By the end of this lesson you'll be able to describe your childhood, and ask other people what theirs was like.
The phrase that opens every memory
French memories often start this way. Now that you know the imparfait, you can use it.
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Quand j'étais petit / petite… | kahn zhay-teh puh-TEE / puh-TEET | When I was little… (man / woman) |
| l'enfance | lahn-FAHNSS | childhoodFeminine: une enfance. |
| les grandes vacances | lay grahnd vah-KAHNSS | the summer holidays |
| la campagne | lah kahn-PAH-nyuh | the countryside |
| le jardin | luh zhar-DAN | the garden |
| le maître / la maîtresse | luh MEH-truh / lah meh-TRESS | the primary school teacher (man / woman) |
Petit matches the speaker: a man says Quand j'étais petit, and a woman says Quand j'étais petite. The whole phrase sets you up for a list of habits and descriptions.
Quand j'étais petit, j'avais un chien.
When I was little, I had a dog. (said by a man)
Quand j'étais petite, je détestais les carottes.
When I was little, I hated carrots. (said by a woman)
Home, family and friends
Everything you've learned about people works here. Your family words and mon, ma and mes come straight back.
Mes parents travaillaient à Rennes.
My parents worked in Rennes.
Ma sœur et moi, nous lisions le soir.
My sister and I used to read in the evening.
School and games
Children's games use the patterns from the lesson on hobbies and sports: jouer à for games, and jouer de for music.
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| jouer à cache-cache | zhoo-ay ah kahsh-KAHSH | to play hide-and-seek |
| le ballon | luh bah-LOHN | the ball |
| la poupée | lah poo-PAY | the doll |
Je jouais au ballon avec mes copains.
I played ball with my friends.
Le maître était très gentil.
The teacher was very kind.
Holidays
Children in France look forward to les grandes vacances. You can use the seasons and the weather here, too.
L'été, nous allions à la campagne, et il faisait chaud.
In summer, we used to go to the countryside, and it was hot.
A model text
Here's a woman remembering her childhood. Every verb is in the imparfait, because she's describing how things were and what used to happen.
Quand j'étais petite, j'habitais à la campagne avec mes parents et mon frère.
When I was little, I lived in the countryside with my parents and my brother.
Notre maison était petite, mais il y avait un grand jardin.
Our house was small, but there was a big garden.
Tous les jours, je jouais avec mon frère.
Every day, I played with my brother.
L'été, il faisait chaud et nous allions à la mer.
In summer, it was hot and we used to go to the seaside.
Le samedi, ma grand-mère faisait un gâteau. J'adorais ça !
On Saturdays, my grandmother made a cake. I loved that!
Asking someone else
To find out about someone's childhood, start with these. The question words are from the lesson on question words.
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Tu habitais où ? | tew ah-bee-teh OO | Where did you live? |
| Tu aimais l'école ? | tew eh-meh lay-KOHL | Did you like school? |
| Tu jouais à quoi ? | tew zhoo-eh ah KWAH | What did you play? |
Replies are usually short, and they use the same verb: J'habitais à Nantes. (I lived in Nantes.) Non, je détestais l'école ! (No, I hated school!) Je jouais au foot. (I played football.)
Keeping the conversation going
One memory usually leads to another. When someone tells you about their childhood, respond with a short reaction and then ask a question of your own. C'était super ! (That was great!) and Et toi ? (And you?) are enough to keep things moving. You can also ask for details: Tu avais quel âge ? (How old were you?), Il y avait un parc ? (Was there a park?), C'était où ? (Where was that?). Each of these uses only what you already know, so you can focus on listening.
En français
- Tu habitais où, quand tu étais petit ? (Where did you live when you were little?)
- À Marseille. Et toi ? (In Marseille. And you?)
- À la campagne. Tu aimais l'école ? (In the countryside. Did you like school?)
- Oui, j'adorais la maîtresse. Tu jouais à quoi ? (Yes, I loved the teacher. What did you play?)
- Je jouais à cache-cache avec ma sœur. (I played hide-and-seek with my sister.)
What's next
Next, the lesson on choosing between the two past tenses shows you how to combine background with events. The lesson on the French school system tells you what school is like in France.