three years ago.

I have been studying French for more than three years. ✓
Which French translation is correct? He has been playing the violin since the age of seven.

Il a joué du violon depuis l'âge de sept ans.

Il aime jouer du violon depuis l'âge de sept ans.

Il joue du violon depuis l'âge de sept ans. ✓

Il va jouer du violon depuis l'âge de sept ans.
Which is the correct word order to make the sentence: They have been going to school for ten years.

1

⇔

ils

2

⇔

vont

3

⇔

à

4

⇔

l'école

5

⇔

depuis

6

⇔

dix

7

⇔

ans

Exit quiz

Which of these phrases describes a point in the past?

à ce moment-là ✓

l'âge de huit ans

en février

l'année dernière ✓

hier ✓
Which is the correct translation? I have been cooking since the age of five.

J'ai fait la cuisine depuis l'âge de cinq ans.

Je fais la cuisine depuis l'âge de cinq ans. ✓

J'aime faire la cuisine depuis l'âge de cinq ans.

Je faisais la cuisine depuis l'âge de cinq ans.
Which verb phrase completes this sentence? '______ au foot depuis août.' I have been playing football since August.

'je joue' ✓
Which verb phrase completes this sentence? '______ au foot depuis ce moment-lâ.' I have been playing football since that moment.

'je joue' ✓
Match the first and third person words. There is a mixture of conjugated verb forms, possesive adjectives and pronouns.

me

⇔

lui ✓

vais

⇔

va ✓

ai

⇔

a ✓

suis

⇔

est ✓

mon

⇔

son ✓

ma

⇔

sa ✓
Write this sentence in the third person. 'Je me suis mis à préparer.' I started to prepare.

'Il s'est mis à préparer.' ✓

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Lesson Details

Key learning points

The perfect tense and present tense + depuis can usefully be combined to talk about completed and ongoing events.
[e] sounds like 'je' and [ui] sounds like 'huit'.
When talking or writing about someone else, change pronouns, verbs and possessive adjectives from first to third person.
It is important to carefully plan use of tenses when creating a longer text.

Common misconception

When writing, talking about what someone does, has done using a text written in the first person for information, only the subject pronoun needs to be changed in each sentence.

When writing, talking in the third person using a text in the first person for information, change the subject pronoun, verb, object pronouns and possessive adjectives (words like my, your, his, her).

Keywords

First person - form of pronouns and verbs used to refer to yourself
Third person - form of pronouns and verbs used to refer to others
Perfect tense - describes what you did or have done in the past
Present tense - describes what you do habitually or what you are doing now
Depuis - for, since