Brochure Grammaire
Brochure Grammaire
Brochure Grammaire
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HIGHER & ADVANCED FRENCH
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TENSES REVISION BOOKLET
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NAME : __________________________________________
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Sommaire
USING TENSES.............................................................................................................................3
THE PRESENT TENSE................................................................................................................3
THE PERFECT TENSE................................................................................................................7
THE IMPERFECT TENSE..........................................................................................................10
THE FUTURE TENSE...............................................................................................................13
THE IMPERATIVE....................................................................................................................16
REFLEXIVE VERBS...................................................................................................................18
IN THE PRESENT TENSE......................................................................................................18
IN THE PERFECT TENSE......................................................................................................18
THE CONDITIONAL TENSE.....................................................................................................22
THE PLUPERFECT TENSE........................................................................................................24
EN + PRESENT PARTICIPLE.....................................................................................................25
THE PRESENT SUBJUNCTIVE..................................................................................................27
‘IF’ SENTENCES......................................................................................................................29
RECOGNIZING TENSES...............................................................................................................31
SOME TRANSLATIONS:..............................................................................................................33
EASY TRANSLATIONS.............................................................................................................33
HARDER TRANSLATIONS........................................................................................................38
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USING TENSES
The present tense describes what is happening now, at the present time or what happens regularly.
Je vais à l’école ce matin. I am going to school this morning.
Il vend des glaces aussi. He sells ice cream as well.
Elle joue au tennis le samedi. She plays tennis on Saturdays.
The expressions depuis and ça fait… que are used with the present tense when the action is still
going on :
Je l’attends depuis deux heures. I’ve been waiting for him for two hours.
Ça fait trois mois que je travaille en France. I’ve been working in France for three
months.
In the present tense, most verbs use a regular pattern, depending on whether the ending of the
infinitive ends in -er, -re or -ir.
Many common verbs are irregular. At the back of your textbook you will find a very useful verb
table. Learn them!
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ACTIVITY 1: Complete the following letter:
Salut!
Je (être) ………………………… ton nouveau correspondant français. Je m’appelle Clément,
et j’ (avoir) ………………………… quinze ans. Dans ma famille, nous (être) …………………………
cinq. Il y (avoir) ………………………… mes parents, mon frère, ma sœur et moi. Nous (avoir)
………………………… aussi deux chats. Et toi, (avoir) …………………………-tu un animal?
Nous (habiter) ………………………… à La Rochelle. J(‘aimer) ………………………… bien la ville.
Je (prendre) ………………………… le bus pour aller au collège.
Mes parents (travailler) ………………………… dans un magasin de sport. Toute la famille
(adorer) ………………………… le sport, sauf moi. Ma sœur (jouer) ………………………… au
basket, et mes parents (jouer) ………………………… au tennis. Moi, j’(adorer)
………………………… la musique. Et toi, tu (aimer) ………………………… la musique aussi?
Le samedi soir, je (regarder) ………………………… des émissions de musique à la télé. Et
quelquefois je (aller) ………………………… à un concert. Et toi, qu’est-ce que tu (faire)
………………………… samedi soir?
A Bientôt,
Clément.
INFINITIF ANGLAIS
PRESENT
Aller To go
Je ………………………………………
Avoir
J’………………………………………..
Boire
Tu ……………………………………
Croire
Je ………………………………………
Dire
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On ……………………………………
Ecrire
J’écris
Etre
Je ………………………………………
Faire
Il ……………………………………….
Lire
On ……………………………………
Mettre
Je ……………………………………..
Ouvrir
On……………………………………..
Partir
Elle …………………………………..
Prendre
Nous………………………………….
Recevoir
Vous ……………………………….
Savoir
Ils …………………………………..
Sortir
Elles ………………………………..
Venir
Nous ……………………………….
Voir
Vous (pl) ……………………………
ACTIVITY 3 : Une interview avec une journaliste. Fill-in the article with the correct form of the verb:
- Pendant le festival du cinéma, on (ex. lire) lit beaucoup d’articles dans la presse. Isabelle
Lefèvre (être) ____________ une des journalistes au festival. Isabelle, qu’est-ce que vous
(faire) ____________ quand vous (arriver) ____________ à Cannes ?
- D’abord, je (regarder) ____________ beaucoup de films. Ça (commencer) ____________ à
8h30 du matin. A midi, j’(avoir) ____________ juste le temps de manger un sandwich, puis
l’après-midi je (faire) ____________ des interviews.
- Est-ce que les acteurs (aimer) ____________ donner des interviews ?
- Oui, mais quelquefois ils (donner)____________ quarante interviews dans la journée. Ils
(avoir) ____________ l’impression de répondre toujours aux mêmes questions. Alors, je
(travailler) ____________ beaucoup avant. Je lis les interviews déjà données et je (préparer)
____________ bien mes questions. Et pendant l’interview, j’(écouter) ____________ bien,
parce que les réponses sont plus importantes que les questions.
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ACTIVITY 4: Fill-in the conversation
- Tu (être) …….es…….. française?
- Non, je (être) ……………….. américaine.
- D’où (venir) ………………..-tu, exactement?
- Je (venir) ……………….. de New York.
- Tu (aller) ……………….. au college ici ?
- Oui, je (aller) ……………….. au lycée international. Mes parents (être) ……………….. profs au
lycée.
- Tu (comprendre) ……………….. bien le français.
- Merci. Nous ……………….. le français au lycée, et j’(essayer) ……………….. de parler français
avec mes amis.
- (être) ………………..-tu contente d’être ici ?
- Ah oui. Je (croire) ……………….. que vivre dans un autre pays est une très bonne expérience.
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The perfect tense is used to describe what happened in the past, an action which is completed and
is not happening now.
It is made up of two parts: either avoir or être in the present tense, and a past participle.
Samedi dernier, j’ai chanté dans un concert. (Last Saturday, I sang in a concert.)
Hier, ils sont allés à La Rochelle. (Yesterday, they went to La Rochelle.)
Many verbs form the perfect tense with avoir. This includes many common verbs which have
irregular past participles, such as:
About thirtheen verbs, mostly verbs of movement like aller and partir, form the perfect tense with
être. You need to learn them. Here is a picture which could help you to memorise them:
When you form the perfect tense with être, the past participle agrees with the subject of the
verb. This means that you need to add an extra -e if the subject is feminine, and to add an extra
-s if the subject is plural (more than one).
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ACTIVITY 1: underline all the verbs in the perfect tense:
ACTIVITY 2: Avoir oû être? For each of these verbs, decide whether you need to use ‘avoir’ (A) or
‘être’ (E) in the perfect tense.
Arriver ……………. Trouver …………….
Venir ……………. Aller …………….
Rentrer ……………. Voyager …………….
Passer ……………. Faire …………….
Voir ……………. Manger …………….
Aimer ……………. Visiter …………….
Retourner …………….
ACTIVITY 3: Fill-in the gaps with the correct form of avoir or être.
Ex. J’ ai vu des peintures superbes dans un musée.
1) M. et Mme Levert vu une célèbre peinture italienne au Louvre.
2) Luc monté au troisième étage de la Tour Eiffel.
3) Nicole et Claire trouvé des vêtements pas chers au marché aux puces.
4) Hélène visité Notre Dame.
5) Nous _______ allés sur les Champs-Elysées.
6) Pierre et marc pris le métro à la Vilette, où ils visité un musée des
sciences.
ACTIVITY 4:
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Fill-in the sentences with the complete form of the perfect tense
Ex. J’ ai pris un café dans le restaurant du musée. (prendre)
1) Sophie et Charlotte une glace dans un jardin public au centre de Paris.
(manger)
2) André à Montmartre, où il le Sacré
Cœur. (aller/voir)
3) Moi, j’ l’Arc de Triomphe, où j le tombeau du
soldat inconnu. (visiter/voir)
4) Lise du shopping dans un grand magasin et elle
des cartes postales. (faire/acheter)
5) Dans un centre d’art moderne, jean et Christophe l’escalier jusqu’au
café, où ils une limonade. (prendre/boire)
6) Nous le métro à Marne-la-Vallée, et nous la
journée à Disneyland Paris. (prendre/passer)
The imperfect is used to describe something that used to happen frequently or regularly in the
past :
Quand j’étais petit, j’allais chez mes grands-parents tous les week-ends. (When I was small, I
used to go to my grandparents’ every weekend.)
It is also used for description in the past, particularly of weather:
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J’étais en vacances. Il faisait beau. (I was on holidays. The weather was fine.)
Est-ce qu’il portrait des lunettes? (Was he wearing glasses ?)
It describes how things used to be:
A cette époque, il y avait beaucoup moins de circulation. (At that time, there was much less
traffic.)
It often translates ‘was… ing’ and ‘were…ing’:
Que faisiez-vous quand j’ai téléphoné? (What were you doing when I phoned ?)
It can be used to describe something you wanted to do, but didn’t.
Nous voulions aller à paris, mais il y avait une grève des transports. ((we wanted to go to
paris, but there was a transport strike.)
It describes something that lasted for a long period of time.
En ce temps-là, nous habitions à Marseille. (At that time we lived in Marseille)
C’était + adjective can be used to say what you thought of something:
C’était magnifique. (It was great.)
C’était affreux. (It was awful)
The imperfect tense can also be used for making excuses, for example in the following expressions:
Ce n’était pas de ma faute. (It wasn’t my fault.)
Je croyais/pensais que… (I thought that…)
Je voulais seulement… (I only wanted to…)
Je ne savais pas que… (I didn’t know that…)
It is also used with depuis to show how long something had been happening.
Ils habitaient là-bas depuis 10 ans. (They had been living there for 10 years)
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Les arbres dans la ville.
Dans la ville où vous habitez, il y a probablement des arbres dans les rues et dans les parcs,
mais ce n’était pas toujours comme ça. Avant l’an 1500, il n’y avait pas d’arbres dans les villes
en Europe. Mais pendant le 16e siècle, quand on faisait des expéditions dans les pays étrangers,
les explorateurs y découvraient une grande variété de plantes et d’arbres nouveaux. Ils
ramenaient des graines dans leurs pays, et les botanistes essayaient de les faire pousser dans
les jardins royaux ou sur les places urbaines. De nos jours, en Europe, il y a plus de 400 sortes
d’arbres qui existaient autrefois uniquement dans les pays étrangers. En France, par exemple,
les expéditions qui partaient au Liban rapportaient tant de beaux cèdres du Liban
qu’aujourd’hui, il y en a plus dans les villes françaises qu’au Liban. Et quand vous admirez les
arbres dans votre jardin public, n’oubliez pas que le magnolia poussait autrefois en Amérique
du Nord et le marronnier montrait ses belles fleurs roses aux habitants de la grèce.
ACTIVITY 2: Use the verbs from the box to fill-in the text:
La fête de fin d’année.
Loïc et Christophe ont organisé la fête et c’était vraiment super ! Tous nos amis ___________ là.
Heureusement, il __________ un temps splendide, le soleil __________, et nous __________
manger dans le jardin. Tout le monde __________ un short ou quelques filles __________ une jupe
courte ou une robe. Le buffet __________ délicieux et il y _________ un grand choix de boissons.
Les glaces _________ les plats les plus populaires et on _________ choisir entre quatre parfums :
vanille, fraise, chocolat ou citron.
avait brillait étaient
était était faisait
portaient portait pouvait
pouvions semblaient
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ACTIVITY 4 Fill-in the gaps with the verbs in the correct form:
- Quand tu (être) __étais à l’autre école, est-ce que tu (aimer) ____ais le football ?
- Pas tellement, mais j’(adorer) _______ais la natation.
- Quand tu allais au Collège Olympique, est-ce que tu (connaître) ________ais Michèle et Paul
Lenoir ?
- Oui, très bien. Mon frère (sortir) _______ait quelquefois avec Michèle.
- Est-ce que tu joues dans l’orchestre à l’université ?
- Non, mais au collège je (jouer) ________ais du saxophone et je (faire) ________ais souvent
du jazz.
- Il y a quatre ans, nous (habiter) ________ions à Grenoble. Ton frère (travailler) ________ait
autrefois à Chamonix, n’est-ce pas ?
- Oui, c’est ça. Il (être) _______ait moniteur de ski.
Chère louise,
J’espère que tu as reçu ma carte de Hennequeville. Nous (ex. passer) passions
toujours nos vacances là-bas quand j’(être) _______________ petite. Je me rappelle
que chaque jour, on (organiser) _______________ des excursions dans la région et que
tous les soirs, nous (jouer) _______________ au football avec nos amis du village. Il
me semble que le soleil (briller) _______________ presque tout le temps.
Eh bien, cette année il (pleuvoir) _______________ très souvent et les amis qui
(habiter) _______________ autrefois au village ne (être) _______________ plus là. Mais
on s’est fait d’autres copains, et on a passé de bonnes vacances.
Et toi ? Raconte-moi tes vacances aussi !
A bientôt,
Caroline
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THE FUTURE TENSE
The future tense is used to describe what will (or will not) happen at some future time:
L’année prochaine, je passerai mes vacances à Paris. (Next year I’ll spend my holidays in
Paris.)
Qu’est-ce que tu feras quand tu quitteras l’école? (What will you do when you leave school ?)
The future tense must be used after quand if the idea of future tense is implied.
Je lui dirai de vous téléphoner quand il rentrera. (I’ll ask him to phone you when he gets
home)
The endings for the future tense are the same as the endings
of the verb avoir in the present tense/
Je …ai Nous …ons
Tu …as Vous …ez
Il/Elle/on …a Ils/Elles …ont
To form the future tense of regular -er and -ir verbs, you just add the endings to the infinitive of
the verb:
To form the future tense of regular -re verbs, you take the final -e off the infinitive and add the
endings:
Prendre je prendrai
Attendre j’attendrai
Some common verbs don’t form the first part of the verb in this way. But they still have the same
endings:
ALLER + INFINITIVE : You can use the present tense of the verb aller followed by an infinitive to talk
about the future and what you are going to do:
Qu’est-ce que vous allez faire ce week-end? (What are you going to do this weekend ?)
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Je vais passer le week-end à paris. (I am going to spend the weekend in Paris.)
ACTIVITY 1: To say what you are going to do and when, use the correct part of the verb aller
followed by an infinitive:
Aller Infinitive
Michel Dupont a quinze ans. Il passera dix jours en Angleterre chez son correspondant/
ACTIVITY 3: read the text and underline the verbs in the future tense:
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Le monde à l’avenir.
Le monde aà l’avenir, comment sera-t-il ? On vivra plus longtemps, mais est-ce qu’il y
aura assez de nourriture pour tout le monde ? Est-ce qu’on fera plus pour proteé ger la
planeà te ? Si le nombre de voitures continue aà augmenter, les routes deviendront
impossibles. Est-ce qu’on inventera de nouveaux moyens de transport ? Est-ce que
beaucoup de personnes feront des voyages dans l’espace ?
On verra plus de gadgets eé lectroniques, ça c’est certain ! On n’enverra plus de lettres
ni de cartes postales par la poste, on fera toutes les communications par internet.
On dit que meê me les maisons seront intelligentes. Les ordinateurs, cacheé s dans les
murs, feront tout pour les habitants. Ils sauront preé parer des repas et pourront
ouvrir et fermer les feneê tres.
Est-ce qu’on ira toujours aà l’eé cole, ouà est-ce qu’on devra apprendre ses cours par
l’internet ?
Le monde aà l’avenir sera certainement treà s diffeé rent !
THE IMPERATIVE
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Regardez-ça! Look at that! (to people you call vous)
It is easy to form the imperative: in most cases you just leave out tu , vous or nous and use the verb
by itself. With -er verbs, you take the final -s off the tu form of the verb.
ACTIVITY 2: Faire du baby-sitting, c’est dur! (Charlotte is giving orders. Fill-in her sentences in the
imperative, using the ‘tu’ form)
Ex. Joue avec ta petite sœur. (jouer)
1) …………….……………. l’histoire. (écouter)
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2) …………….……………. le chien tranquille. (laisser)
3) …………….……………. tes affaires. (ranger)
4) …………….……………. ta pomme. (manger)
5) …………….……………. un livre. (chercher)
6) Ne …………….……………. pas trop de télévision. (regarder)
7) Ne …………….……………. pas sur les murs. (dessiner)
8) Ne …………….……………. pas la porte. (fermer)
9) …………….……………. ton pyjama. (mettre)
ACTIVITY 2: Chez le médecin. (complete these sentences, using the ‘vous’ form)
1) …………….……………. ce medicament. (prendre)
2) …………….……………. à la maison. (rester)
3) …………….……………. un autre rendez-vous. (demander)
4) …………….……………. à la pharmacie. (aller)
5) …………….……………. un moment. (attendre)
6) …………….……………. -moi la jambe blessée. (montrer)
7) …………….……………. à l’hôpital. (téléphoner)
8) …………….……………. à la réception. (payer)
9) …………….……………. la bouche. (ouvrir)
10)Ne …………….……………. pas aujourd’hui. (sortir)
REFLEXIVE VERBS
Reflexive verbs are listed in a dictionary with the pronoun se (called the reflexive pronoun) in front
of the infinitive. E.g. se lever. The se means ‘self’ or ‘each other’ or ‘one another’.
Je me lave. (I get (myself) washed.)
Ils se regardaient. (They were looking at each other)
Quand est-ce qu’on va se revoir? (When shall we see one another again ?)
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Many reflexive verbs are regular -er verbs :
Je me lave I get washed
Tu te lèves? Are you getting up?
Il se rase He gets shaved
Elle s’habille She gets dressed
To tell someone to do or not to do something, use the imperative or command form. Reflexive
verbs follow this pattern -- in the tu form, te changes to toi:
Lève-toi! Stand up!
Assieds-toi! Sit down!
Amusez-vous bien! Have a good time!
Présentons-nous! Let’s introduces ourselves !
Dépêchons-nous ! Let’s hurry !
Reflexive verbs form the perfect tense with être. The past participle appears to agree with the
subject: add an -e if the subject is feminine and an -s if it is plural.
Elle s’est réveillée. She woke up.
Ils se sont réveillés. They woke up. (m)
français anglais
to enjoy oneself
s’appeler
s’approcher (de)
to stop
se baigner
se coucher
to hurry
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s’ennyuer
s’habiller
s’intéresser (à) (in)
to wash (oneself)
to get up
(de) to deal (with)/ to be busy (with)
to go for a walk (or ride)
to rest
se retourner
se réveiller
se trouver
ACTIVITY 2: fill in the gaps and write the english. Sentences in the negative.
Ex. Je ne me lève pas.
I do not get up. / I am not getting up. _
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2) - Comment t’ -tu de préférence le week-end ? (s’habiller)
ACTIVITY 5: Un jour qui a changé ma vie. Fill in the article which explains how Serge’s life changed.
The conditional tense is used where ‘would’ or ‘should’ are used in English. It is a polite and less
abrupt way of asking for something.
Je voudrais partir maintenant. I should like to leave now
Pourriez-vous m’aider? Could you help me?
J’aimerais aller au Québec. I ‘d love to go to Quebec.
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ACTIVITY 1: Answer the questions. Que ferais tu… (what would you do?)
1. Si tu voyais un voleur dans le jardin?
_____________________________________________________________________
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_____________________________________________________________________
The pluperfect tense is used to describe something that had already happened before something
else occurred or before a fixed point in time.
Elle était déjà partie quand je suis arrivé. (She had already left when I arrived)
The pluperfect tense is formed by using the imperfect tense of avoir and être and the past
participle. The same rules about which verbs take avoir and which verbs take être and about
agreement of the past participle apply to both the perfect and pluperfect tenses.
Dire Arriver
J’avais dit (I had said) J’étais arrivé(e) (I had arrived)
Tu avais dit Tu étais arrivé(e)
Il/Elle/On avait dit Il/Elle/on était arrivé(e)
Nous avions dit Nous étions arrivé(e)s
Vous aviez dit Vous étiez arrivé(e)(s)
Ils/Elles avaient dit Ils/Elles étaient arrivé(e)s
ACTIVITY Have a go and try and put these sentences in the pluperfect tense:
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1. “J’ai pris le train à cinq heures trente.”
_________________________________________________________________
2. “J’ai vu le voleur entrer par la fenêtre.”
_________________________________________________________________
3. “J’ai discuté le problème avec papa.”
_________________________________________________________________
4. “J’ai trouvé les questions difficiles.”
_________________________________________________________________
5. “Je n’ai pas voulu aller au travail.”
_________________________________________________________________
EN + PRESENT PARTICIPLE
En + present participle is used when you want to describe two actions which happen more or less
at the same time:
En sortant de l’hôtel, tournez à droite. (As you go out of the hotel, turn right.)
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6. Les joueurs s'entraînent tous les jours et ils ont gagné le match.
The subjunctive is used after certain link words: avant que (before), pour que (so that), bien que
(although), and to express:
A necessity
Il faut que tu partes. (You must leave)
A possibility
Tu viendras samedi, à moins que tu ne doives travailler. (You’ll come on Saturday, unless you
have to work)
A doubt
Je ne suis pas sûr que mes parents puissant venir. (I’m not sure that my parents can come)
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4. J’ai peur qu’il ne ……………….. pas m’accompagner. (vouloir)
5. Il souhaite que je ………………….. en France. (aller)
6. Elle est contente que vous ……………………. venir ce soir. (pouvoir)
7. Je ne veux pas qu’il ………………… faim. (avoir)
8. Espérons qu’elle …………………… mieux. (aller)
9. Il va partir avant que nous le …………………… (savoir)
10. Je doute que tu ………………… peur des serpents (avoir)
‘IF’ SENTENCES
Sentences which contain two parts, one of which is an ‘if’ clause, normally follow one of the
following pattern :
Si + present tense, +future tense
S’il pleut demain, je resterai à la maison. (If i trains tomorrow, I’ll stay at home)
Si + imperfect tense, + conditional tense
Sauriez-vous quoi faire si la voiture tombait en panne ? (Would you know what to do
if the car broke down ?
Si + pluperfect tense, + conditional perfect tense
Si tu m’avais téléphoné plus tôt, jaurais pu venir. (If you had phoned me earlier, I
could have come)
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ACTIVITY 1 :
Traduire en anglais: (you can use a dictionary)
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
9. Si l’on introduisait la semaine de 35 heures au Royaume Uni tout le monde serait très
content.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
10. Ils n’auraient pas manifesté si les autorités avaient changé la loi.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
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RECOGNIZING TENSES
Recognizing time frames and verb tenses is a sign of skill in language learning and is vital if you
wish to reach the higher grades.
Reminder: Je révise = I revise/ I’m revising Je vais réviser = I’m going to revise
J’ai révisé = I revised Je réviserai = I shall revise/ I’ll revise
Je révisais = I used to revise/Iwas revising
ACTIVITY 1: Show you can recognize time frames by translating these sentences. Use a dictionary.
1. Ce matin j’ai fini mon petit déjeuner à huit heures.
2. En général je préfère le rugby au football.
3. Demain matin je vais aller retrouver ma copine en ville.
4. Il y a 10 ans j’allais à l’école primaire.
5. Pendant les vacances j’ai logé dans une auberge de jeunesse.
6. Je n’ai pas fini mes devoirs heir soir.
7. Le weekend prochain je regarderai le nouveau film de James Bond.
8. En ce moment je fais un exercice de grammaire.
9. Demain soir je vais surfer sur Internet.
10. Quand j’étais petit je regardais trop de télévision.
11. L’année prochaine j’aurai 17 ans.
12. Normalement nous faisons une promenade à la campagne.
13. Samedi dernier nous avons gagné le match 2 à 0.
14. Demain après-midi nous allons partir à 2 heures.
15. Ils ont terminé leur examen à 3 heures.
1) …………………………………………………………………………………………
2) …………………………………………………………………………………………
3) …………………………………………………………………………………………
4) …………………………………………………………………………………………
5) …………………………………………………………………………………………
6) …………………………………………………………………………………………
7) …………………………………………………………………………………………
8) …………………………………………………………………………………………
9) …………………………………………………………………………………………
10) …………………………………………………………………………………………
11) …………………………………………………………………………………………
12) …………………………………………………………………………………………
13) …………………………………………………………………………………………
14) …………………………………………………………………………………………
15) …………………………………………………………………………………………
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1. En 1066 les Normands ont gagné la bataille de Hastings.
2. J.K. Rowling a écrit 5 livres de Harry Potter.
3. Un jour un astéroïde détruira la planète!
4. Je roulais à 100 km/heure quand l’accident s’est produit.
5. Arsenal va gagner la Ligue des Champions un jour.
6. Je suppose que tu as vu le dernier film de Star Trek.
7. J’adorais les Mercedes, maintenant je préfère les BMW.
8. Le Royaume-Uni est devenu membre de l’Union Européenne en 1973.
9. Il y a dix ans je fumais régulièrement 10 cigarettes par jour.
10. L’économie chinoise se développe très rapidement.
1) …………………………………………………………………………………………
2) …………………………………………………………………………………………
3) …………………………………………………………………………………………
4) …………………………………………………………………………………………
5) …………………………………………………………………………………………
6) …………………………………………………………………………………………
7) …………………………………………………………………………………………
8) …………………………………………………………………………………………
9) …………………………………………………………………………………………
10) …………………………………………………………………………………………
SOME TRANSLATIONS:
Have a go at these to practice you French. Hand them in for correction to improve!
EASY TRANSLATIONS
Hello. My name is….. I am 15 years old and I live in Ripon, a small town in the north of
England, near York. I have two sisters and one brother. My brother is called David and my
sisters are called Erika and Claire. We live in a large house in the centre of town. In our
house there is a lounge, four bedrooms, a dining room, a kitchen, two bathrooms and a
garage. We have a small garden behind the house.
In my bedroom there is a computer, a hi fi, a desk, two chairs, a wardrobe, a chest of
drawers and, of course, a bed. I spend a lot of time in my room. For example, I do my
homework, I listen to music, I talk to my friends on the computer and I practise my guitar.
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In my spare time I play the guitar, I watch TV, I play football with my friends at school, I go
out at the weekend and I like to read. Sometimes I help my mother in the kitchen, but I
don’t like working in the garden.
My best friends are Robert and Vicki. We often go out into town at the weekend. Rob likes
to go to the cinema, but Vicki prefers to go shopping. Rob goes to the same school as me,
but Vicki goes to school in Harrogate. On Saturday we go into the town centre. We usually
take the bus. In town we drink a coffee, eat a cake, buy a CD perhaps and look at the
clothes in the shop windows.
Rob never buys clothes; Rob’s mum buys them. Vicki buys something nearly every week.
She spends a lot of money.
During the holidays I go to Rob’s house and we watch a DVD or play on the computer. Vicki
usually goes to France with her family during the summer holidays. Her parents have a
small house in the south of France near Bordeaux. When we go on holiday we stay in an
appartment in Spain. We travel by plane. The weather is nice and there is lots to do.
I wake up at 7.00, then I stay in bed for ten minutes and I liosten to the radio. I get up, go to
the bathroom and have a shower. I get dressed, then I go downstairs for breakfast. I usually
have cereals and orange juice. Sometimes I drink coffee with my parents. I go up to my
bedroom, prepare my bag and leave the house at 8.15.
I take the bus to school. I arrive at 8.30 and lessons start at 9.00. There are six lessons each
day. We have a break at 10.30 and I go to the cafeteria for lunch. Lessons finish at 3.30. My
favourite day is Thursday because we have technology and P.E.
After school I return home immediately and do my homework. Usually I work for about an
hour, then we have dinner. In the evening, I relax, play on the computer, listen to music or
watch TV. In the summer I sometimes go out with friends.
Saturday morning I stayed in the house. I finished my homework, I watched TV, played on
the computer and read my new book. I had my lunch, then I decided to go and see my
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friend Paul. We went into town, we met some friends and then we went to the cinema. We
saw the new Bond film. After the film we went to McDonalds and had a burger and chips. I
returned home by bus at 10 o’clock.
After the film we went to McDonalds and had a burger and chips. I returned home by bus at
10 o’clock. On Sunday I stayed in bed until 11 o’clock, then I got up, had a shower and got
dressed. I went down to the kitchen and had my breakfast. I listened to the radio, then I
read the newspaper. I phoned Paul and we went to the park together to play football with
some friends.
Last year Sarah went to France during the summer holidays. She stayed in Paris for three
days, then she took a train to Bordeaux. In Paris she visited the main attractions. She went
up the Eiffel Tower, she visited the Louvre and she had a meal in an expensive restaurant.
In Bordeaux she saw some French friends, she drank some nice red wine and she hired a car
to visit the region. The weather was very nice, except one day when it rained. Each night
she stayed in a different hotel and ate the specialities of the region.
After a week she returned to Paris by train and stayed with a friend in the north of the city.
She finally returned to England by plane. She had good fun in France and spoke French a
lot.
Last night I went to a restaurant in town with my parents and my best friend to celebrate my
birthday. We parked the car near the cinema, then we walked to the restaurant opposite
the railway station. For starters I chose the paté, then I had beef in a sauce with vegetables.
For dessert I had chocolate ice cream. My parents had an Italian dish – pasta, with a sald
and red wine. I drank coca cola and water. My friend Katie had chicken, chips and apple tart
for dessert.
After the meal we went to the cinema. We bought some coke and popcorn. We saw a new
American film. We returned to the car and came home.
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Imperfect Tense
When I was young I used to live in London. I went to a primary school not far from the
railway station. I used to get up every day at 8 o’clock and I went to school by car with
my mum. Lessons started at 9.15. I used to like art and music. I didn’t like maths; I
preferred science.
I used to play football in the park with my friends and I used to watch programmes for
children on the TV. I didn’t eat tomatoes and mushrooms, but I loved pizza and pasta.
At the weekend we used to go out into the countryside in the car. We used to go and see
my grand-parents who lived in Essex. We went for walks, we had lunch in a pub and
sometimes we went to the seaside. We used to play on the beach or go to the funfair.
When the weather was bad we would stay indoors and watch a film.
Questions (present)
“Hello, Chris. How are you?”
“Fine, thanks. What are you doing at the moment?”
“I’m finishing my homework. And what about you?”
“Me too. What subject are you doing?”
“Maths. It’s very hard. Are you doing Maths too?”
“No, French. It’s quite easy.”
“Are you going out on Saturday? Do you want to go to go into town?”
“Yes. What time shall we meet?”
“Do you want to meet at the station at 10 o’clock?”
“OK. What do you want to do? Do you want to go shopping?”
“Yes. And you? Do you want to buy any CDs?”
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“Maybe. How are you going into town? By car?”
“No. Shall we go by bus?”
“Fine. See you Saturday, then.”
Questions (past)
Now, Mr Smith. I have a few questions for you.
What time did you leave the house?
How did you go the the airport?
Did you go by car?
Where did you leave the car?
Did you go alone or with another person?
Why did you leave your luggage at home?
When did you arrive at the airport?
Who did you see when you arrived at the airport?
What did you buy at the airport?
Did you eat or drink anything?
Did you telephone your wife before your departure?
Negatives
I don’t like meat. I never eat carrots and I never drink wine. I don’t eat cabbage and I
don’t drink coca cola. I don’t eat anything for breakfast. I don’t eat mushrooms any
more. I never go to the restaurant and I never eat at McDonalds. I have nothing for
breakfast.
Yesterday I didn’t eat lunch at school. When I returned home, no-one was ion the house.
Mum didn’t return until 8 o’clock, so I didn’t have dinner until 9 o’clock.
Futur
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This evening I shall go home at 4.00. I’ll take the bus as usual and I shall arrive home at
4.30. When I get home I shall have a cup of coffee and I’ll eat some biscuits. Mum will
return home at 6.00. We shall have dinnet at 7 o’clock, then I will do my homework. I’ll
have Maths, Science and Geography. Then I shall watch televison a bit. I shall play on
the computer for an hour and I shall go to bed at about 11 0’clock.
Tomorrow morning I’ll get up early and I shall leave for shool at 8.30. This weekend I’m
going to watch a film at the cinema and I’m going to play football for my club. My friend
Eric will come to the house and we shall watch a DVD or we shall play computer games.
Perhaps we’ll eat a pizza.
HARDER TRANSLATIONS
I have just returned from my holidays in Spain. We enjoyed ourselves very much. We caught the
plane from London on the 1st of August. The flight took two and a half hours, too long for me as I
am scared of flying! When we arrived at Malaga the weather was superb; the sun was shining and
the temperature was 30 degrees.
On the first day of our holiday we stayed at the hotel and spent the day next to the pool. We drank
a lot, swam, ate lunch in the hotel dining room and in the evening went into town to look at the
shops. Our room had a spectacular view of the sea.
On Sunday we hired a car and did a trip to Granada where there is a beautiful palace with
magnificent gardens. We had lunch in a lovely restaurant in the town centre. I had paella and my
mother had chicken with salad. After having lunch we entered the castle and did a guided tour.
The best moment of the holiday was when we visited the beautiful historic city of Seville. What a
fantastic place! I took lots of photos, bought some souvenirs and visited two interesting museums.
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TRANSLATION 2 Articles/pronouns
Shopping – I love it! Each week I go to the supermarket in the car and buy loads of things there.
Meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, drinks, bread, cakes, biscuits, as well as frozen food and dairy produce.
Last week I bought a kilo of salmon, some lemon and herbs in order to prepare a meal for my
parents who were staying with us. My mother particularly likes fish and seafood in general, and I
always buy them when she comes to stay. The salmon was delicious, especially with the lemon
and herbs.
Last weekend we went out to a French restaurant near the station. I decided to try snails for the
first time. They were prepared with garlic, butter and parsley. I can’t say that I particularly liked
them. For the main course I had beef, green beans and a green salad – very traditional. For dessert
I had chocolate ice cream. I didn’t choose cheese because I don’t like it very much.
My favourite food is Italian. I like it because it’s simple, cheap and tasty. In the evening I often
prepare pasta with a sauce which I eat with a nice red wine.
TRANSLATION 3 Futur
Next year I intend to stay at school in order to study four subjects for A-level. If I get good marks, I
hope to study maths, chemistry, economics and French. When I am eighteen I shall go to university
to do a degree.
In the future I plan to get married and I shall have children, but I do not want to get married too
young. I would like to travel and I hope to have a good, well-paid job. I shall probably stay in
England, but it is possible that I shall go and live abroad, perhaps in France.
My friend Joe says that he will leave school. He will try to find a job straight away, but it will be
difficult.
When I finish my A-levels I shall travel to Australia. I have some friends there and I hope to find a
job in a bar or in a shop. The weather will be nice and I’ll be able to see some interesting places.
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- Can you come down Kevin? Your dinner is ready!
- I’ve got to finish my homework, mum. The French teacher wants to see
my essay tomorrow morning. Can I have my dinner later?
- All right, but I’ll have to put it in the oven. What would you like for dessert?
- A yogurt, some ice-cream or some fruit?
- Ice cream, please, mum.
Kevin wanted to finish his work as quickly as possible, but he had to use the dictionary a lot and
couldn’t always find the words he wanted. He knew he would have to spend at least an hour on
this homework. What a bore! Eventually he finished his essay, put his books in his school bag and
he was able to go downstairs to have his dinner.
- Could you fill the dishwasher after your meal?
- Do I have to do it? Oh, all right, but I’d like to watch a bit of telly before I go
to bed. May I?
Whilst I was walking down the street the other day I saw an old friend who used to go to school
with me in London. When I saw him I was really surprised and I asked him what he was doing now.
He said he was working in an office not far from the railway station, for a company called
Superprint.
I asked him if he had children and he said that he was married and that he had a son and a
daughter. His son was called David and his daughter Felicity was at university. She was studying
French and German.
I told him that I was working in a small school on the edge of the town. He asked me if I liked my
job and I replied that I found it interesting, but that the pupils did not always want to work. He said
that his job was quite boring, but that he earned a good salary.
We then decided to go to the coffee shop. We talked about our families, our jobs and our plans for
the future. I was very happy to see my old friend again.
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TRANSLATION 6 Mixed tenses
Last night I decided to stay at home and watch a film on television. I watched Les 400 Coups, a
French movie by François Truffaut. I don’t normally watch foreign films now, but a friend
recommended it, so I thought I would make an effort to watch a film in a different language. When
I lived in France I often used to watch French films.
It’s about a young boy, Antoine Doinel, who lives in Paris and who hates school. He parents look
after him badly. He misses lessons, goes to the cinema and steals from shops. He hides in the
house of a friend. One day he tells the teacher that he missed lessons because his mother was
dead. Then his mother arrives at school so he is punished.
Eventually the police arrest Antoine and he has to go to a special centre for young delinquents. But
he decides to escape and in the last scene we see him on a beach. He’s looking at the sea and we
wonder how his future will be.
I liked the film a lot and I would now like to see more films by Truffaut.
TRANSLATION 7 Questions
TRANSLATION 8 Conditional
If I won an enormous sum of money I would spend it very quickly. I would buy a brand new car, a
Ferrari probably, a house in France for my parents and I would have a swimming pool built in our
garden. I would certainly put a lot of money in my bank account. However, I would not change my
lifestyle. I would continue my studies at school and university and I would find an interesting, well
paid job. The only difference is that I would come to school in my Ferrari.
I would give some of the money to a charity which works for the Third World, children or which
fights against serious diseases. My parents said that, if they won the national lottery, they would
stop working and go to live in Australia. They would also do a tour of the world as they love
travelling.
What would you do if you won a million pounds? One of my friends thinks that she would not like
to win the lottery because it would change her life too much. I don’t agree!
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